However, as philological study has developed in modern times, many people have pointed out that, since Buddhist thought developed in stages, entire sutras of Buddhism, including Theravada, were established gradually over periods as long as several centuries to begin with, and that the oldest sutras of Hokuden (Mahayana) Buddhism and Nanden Buddhism (Buddhism that spread from India to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia) do not contain description of 'Nyozegamon' (I heard this); Nakamoto TOMINAGA, who dealt with the 'Hokke-kyo Sutra (the Lotus Sutra) has no meaning theory', is one such person.
しかし近代に入ると文献学的研究が進み、仏教思想は段階的に発展したもので、そもそも上座部をも含む仏教の経典全体が数世紀という長時間をかけて徐々に成立してきたものであるだけでなく、北伝・南伝の最古の教典には「如是我聞」の記述が見られないことが日本でも「法華経無内容説」を唱えた富永仲基によって指摘されている。