106 J. Duncan M. Derret born blind. The story uses the tale of the Blind Man of Bethsaida also (Mk 8,22-26), since the theme of healing by two stages occurs. To cure the physical sight is not enough: one must induce in the former patient the insight whereby one sees reality (Mk 8,25d). Few can doubt that this part of ch.5 is based on our Johannaine story. It is, no doubt, absent from the translation from Sanskrit to Chinese made by Kumārajīva in AD 406,9 superseding earlier translations going back to the third century, It is not at all anomalous for portions of the Lotus Sūtra to reflect gospel passages, a theory which should be handled with caution10. Nevertheless the Sūtra contradicts our traditional understanding of Jn 9,3 and directly asserts that a man born blind (Kern’s trans., 129 28) must have committed sins in a previous life (130 10-11). That does not prevent his being cured in part (he sees “outwardly and inwardly”: 1315) by a skilled physician who chews far-sought herbs (130 28). “Seers” (rsis) challenge and ridicule him (131 13). He has no “wisdom”. Bodhisattvas (in effect Mahāyāna mis- sionaries) awaken him to perfect enlightenment (132 15-133 3; 134 13). 5. Conclusion As some highly intelligent readers of long ago understood the passage we too must use the Greek syntax to make the remarkable rendering: It is not so much the case that this man sinned, or his parents, but rather that he is so in order that the works of God shall be made manifest in his case. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is still day... The modern punctuation need not be tampered with, interesting as the proposed repunctuation would be. J. DUNCAN M. DERRETT Half Way House, High Street, Blockley, Moreton in Marsh, Glos. GL 56 9EX (ENGLAND) Now translated by L. Hurvitz, hardly necessary in our context. 9 It is not necessary to cite the works of T. Richard and W.E. Soothill, both mandarins 10 and both missionaries.