Tag: spiritual folk
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The Sound Beyond Words
(A Folk Blues for the Lotus Path) Sometimes the deepest truths can’t be explained—they have to be sung. This folk blues track takes ancient Buddhist wisdom from the Lotus Sutra and translates it into American roots music. It’s about that moment when thinking stops and something deeper takes over. When the sound itself becomes the…
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Bodhi Tree Blues
Bodhi Tree Blues is a slow-shuffle folk-blues hymn born from the Lotus Sūtra’s Chapter 17 promise of immediate awakening. A warm finger-picked guitar and mournful harmonica set the groove, while a gospel-style choir lifts the chorus like a sunrise. The song celebrates the truth that every breath and every step are sacred—each of us already…
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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…
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The Buddha’s Eyes Blues
Buddha’s Eyes Blues is a slow-rolling, rootsy folk-blues meditation on the heart of Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. With warm finger-picked guitar, mournful slide, and harmonica sighs, it honors the sutra’s call to make offerings of devotion and daily action. Each verse carries the listener down a dusty road of incense smoke and open…
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Mercy Wears Our Faces
This bluesy folk song, “Mercy Wears Our Faces,” is a heartfelt, secular exploration of the ancient Buddhist teaching of Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Inspired by a passage from the Lotus Sutra, the song strips away the mythic and focuses on the deeply personal. With a lonesome guitar and a soulful voice, the track contemplates…
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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…
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Muddy Waters, Silent Mind
“Muddy Waters, Silent Mind” is a reflective blues folk song that draws inspiration from Nichiren’s Shishin Gohon-Shō, where he speaks of muddy water catching the moon’s reflection and trees receiving rain without deliberation. With soulful male vocals and a melodic, earthy arrangement, this song explores the quiet wisdom found in nature’s flow—no striving, no resistance,…
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🪷 Muddy Waters, Silent Mind — A Song, A Sutra, A Stillness
This song came to me in the quiet of morning practice, while reading Nichiren’s treatise Shishin Gohon-Shō. He writes: “Muddy water has no mind but it still catches the moon’s reflection and naturally becomes lucid. Plants and trees catch the rain in order to blossom, but can we say they do this deliberately?” That line…
Mr. Altig’s Overview of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sutra 