Tag: Buddhist Philosophy

• The Bodhisattva Ideal and World Purification in the Lotus Sūtra Chapter Twenty-Three

  

  Date: September 4, 2025 Subject: Review of “The Luminous Path: An Examination of the Bodhisattva Ideal in Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra” This briefing document summarizes the key themes, ideas, and facts presented in the provided source, “The Luminous Path: An Examination of the Bodhisattva Ideal in Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra,” focusing…

  William Altig

  September 7, 2025

  Chapter 23, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Bodhisattva Ideal, Buddha Virtue Pure and Bright Like the Sun and Moon, Buddhist Philosophy, Chapter Twenty-Three, Compassion, Dharma, Dharma Offering, Enlightenment, Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings, Gratitude, Healing the World, Karma Purification, karuṇā, light, Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Non-attachment, prajñā, Pure Land, Purification, Radiance, Rebirth, Samsara, Self-Immolation Metaphor, Selfless Devotion, Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Transformation, True Mind, True Vigor, upāya, wisdom

• The Buddha’s Declaration and the Universal Way

  

  Date: September 3, 2025 Subject: An analysis of the Buddha’s declaration in Chapter Five of the Lotus Sūtra and its implications for understanding universal enlightenment. Executive Summary: Chapter Five of the Lotus Sūtra features a seemingly audacious declaration by the Buddha: “I know the Way. I have opened the Way. I will expound the Way.…

  William Altig

  September 6, 2025

  Chapter 5, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Absolute Happiness, Buddha’s Declaration, Buddhist Community, Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist teachings, Chapter Five, Compassionate Function, Cosmic Audience, daimoku, Devotional Text, Dharma, Dharma Rain, Diverse Beings, Enlightenment, Eternal Buddha, Gods Men Asuras, Great Cloud Metaphor, human revolution, Individual Effort, liberation, Living Buddha, Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Nichiren School, Non-Duality, One Vehicle, Parable of the Medicinal Herbs, Rhetorical Strategy, sangha, Self-mastery, Shakyamuni, Skillful Means, Spiritual Authority, Spiritual Capacities, Spiritual Progress, Three Thousand Realms in One Thought Moment, Tiantai School, Universal Buddhahood, upaˉya, Zhiyi

• The Lotus Sūtra’s Ceremony in the Air and its Embodiment in Nichiren Buddhism

  

  Date: September 2, 2025 Purpose: This document provides a detailed review of the “Ceremony in the Air” as depicted in the Lotus Sūtra, its allegorical meanings, and its profound reinterpretation and practical application within Nichiren Buddhism. I. Overview of the Ceremony in the Air (Lotus Sūtra, Chapters 11-22) The “Ceremony in the Air” is a…

  William Altig

  September 4, 2025

  Chapter 11, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Buddhahood, Buddhism, Buddhist Allegory, Buddhist art, Buddhist Doctrine, Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist practice, Ceremony in the Air, chanting, Enlightenment, Gohonzon, Heian Period, Human Potential, Ichinen Sanzen, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Many Treasures Buddha, Mystic Law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren Buddhism, Reality and Wisdom, Shakyamuni Buddha, Spiritual Transformation, Spiritual Virtues, Sutra Commentary, Tendai, Tiantai, Treasure Stupa, Universal Enlightenment

• Nichiren’s Path to Enlightenment

  

  This briefing document provides a comprehensive review of key themes and essential facts from the provided source, “Nichiren’s Path to Enlightenment,” focusing on the transformative power of consistent individual action within a collective context. I. Introduction: The Transformative Power of Persistent Individual and Collective Action The core message of Nichiren’s philosophy, particularly as articulated in…

  William Altig

  August 22, 2025

  Nichiren

  13th century Japan, Adversity, and delusion, Buddhahood, Buddhism, Buddhist Philosophy, collective action, collective spiritual unity, cosmic axis, daily spiritual actions, drops of water, Enlightenment, Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, faith, faith like fire, faith like water, fires of greed, Gohonzon, hardship, hatred, human revolution, Ichinen Sanzen, individual action, inseparability of life and environment, Kamakura period, kosen-rufu, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sutra, many in body, Mappō, Meditation, Merit, Mongol invasion, Mt. Sumeru, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, natural disasters, Nichiren, Nirvāṇa, On Selecting the Right Time, one in mind, particles of dust, perfect enlightenment, Persecution, perseverance, personal revolution, Philosophy, political instability, Pure Land on earth, pure Law, Religion, Rissho Ankoku Ron, rivers of hardship, roots of goodness, sangha, sea of the Lotus Sutra, Senji-shō, Shakyamuni Buddha, single element of mind, social unrest, societal peace, spiritual attainment, spiritual crisis, Spiritual Development, spiritual grit, Spirituality, three thousand realms in a single moment of life, transformation of the land, transforming karma into mission, unshakeable life state, votary of the Lotus Sutra, widespread propagation of the Mystic Law

• 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

• Faith, Eternal Buddhahood, and the Attainment of Supreme Enlightenment in the Lotus Sūtra (Chapter Seventeen)

  

  Date: June 3, 2025 Subject: Analysis of Lotus Sūtra Chapter Seventeen, focusing on the declaration of the Buddha’s eternal lifespan and its implications for attaining supreme enlightenment. Sources: Excerpts from “Lotus Sūtra Chapter Seventeen Analysis,” with specific references to cited texts. Key Takeaways: This briefing document analyzes the profound teachings presented in Chapter Seventeen of…

  William Altig

  June 3, 2025

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

  Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, Avinivartaniya, Bodhisattva Path, Buddha’s Eternal Life, Buddhism, Buddhist Hope, Buddhist Merit, Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist practice, Buddhānusmṛti, Chapter 16 Lotus Sutra, Chapter 17 Lotus Sutra, Dharma, faith, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Maitreya, Non-Retrogression, Overcoming Forgetfulness, Saddharma Pundarika Sutra, sangha, Spiritual Certainty, Spiritual Development, spiritual enlightenment, Spiritual Transformation.

• The Excellence of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren’s Interpretation of Universal Enlightenment in Chapter Ten

  

  I. Introduction Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sutra, specifically the Buddha’s declaration of its preeminence and the interpretation offered by the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren, particularly concerning the doctrine of universal enlightenment. The Lotus Sutra, revered as a foundational text within Mahayana Buddhism, holds a particularly significant position in the Tendai and Nichiren traditions.1…

  William Altig

  May 15, 2025

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

  Buddhism, Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist scriptures, Chapter Ten, Dharma Masters, Enlightenment, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sutra, mahayana, Mappo, Medicine King Bodhisattva, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren, Spiritual Teachings, teacher of the law, Universal Enlightenment

• Nichiren’s Interpretation of the Mutual Possession of Ten Realms in the Kanjin Honzon-Shō

  

  Nichiren Buddhism, a significant school within the landscape of East Asian Buddhist thought, holds the Lotus Sutra in paramount esteem, considering it the ultimate and complete teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha.1 Among its core tenets is the doctrine of the “mutual possession of ten realms” (jikkai gogu), a concept that, while originating in the philosophical system…

  William Altig

  May 13, 2025

  Nichiren

  Buddha Nature, Buddhism, Buddhist Philosophy, Ichinen Sanzen, Kanjin Honzon-Sho, Lotus Sutra, Mutual Possession, Nichiren Buddhism, T’ien-t’ai, Ten Realms

• Unveiling the Eternal Ground: An Analysis of Chapter 15 of the Lotus Sūtra

  

  I. Introduction A. The Lotus Sūtra: Pinnacle of Mahayana Teaching The Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, or Lotus Sūtra, stands as a monument in the landscape of Mahayana Buddhist literature. Revered across East Asia and beyond, it is celebrated for its profound doctrines, dramatic narrative style, and its transformative message of universal liberation.1 Often characterized by its…

  William Altig

  April 18, 2025

  Chapter 15

  Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Buddha Nature, Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist Scripture, Ceremony in the Air, Chapter 15, Dharma, Doubt, Ekayana, Emerging from the Earth, Enlightenment, Essential Teaching, Eternal Buddha, Four Leaders, Honmon, inquiry, Jeweled Stupa, Jogyo, Kuon Jitsujo, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Maitreya, Mappo, Narrative Analysis, Nichiren Buddhism, Religious Text, Shakumon, Shakyamuni Buddha, Skillful Means, Superior Practices, Tendai, Theoretical Teaching, Tiantai, Universal Liberation, Upaya

• 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