Tag: faith

• The Monkey, the Cow, and the Crown Jewel

  

  “The Monkey, the Cow, and the Crown Jewel” is a musical journey into a profound spiritual paradox from 13th-century Japan. Inspired by Nichiren Daishonin’s letter, the Urabon Gosho, the song tells the story of Lord Jibu, a priest described as lacking wisdom and dignity—like a “monkey or a cow”. Yet, he is praised in the…

  William Altig

  October 31, 2025

  music

  Acoustic Guitar, Borrowed Light, Broken Vessel, Buddhism, Cinematic, Contemplative, Crown Jewel, daimoku, Diamond Chalice Precept, Dignity like a Monkey, Dragon Guarding Relics, Epic, Eternal Light, faith, faith alone, Flawed Priest, folk rock, indie folk, Japanese history, Jibu-bō, Latter Day of the Law, Lord Jibu, Lotus Sutra, Mappo, Mappō, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nichiren Buddhism, Orchestral Folk, Philosophy, Primacy of Faith, Seven Generations, Singer-Songwriter, Snake Holding a Gem, Spiritual, Strings, Supreme Jewel, The Monkey the Cow and the Crown Jewel, The William Altig Choir, Theology, Treatise on the Ullambana Service, Uplifting, Urabon Gosho, Wisdom like a Cow, Wonderful Dharma, Śākyamuni Buddha

• Already Home

  

  A slow blues ballad about the moment everything changes. I spent so long trying to earn my way, step by step, brick by brick—keeping score, watching the clock run down, wondering if I’d ever be good enough. Then one single moment of grace broke through, and I realized: I don’t have to keep trying anymore.…

  William Altig

  October 25, 2025

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

  acoustic blues, acoustic storytelling, already enlightened, always already, Americana, apocalypse, appalachian folk, arriving, assurance, authenticity, awakening, bent notes, beyond measure, blue note, Blues, blues ballad, born again, bottleneck, breakthrough, buddhist blues, burden, burden lifted, Campfire Song, cathartic, celestial shore, chains breaking, coming home, Comparison, confessional, Conscious Music, Contemplative, contemporary folk, conversion, country blues, darkness to light, Deep Listening, delta blues, destination, dharma folk, divine presence, earned salvation, emotional journey, end of wandering, Enlightenment, eternal now, eternal presence, existential blues, face to face, faith, fingerstyle guitar, flash, folk ballad, Folk Blues, found, freedom, good enough, gospel blues, grace, grace over works, harmonica blues, here and now, home, honest, Imagery, immanent, incomparable, infinite value, instant, instant faith, intimate encounter, intimate vocals, kingdom within, letting go, liberation, life changing moment, light breaking through, lightning, live feel, lo fi blues, long road, lyric driven, meditation music, melancholic blues, Merit, Metaphor, minimal production, moment of clarity, mountain music, muddy waters, Mystical, narrative folk, natural sound, never left, no longer lost, old time, one take, one thought, organic production, original enlightenment, peace, pearl of great price, personal relationship, philosophical blues, piedmont blues, poetry, porch blues, presence, promise, promised land, raw recording, raw vocals, redeemed, redemption song, release, relief, religious exhaustion, religious folk, resonator, rest, rest for the weary, Revelation, roots music, sacred music, safe harbor, Samsara, sanctuary, saved, score keeping, self acceptance, singer songwriter, single moment, slide, slow blues, Southern gothic, spiritual blues, spiritual burnout, spiritual folk, Storytelling, striving, sudden grace, sudden vs gradual, suffering and liberation, testimonial, testimony, texas blues, thunder, timeless truth, Traditional, traditional blues, transcendent, Transformation, transformational, treasure, triumphant, trying too hard, unconditional love, unveiling, vertical leap, vintage sound, voice calling, Vulnerability, vulnerable, wheel of life, witness, worth more than

• Cool and Refreshed

  

  “Cool and Refreshed” – A Spiritual Blues-Gospel Duet A powerful testimony of transformation told through male and female voices. “Cool and Refreshed” weaves Buddhist wisdom into the American blues-gospel tradition, exploring the journey from spiritual burden to liberation. Walking heavy with the weight of the past, two souls discover that their true nature is pure—not…

  William Altig

  October 24, 2025

  Chapter 6, music, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  acoustic gospel, Americana gospel, awakening music, blues ballad, blues gospel, blues soul, buddhist gospel, buddhist music, christian buddhist fusion, Conscious Music, contemporary gospel, delta blues, Dharma blues, enlightenment song, faith, faith music, folk gospel, freedom song, gospel duet, grace song, healing music, inspirational music, karmic healing, liberation music, male female duet, meditation music, mindful music, nectar song, neo soul gospel, prophecy song, pure nature, redemption song, revival gospel, roots music, sacred music, slow blues, soul ballad, soul music, southern gospel, spiritual awakening, spiritual blues, Spiritual Journey, Spiritual Music, spiritual testimony, teacher wisdom, testimony song, traditional blues, transformation music, uplifting gospel, worship music

• A 13th-Century Monk’s Paradox That Reimagines Enlightenment

  

  We often picture spiritual wisdom as a distant peak, accessible only to the most dedicated climbers. The common cultural image suggests that the deepest truths are complex, abstract, and reserved for an elite few—monks, scholars, or gurus who have spent decades in seclusion and study. We assume that the path to enlightenment is an arduous…

  William Altig

  October 18, 2025

  Nichiren

  Buddha-nature, Common Teaching, daimoku, Democratization of Enlightenment, Doctrinal Classification, emptiness, faith, Five Periods and Eight Teachings, Great Concentration and Insight, Latter Day of the Law, Law-Power, Lotus Sutra, Mappo, middle way, Myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren, One Buddha Vehicle, Other-Power (*tariki*), Paradox of Truth, Perfect Teaching, Provisional Existence, Provisional Teachings, Risshō Ankoku Ron, Self-Power (*jiriki*), Skillful Means, Specific Teaching, Spiritual Elitism, T’ien-t’ai Zhiyi, The truer the teaching the lower the stage, Threefold Truth, Tientai, Tripitaka Teaching, True Teachings, Upaya, Wonderful Dharma

• The Ballad of Elias Stone

  

  “The Ballad of Elias Stone” is a bluesy folk tale that explores two paths to the same truth. It tells the story of Elias, a legendary musician who achieves greatness through twenty years of grueling sacrifice, embodying the belief that enlightenment is earned only through immense struggle. His path is challenged when the conservatory’s Founder…

  William Altig

  October 14, 2025

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

  acoustic, Americana, Blues, Buddhism, Elias Stone, Enlightenment, faith, Folk, folk rock, Harmonica, hopeful, joy, Lotus Sutra, Melancholic, parable, Philosophy, Singer-Songwriter, Spiritual, story song, Storytelling, zen

• What a 13th-Century Monk, Exiled and Sentenced to Die, Knew About Resilience That We’re Just Rediscovering

  

  We all know the feeling. Life is moving along, and then, without warning, a challenge appears that knocks us off our feet. It could be a professional setback, a personal crisis, or a wave of obstacles that leaves us feeling powerless and wondering what we did wrong. We strive, we hope, we pray, but sometimes…

  William Altig

  October 12, 2025

  Nichiren

  Active power, Bonnō soku bodai, Buddha-nature, Buddhahood, daimoku, Earthly desires are enlightenment, esho funi, faith, Gego, Gohonzon, Great Mandala Gohonzon, Gyōgaku nigyō, human revolution, Jigyō, Kamakura period, Karmic Retribution, Keta, kosen-rufu, Latter Day of the Law, Lessening one’s karmic retribution, Lotus Sutra, Manifestation from within, Mappo, Moji-mandala, Naikun, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Non-Duality, Object of devotion, oneness of life and environment, Practice and study, Practice for oneself, Practice for others, propagation, protection, Protection from without, Protective powers, Receptive protection, Sado Island, Sairen-bo, Shakubuku, Shohō-Jissō Shō, Tatsunokuchi Persecution, Tenju kyōju, The True Aspect of All Phenomena, Transformation of Suffering

• The Spiritual Loophole: How a Single Moment of Joy Can Outweigh a Lifetime of Effort

  

  We often approach spiritual growth with a certain kind of economic mindset. We believe that to make a meaningful impact—on ourselves and on the world—we must invest heavily. This investment usually takes the form of immense, sustained effort: years of practice, countless hours of study, and profound personal sacrifice. It is natural to admire those…

  William Altig

  October 7, 2025

  Chapter 18, Chapter 2, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Anumodana, Bodhisattva Path, Cetanā, Chapter 18, Chapter 2, Democratization of Buddhahood, Dharmakāya, Ekayana, faith, Intention, Joyous Bhūmi, Karmaphala, Lotus Sūtra, Merit, Minimal Affirmation, Mystic Law, Non-Retrogression, Offering to the Buddhas, One Vehicle, Pramudita, Rarity, Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Skillful Means, Sympathetic Joy, Udumbara flower, Upāya Kauśalya, Verbal Action, Vāk-karma, Śraddhā, Śāriputra

• Overcoming Doubt and Embracing Enlightenment in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  Date: September 6, 2025 Sources: Executive Summary This briefing document synthesizes key themes and ideas from the provided sources on the Lotus Sūtra, focusing on the concepts of doubt, the Eternal Buddha, skillful means (upaya), and the path to universal Buddhahood. The Sūtra challenges conventional perceptions of the Buddha and reality, urging practitioners to transcend…

  William Altig

  September 9, 2025

  Chapter 16, Chapter 3, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  #Truth, **Nonduality**, Antidote, Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, Attachments, awakening, Bodhisattva, Buddha’s Death, Buddha-nature, Carts, Chapter Sixteen, Children, compassion., Curiosity, Delusion, Dharma, Doubt, Ekayāna, Enlightenment, Eternal Buddha, faith, Fetter, Games, Gratitude, Jikkai Gogu, Karmic Recompense, Lotus Sutra, Mental Hindrance, Mutual Possession of the Ten Worlds, Nīvaraṇa, One Vehicle, Parable of the Burning House, Parable of the Skilled Physician, Parinirvāṇa, Poison, practice, Pratyekabuddha, Samsara, Samyojana, Skillful Means, Spiritual Progress, Suffering, Ten Worlds, three vehicles, Threefold World, Transformation of Suffering, Unimaginable Benefit, Universal Buddhahood, Upaya, Vicikicchā, Śrāvaka, Śākyamuni

• Nichiren’s Philosophy of Language in the Lotus Sutra

  

  I. Introduction: The Living Words of the Buddha Nichiren, the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest, fundamentally re-envisioned the relationship between the practitioner, the Buddha, and the sacred text. His philosophy centers on the assertion that the written word of the Lotus Sutra is not merely a metaphor or a historical record, but a “dynamic, living manifestation…

  William Altig

  August 31, 2025

  Nichiren

  Amida Buddha, and study, Buddha’s thirty-two physical features, Changing karma into mission, chanting, enlightenment in this lifetime, expedient means, faith, Flower Garland Sutra, gakushu, Gohonzon, gyo, Hinayana sutra, jiriki, koans, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, mind of the Buddha, moji soku jissō, Mystic Law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nembutsu, Nichiren, Nichiren Buddhism, nonduality of form and mind, One Vehicle, Opening the Eyes of Wooden and Painted Images, practice, pure and far-reaching voice, Pure Land Buddhism, Sado Island exile, Shakyamuni, Shikishin Funi, shinjin, Simultaneity of Cause and Effect, skillful means (zuitai’i), tariki, Tatsunokuchi, True Intent (Zuiji’i), True Word rituals, Western Paradise, words are the true aspect of reality, zazen, Zen Buddhism

• Nichiren’s Path to Enlightenment

  

  This briefing document provides a comprehensive review of key themes and essential facts from the provided source, “Nichiren’s Path to Enlightenment,” focusing on the transformative power of consistent individual action within a collective context. I. Introduction: The Transformative Power of Persistent Individual and Collective Action The core message of Nichiren’s philosophy, particularly as articulated in…

  William Altig

  August 22, 2025

  Nichiren

  13th century Japan, Adversity, and delusion, Buddhahood, Buddhism, Buddhist Philosophy, collective action, collective spiritual unity, cosmic axis, daily spiritual actions, drops of water, Enlightenment, Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, faith, faith like fire, faith like water, fires of greed, Gohonzon, hardship, hatred, human revolution, Ichinen Sanzen, individual action, inseparability of life and environment, Kamakura period, kosen-rufu, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sutra, many in body, Mappō, Meditation, Merit, Mongol invasion, Mt. Sumeru, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, natural disasters, Nichiren, Nirvāṇa, On Selecting the Right Time, one in mind, particles of dust, perfect enlightenment, Persecution, perseverance, personal revolution, Philosophy, political instability, Pure Land on earth, pure Law, Religion, Rissho Ankoku Ron, rivers of hardship, roots of goodness, sangha, sea of the Lotus Sutra, Senji-shō, Shakyamuni Buddha, single element of mind, social unrest, societal peace, spiritual attainment, spiritual crisis, Spiritual Development, spiritual grit, Spirituality, three thousand realms in a single moment of life, transformation of the land, transforming karma into mission, unshakeable life state, votary of the Lotus Sutra, widespread propagation of the Mystic Law