Tag: Avalokiteśvara

• 5 Radical Ideas from an Ancient Buddhist Text That Will Change How You See the World

  

  Have you ever stumbled upon an ancient idea that feels shockingly modern? It’s a common experience when exploring the world’s great spiritual texts—finding concepts that resonate with a contemporary urgency, challenging our assumptions about reality, potential, and purpose. Hidden within complex philosophies are often profoundly simple and radical truths. The Lotus Sūtra is one such…

  William Altig

  September 23, 2025

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

  Altruism, attainment in the remote past, Avalokiteśvara, Bodhicitta, Bodhisattva Ideal, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Buddhist humanism, Chapter 14, Chapter 19, Devadatta, Dharma Master, Dharma Relic, egalitarian philosophy, Eternal Buddha, Five Practices of a Dharma Teacher, Great Compassion (Mahākaruṇā), Inherent Buddhahood, interconnectedness, Kumārajīva, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāyāna, Merits of the Six Senses, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren Buddhism, Non-duality of Form and Mind (shiki-shin funi), One Vehicle (Ekayāna), peaceful practices, Pratyekabuddha, Provisional Teachings, purification of senses, skilled physician parable, Skillful means (Upāya), three carts and the burning house parable, three carts vs. four carts controversy, Tiantai Buddhism, transformation of perception, Universal Enlightenment, Śrāvaka, Śākyamuni Buddha

• The Empowering Presence and Protection of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  This briefing document reviews the main themes and important ideas surrounding Universal-Sage Bodhisattva (Samantabhadra/Fugen) as presented in the concluding chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, “Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva.” It addresses the nature of his vow, the role of dhāraṇīs and “supernatural powers,” the significance of Jambudvīpa, and the enduring legacy of these teachings in various…

  William Altig

  September 17, 2025

  Chapter 28, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Abhijñā, Avalokiteśvara, Bhaiṣajyarāja, Bodhisattva, Buddha-nature, Dharma, Dhāraṇī, Divine Aid, Enlightenment, External Aid, Fugen, Higher Knowledges, Internal Cultivation, Jambudvīpa, karma, Kōsen-rufu, Lotus Sūtra, Mañjuśrī, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Meditative Aid, Mnemonic Device, Mount Meru, Nichiren Buddhism, Parinirvāṇa, Practice (Caryā), protection, Protective Incantation, Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Samantabhadra, Six Perfections, Six Tusks, Skillful means (Upāya), spiritual energy, supernatural powers, Tendai school, Tiantai School, Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, vows, White Elephant, Śākyamuni Buddha

• 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

• Concepts of Universalism in Religious Thought

  

  This briefing document reviews the main themes and most important ideas or facts regarding universalism, drawing from excerpts concerning Swedenborg’s reflections, the Lotus Sutra, and Catholicism. Overall Theme: The sources explore the concept of universalism in different religious contexts, specifically focusing on the potential for salvation or enlightenment for all beings. While the terminology and…

  William Altig

  June 4, 2025

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

  Apocatastasis., Arcana Coelestia, Avalokiteśvara, Bible Interpretation, Bodhisattva, Buddhism, Christian Universalism, Compassion, Correspondences (Swedenborgian), Dalai Lama, Divine Love and Wisdom, Eastern Religions, Enlightenment (Buddhist), faith, Heaven and Hell, Holistic Reality, Inner Meaning, Interfaith Dialogue, Lotus Sutra, Meditation, Mysticism, Nirvana, Nontheism (Buddhism), Perennial Philosophy, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Rebirth, Religion, Religious Pluralism, Religious Tolerance, Scriptural Interpretation, Skillful Means (Upaya), Souls, Spiritual Parallels, Spiritual Reality, Spirituality, Suffering (Dukkha), Swedenborg, Theology, True Christian Religion, truth, Unitarian Universalism, Universal Reconciliation, Universalism, Western Esotericism, wisdom

• The Quest for Enlightenment: An Analysis of the Brahma King’s Verses in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  I. Introduction The Lotus Sūtra, revered as one of the most influential texts in Mahayana Buddhism, is celebrated for its profound teachings on the inherent potential for Buddhahood in all beings and its skillful use of parables to illuminate complex Buddhist principles.1 Central to its message is the concept of expedient means (upaya), where the…

  William Altig

  April 14, 2025

  Chapter 7

  arhats, Avalokiteśvara, Bodhi, Brahma King Great Compassion, Brahma Kings, Brahma Sahampati, Brahmaloka, Buddha, Buddha Dharma, Buddha Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory, Buddhism, Buddhist cosmology, Buddhist deities, Buddhist meditation, buddhist parables, Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist Symbolism, Chapter Seven, Compassion, Dharma, Dharmapala, Eightfold Path, Enlightenment, ethical conduct, expedient means, Four Noble Truths, Great Compassion, Guanshiyin, hinduism, Ichinen Sanzen, Jhanas, Lotus Sutra, Lotus Sūtra, Magic City Parable, Mahayana Buddhism, Nichiren Buddhism, Nirvana, one-eyed turtle analogy, Parable of the Magic City, Pratyekabuddhas, rare encounter with Buddha, religious study, Samsara, Samyaksambuddhas, Spiritual Journey, Spiritual Liberation, three thousand worlds, trichiliocosm, Upaya