Tag: Buddhism
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Dharma Rain
Experience the profound beauty of “Dharma Rain,” a soulful folk/blues song. It features rich vocals and is accompanied by the heartfelt melodies of guitar, harmonica, bass, and drums. This captivating track brings the timeless teachings of the Dharma to life through evocative metaphors and powerful imagery. “Dharma Rain” explores the nurturing essence of the Dharma.…
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Indra’s Lotus Blues
Indra’s Lotus Blues Indra’s Lotus Blues is a soulful folk-blues ballad sung from the perspective of the king of the gods. Witnessing the beauty of the Lotus Sutra’s teachings and the struggles of humanity, Indra calls for compassion and enlightenment. This song has a touch of celestial wisdom. It also has a down-to-earth melody. It…
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My Neighbors, My Sangha
My Neighbors, My Sangha: A Song of Interconnectedness and Spiritual Awakening In the heart-stirring melody of “My Neighbors, My Sangha,” we’re invited to witness the extraordinary beauty of the ordinary. The song paints a vivid picture of a community where the bonds of neighborliness transcend mere acquaintance. These bonds blossom into a spiritual Sangha, a…
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Chapter 20–Verses of Enlightenment from the Lotus Sutra
At that moment, the Lord expressed these verses: King Bhishmasvara of old, the Jina mighty and bold,Revered by all, a leader true, of men, gods, and giants too. In the era, truth declined, Sadaparibhuta we find,A monk, a Bodhisattva wise, enlightenment his only prize. To those who doubted, filled with scorn, he’d say: “Your path…
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Chapter 19–The Visionary Embodiment of the Bodhisattva
Further, Satatasamitabhiyukta, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva who preserves, reads, shares, teaches, and writes this Sacred Teaching (Dharmapāryaya), will be endowed with eight hundred fine qualities of the body. This perfect body will be pure and radiate a clear hue like lapis lazuli, offering a pleasant sight to all beings. Upon this perfect body, he will perceive…
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Chapter 18–The Profound Merit of Embracing and Sharing the Lotus Sutra
And on that occasion, the Lord spoke the following verses: In the chain, the fiftieth to hear,A single verse from this Sutra clear,With placid mind and joy embraced,Vast merit in their heart is traced. Imagine a man, giving alms with grace,To countless beings, a smiling face,For eighty years, he satisfies,Their earthly needs, ‘neath endless skies.…
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Chapter 18–The Infinite Merit of Joyful Acceptance
Then the great spiritual being Maitreya turned to the Lord and asked, “O Lord, when a young person, whether a man or a woman, hears this teaching and joyfully embraces it, how much virtue will be created by such a young man or woman of noble character?” And on that occasion, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya…
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Chapter 17–Eternal Devotion: The Unmeasured Merit of Upholding the Sutra
And on that occasion, the Lord uttered the following verses: As I’ve mentioned before, a merit immense,Shall be his who keeps this Sutra’s defense,After the Leader of men’s complete extinction,A path of wisdom, a spiritual distinction. He’ll have paid worship to me, built Stupas grand,Of relics, precious, beautiful, a wonderland,Variegated and splendid, a sacred embrace,Honoring…
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Chapter 17–The Path to Infinite Wisdom: Embracing the Teachings of the Enlightened One
Again, Ajita, consider the person who, after hearing these teachings about the infinite lifespan of the Enlightened One, grasps, delves into, and comprehends them. Such a person will generate an even more vast accumulation of spiritual virtue, leading to the wisdom of a Buddha. And it goes without saying that the merit is even greater…
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Chapter 17–The Boundless Virtue of Faith
The Lord then spoke to Maitreya, the great spiritual leader: “Ajita, consider those who, during the teachings about the infinite lifespan of the Enlightened One, even if they felt a single moment of trust or belief in it. Can you fathom the immense virtue they will attain, whether young men or women of noble character?…
Mr. Altig’s Overview of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sutra 