Tag: Meditation
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My Neighbors, My Sangha
My Neighbors, My Sangha: A Song of Interconnectedness and Spiritual Awakening In the heart-stirring melody of “My Neighbors, My Sangha,” we’re invited to witness the extraordinary beauty of the ordinary. The song paints a vivid picture of a community where the bonds of neighborliness transcend mere acquaintance. These bonds blossom into a spiritual Sangha, a…
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Chapter 25a–Divine Incantations:The Universal Promise of Protection
Bodhisattva Bhaishajya Rāja stood up, draped his robe over one shoulder, knelt on one knee, and with clasped hands, asked the Lord: “How much spiritual merit will a person gain, whether a young man or woman, who either memorizes or keeps a written copy of the Lotus Sutra?” The Lord responded: “Imagine, Bhaishajya Rāja, if…
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Chapter 20–Verses of Enlightenment from the Lotus Sutra
At that moment, the Lord expressed these verses: King Bhishmasvara of old, the Jina mighty and bold,Revered by all, a leader true, of men, gods, and giants too. In the era, truth declined, Sadaparibhuta we find,A monk, a Bodhisattva wise, enlightenment his only prize. To those who doubted, filled with scorn, he’d say: “Your path…
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Chapter 19–Visualizing the Depth of Wisdom
Further, Satatasamitabhiyukta, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva who, even after the complete passing away of the Tathagata (Enlightened One), preserves, teaches, writes, and reads this Sacred Teaching (Dharmapāryaya), will possess a mind endowed with twelve hundred fine qualities of intellect. With this perfect mental faculty, he will grasp its various meanings even if he hears a single…
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Chapter 19–The Visionary Embodiment of the Bodhisattva
Further, Satatasamitabhiyukta, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva who preserves, reads, shares, teaches, and writes this Sacred Teaching (Dharmapāryaya), will be endowed with eight hundred fine qualities of the body. This perfect body will be pure and radiate a clear hue like lapis lazuli, offering a pleasant sight to all beings. Upon this perfect body, he will perceive…
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Chapter 19–The Sensory Gifts of the Virtuous Bodhisattva
The Lord then spoke to the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Satatasamitabhiyukta, meaning “Ever and Constantly Strenuous.” He declared that anyone, whether a young man or a young woman from a noble family, who shall preserve, read, teach, or write this Teaching, or have it written, will gain extraordinary qualities. They will receive eight hundred fine traits of…
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Chapter 18–The Profound Merit of Embracing and Sharing the Lotus Sutra
And on that occasion, the Lord spoke the following verses: In the chain, the fiftieth to hear,A single verse from this Sutra clear,With placid mind and joy embraced,Vast merit in their heart is traced. Imagine a man, giving alms with grace,To countless beings, a smiling face,For eighty years, he satisfies,Their earthly needs, ‘neath endless skies.…
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Chapter 18–The Infinite Merit of Joyful Acceptance
Then the great spiritual being Maitreya turned to the Lord and asked, “O Lord, when a young person, whether a man or a woman, hears this teaching and joyfully embraces it, how much virtue will be created by such a young man or woman of noble character?” And on that occasion, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya…
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Chapter 17–Eternal Devotion: The Unmeasured Merit of Upholding the Sutra
And on that occasion, the Lord uttered the following verses: As I’ve mentioned before, a merit immense,Shall be his who keeps this Sutra’s defense,After the Leader of men’s complete extinction,A path of wisdom, a spiritual distinction. He’ll have paid worship to me, built Stupas grand,Of relics, precious, beautiful, a wonderland,Variegated and splendid, a sacred embrace,Honoring…
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Chapter 17–The Path to Infinite Wisdom: Embracing the Teachings of the Enlightened One
Again, Ajita, consider the person who, after hearing these teachings about the infinite lifespan of the Enlightened One, grasps, delves into, and comprehends them. Such a person will generate an even more vast accumulation of spiritual virtue, leading to the wisdom of a Buddha. And it goes without saying that the merit is even greater…
Mr. Altig’s Overview of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sutra 