Mr. Altig’s Overview of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sutra

And in this moment, to further clarify this subject matter, the Lord expressed these verses:

Just as the sun and moon shine bright,
On every soul, in day and night.
No matter if you’re wrong or right,
Their light is shared with equal might.

Just as the wisdom, pure and grand,
Of Tathagata, across the land,
Guides every being, every clan,
With love that’s never undermanned.

Like a potter with his clay,
Forms vessels for both work and play.
For sugar, water, milk, and whey,
From the same earth, in the same way.

Although the vessels may hold,
Different contents, hot or cold,
The clay, its essence, never sold,
Is in each pot, for young and old.

The Tathagata, with wisdom’s key,
Unlocks for all, the mystery.
Three vehicles, it seems to be,
But one true path, to set us free.

Who are ignorant, they spin,
In the world’s unending din.
Understanding from within,
The path to blessed rest begins.

When the world, you truly see,
From the mundane, you are free.
Yet, the disciple may decree,
“I’ve reached Nirvana, blissfully.”

But the Jina, wise and true,
Says, “There’s more for you to do.
Without knowing all laws, in view,
True Nirvana, you never knew.”

Like a man, born without sight,
Who claims there’s no day, no night.
No sun, no moon, no starlight,
For he’s known only endless night.

But a doctor, kind and wise,
Brings the man a great surprise.
From the mountain, he supplies,
Four herbs, for the man’s eyes.

With these herbs, the man can see,
From his blindness, he is free.
“I was wrong, I now agree,
The world is more than I decree.”

So too, are the beings, blind,
In the whirl of life, confined.
Until Tathagata, kind,
Opens the eye of the mind.

To the blind, Tathagata shows,
Three vehicles, to ease their woes.
But only one true path bestows,
The way to where enlightenment flows.

A disciple, once in the whirl,
Finds a pearl, his mind unfurl.
Yet, “I’ve reached Nirvana,” he’ll twirl,
Not knowing, it’s more than one swirl.

But the Jina, seeing his pride,
Says, “There’s more outside your stride.
From your room, the world is wide,
Your knowledge, it’s time to guide.”

“From within, you cannot see,
What lies outside, what’s yet to be.
If you think you’re wise as a tree,
You’re mistaken, as can be.”

You can’t hear, five leagues away,
The drumbeat’s call, the children’s play.
You can’t see, in light of day,
Who’s friend or foe, who’ll betray.

You can’t walk a kos alone,
Without a path, that’s clearly shown.
You’ve forgotten, what you’ve known,
In the womb, where you’ve grown.

“If omniscience is your quest,
Seek wisdom, put your mind to test.
In the wilderness, you’ll be blessed,
With transcendent faculties, no jest.

Heed the meaning, make the climb,
To the wilderness, sublime.
There, in peace, and over time,
You’ll gain these faculties divine.”

With understanding, clear and bright,
The disciple gains new insight.
No longer in the whirl’s plight,
Yet, Nirvana’s not in sight.

True repose, a stop, a pause,
But not the final, sacred cause.
An artifice, without true laws,
Yet closer to the truth, because…

To reach Nirvana, pure and true,
There’s still more work for you to do.
The path of time, the utmost few,
The void, the boundless, in your view.

See the world as but a dream,
A phantom river’s silent stream.
Unborn, undying, it may seem,
An echo in the cosmic scheme.

He who sees all laws the same,
Unbound, unlit, without a name.
In darkness and in light, no claim,
He knows true rest, beyond the game.

He who knows that all is void,
Each law, each truth, each paranoid.
Each moment lived, each moment enjoyed,
Sees Nirvana, the truth deployed.

There are not three paths to be,
Only one vehicle, for you and me.
In this world, it’s key to see,
The one true path to be free.