Tag: Mindfulness

• The Light You Already Got

  

  A bluesy folk tale about a man who burned for a thousand years and a girl who smiled just once—and how they both found the same light. This song weaves an ancient Buddhist paradox into American roots music tradition. It’s the story of Strong-Heart, who gave everything—even setting himself ablaze for centuries—trying to reach enlightenment…

  William Altig

  October 14, 2025

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

  #interfaith, #Truth, 1960s folk revival, 3am song, accessible wisdom, acoustic, acoustic blues, ageless wisdom, aha moment, ahead of time, alan watts blues, album track, all paths one, already enough, already home, alt folk, American primitive, american zen, Americana, americana archive, amness, analog, analog warmth, artisan, as above so below, attention, authentic, authentic emotion, authentic seeking, authentic voice, awakening, awareness, back to the land mysticism, balanced path, bare, based on ancient teaching, basic, be here now folk, beat zen, beatnik blues, beautiful mess, before and after the same, being itself, being not doing, bespoke, bluegrass adjacent, Blues, both and, both and neither, boundaried yes, breath, Buddha-nature, buddhist americana, buddhist folk, bus stop satori, call and response, Campfire Song, can’t shake it, canonical, chop wood carry water folk, classic, clear, coal miner’s daughter adjacent, coffee and contemplation, commune folk, compassionate refusal, Conscious Lyrics, Conscious Music, consciousness, Contemplative, core, country blues, craftsman, creative, cross cultural wisdom, custom, daily bread, dark night of the soul, dawn breaking, deep, deep cut, deep lyrics, delta blues, democratic dharma, depression era sound, dharma folk, dialectic folk, different rivers same ocean, direct, distinctive, DIY mysticism, documentary worthy, dust bowl folk, ear worm, earned wisdom, Earnest, East meets West, echo, effortless effort, effortless path, empty highway, endurance, Enlightenment, esoteric folk, essence, essential, eternal now, eternal return, everyday enlightenment, everyday sacred, existence, existential folk, exposed, extreme and simple, faith and effort, fermata, field recording adjacent, film music adjacent, fingerstyle guitar, fire and smile, Folk, Folk Blues, folk ecology, folk philosophy, folk religion, folk renaissance, folk tale, for sustained listening, fractals in folk, fresh, front porch blues, front porch sessions, fundamental, gentle force, genuine, glorious imperfection, golden mean, goldilocks dharma, good news folk, gospel blues, grace not works, grassroots spirituality, grocery store kensho, handmade, handmade holiness, Harmonica, Haunting, headphone music, heart, Heartfelt, hegelian blues, here, hidden wisdom, high and low, hippie trail, hold, holographic universe, holy text blues, honest, honest doubt, human, human and holy, hummable, I and thou, imaginative, imperfect, important, indie-folk, individual universal, inherent worth, inner light, inner outer, innovative, instant enlightenment, intelligent, intentional community music, isness, jack kerouac dharma blues, journey not destination, joyful noise, just as you are, just right folk, keeping it real, ken burns folk, kind rebellion, kitchen recording, kitchen sink spirituality, kitchen table folk, knower and known, koan blues, late night, laundromat liberation, legend reimagined, less is more, library of congress, literate, lived experience, lo fi, long drive music, long haul, Lotus Sutra, loving resistance, lyrical, many doors one room, marathon not sprint, meaningful, meditation music, memorable, microcosm macrocosm, middle way, Mindfulness, moderation, Modern Folk, mountain and valley, mountain mysticism, mountain song, mundane divine, mystery tradition, myth retold, naked, narrative song, neo traditional, new, new sincerity, Nichiren, no BS, no irony, no original sin, non dual folk, non striving, not a single, not too tight not too loose, nothing special, noticing, now, old soul music, old tale new telling, old time music, one day at a time, one of a kind, One Vehicle, open, open road, ordinary mind, original, original blessing, parable, paradox song, parking lot awakening, Patience, pause, peaceful power, pema chodron folk, people’s Buddhism, Perennial Philosophy, perseverance, personal political, philosophical, philosophical blues, philosophical folk, piedmont blues, pilgrimage song, plain, plain speech dharma, Poetic, porch music, post ironic, prairie dharma, presence, process not product, profound, prophetic, protest adjacent, question and answer, quiet strength, ram dass adjacent, Raw, real, real faith, real feeling, real talk, reality, recognition, redemption song, relaxed intensity, remembering, resonance, rest, reverberation, riddle song, room tone, roots music, roots revival, sacred and profane, sacred music, sacred story, scripture folk, seer and seen, self and other, Self-realization, separate waves one water, serious, significant, silence, simple, simple living, sincere, singable, Singer-Songwriter, Skillful Means, slow blues, slow burn, smart, smithsonian folkways, social consciousness, soft revolution, Soul, Soundtrack, space, spirit, spiritual americana, Spiritual Music, standard, statement and reply, stays with you, Storytelling, straight up, straightforward, stripped down, stuck in your head, subject object, substantial, suchness, sudden vs gradual, sustain, sustainable practice, sutra song, systems thinking, taking out trash dharma, talking blues, tape hiss, tathata, temperance, tender no, testimony, thesis antithesis synthesis, thich nhat hanh acoustic, this, this moment only, thoughtful, thus, Timeless, timeless present, traditional folk, train song adjacent, true sound, true story, trying not trying, undefended, unique, unity consciousness, universal spirituality, universal truth, vintage sound, visionary, voluntary simplicity, vulnerable, waking up, walking music, warm, washing dishes blues, weighty, whistle while you work, wisdom traditions, witness, witness and witnessed, wordsmith, working class mysticism, wu wei folk, you are enough, zen and the art of folk music, zen blues

• The Woman in 4B

  

  A Blues Folk Ballad Three voices, one family breaking apart. A mysterious neighbor with an open door and endless tea. A blues-folk story about the three poisons we carry—greed, anger, and numbness—and the unexpected way we learn to set them down. Told through the eyes of a daughter scrolling her pain away, a son burning…

  William Altig

  October 13, 2025

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

  acoustic, alt folk, Americana, Anger, apartment, apartment living, awakening, Blues, Blues Folk, Bob Dylan inspired, Bodhisattva, Buddhism, buddhist folk, call and response, city life, community, Compassion, Connection, Conscious Music, Contemplative, contemporary folk, Dharma, elder wisdom, Enlightenment, existential, family, finger picking, Folk, folk ballad, found family, gospel folk, Greed, grief, Harmonica, healing, healing journey, hope, indie folk, letting go, loneliness, Lotus, meditation music, mental health, Mindfulness, modern parable, mother daughter, multi-voice, narrative song, neighbor, open door, philosophical folk, Redemption, roots music, siblings, social isolation, Spiritual, Storytelling, tea, tea ceremony, therapeutic, three poisons, three voices, Tracy Chapman style, Transformation, urban folk, urban stories, wisdom

• The Patient Heart Blues

  

  “The Patient Heart Blues” – A Song About Standing Strong While Walking Away Sometimes the hardest thing in the world is knowing when to stay and when to go. This song came from studying an ancient Buddhist text about patience—but not the kind of patience where you just take whatever comes. Real patience, the kind…

  William Altig

  October 11, 2025

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

  12-bar blues, acoustic blues, acoustic soul, acoustic storytelling, alternative blues, Americana, americana roots, authentic blues, Ballad, Blues, blues poetry, blues standard, boundaries, buddhist blues, Chicago blues, classic blues, Compassion, Conscious Lyrics, Contemplative blues, contemplative music, Contemporary Blues, crossover blues, deep lyrics, delta blues, Dharma music, elder wisdom, emotional intelligence, empowerment, Folk Blues, Folk Music, folk rock, Forgiveness, harmonica blues, healing music, honest lyrics, independent blues, inner strength, letting go, life lessons, mature themes, meaningful music, meditation music, mental health, Mindfulness, modern blues, narrative folk, non-violence, old soul, organic sound, original blues, Patience, peaceful resistance, philosophical blues, porch blues, protest blues, raw vocals, real talk, recovery music, resilience, resonator guitar, roots music, roots poetry, self-care, self-protection, shuffle blues, Slide Guitar, slow blues, social consciousness, spiritual blues, spiritual folk, spoken word blues, story song, Storytelling, substance over style, survivor song, teaching song, therapy music, timeless wisdom, traditional blues, unsigned artist, vintage blues, walking away, wisdom music

• Samantabhadra’s Whisper

  

  In the hush of the later age,where neon nights and headlines rage,a quiet vow crosses the sky:Keep the Sutra, let none deny. Copy each character, slow and true,one Buddha born in every blue.Ink becomes breath, breath becomes light,pages ignite the hidden sight. Read aloud till walls dissolve,recite until the heart resolves.Each sound a shrine, each…

  William Altig

  September 30, 2025

  Chapter 28, poems, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  awakening others, Bodhisattva vow, Chapter 28, Compassion and Wisdom, contemporary Buddhist writing, copying sutras, Dharma practice, Ekayana, Engaged Buddhism, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Merit Transfer, Mindfulness, modern Buddhist poem, Non-Duality, reciting sutras, sacred action, Samantabhadra, Self-Enlightenment, sixfold practice, Spiritual Insight, spiritual poetry, Spiritual Transformation, Universal-Sage Bodhisattva

• From the Deep and Fertile Ground

  

  Inspired by the profound teachings of the Lotus Sutra and the enduring vow of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, “From the Deep and Fertile Ground” is a grounded, bluesy folk song that moves from spiritual insight to personal transformation. The song is a deconstruction of what “supernatural power” means, revealing it not as an arbitrary…

  William Altig

  September 28, 2025

  Chapter 21, music, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  acoustic, Blues, buddhist music, enlightening, Folk, Inspiration, Lotus Sutra, Mindfulness, new age, Nichiren, Padmaprabha, peaceful, Spiritual, spiritual folk, Uplifting

• The Perfume of Wisdom: Discerning Reality Through Purified Senses on the Bodhisattva Path

  

  I. Executive Summary This briefing summarizes the core themes and key insights from “Lotus Sūtra Sensory Perception” and its accuracy check, “The Perfume of Wisdom: An Accuracy Check.” The documents explore the profound concept of purified sensory perception, particularly the sense of smell, within the framework of the Bodhisattva path as presented in Chapter Nineteen…

  William Altig

  August 4, 2025

  Chapter 19, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Attachment, Avidyā, Bodhicitta, Bodhisattva Path, Bodhisattva vow, Buddha’s Eye, Buddhism, Chapter Nineteen, Compassion Meditation, compassionate action, Death Meditation, Delusion, Discerning Moral Qualities through Scent, Enlightened Perception, External Objects, Focused Attention, Ignorance, Internal Sensory Organs, Lotus Sutra, Loving-kindness, Mahayana Buddhism, Meditation, Merits of the Dharma Teachers, Mind as Sixth Sense, Mindfulness, Moral Purity, Nirvana, Non-attachment, Non-Deluded Perception, Olfactory Capacity, Open Monitoring, Philosophy, Purification of the Six Roots of Perception, Purified Senses, Religion, Rokkonshoujou, Samsara, Sati, Sensory Transformation, Shakyamuni Buddha, Skillful Means, Spiritual Development, Spirituality, Taṇhā, Universal Liberation, upāya, wisdom, Āyatana

• Buddhist Perspectives on Time, Purpose, and Enlightenment: A Briefing

  

  This briefing synthesizes key themes from the provided source, “Lotus Sūtra: Time’s Immeasurability,” focusing on the Buddhist understanding of time, its implications for spiritual practice, and the path to enlightenment. It aims to address the modern anxiety of “not enough time” by demonstrating how the Sūtra’s teachings transform this perception into a liberating framework for…

  William Altig

  August 2, 2025

  Chapter 16, Chapter 7, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  14th Dalai Lama, Abhidharmakośabhāṣyam, Ajahn Brahm, Arhat, Ayya Khema, Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva’s vow, Buddha, Buddha-nature, Buddhism, Buddhist Philosophy, Busyness (modern delusion), Compassion (Karuṇā), cosmic time, Cosmology, Cyclical time, Dukkha, Enlightenment, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Great Compassion (Mahākaruṇā), Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence, Ink-powder parable, Kalpas (Aeons), karma, Linear time, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Mindfulness, Nirvāṇa, Parinirvāṇa, Pema Chödrön, Phantom City Parable, Philosophy, Pratyekabuddha, Precious human birth, Present moment, Religion, Saṃsāra, Skillful means (Upāya), spiritual path, Spiritual Practice, Spirituality, Sumeru-worlds (Cakravāḍa), Temporal Anxiety, Thich Nhat Hanh, Thousand-million-fold world (Trisāhasra-mahāsāhasra-loka-dhātu), time, Wisdom (Prajñā), Yojanas, Śākyamuni Buddha

• The Conjured City Blues

  

  “The Conjured City Blues” is a soulful fusion of ancient Buddhist wisdom and the raw emotional power of the Blues. Inspired by Chapter Seven of the Lotus Sutra, the song journeys through the vastness of suffering, perseverance, and hope expressed by the Brahma Kings’ universal vow for enlightenment. With a slow, haunting melody rooted in…

  William Altig

  May 18, 2025

  Chapter 7, music, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  acoustic blues, Ancient Wisdom, Blues, Blues Guitar, Buddha, Buddhism, buddhist music, Cosmic Blues, Cosmic Journey, Deep Blues, Dharma, emotional music, Enlightenment, Folk Blues, Folk Music, hopeful blues, inspirational music, lotus flower, Lotus Sutra, Meditation, meditation music, mellow blues, Mindfulness, mystical blues, perseverance, reflective music, Religion, Soulful, soulful vocals, spiritual awakening, spiritual blues, Spiritual Journey, Suffering, universal vow

• Understanding Existence and Non-Existence in the Lotus Sutra: A Path to Inner Peace

  

  The Lotus Sutra, a revered scripture within Mahayana Buddhism, holds a significant place due to its teachings on the universal potential for enlightenment. It proclaims that Buddhahood, the highest state of wisdom and compassion, is inherent in all beings, irrespective of their social standing or personal history.1 This inclusive message forms the foundation for understanding…

  William Altig

  May 14, 2025

  Chapter 14, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Anatta, Anicca, Bodhisattva, Buddhism, despair, Dharma, Dualistic Perception, Dukkha, emptiness, Enlightenment, Impermanence, Inverted Discrimination, Judgement, Lotus Sutra, Madhyamaka, Meditation, middle way, Mindfulness, Nichiren, Non-attachment, Non-self, peaceful practices, Suffering, Sunyata

• The Inexpressible Merits of the Buddha and the Transformative Power of Language in the Lotus Sutra

  

  The Lotus Sutra, a cornerstone of Mahayana Buddhism, stands as a revered text celebrated for its profound expositions on the inherent Buddhahood of all beings and the path leading to enlightenment.1 Its teachings have resonated deeply across East Asia for centuries, influencing countless practitioners on their spiritual journeys.1 This report undertakes a detailed analysis of…

  William Altig

  May 9, 2025

  Chapter 8, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  acoustic, awakening, blues ballad, Bodhisattva Path, Buddhist song, Compassion, Dharma music, Folk Blues, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Meditative, Mindfulness, peaceful music, Poetic, soft vocals, spiritual folk, Spiritual Music, tender, timeless truth, Universal Enlightenment, wisdom