Tag: Eternal Buddhahood

• 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

• Maitreya’s Questions and the Revelation of Eternal Buddhahood in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  Date: August 9, 2025 Subject: An analysis of Maitreya’s questions in Chapter 15 of the Lotus Sūtra, Shakyamuni Buddha’s response, and subsequent interpretations across various Buddhist traditions (Tiantai, Nichiren, Zen). 1. Executive Summary Maitreya’s profound questions in Chapter 15 (“Emerging from the Earth”) of the Lotus Sūtra serve as a pivotal narrative device, prompting Shakyamuni…

  William Altig

  August 9, 2025

  Chapter 15, Chapter 16, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Buddha, Buddha-nature, Buddhism, Chapter 15 “Emerging from the Earth”, Chapter 16 “The Life Span of the Tathāgata”, Compassionate Pedagogy, Dharma-nature, Dōgen, Essential Teaching, Eternal Buddhahood, Faith and Inquiry, Immeasurable Lifespan, Innate Enlightenment, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Maitreya, Meditation, Mentor-Disciple Bond, middle way, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Nirvana, Original Buddha, Philosophy, Religion, Shakyamuni Buddha, Spiritual Practice, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Tiantai, Trace Teaching, universal salvation, zen, Zhiyi