Tag: Ajita

• 5 Surprising Lessons on Truth and Arrogance from an Ancient Buddhist Text

  

  Introduction: When Being Right Becomes a Prison We’ve all met them: people so utterly convinced of their own knowledge that their minds are sealed shut. Any new idea, no matter how insightful, simply bounces off their wall of certainty. It’s a frustrating encounter, but it’s also a window into a common human trap: the prison…

  William Altig

  October 30, 2025

  Chapter 17, Chapter 3, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Ajita, Arhatship, arrogance, Chapter Seventeen, Chapter Two, Distinction of Benefits, Ekayāna, endurance, expedient means, Five Thousand Departures, Kṣānti Pāramitā, Lotus Sūtra, Maitreya Bodhisattva, Māna, One Buddha-Vehicle, Prophecy of Persecution, Provisional Teachings, Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Spiritual Pride, upāya

• Why an Ancient Text Says You’re Already a Buddha

  

  Introduction: The Long Road to Enlightenment? The journey to enlightenment is often portrayed as an epic undertaking, a path of gradual cultivation requiring countless lifetimes of discipline and the accumulation of merit. The very concept of “countless kalpas (eons)” suggests a goal so distant it feels almost unattainable for an ordinary person. But what if…

  William Altig

  October 2, 2025

  Chapter 17, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Ajita, Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, Bodhi Tree, Bodhimaṇḍa, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Maitreya, Chapter 17, Degenerate Age, Dharma-kāya, Distinctions in Merits, Ekayāna, Eternal Lifespan, Immediate Enlightenment, Immediate Equivalence, Inherent Buddhahood, Latter Day of the Law, Living Relic, Lotus Sūtra, Maitreya, Mappō, Meritorious Practice, Nichiren Buddhism, Non-Duality, One Vehicle, Persecution, Practitioner Status, six pāramitās, Sokushin Jōbutsu, Stūpa Mandate, Supreme Perfect Enlightenment, Tiantai Buddhism, Votary, World of conflict

• The Joy of Awakening Buddha-Nature in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  I. Introduction: The Radical Shift of the Original Teaching This briefing document examines the profound implications of faith and joy as presented in Chapter 17 of the Lotus Sūtra, particularly in light of the preceding Chapter 16, “The Life Span of the Thus Come One.” Chapter 16 marks a pivotal doctrinal shift from the “trace…

  William Altig

  September 18, 2025

  Chapter 17, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Ajita, Arhat, Bodhisattva, Buddha’s longevity, Buddha-nature, buddhadhātu, cetasika, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, dana, Dharmakaya, dhyana, diligence, Distinction of Merits, Dukkha, Ekayāna, Eternal Buddha, firm faith, generosity, human revolution, imaginary city, joy, joyful interest, Kṣānti, kleśa, Lotus Sutra, Maitreya, Meditation, Merit, morality, Nichiren, Nirvāṇa, One Vehicle, original teaching, parable of the jewel in the robe, Parable of the Prodigal Son, Patience, Pratyekabuddha, prīti, Pāramitās, rapture, Saṃsāra, saṅkhāra-kkhandha, Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Sakyamuni Buddha, sila, Skillful Means, sukha, Tathagatagarbha, The Life Span of the Thus Come One, three vehicles, Tiantai School, Trace Teaching, triyāna, Upaya, vedanā-kkhandha, virtue, Visuddhimagga, vīrya, zest, Zhiyi, Śraddhā, Śrāvaka

• The Merits of Encouraging Others to Hear the Lotus Sutra: An Expert Analysis of Chapter Eighteen

  

  Key Phrase Translation from Buddhist Text Translation Society Translation from Nichiren Information Translation from 500 Yojanas Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma Dharma Flower Sutra sutra called the Lotus sūtra called the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma dhāraṇīs Dharani Bodhisattva dharani bodhisattvas Bodhisattvas who obtain dharanis living with the Bodhisattvas who obtain dhāraṇīs born…

  William Altig

  April 25, 2025

  Chapter 18

  Ajita, Bodhisattva, Buddhahood, Buddhist teachings, Chapter Eighteen, Dharanis, Dharma, Ekayana, Enlightenment, karma, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Maitreya, Merit, One Vehicle, Pure Land, rejoicing, Samsara, Shakyamuni Buddha, Skillful Means, Upaya