Tag: kannon
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The Counterintuitive Source of Fearlessness: A Lesson on Compassion from the Lotus Sūtra

Our modern world often presents a clear, if unsettling, picture of strength. It is equated with dominance, aggression, and the will to impose one’s power over others. This mindset fuels a culture of constant conflict, from boardrooms to battlefields, leaving many of us feeling perpetually on edge as we navigate a landscape of competition and…
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The Dewdrop and the Sea

A stripped-down folk-blues meditation for anyone who’s ever felt the weight of the world on their shoulders. “The Dewdrop and the Sea” is a story about moving from the burnout of trying to fix everything to the quiet hope found in small, meaningful action. It’s a song about a simple truth: our individual acts of…
William Altig
acoustic, Acoustic Guitar, Avalokitesvara, Blues, Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva vow, buddhist music, Burnout, Compassion, compassion fatigue, Conscious Music, dependent origination, Dharma, Dharma music, Enlightenment, Folk Music, Harmonica, helplessness, hope, interconnectedness, kannon, karuna, Kuan Yin, Lotus Sutra, mahayana, meditation music, Mindfulness, original song, prajna, sacred music, Singer-Songwriter, spiritual folk, Spiritual Music, Suffering, The Dewdrop and the Sea, wisdom, zen -
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…
William Altig
Abhaya, Amitabha Buddha, Anatta, Avalokitesvara, Bodhicitta, Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva vow, Buddhist Compassion, Buddhist deity, Buddhist Ethics, Buddhist iconography, Buddhist meditation, Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist practice, Buddhist psychology, Buddhist Symbolism, Buddhist teachings, Buddhist vows, Buddhist Wisdom, Chapter 25 Lotus Sutra, Chenrezig, Chinese Buddhism, comparative religion, Compassion, compassionate action, dealing with suffering, dependent origination, East Asian Buddhism, emptiness, fearlessness, gender in Buddhism, Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin, helping others, interconnectedness, kannon, karuna, Kumarajiva, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, mindfulness practice, Non-self, oceanic vow, overcoming despair, prajna, pratityasamutpada, Pure Land Buddhism, religious studies, Shantideva, Skillful Means, spiritual hope, Spiritual Transformation, Sunyata, thousand-armed Avalokitesvara, Upaya, wisdom and compassion -
5 Surprising Lessons from the Lotus Sutra That Might Change How You Think

Introduction: Beyond the Ancient Text Ancient spiritual texts can often feel like imposing monuments—dense, remote, and perhaps a little intimidating. We look at them from a distance, appreciating their historical significance but unsure how to connect with the wisdom locked inside. They can seem more like artifacts to be revered in a museum than practical…
William Altig
Anger, Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, Avalokitesvara, Bodhisattva Medicine King, Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva Medicine King, Buddha Way, Buddhahood, Chapter 10: A Teacher of the Dharma, emptiness of all phenomena, Endless-Intent Bodhisattva, Enlightenment, expedient means, Gentleness and Patience, Great Compassion, kannon, kanzeon, karma, Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Dharma, lust, Offerings, Phantom people, Pratyekabuddha path, Preaching the Dharma, Reading and Reciting, Slander, Stupa of Seven Treasures, Stupidity, Tathagata, Tathagata’s Envoy, Tathagata’s Robe, Tathagata’s room, Tathagata’s Seat, Teacher of the Dharma, The Lotus Sutra, three poisons, True Nature of Reality, Upholding the Lotus Sutra, World-Honored One, World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva, Śrāvaka path -
Avalokiteśvara’s Role and Transformation in Mahāyāna Buddhism

Executive Summary This document synthesizes a detailed analysis of Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, as presented in Chapter Twenty-Five of the Lotus Sūtra, titled “The Universal Gateway.” The analysis reveals a complex figure whose significance extends far beyond that of a simple devotional deity. The central thesis is that the text presents a dual-layered understanding…
William Altig
*Avalokitasvara* (Sound Perceiver), *Guanshiyin* (Perceiver of the World’s Sounds), *upāya-kauśalya*, *śūnyatā* (emptiness), *īśvara* (Lord who looks down), allegorical interpretation, Amitābha Buddha, Anger, Avalokitesvara, Chapter Twenty-Five, Chenrezig, Compassion (Karuṇā), Engaged Buddhism, feminization of Avalokiteśvara, folly/ignorance, Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin, Heart Sutra, inner transformation, kannon, kanzeon, karma, lotus flower symbolism, Lotus Sutra, lust, Mahayana Buddhism, Natha Deviyo, One Vehicle doctrine, Pure Land Buddhism, pure water vase, Putuo Shan, Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Seven Difficulties, Skillful Means, Sukhāvatī, Thirty-Three Forms of Manifestation, Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara, three poisons, Universal Gateway, Upaya, willow branch, Wisdom (Prajñā), World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva -
The Promise of Deliverance: An Exploration of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and the Breaking of Bonds in the Lotus Sūtra

The Lotus Sūtra, a cornerstone of Mahayana Buddhism, holds a revered position as a scripture that elucidates the profound truths of existence and the inherent potential for enlightenment within all beings.1 Central to its teachings is the figure of the World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva, known by various names across cultures, including Avalokiteśvara, Kuan Yin, Kannon, and Kanzeon.3…
William Altig
#EscapeIgnorance, Avalokiteshvara, bodhisattva-of-compassion, buddhahood-potential, buddhist-philosophy, chapter-25-universal-door, Compassion, compassion-karuna, Delusion, Guanyin, Ignorance, ignorance-and-delusion, kannon, kanzeon, karuna, liberation, liberation-from-bonds, Lotus Sutra, lotus-sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, mahayana-buddhism, practice, recitation-practice, skillful-means-upaya, spiritual-deliverance, Sutra Recitation, symbolic bondage, symbolic-bondage, ten fetters, ten-fetters, world-voice-perceiver