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

New Song: Unfolding Wisdom’s Blues

by The William Altig Choir (Verse 1) Woke up this mornin’, sun a-burnin’ gold Opened the Lotus Sutra, a story ages old Some folks say it’s too deep, too hard to understand Like a hidden treasure, buried deep within the land Oh, they say it’ll bring confusion, darkness to your mind That ain’t the Buddha’s purpose, no, that’s not the path…

William Altig

August 10, 2025

music, Nichiren, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

Buddhism, Buddhist folk song, Buddhist message, Buddhist songwriting, Buddhist study music, Buddhist teachings, Buddhist Wisdom, Dharma blues, dharma folk, Dharma music, enlightenment song, faith, Folk Blues, Lotus Sutra blues, Lotus Sutra song, mindful music, Nichiren blues, Nichiren inspiration, spiritual blues, spiritual folk blues, spiritual harmonica, wisdom blues
Nichiren Buddhist Practice: A Detailed Briefing

This briefing document reviews the core tenets and essential practices of Nichiren Buddhism as outlined in the provided sources, focusing on Nichiren’s specific directions for practitioners in the Latter Day of the Law. I. Main Themes and Most Important Ideas The central theme running through Nichiren’s instructions is the primacy of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the sole…

William Altig

August 10, 2025

Nichiren

“Expedient Means” chapter, chanting, daimoku, Dharanis, Dharmaparyāya, discard other teachings, Enlightenment, faith, filial piety, Gohonzon, Gratitude, intellectual understanding, karma cleansing, Latter Day of the Law, Life Span Chapter, Lotus Sutra, Myoho-renge-kyo, Mystic Law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nembutsu, Nichiren, Nichiren Buddhism, persecutions, Provisional Teachings, reading Lotus Sutra, recitation Lotus Sutra, Refutation, Sanskrit, Shakubuku, Sino-Japanese pronunciation, study of Lotus Sutra, sutra translation, time and capacity, True Word, votary of the Lotus Sutra, Zen schools
Maitreya’s Questions and the Revelation of Eternal Buddhahood in the Lotus Sūtra

Date: August 9, 2025 Subject: An analysis of Maitreya’s questions in Chapter 15 of the Lotus Sūtra, Shakyamuni Buddha’s response, and subsequent interpretations across various Buddhist traditions (Tiantai, Nichiren, Zen). 1. Executive Summary Maitreya’s profound questions in Chapter 15 (“Emerging from the Earth”) of the Lotus Sūtra serve as a pivotal narrative device, prompting Shakyamuni…

William Altig

August 9, 2025

Chapter 15, Chapter 16, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Buddha, Buddha-nature, Buddhism, Chapter 15 “Emerging from the Earth”, Chapter 16 “The Life Span of the Tathāgata”, Compassionate Pedagogy, Dharma-nature, Dōgen, Essential Teaching, Eternal Buddhahood, Faith and Inquiry, Immeasurable Lifespan, Innate Enlightenment, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Maitreya, Meditation, Mentor-Disciple Bond, middle way, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Nirvana, Original Buddha, Philosophy, Religion, Shakyamuni Buddha, Spiritual Practice, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Tiantai, Trace Teaching, universal salvation, zen, Zhiyi
The Dragon Girl’s Enlightenment: A Briefing on Universal Buddhahood and the Challenge to Tradition in the Lotus Sūtra

Date: August 8, 2024 Subject: Analysis of the Dragon Girl’s Narrative in the Lotus Sūtra‘s Chapter Twelve Purpose: This briefing provides a detailed review of the main themes and most important ideas presented in the provided sources regarding the Dragon Girl’s story in the Lotus Sūtra, highlighting its significance for Mahāyāna Buddhist doctrine, particularly concerning…

William Altig

August 8, 2025

Chapter 12, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

Avalokiteśvara, Bodhi, Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, Buddhism, Buddhist art, Chapter Twelve, Devadatta, Dharma, Dragon Girl, Dragon King Sāgara, East Asian Buddhism, Emptiness (Śūnyatā), Enlightenment, Expedient Means (Upāya), Female Buddhahood, Five Obstacles, Gender Transformation, Guanyin, Henjō Nanshi, Instantaneous Enlightenment, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Meditation, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Nāga, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Patriarchal Prejudices, Philosophy, Precious Jewel, Religion, Sokushin Jōbutsu, Spiritual Equality, Spirituality, Spotless World of the South, Subitism, Sudden Enlightenment, Sudhana, Three Thousand Realms in a Single Moment of Life (Ichinen Sanzen), Tiantai School, universal salvation, Wisdom Accumulated, Zhiyi, Śāriputra
Devadatta’s Enlightenment in the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren’s Philosophy

1. Executive Summary This briefing examines the paradoxical concept of Devadatta’s enlightenment, a central tenet in the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren’s philosophy. Devadatta, cousin and notorious adversary of Shakyamuni Buddha, committed two of the five “Anantarika-karma” (grave offenses) and was traditionally condemned to the Avīci Hell, a realm of incessant suffering. However, the Lotus Sutra,…

William Altig

August 7, 2025

Chapter 12, Nichiren, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

Adversaries as Teachers, Arhatship, Avici Hell, Bodhisattva Ideal, Buddha, Buddhahood, Buddhism, Changing Poison into Medicine, compassion., Devadatta, Dharma, Dragon King’s Daughter, Enlightenment, Ethical Implications, Final Dharma Age, Five Anantarika-karma, Grave Offenses, Heavenly King Buddha, Hell of Incessant Suffering, Ichinen Sanzen, Inherent Buddha-nature, Instantaneous Enlightenment, karma, Karmic Retribution, Kitō-shō, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Mappo, Meditation, Nichiren, Non-dualistic Perspective, Philosophy, Religion, Schism in Sangha, Shakyamuni Buddha, Soteriology, Spiritual Growth, Theravada Buddhism, Treatise on Prayers, Universal Buddhahood, universal salvation
The Parable of the Burning House

1. Executive Summary The Parable of the Burning House, found in Chapter Three of the Lotus Sūtra, is a central Mahayana Buddhist allegory illustrating the nature of suffering, the Buddha’s compassionate “skillful means” (upaya), and the doctrine of universal liberation. It depicts samsara (the world of suffering) as a decaying, fire-engulfed mansion, where sentient beings,…

William Altig

August 6, 2025

Chapter 3, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

Attachment, Buddha, Buddha-nature, Buddhism, Children (Sentient Beings), Climate Crisis, Compassion, Digital Age, Distraction, faith, Four Noble Truths, Ignorance, Impermanence (Anicca), Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Meditation, Modern Relevance, Nichiren Buddhism, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Parable of the Burning House, personal transformation, Philosophy, Religion, Samsara, Skillful Means (Upaya), Spirituality, Suffering (Dukkha), Three Vehicles (Triyana), Universal Buddhahood, Zen Buddhism
Seeing the Buddha in the Lotus Sūtra

I. Executive Summary This briefing examines the multifaceted meaning of “seeing the Buddha” within the context of the Lotus Sūtra, contrasting the historical quest for a physical encounter with Siddhartha Gautama with the Sutra’s promise of an ever-present Buddha accessible through spiritual engagement. The Lotus Sūtra redefines “seeing the Buddha” from a literal perception to…

William Altig

August 5, 2025

Chapter 16, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

Buddhahood, Chapter Sixteen Lifespan, Chapter Ten Masters of the Dharma, Copying the Sutra, Dharma-body, divine protection, Enlightenment, Eternal Buddha, Expounding the Sutra, four kinds of devotees, Inherent Buddha-nature, Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Meritorious Acts, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren, Origin teaching, Persecution, Pilgrimage, Reading the Sutra, Reciting the Sutra, samadhi, Seeing the Buddha, Slander, Spiritual Hardship, Spiritual Realization, Trace Teaching, Universal Buddhahood, Upholding the Sutra, wisdom, Zhiyi, Śākyamuni Buddha
The Perfume of Wisdom: Discerning Reality Through Purified Senses on the Bodhisattva Path

I. Executive Summary This briefing summarizes the core themes and key insights from “Lotus Sūtra Sensory Perception” and its accuracy check, “The Perfume of Wisdom: An Accuracy Check.” The documents explore the profound concept of purified sensory perception, particularly the sense of smell, within the framework of the Bodhisattva path as presented in Chapter Nineteen…

William Altig

August 4, 2025

Chapter 19, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

Attachment, Avidyā, Bodhicitta, Bodhisattva Path, Bodhisattva vow, Buddha’s Eye, Buddhism, Chapter Nineteen, Compassion Meditation, compassionate action, Death Meditation, Delusion, Discerning Moral Qualities through Scent, Enlightened Perception, External Objects, Focused Attention, Ignorance, Internal Sensory Organs, Lotus Sutra, Loving-kindness, Mahayana Buddhism, Meditation, Merits of the Dharma Teachers, Mind as Sixth Sense, Mindfulness, Moral Purity, Nirvana, Non-attachment, Non-Deluded Perception, Olfactory Capacity, Open Monitoring, Philosophy, Purification of the Six Roots of Perception, Purified Senses, Religion, Rokkonshoujou, Samsara, Sati, Sensory Transformation, Shakyamuni Buddha, Skillful Means, Spiritual Development, Spirituality, Taṇhā, Universal Liberation, upāya, wisdom, Āyatana
The Patient Vow in the Lotus Sūtra

I. Executive Summary This briefing document synthesizes the core themes and critical insights from “The Patient Vow: A Theological and Psychological Analysis of Compassion in Chapter 14 of the Lotus Sūtra” and its review. The central argument is that Chapter 14 of the Lotus Sūtra, particularly the teachings on “Peaceful Practices” (Anrakugyō), provides a sophisticated…

William Altig

August 3, 2025

Chapter 14, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

Anrakugyō, Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva vow, Buddhism, Buddhist Feminism, Burnout, Chapter 14, Compassion, cosmic time, Delaying Nirvāṇa, Ekayāna, emptiness, Great Fault, Great Loss, Kalpas, karuṇā, Kṣānti, Lotus Sūtra, Mañjuśrī, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Meditation, Non-Judgmentalism, One Vehicle, Patience, Patient Vow, peaceful practices, Philosophy, prajñā, Priceless Gem Parable, Psychological Analysis, Reflective Practice, Religion, Rules of Association, Self-Perfection, Skillful Means, Spiritual Hygiene, Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Pride, Spirituality, Sukhivihāra, upāya, wisdom, Yogācāra, Śūnyatā
Buddhist Perspectives on Time, Purpose, and Enlightenment: A Briefing

This briefing synthesizes key themes from the provided source, “Lotus Sūtra: Time’s Immeasurability,” focusing on the Buddhist understanding of time, its implications for spiritual practice, and the path to enlightenment. It aims to address the modern anxiety of “not enough time” by demonstrating how the Sūtra’s teachings transform this perception into a liberating framework for…

William Altig

August 2, 2025

Chapter 16, Chapter 7, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

14th Dalai Lama, Abhidharmakośabhāṣyam, Ajahn Brahm, Arhat, Ayya Khema, Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva’s vow, Buddha, Buddha-nature, Buddhism, Buddhist Philosophy, Busyness (modern delusion), Compassion (Karuṇā), cosmic time, Cosmology, Cyclical time, Dukkha, Enlightenment, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Great Compassion (Mahākaruṇā), Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence, Ink-powder parable, Kalpas (Aeons), karma, Linear time, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Mindfulness, Nirvāṇa, Parinirvāṇa, Pema Chödrön, Phantom City Parable, Philosophy, Pratyekabuddha, Precious human birth, Present moment, Religion, Saṃsāra, Skillful means (Upāya), spiritual path, Spiritual Practice, Spirituality, Sumeru-worlds (Cakravāḍa), Temporal Anxiety, Thich Nhat Hanh, Thousand-million-fold world (Trisāhasra-mahāsāhasra-loka-dhātu), time, Wisdom (Prajñā), Yojanas, Śākyamuni Buddha