In the third and final volume of the Soka Gakkai trilogy, the thrilling journey of the history of Buddhism and its transformation into a world religion is recorded, as it travels from India, the birthplace of the Buddha, to China and beyond.

Daisaku Ikeda, the author of the book and president of the Soka Gakkai International, composes a vivid narrative in which the main characters are initially the monks and merchants who introduced Buddhism to China along the Silk Road, and subsequently prominent Chinese Buddhists.

He describes the development of specific Buddhist schools in China, focusing on the Tiantai school, which later influenced Japan. Finally, he succinctly outlines the decline of Buddhism in China after the severe persecutions of the 10th century.

The wisdom and insight characterize the central figures of the book, including the great translator Kumarajiva and the distinguished Buddhist Tiantai Zhiyi. They appear vividly at the forefront of the Flourishing of Chinese Buddhism, on the one hand to enlighten us about the role of Buddhism in Chinese society and, consequently, in all of humanity, and on the other hand to chart the path that the religion must follow to meet the pressing needs of the times, then and now.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]