Tag: Skillful Means (Upaya)

• Beyond Karma: 4 Radical Truths from the Lotus Sutra That Redefine Reality

  

  1.0 Introduction: Beyond the Basics of Buddhism When most people think of Buddhism, concepts like meditation, karma, and reincarnation often come to mind. These are the foundational ideas that have made their way into the global consciousness—valuable teachings on mindfulness and the consequences of our actions. But to stop there is to miss the deeper,…

  William Altig

  September 26, 2025

  Chapter 16, Chapter 17, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Ajita (Invincible), Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Boundless Merit, Buddha’s Lifespan, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, daimoku, Democratization of Enlightenment, Dharma-kāya, Eternal Buddha, Expedient Means (upaya-kaushalya), feigned death, Great Teacher Zhiyi, Historical Buddha, Innumerable Merit, Instantaneous Boon, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Maitreya, Nichiren Daishonin’s School, Nirmāṇa-kāya, Non-Duality, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Parable of the Burning House, Punya (Merit), Pure Land, Sahā world, Sambhogakāya, Self-realization, Shakyamuni, Single Moment of Faith, Skillful Means (Upaya), Tathāgata, Tiantai School, Trikāya Doctrine

• The Allegory of “Wonders” in the Lotus Sūtra and Modern Buddhist Practice

  

  This briefing document examines the allegorical interpretation of “wonders” in Chapter Twenty-Seven of the Lotus Sūtra, “The Former Deeds of King Wondrous Splendor,” and how these ancient narratives translate into meaningful modern Buddhist practice. It highlights the transformation of supernatural feats into metaphors for internal and social change, emphasizing compassion, self-control, resilience, and respect as…

  William Altig

  September 20, 2025

  Chapter 27, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  “Wonders” allegory, #Resilience, abhijna, ṛddhi, bodhisattva way, Brahmanism, Buddha’s ambivalent view, Buddha-nature, Chapter 27, Cloud Thunder Sound Constellation King Flower Wisdom, collective liberation, compassionate propagation, Divine Ear, Divine Eye, Engaged Buddhism, enlightenment (bodhi), Equanimity, ethical conduct, Freedom by Undefiled Wisdom, fundamental ignorance, human revolution, Internal Transformation, karma, King Wonderful Adornment, Knowledge of Others’ Minds, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, modern Buddhist practice, Nichiren’s teaching, non-duality of person and environment (Eshō Funi), Patanjali’s Yoga-sūtra, personal transformation, Pure Eye, Pure Storehouse, Pure Virtue, purification of mind, Recollection of Past Lives, respect for all beings, self-belittling attitudes, sharing the Dharma, siddhis, six abhijñā interpretation, Six Paramitas, Skillful Means (Upaya), social engagement, social peace, spiritual powers, supernatural feats, Supernatural Powers (ṛddhi), Tathagata, Teachers of the Law chapter, Theravada tradition, Tiantai patriarch Zhanran

• Maitreya’s Perplexity and the Eternal Buddha in the Lotus Sutra

  

  Date: August 27, 2025 Subject: Review of Chapter 15 of the Lotus Sutra, focusing on Maitreya’s inquiry and the revelation of the Eternal Buddha. Key Themes: I. Introduction: The Cosmic Unveiling and Maitreya’s Inquiry Chapter 15 of the Lotus Sutra, “Welling Forth from the Earth,” sets a dramatic stage with a vast assembly of Bodhisattvas…

  William Altig

  September 5, 2025

  Chapter 15, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Bodhisattvas Welling Forth from Earth, Buddha-nature, Changing Poison into Medicine, Eternal Buddha, Inherent Buddhahood, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sutra Chapter 15, Maitreya Bodhisattva, Maitreya’s Verse, Mystic Law, Nichiren Buddhism, One Vehicle (Ekayana), Origin Teaching (Honmon), Original Enlightenment (Hongaku), Saha world, Shakyamuni Buddha, Sincere Questioning, Skillful Means (Upaya), Three Buddha Bodies, Tiantai School, Trace Teaching (Shakumon), Vulture Peak, Young Father Ancient Sons Analogy

• The Lotus Sūtra: Joyful Perseverance and the Unwavering Path

  

  I. Executive Summary This briefing document examines the core teachings of the Lotus Sūtra, focusing on the apparent paradox between the promise of “non-returning” and the Bodhisattva’s commitment to “returning” to the world for the benefit of all beings. It elucidates how the Lotus Sūtra reinterprets “non-returning” not as an escape from saṃsāra, but as…

  William Altig

  August 30, 2025

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

  Anāgāmin, Avinivartaniya (Non-Regression), Bodhisattva Path, Bodhisattva vow, Buddhahood, Devadatta, Dragon King’s Daughter, Joyful Resolve, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Non-Duality, Non-Returning, One Vehicle (Ekayana), Parable of the Burning House, Perseverance (Virya), Saha world, Skillful Means (Upaya), Spiritual Maturation, Theravada Buddhism, Universal Liberation, Śāriputra

• The Dharma of the Forge and the Loom: A Conceptual Conversion of Hephaestus and Athena Through the Lotus Sutra

  

  Date: August 29, 2025 Purpose: This document provides a detailed review of the provided source, exploring its core argument regarding the conceptual synthesis of the Greek mythological archetypes of Hephaestus and Athena with the principles of the Lotus Sutra. It highlights main themes, key ideas, and important facts, including direct quotes. I. Executive Summary The…

  William Altig

  August 29, 2025

  Mythology and Modern Connections

  AI, Ani Choying Drolma, Arachne, Arts, athena, Athena’s Wisdom, Bodhisattva, Buddhism, Compassion (Karuna), Conceptual Conversion, Creative Purpose, Dharma, Dharmakaya, Ego, Ekayana (One Vehicle), Greek Mythos, Hephaestus, Hephaestus’s Forge, Lameness, liberation, Lotus Sutra, Meditation, Metis, Mount Olympus, Mythology, Olympian Archetypes, Pandora, Philosophy, Religion, Robotics, Sebastian Yatra, Skillful Means (Upaya), Software Development, Spirituality, Strategic Warfare, Suffering (Duhkha), Technology, Weaving, Wisdom (Prajna), Workplace Spirituality

• The Lotus Sūtra and Assured Buddhahood

  

  Executive Summary This briefing document provides a comprehensive analysis of the Lotus Sūtra, particularly focusing on Chapter Two, “Expedient Means,” as a foundational text for understanding inherent purpose and cultivating perseverance. The Lotus Sūtra challenges conventional Buddhist thought by asserting the universal potential for Buddhahood, emphasizing that innate wisdom and compassionate purpose are eternal realities,…

  William Altig

  August 28, 2025

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

  Attainment of Buddhahood in one’s present form, Bodhisattva, Buddhahood, Chapter Two, Compassion and Perseverance, compassion., Daimoku (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo), expedient means, Ichinen Sanzen of Ji, Ichinen Sanzen of Ri, Inherent Buddha, Juki, Lotus Sutra, Nichiren, One Great Reason, One Vehicle (Ekayana), Parable of the Burning House, Persecution prophecies, Profound and Wonderful Teachings, Provisional Teachings, Real Dharma, Shakyamuni, Skillful Means (Upaya), Strategy of the Lotus Sūtra, T’ien-t’ai, Ten Factors of Life, Ten Worlds, Three Thousand Realms in a Single Moment of Life (Ichinen Sanzen), three vehicles, True Aspect of All Phenomena, Universal Enlightenment, Voluntarily assuming appropriate karma, votary of the Lotus Sutra, wisdom, Śāriputra

• “Lotus Sutra Bodhisattva Study” – Main Themes and Key Insights

  

  This briefing document provides a comprehensive review of the provided excerpts from “Lotus Sutra Bodhisattva Study,” focusing on Chapter Twenty-Seven, “The Former Affairs of King Wonderful Adornment,” and the Bodhisattvas Medicine-King and Medicine-Superior. It highlights the main themes, most important ideas, and significant facts, incorporating direct quotes from the source material. I. Overview of the…

  William Altig

  August 20, 2025

  Chapter 27, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Buddhism, Dharma, Enlightenment, Eradicating misfortune, Good roots, healing, Karmic well-being, liberation, Lotus Sūtra, Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Medicine-Superior Bodhisattva, Meditation, Mental diseases, Merit, Philosophy, Physical diseases, Religion, Skillful Means (Upaya), Spiritual well-being, Spirituality, Suffering, Sūtra Spoken by the Buddha on Visualizing the Two Bodhisattvas Bhaisajyarāja and Bhaisajyasamudgata, Universal Buddhahood, Visualization meditations

• The Parable of the Burning House

  

  1. Executive Summary The Parable of the Burning House, found in Chapter Three of the Lotus Sūtra, is a central Mahayana Buddhist allegory illustrating the nature of suffering, the Buddha’s compassionate “skillful means” (upaya), and the doctrine of universal liberation. It depicts samsara (the world of suffering) as a decaying, fire-engulfed mansion, where sentient beings,…

  William Altig

  August 6, 2025

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

  Attachment, Buddha, Buddha-nature, Buddhism, Children (Sentient Beings), Climate Crisis, Compassion, Digital Age, Distraction, faith, Four Noble Truths, Ignorance, Impermanence (Anicca), Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Meditation, Modern Relevance, Nichiren Buddhism, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Parable of the Burning House, personal transformation, Philosophy, Religion, Samsara, Skillful Means (Upaya), Spirituality, Suffering (Dukkha), Three Vehicles (Triyana), Universal Buddhahood, Zen Buddhism

• The Catalytic Power of Inquiry and the Eternal Buddha in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  Date: July 28, 2025 Subject: Review of “Lotus Sūtra: Questioning and Faith” essay, focusing on key themes and insights from the Lotus Sūtra, particularly Chapters 15 and 16. Source Documents: Executive Summary: The reviewed essay, “Lotus Sūtra: Questioning and Faith,” is highly commended for its “thoroughly researched, textually accurate, and philosophically sophisticated” analysis of Chapters…

  William Altig

  July 28, 2025

  Chapter 15, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  “Skilled Physician” parable, Bodhisattvas, Buddhism, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Compassion, Critical Inquiry, Dharma., Enlightenment, Eternal Buddha, faith, Hindering Doubt, inquiry, Kalama Sutta, Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Mahāparinibbāna Sutta, Maitreya Bodhisattva, Meditation, Milindapañha, Nichiren Buddhism, Personal Verification, Philosophy, Productive Doubt, Religion, Self-reliance, Shakyamuni Buddha, Skillful Means (Upaya), Spirituality, Tiantai, Universal Buddhahood, wisdom

• Concepts of Universalism in Religious Thought

  

  This briefing document reviews the main themes and most important ideas or facts regarding universalism, drawing from excerpts concerning Swedenborg’s reflections, the Lotus Sutra, and Catholicism. Overall Theme: The sources explore the concept of universalism in different religious contexts, specifically focusing on the potential for salvation or enlightenment for all beings. While the terminology and…

  William Altig

  June 4, 2025

  Nichiren, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Apocatastasis., Arcana Coelestia, Avalokiteśvara, Bible Interpretation, Bodhisattva, Buddhism, Christian Universalism, Compassion, Correspondences (Swedenborgian), Dalai Lama, Divine Love and Wisdom, Eastern Religions, Enlightenment (Buddhist), faith, Heaven and Hell, Holistic Reality, Inner Meaning, Interfaith Dialogue, Lotus Sutra, Meditation, Mysticism, Nirvana, Nontheism (Buddhism), Perennial Philosophy, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Rebirth, Religion, Religious Pluralism, Religious Tolerance, Scriptural Interpretation, Skillful Means (Upaya), Souls, Spiritual Parallels, Spiritual Reality, Spirituality, Suffering (Dukkha), Swedenborg, Theology, True Christian Religion, truth, Unitarian Universalism, Universal Reconciliation, Universalism, Western Esotericism, wisdom