Tag: Buddhist teachings
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Why the Buddha’s Wisest Disciple Suddenly Felt Like Dancing
Have you ever studied a subject so thoroughly that you believed you had grasped its entirety, only to encounter a single new idea that reveals an even deeper, more profound layer of truth you never knew existed? This moment of radical re-understanding can be both humbling and exhilarating. It’s the feeling of a familiar landscape…
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Why a Buddhist Demon’s Violent Threat is Really a Lesson in Compassion
We often turn to sacred texts expecting to find words of peace and solace. It can be jarring, then, to encounter a passage that sounds like a violent threat, especially when it comes from beings vowing to protect a sacred teaching. How can a demon’s harsh vow to split someone’s head into seven pieces become…
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Why the Wisest Teachers Sometimes Pretend They Know Nothing
Introduction: The Comfort of Our Own Confusion We have a deep-seated fear of profound change. Even when we are acutely aware that our current situation causes us to suffer, we often cling to the familiar pain rather than risk the unknown territory of genuine transformation. As one ancient text suggests, we are deeply attached to…
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The Ancient Secret to Patience When No One Will Listen
An Ancient Text on What to Do When You’re Misunderstood It’s a uniquely human frustration. You have a profound idea, a piece of hard-won wisdom, or a helpful insight that you believe could genuinely help someone. You share it with care, hoping for a spark of connection or understanding. Instead, you’re met with a blank…
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5 Surprising Lessons from an Ancient Bodhisattva on How to Face an Overwhelming World
It is a deeply familiar weight in our modern age: we are confronted daily with a seemingly endless tide of global problems, and in the face of such overwhelming need, we feel crushingly inadequate. We look at the scale of what is necessary and, as one ancient text observes, come to “believe that we are…
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The Bow That Sees
I bow to the wanderer, ragged and worn,To the scornful eye, to the heart forlorn.For within your silence, within your pain,The seed of the Dharma sings its refrain. I will not call you lazy, nor lost,For the lotus blooms where the waters are tossed.Your path may stumble, your steps may fall,But the One Great Vehicle…
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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.…
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New Song: Unfolding Wisdom’s Blues
by The William Altig Choir (Verse 1) Woke up this mornin’, sun a-burnin’ gold Opened the Lotus Sutra, a story ages old Some folks say it’s too deep, too hard to understand Like a hidden treasure, buried deep within the land Oh, they say it’ll bring confusion, darkness to your mind That ain’t the Buddha’s purpose, no, that’s not the path…
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The Illusory Oasis: An Analysis of the Parable of the Magic City in the Lotus Sutra
The Lotus Sutra, a cornerstone of Mahayana Buddhism, holds a prominent position in East Asian Buddhist traditions.1 Revered as the final and complete teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha by many, it presents profound concepts such as the One Vehicle (Ekayana) and skillful means (Upaya).1 These doctrines underscore the Mahayana understanding that all Buddhist paths ultimately converge…
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The Profound Purpose and Place of the Lotus Sutra in the Buddha’s Teachings
The Lotus Sutra, revered across many East Asian Buddhist traditions, stands as a pivotal scripture that offers a comprehensive and, for some, the ultimate expression of Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment.1 Its verses, particularly those in Chapter Twenty-One addressed to Superior-Practice Bodhisattva, speak of the transformative power of expounding this sutra after the Buddha’s passing, capable of…
Mr. Altig’s Overview of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sutra 