Tag: Compassion

• Lotus Sūtra’s Hidden Enlightenment

  

  I. Executive Summary Chapter Eight of the Lotus Sūtra marks a profound turning point in Buddhist thought, where five hundred of the Buddha’s monks realize the limitations of their previous spiritual attainments. Their declaration, “The Nirvāṇa we attained was Only part of the immeasurable treasures of yours. We were like a foolish man with no…

  William Altig

  September 15, 2025

  Chapter 8, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  altruistic mission, Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, Arhat, awakening, Bodhisattva, Bodhisattvayāna, Buddha, Buddha-nature, Buddhist path, Chapter Eight, Compassion, devotional practices, Dharmakāya, Dukkha, Ekayāna, emptiness of all phenomena, emptiness of self, expedient means, foolish man, Hinayāna, immeasurable treasures, impartial compassion, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāyāna, monks, Mystic Law, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Nirvāṇa, non-dual, One Vehicle, Parable of the Burning House, parable of the jewel in the robe, Parinirvāṇa, personal liberation, Provisional Teachings, realization, recitation, revaluation, Samsara, spiritual complacency, Spiritual Journey, Suffering, Tendai, three vehicles, Tiantai, transcription, treasure tower, Universal Enlightenment, universal salvation, upāya, Zhiyi, Śrāvakayāna

• 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

• “Lotus Sutra: Aspiration and Teaching” – Chapter Four Analysis

  

  Date: September 8, 2025 Subject: Main Themes and Key Insights from Chapter Four of the Lotus Sūtra, focusing on Aspiration and Expedient Means. Executive Summary This briefing document summarizes the core themes and most important ideas presented in the analysis of Chapter Four of the Lotus Sūtra, often titled “Faith Discernment” or “Belief and Understanding.”…

  William Altig

  September 11, 2025

  Chapter 4, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Arhatship, Aspiration, Awakened Mind, Belief and Understanding, Bodhicitta, Bodhisattvayāna, Buddha, Chapter Four, Compassion, Dharma King, Ekayāna, Faith Discernment, grace, Hinayana, Inner Capacity, Karma Purification, Lesser Vehicle, Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Mahā-Kāśyapa, Mahā-Maudgalyāyana, Nirvana, One Vehicle, Parable of the Prodigal Son, Parable of the Wayward Son, Pratyekabuddhayāna, Provisional Teachings, Self-Cultivation, Skillful Means, Soteriology, Spiritual Inheritance, Spiritual Maturation, Storehouse of Dharma, Subhūti, Universal Buddhahood, upāya, Willing Acceptance, Śrāvakayāna, Śāriputra

• The Paradox of Slander in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  Date: September 7, 2025 Subject: An Exegesis of the Lotus Sūtra’s Paradox on Slander: Why Slandering a Practitioner is Graver Than Slandering the Buddha 1. Introduction: The Core Paradox The Lotus Sūtra presents a profound paradox in Chapter 10, stating that “If for the space of an aeon, one were to harbor an unwholesome mind,…

  William Altig

  September 10, 2025

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

  benefiting others, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, Buddha, Buddhahood, Cause-Awakened Ones, Chapter 10, Chapter 20, Compassion, Cosmology, cutting off seeds of Buddhahood, devilish functions, Dharma emissary, Dharma Masters, Dharma practitioner, Dharma propagation, Ekayāna, emissaries of the Buddha, fundamental ignorance, gravest transgression, Hell of Incessant Suffering, hōbō, immeasurable retributions, kalpa, karmic causality, Karmic Connection, karmic paradox, Karmic Retribution, land and age of evil, living embodiment of the Dharma, lotus flower, Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhist thought, Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Merit, moral causation, Myoho, Mystic Law, Nichiren Daishonin, One Vehicle, ontological status, Parable of the Plants, Parable of the Three Kinds of Medicinal Herbs and Two Kinds of Trees, Paradox, Persecution, phalavipaka, positive potential, punya, qualitative difference, relics, reverence, Self-Benefit, Shakyamuni Buddha, sharira, Skillful Means, Slander, Slandering the True Dharma, spiritual sabotage, stupa, Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, Tathagatas, Teacher of the Dharma, Thus Come One, tree and sapling analogy, true entity of life, ultimate Law, Universal Enlightenment, upāya, Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, Voice-Hearers, Votary, Wonderful Dharma, World-Honored One

• 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 Lotus Sūtra: Bridging Faith and Reason through Embodied Practice

  Date: August 25, 2025 Subject: An analysis of “The Lotus Sūtra’s Paradox: Faith, Reason, and Embodied Dharma” Purpose: To summarize the core arguments, key themes, and essential concepts presented in the provided text concerning the teachings of the Lotus Sūtra.—–Executive Summary “The Lotus Sūtra’s Paradox: Faith, Reason, and Embodied Dharma” examines the perceived contradiction within…

  William Altig

  August 25, 2025

  Chapter 2, Chapter 21, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Active, Bodhisattvas, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Boundless Wisdom and Courage, Buddhism, Burning House Parable, Chapter 16: The Life Span of the Thus Come One, Compassion, Confident Prayer, Cosmic Tableau, Democratic and Empowering Ideal, Dramatic and Narrative Framework, Dynamic, Embodied Dharma, Engaged Practice, Engaging with Mundane Life, Eternal Buddha, Eternal Dharma, Ethical and Philosophical Foundation, expedient means, Explicit Revelation of Teachings, Faith-Based Practice, Global Citizens, Grassroots Compassionate Action, Here and Now Manifestation, Humanitarian Competition, Immortal, Infininitely Profound and Immeasurable Wisdom, Infinite Potential and Dignity, Inherent Transcendental Essence, Innate Buddhahood, Inner Determination, Liberating Others, Living Beings of the Dharma Realm, Living Text, Lotus Sūtra, Meditation, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, Nichiren, Non-Conceptual Realization, Non-Dualistic Worldview, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Paradox of Revelation and Incomprehensibility, Performative Vehicle for Enlightenment, Philosophy, Prodigal Son Parable, Pure Buddha-Land, Religion, Saha World of Suffering, Self-Benefit, Self-Realization and Empowerment, Shakyamuni Buddha, Skillful means (Upāya), Soka Gakkai, Solitary Buddhas, Spirituality, Superior-Practice Bodhisattva (Jōgyo), Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgata, Tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-Nature), Ten Life-States, Textual Container, three thousand realms in a single moment of life, three vehicles, Tiantai, Tiered Understanding of Dharma, Transformative Faith, Transforming Environment into Pure Land, Transforming Society, Transforming Suffering into Happiness, Treasury of the Hidden Core of the Tathāgata, True Self of the Buddha, Unattainable by Reasoning Alone, Voice-Hearers

• Embodying the Lotus Sūtra – The Buddha’s Voice in Our Words

  

  This briefing synthesizes key themes from the provided source, “Embodying the Lotus Sūtra: The Buddha’s Voice in Our Words,” focusing on the concept of how a practitioner’s actions and words, rooted in the Lotus Sūtra, can become a vehicle for the Buddha’s compassion and wisdom. It draws extensively from the Lotus Sūtra itself, Nichiren Daishonin’s…

  William Altig

  August 13, 2025

  Chapter 19, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Bodhisattva Constant-Endeavor, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, Bodily Reading, Buddha-nature, Buddha’s Voice, Chapter 10, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Compassion, Constant Exertion, Daisaku Ikeda, Dharani Chapter, Dharma, Dharma propagation, Enlightenment, Integrating word and deed, Josei Toda, Lion’s Roar, Lotus Sūtra, Merits of the Tongue, Mystic Law, Nam-myōhō-renge-kyō, Nichiren Daishonin, Nichirō, open heart, Peaceful action, perseverance, Practicing the sutra with body and mind, Respect for Buddha-nature, Sadāparibhūta, Shakyamuni, Sharing Buddhism, Six Sense Faculties, Soka Gakkai, The Benefits of the Teacher of the Law, The Teacher of the Law, The Three Kinds of Treasure, Thich Nhat Hanh, Thus Come One, Twenty-four-character Lotus Sutra, universal salvation

• Buddhas Live in the Lotus Sutra

  

  This briefing document reviews the core themes and essential ideas presented in “Buddhas Live in the Lotus Sutra: A Reflective Essay,” focusing on Nichiren Daishonin’s profound insights into the unique status of the Lotus Sutra. Main Themes and Most Important Ideas/Facts: 1. The Lotus Sutra as the Essential “Environment” for Buddhas Core Idea: Nichiren Daishonin…

  William Altig

  August 12, 2025

  Nichiren

  Anicca, Attain Buddhahood, Birds, Buddha-nature, Buddha’s robe of compassion, Buddha’s true heirs, Buddhahood, Buddhism, Call to action, Chapter 16, Compassion, Constant guidance, Dependent existence, Devadatta, Dragon King’s daughter, Dukkha, Enlightenment, Essential environment, Eternal Buddha, Everlasting Dharma, faith, Fish, Frogs, Full enlightenment, Good karma, Gosho, Impermanence, Indian lizard, Inner stability, joy, kṛkalāsa, King Rinda, King Wonderful Adornment, Letter from Sado, Life Span Chapter, Living presence of Buddhahood, Lotus Jewels, Lotus Sutra, Medium for Buddhahood, Nam-myōhō-renge-kyō, Nichiren, Nichiren Daishonin, Nichiren Shu News, On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings, One Vehicle, One-eyed turtle parable, peaceful practices, Persecution, perseverance, Philosophy, Provisional sutras, Rare opportunity, Religion, Reply to the Mother of Lord Ueno, Riches of the Law, Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Scaffolding metaphor, Shakyamuni Buddha, Slander, Spirituality, Supreme teaching, The One-eyed Turtle and the Floating Log, The Selection of the Time, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Transitory attachments, True Dharma, Udumbara flower, Ultimate reality, Ultimate Teaching, votary of the Lotus Sutra, wisdom, Wonderful Dharma

• The Parable of the Burning House

  

  1. Executive Summary The Parable of the Burning House, found in Chapter Three of the Lotus Sūtra, is a central Mahayana Buddhist allegory illustrating the nature of suffering, the Buddha’s compassionate “skillful means” (upaya), and the doctrine of universal liberation. It depicts samsara (the world of suffering) as a decaying, fire-engulfed mansion, where sentient beings,…

  William Altig

  August 6, 2025

  Chapter 3, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Attachment, Buddha, Buddha-nature, Buddhism, Children (Sentient Beings), Climate Crisis, Compassion, Digital Age, Distraction, faith, Four Noble Truths, Ignorance, Impermanence (Anicca), Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Meditation, Modern Relevance, Nichiren Buddhism, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Parable of the Burning House, personal transformation, Philosophy, Religion, Samsara, Skillful Means (Upaya), Spirituality, Suffering (Dukkha), Three Vehicles (Triyana), Universal Buddhahood, Zen Buddhism

• The Patient Vow in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  I. Executive Summary This briefing document synthesizes the core themes and critical insights from “The Patient Vow: A Theological and Psychological Analysis of Compassion in Chapter 14 of the Lotus Sūtra” and its review. The central argument is that Chapter 14 of the Lotus Sūtra, particularly the teachings on “Peaceful Practices” (Anrakugyō), provides a sophisticated…

  William Altig

  August 3, 2025

  Chapter 14, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Anrakugyō, Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva vow, Buddhism, Buddhist Feminism, Burnout, Chapter 14, Compassion, cosmic time, Delaying Nirvāṇa, Ekayāna, emptiness, Great Fault, Great Loss, Kalpas, karuṇā, Kṣānti, Lotus Sūtra, Mañjuśrī, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Meditation, Non-Judgmentalism, One Vehicle, Patience, Patient Vow, peaceful practices, Philosophy, prajñā, Priceless Gem Parable, Psychological Analysis, Reflective Practice, Religion, Rules of Association, Self-Perfection, Skillful Means, Spiritual Hygiene, Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Pride, Spirituality, Sukhivihāra, upāya, wisdom, Yogācāra, Śūnyatā