Tag: Bhaiṣajyarāja

• The Unspoken Teaching: 5 Ways an Ancient Buddhist Text Uses Sound to Transcend Logic

  

  1.0 Introduction: The Limits of Our Understanding We are conditioned to believe that every problem has a solution that can be reasoned out, every question an answer that can be intellectually grasped. The modern world runs on analysis, data, and the power of the thinking mind to deconstruct and understand reality. We try to “figure…

  William Altig

  October 6, 2025

  Chapter 2, Chapter 26, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Bhaiṣajyarāja, Buddha-wisdom, Chapter 2 (Lotus Sutra), Chapter 26 (Lotus Sutra), daimoku, Dhāraṇī, Ekayāna, Lotus Sutra, Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, Nichiren, Non-conceptual wisdom, Nonverbal Upāya, Provisional Teachings, Ritual Efficacy, Samādhi, Skillful Means, Sonic Power, Tathāgata-jñāna-darśana, Three Karmas, Tiantai, True Aspect of All Phenomena, Unspoken Teachings, upāya

• The Vow, The Foe, and The Final Crew

  

  The Buddha spoke, “I’m leaving soon; the world will turn to night, Who will guard my teaching, and keep the truth alight?”   A million bright disciples, from shining worlds afar, Stepped up and made a promise, reaching for a star. The Messenger’s Promise (Chapter 13): “We are your loyal messengers, so do not worry now! We’ll spread the sacred…

  William Altig

  October 5, 2025

  Chapter 13, Chapter 15, poems, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Abhaya, Bhaiṣajyarāja, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Encouraging Devotion, Essential Teaching, Fearless Vow, Lotus Sūtra Chapter 13, Mappō, Miao-lo Classification, Not Sparing Body and Life, propagation, Superficial Connection, Theoretical Teaching, Three Powerful Enemies

• 4 Shocking Lessons on Conviction from the Lotus Sutra

  

  Introduction: More Than Just a Promise We’ve all made promises. Some are small, but others are profound vows that shape the course of our lives—a commitment to a person, a cause, or a belief. We tend to think of conviction as a straightforward matter of sincerity and willpower. If you believe strongly enough and are…

  William Altig

  October 5, 2025

  Chapter 13, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Abhaya, Abhaya Mudra, arhats, Arrogant false sages, Arrogant lay people, Arrogant priests, Bhaiṣajyarāja, Bhikshunis, Bodhisattvas, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Buddha’s extinction, Chapter 13, Chapter 15 (Emerging from the Earth), Delegated authority, ekayāna (one vehicle), Encouraging Devotion (Kan Ji), Essential Teaching (Honmon), Evil Age, Fearless Vow, Great Delight in Speaking, Karmic Purification, Kṣānti, kosen-rufu, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāprajāpatī, Mahāpratibhāna, Mappō, Medicine King, Miao-lo, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Not sparing bodies and lives, perseverance, Predictions of Buddhahood (vyākaraṇa), Propagation of the Dharma, Saha world, Spiritual conflict, Superficial Connection, Theoretical Teaching (Shakumon), Three Powerful Enemies, Tiantai Buddhism, Votary of the Lotus Sūtra, Wonderful Dharma, Yaśodharā, Zhiyi, Śākyamuni Buddha

• 5 Mind-Bending Truths from a 2,000-Year-Old Buddhist Verse That Will Change How You See Everything

  

  1.0 Introduction: The Four-Line Verse That Unlocks a New Reality Imagine a scene from deep antiquity: atop the sacred Vulture Peak, the Buddha addresses a cosmic assembly of gods, dragons, celestial musicians, and all manner of beings, both human and non-human. This epic setting is a deliberate signal that the teaching to come will shatter…

  William Altig

  September 25, 2025

  Chapter 10, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Advaita Vedanta, anātman (no-self), Bhaiṣajyarāja, Brahman, Buddhahood, Chapter Ten, Cosmic Assembly, dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda), emptiness (śūnyatā), equality and differences of all things, eternal Pure Land, eyes of the Buddha, gatha, keep this sūtra, Lotus Sūtra, Madhyamaka school, Mahayana Buddhism, Mappō, Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Nichiren Buddhism, Nirvana, Non-attachment, non-duality (Advaya), Nāgārjuna, Offerings, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Saha world, Samsara, seven parables, Skillful means (Upāya), spiritual healing, Taoism, third eye, Tiantai Buddhism, Ultimate Truth, virtue of giving (dāna-pāramitā), Vulture Peak, wisdom eye, Wonderful Dharma, ātman

• 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 Three Treasures of the Dharma Teacher in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  This briefing document synthesizes key themes and concepts from Chapter 10 of the Lotus Sūtra, “A Teacher of the Dharma,” focusing on the Buddha’s instructions to Medicine-King Bodhisattva regarding the three indispensable conditions for propagating the Dharma: the Room, the Robe, and the Seat. It emphasizes the Sūtra‘s unique status, the challenges of the “evil…

  William Altig

  September 12, 2025

  Chapter 10, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Active Listening, Arhat, Bhaiṣajyarāja, Bodhisattva Practice, Buddha, Buddhahood, Chū, Collection of Merit, Collection of Wisdom, Compassion, Dedicated Work, Dharma propagation, Dharma Teacher, Dialogue, Ekayāna, emptiness, Evil Age, Forbearance, Gentleness, Great Compassion, Inherent Existence, interconnectedness, Interdependence, Kṣānti Pāramitā, Ke, Kū, liberation, Lotus Sūtra, Madhyamaka school, Mahākaruṇā, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Medicine-King Bodhisattva, middle way, Non-judgmental Inquiry, Nāgārjuna, One Vehicle, Parable of the Burning House, Parable of the Prodigal Son, Patience, perseverance, Provisional Existence, Robe of the Tathāgata, Room of the Tathāgata, Saṃsāra, Seat of the Tathāgata, Skillful Means, Spiritual Fortitude, Spiritual Obstacles, Suffering, Svabhāva, Sān Dì, Tathāgata, Three Treasures, Threefold Truth, Tiantai School, upāya, Voidness, Yogācāra school, Śūnyatā