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

The Lotus of the True Law is a savior from all fears and pains. It’s a refreshing tank for the thirsty, a warming fire for the cold, clothing for the naked, a guide for travelers, a mother’s care, a boat across troubled waters, a healer for the sick, a lamp in the darkness, a treasure for the needy, the ocean’s embrace for rivers, and a torch that scatters shadows.

He who learns and honors these teachings with devotion, using offerings of flowers, incense, music, and lamps, will gain a merit so immense that it defies comprehension. Such is the profound blessing of a person who embraces the teachings of the Lotus of the True Law.

The reward will be immense for a young person, male or female, who strives on the path of Bodhisattva enlightenment and holds this chapter of the Ancient Devotion of Medicine King^⁠ dear. If a woman, after understanding these teachings, embraces and follows them, she won’t be born as a woman again in her next life.

Anyone, male or female, who embraces this teaching in the last five centuries of the millennium will be reborn in the paradise known as Sukhavati^⁠, where Lord Amitayus^⁠ resides. They’ll be seated on a lotus throne there, free from earthly emotions like hatred, pride, envy, or wrath. They will receive spiritual faculties and come to understand the eternal law. As a Bodhisattva, they’ll see countless Buddhas, who will praise them.

The Buddhas will commend the person, saying, “Well done, for studying and sharing the Lotus of the True Law as taught by Lord Sakyamuni (Buddha). Your merit is immense, unburnable by fire, and unwashable by water. A thousand Buddhas couldn’t measure your merit. You’ve overcome evil, emerged victorious from life’s battles, and surpassed all others in wisdom and meditation. Except for the Tathâgata, none can match you, not even disciples or Bodhisattvas. Such will be your spiritual power.”

Anyone who appreciates and embraces the teachings of the ancient devotion of the Medicine King will experience spiritual freshness, akin to the sweet scent of a lotus or the fragrance of sandalwood emanating from their very being. Such temporal blessings are theirs if they accept these teachings.

So, I entrust you with this chapter of the Ancient Devotion, Understanding-the-Essence- of-the-Star’s-Radiance, ensuring that it continues to be taught here on Earth and is never lost. Neither evil forces nor other supernatural beings will have the opportunity to harm it.

This teaching will serve as a healing balm for the sick and suffering. Anyone who hears it will not be overwhelmed by sickness, aging, or unexpected death.

If a person striving to reach enlightenment encounters a monk devoted to these teachings, they should honor the monk with offerings of sandalwood powder and blue lotuses. They should recognize that the monk is on the path to enlightenment, and see in him a warrior against evil, a herald of wisdom, and a navigator across life’s tumultuous ocean.

So, Understanding-the-Essence–of-the-Star’s-Radiance, let any earnest seeker reflect on these truths when encountering a monk devoted to this sutra, and they will acquire the immense advantages spoken of by the Tathagata (Buddha).

While the chapter of the Ancient Devotion of Medicine King was being taught, eighty-four thousand spiritual seekers, known as Bodhisattvas, gained a mystical understanding connected with mastery of all sounds. In that profound moment, the Lord Prabhutaratna, a revered enlightened being, expressed his approval by speaking to Understanding-the-Essence–of-the-Star’s-Radiance: “Well done, well done! You have done well in asking the Tathagata, the Buddha, who possesses such extraordinary and inconceivable qualities. Your quest for wisdom is to be commended.”