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

“Six Seals on the Road” is a soulful, acoustic folk-blues track that translates profound spiritual doctrine into a universal song of life’s journey.

Inspired by the ultimate guidance for practitioners in Chapter 28 of the Lotus Sūtra, this song recasts the ancient Sixfold Praxis—to copy, keep, read, recite, memorize, and act according to the Sūtra—as a challenging yet necessary “road code.”

This isn’t just theory; it’s a commitment to a life of wisdom and compassion. The tune builds around the core Mahāyāna axiom: the effort to enlighten others is the most direct and necessary cause for the realization of one’s own Buddhahood. We cannot achieve ultimate happiness while others suffer; the journey outward is the path inward.

Let the walking blues rhythm guide you as you embrace the Non-Duality of self and the world. This song is for every seeker, every songwriter, and every soul determined to find light by being light.

Lyrics: 

(Tempo: Slow, with a steady, walking blues rhythm. Think acoustic guitar, maybe a harmonica line after the verses.)

(Verse 1)
I saw the light on Vulture Peak, a long, long time ago.
The Buddha stepped away, but he didn’t leave us low.
He left a map, a hard road code, for this world full of pain,
And Universal-Sage came down to stand us in the rain.
He said, “If you want the truth, friend, if you want the Buddha’s heart,
You gotta put the Dharma to work, right from the very start.”

(Chorus)
Oh, these are the Six Seals on the Road, the only way to climb,
Gotta work ’em with your hands, and work ’em with your mind.
It ain’t enough to feel it deep, or know the words are true,
The key to my own freedom is the good I gotta do.
Yeah, the key to your own freedom is the good you gotta do.

(Verse 2)
The first seal is Keep it, let the Sutra be your spine.
Hold that faithful promise, make it your guiding line.
The second seal is Copy, with a hand that shakes but tries,
Every single character opens up the eighty thousand skies.
You’re purifying your own weary soul with every pen stroke laid,
Making a shrine of paper, by the promise you have made.

(Verse 3)
Gotta Read and Recite it, till the words are in your bone.
Gotta Memorize the rhythm, ’cause you can’t walk this road alone.
That’s when the Sages move, they come to stand right where you stand,
They grant you the Samadhis, hold the wisdom in your hand.
It moves from ink to consciousness, a power understood,
But the journey ain’t complete until you turn it toward the good.

(Chorus)
Oh, these are the Six Seals on the Road, the only way to climb,
Gotta work ’em with your hands, and work ’em with your mind.
It ain’t enough to feel it deep, or know the words are true,
The key to my own freedom is the good I gotta do.
Yeah, the key to your own freedom is the good you gotta do.

(Bridge)
They call it Non-Duality, you gotta preach it to the crowd.
‘Cause if one person’s suffering, then my happiness ain’t allowed.
You gotta Expound and Propagate, throw the light upon the dark,
‘Cause every helping hand you lend, it leaves its shining mark.

(Outro)
The final seal is the deepest one, you gotta Act According To It.
They call it Shikidoku, friend, you gotta live the holy writ.
When you’re out there saving others, from the trouble and the grief,
That’s the only way you find your own ultimate relief.
Go ahead and walk it out, Padmaprabha. 
Go ahead and walk it out.

(Harmonica fades out)