Tag: Buddhist Wisdom
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The Spiritual Paradox: Why Absence Can Be a Greater Teacher Than Presence
It is a deeply ingrained part of human nature to take for granted that which is always available. A friend who is always there, a resource that seems limitless, or an opportunity we believe will never expire—their constant presence can paradoxically diminish their perceived value. We grow accustomed to them, and in our comfort, we…
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The Ancient Greeting That’s a Mirror for Your Mind
The question hangs in the air for a moment—”How are you?”—before the inevitable, weightless response arrives: “Fine, thanks.” This daily ritual of greeting is often a social script, a polite exchange that barely scratches the surface of our true state of being. But what if a simple hello could be a profound tool for self-reflection?…
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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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Love Till Love’s the Only Sure
An old physician rolls into town with medicine that promises to cure any illness forever. But there’s a warning: “Many will hate this cure with jealousy.” Why? This 14-minute spiritual blues odyssey answers that question through the marriage of Buddhist philosophy and American roots music. It’s about three healers whose identities are threatened by ultimate…
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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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Chapter 24b–Echoes of Compassion: Verses on the Infinite Mercy of Avalokitesvara
And at that profound moment, the Lord expressed his thoughts through the following verses: Kitradhvaga questioned with mind so unsealed,“Why is Avalokitesvara so named and revealed?” Akshayamati, with insight’s deep ocean vast,Replied to Kitradhvaga, “Listen to the past: Learn from my words, see how the vow was fulfilled,Through inconceivable eons, and Buddhas instilled. To hear,…
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Chapter 19–Hearing the Universe: The Twelve Hundred Sensory Qualities
Moreover, Satatasamitabhiyukta (Ever and Constantly Strenuous), whether a young man from a noble family or a young woman who shares and teaches this Sacred Teaching to others, will possess twelve hundred fine qualities of the ear. They will hear all the sounds produced in the universe, from the depths of the great hell known as…
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Chapter 13–Yasodharā’s Assurance of Enlightenment
Then Yasodharā, the mother of Rahula, felt a pang of disappointment, thinking, “The Lord has not mentioned me.” Understanding her thoughts, the Buddha spoke to her: “Yasodharā, fear not. You will also become a Bodhisattva and a teacher of spiritual law. You will guide ten thousand kotis of others on their paths to enlightenment, and…
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Chapter 13–Exertion
Then Bodhisattva Medicine King, known as Bhaishajya Rāja, and Great Wit, or Mahāpratibhāna, along with twenty hundred thousand fellow Bodhisattvas, spoke before the Buddha: “Dear Lord, please find peace in knowing that after you leave this world, we will share these complex spiritual teachings, these Parāya, with all beings. We recognize that in those times,…
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Chapter 10–Verses on the Unfolding Path to Enlightenment
And so, the Lord expressed these truths in the following verses: Listen to this sacred Sūtra with focused heart and mind,For rare is the chance to hear, and rarer still to find belief in kind. Like a man in search of water, digging in an arid land,Finding only dry and white sand, in his desperate,…
Mr. Altig’s Overview of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sutra 