Tag: practice

• Why the Buddha Claimed to Die: A Surprising Lesson on Motivation from the Lotus Sutra

  

  We’ve all felt it. It is a profound paradox of the human heart: we often discover the true value of a thing only in its perceived absence. This strange quirk of human psychology is central to one of the most profound and surprising teachings in Buddhist philosophy. What if the historical Buddha’s death wasn’t an…

  William Altig

  December 2, 2025

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

  Buddha’s Teachings, Chapter Sixteen, distant past enlightenment, Eternal Buddha, Ever-Present Buddha, expedient, expedient passing, Expedient Passing [Title], five desires, Lotus Sutra, Lotus Sūtra, Nirvāṇa, practice, Roots of Good, Seeing the Buddha, Wonderful Dharma, wrong views

• The Surprising Truth a Buddhist Text Reveals About Your Character

  

  1.0 Introduction: The Echoes in Our Actions Have you ever wondered why you are drawn to certain ideas, ethical principles, or spiritual practices? What is it within us that seeks out meaning or gravitates toward a path of kindness and wisdom? An ancient verse from the Buddhist Lotus Sūtra offers a profound perspective on this…

  William Altig

  December 1, 2025

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

  beneficial actions, Buddha, calamity of death, Chapter Seventeen, decline of teachings, evil world, generosity, harmful actions, Lotus Sūtra, Maitreya Bodhisattva, Offerings, practice, previous existences, trauma, Wonderful Dharma

• This 2,000-Year-Old Text Is a Recipe for Life—Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Just Read It

  

  Introduction: The Gap Between Knowing and Doing There’s a well-known gap between knowing something in theory and understanding it through experience. An old metaphor captures this perfectly: you can read a recipe for a meal, memorize every ingredient, and understand the chemistry of cooking, but you will remain completely ignorant of the food’s taste. True…

  William Altig

  October 8, 2025

  Chapter 5, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Arhat, Bodhicitta, Bodhisattva, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Buddha-nature, Burning House Parable, Chapter Two, Compassion, dṛṣṭi, Ekayāna, Engaged Buddhism, expedient means, insight, Insight of the Buddha, kosen-rufu, kōans, Lotus Sūtra, One Vehicle, Pedagogy, practice, prajñā, Pratyekabuddhas, Prodigal Son Parable, Pāramitās, realization, Recipe analogy, Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Samsara, Six Perfections, Skillful Means, Tathāgata, Tathāgatagarbha, Theravada Buddhism, three vehicles, upāya, vipassanā, wisdom, zazen, Zen Buddhism, śrāvakas

• The Immanence of the Eternal Buddha and the Practice of the Lotus Sutra

  

  This briefing document summarizes the core themes and essential facts from the provided scholarly analysis of the Lotus Sutra, particularly focusing on the “Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva” chapter (Chapter 28) and its philosophical underpinnings in the “Life Span of the Thus Come One” chapter (Chapter 16). It explores how practicing the sutra fosters a direct…

  William Altig

  September 19, 2025

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

  Altruism, Buddha land, Chapter 16, Chapter 28, Daheng, Ekayāna, Enlightenment, Eternal Buddha, Four Conditions for Obtaining Sutra, Fugen, Immeasurable Lifespan, kosen-rufu, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren Buddhism, One Vehicle, paramitas, Perfect-Sudden Precepts, practice, protection, Reciprocal relationship, Samantabhadra, Self-reformation, Six Perfections, Skillful Means, Spiritual Transformation, Tathagata’s room, Ten Great Vows, Tendai Buddhism, Universal Buddha-nature, Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, Upaya, World of conflict

• 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

• The Lotus Sutra’s Paradox: Rarity vs. Eternal Buddha

  

  1. Introduction: The Dynamic Revelations of Truth in the Lotus Sūtra The Lotus Sūtra (Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram) is a foundational and highly influential text in Mahāyāna Buddhism, particularly in East Asia. It presents key Mahāyāna tenets such as the One Vehicle (ekayāna), the distinction between expedient and ultimate teachings, and the revolutionary concept of the…

  William Altig

  July 26, 2025

  Chapter 16, Chapter 2, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law, Uncategorized

  air analogy, antithesis, apparent Nirvāṇa, apparent paradox, arrogance, aspiration for enlightenment, Bodhicitta, Buddha wisdom, Buddha’s immeasurable lifespan, Buddhism, casting off the transient and revealing the true, Chapter Sixteen, Chapter Two, complacency, cultivating recognition, Devadatta, Dharmakāya, dialectical framework, difficulty of encounter, dust particle kalpas, Ekayāna, equality, Eternal Lifespan of the Tathāgata, expedient teachings, faith, false views, far distant past, feigned death, five thousand Bhikshus, Great Vehicle Dharma, historical Shakyamuni Buddha, human inability, immanence of Dharma, inconceivable Dharma, infrequent appearance, Inherent Buddhahood, interconnectedness, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Meditation, Nirmāṇakāya, Nishyanda Buddha, non-dualistic realization, non-judgmental compassion, objective reality, obstruction of sense organs, One Vehicle, original enlightenment, Parable of the Plants, Parable of the Skilled Physician, pedagogical strategy., pervasive Dharma, Philosophy, potential for Buddhahood, practice, preciousness, prejudice, profound Dharma, Provisional Teachings, provisional to the real, rarity vs. eternal presence, Religion, reverence, Sambhogakāya, shallow merits, Skillful Means, Small Vehicle Dharma, spiritual readiness, spiritual truths, Spirituality, subjective experience, synthesis, thesis, Three Bodies of the Buddha, three vehicles, Trikāya, true entity of all phenomena, Udumbara flower, ultimate teachings, Universal Buddhahood, unsurpassed Way, upāya, urgency, Vairochana Buddha, virtuous roots, Wonderful Dharma

• The Protective Vow of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva in the Lotus Sutra: Context, Interpretations, and Contemporary Relevance

  

  Introduction: The Significance of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva’s Vow in the Lotus Sutra The Lotus Sutra, revered as a cornerstone of Mahayana Buddhism, articulates the profound principle of universal Buddhahood, asserting that all beings possess the inherent potential to attain enlightenment.1 Within this influential scripture, Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, also known as Samantabhadra, stands as an eminent figure embodying…

  William Altig

  May 4, 2025

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

  Bodhisattva vow, Chapter Twenty-Eight, Compassion, defiled world, dependent origination, dharani, Enlightenment, later age, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, mantra, Mappo, Meditation, Nichiren Buddhism, practice, Pratītyasamutpāda, Saha world, Samantabhadra, sangha, Six Perfections, Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, vow of protection, wisdom

• 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

  May 3, 2025

  Chapter 25, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  #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

• The Needle on Sumeru’s Peak: An Analysis of Rarity and Merit in Nichiren Daishonin’s Shō Hokke Daimoku-shō

  

  I. Introduction: The Rarity of Encountering the Mystic Law A. Presentation of the Core Passage Within the corpus of writings attributed to the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist reformer Nichiren Daishonin, a particularly striking passage appears in his Treatise on Chanting the Great Title of the Lotus Sūtra (Shō Hokke Daimoku-shō). It presents a vivid, almost fantastical…

  William Altig

  May 1, 2025

  Nichiren

  Buddhist cosmology, chanting, daimoku, Enlightenment, faith, Gohonzon, Gosho, Gratitude, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Mappō, Mount Sumeru, Mystic Law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren Buddhism, practice, Shakyamuni Buddha, Shō Hokke Daimoku-shō, study