Tag: Discrimination of Merit and Virtue

• Why a Single Moment of Belief Is Worth More Than a Lifetime of Good Deeds: 3 Radical Ideas from the Lotus Sutra

  

  Introduction: The Hidden Economy of Spiritual Practice Most of us share a common understanding of what it means to do good. Whether in a spiritual or secular context, we think of it as a process of accumulation—a long, steady effort of performing kind acts, maintaining ethical conduct, and contributing positively to the world. We imagine…

  William Altig

  October 25, 2025

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

  Ajita Invincible, Bodhisattva Path, Buddha’s immeasurable lifespan, Chapter 17 Distinction of Benefits, Conventional Path, daimoku, Dharmakāya, Discrimination of Merit and Virtue, Eternal Buddhahood, Five Pāramitās, Four Kinds of Offerings, Immeasurable Merit, Internalization of Devotion, Keep Read and Recite Lotus Sūtra, Latter Day of the Law Mappō, Living Stūpa, Lotus Sutra, Maitreya Bodhisattva, Monastery Vihāra, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, Nichiren, Non-regression, Patience with the Non-production of Dharmas, Saṃgha, Single Moment of Faith, Skillful Means Upāya, Stūpa, Sāha World, treasure tower, Śūnyatā Emptiness

• More Than a Reward: 5 Radical Ideas Hidden in a 2,000-Year-Old Buddhist Text

  

  For many, religious or spiritual practice is often seen through a transactional lens: perform specific actions, say the right words, do good deeds, and you will receive a reward—a better life, good fortune, or a favorable place in the hereafter. This view presents spiritual development as a kind of karmic accounting, where we steadily accumulate…

  William Altig

  October 17, 2025

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

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