Tag: Sympathetic Joy

• The Spiritual Loophole: How a Single Moment of Joy Can Outweigh a Lifetime of Effort

  

  We often approach spiritual growth with a certain kind of economic mindset. We believe that to make a meaningful impact—on ourselves and on the world—we must invest heavily. This investment usually takes the form of immense, sustained effort: years of practice, countless hours of study, and profound personal sacrifice. It is natural to admire those…

  William Altig

  October 7, 2025

  Chapter 18, Chapter 2, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Anumodana, Bodhisattva Path, Cetanā, Chapter 18, Chapter 2, Democratization of Buddhahood, Dharmakāya, Ekayana, faith, Intention, Joyous Bhūmi, Karmaphala, Lotus Sūtra, Merit, Minimal Affirmation, Mystic Law, Non-Retrogression, Offering to the Buddhas, One Vehicle, Pramudita, Rarity, Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Skillful Means, Sympathetic Joy, Udumbara flower, Upāya Kauśalya, Verbal Action, Vāk-karma, Śraddhā, Śāriputra

• The Lotus Sūtra and the Deconstruction of the Zero-Sum Fallacy in Spiritual Attainment

  

  Executive Summar The Lotus Sūtra, a pivotal Mahayana Buddhist scripture (1st-2nd centuries CE), fundamentally redefines spiritual attainment from a zero-sum paradigm to one of universal, interconnected abundance. It asserts that enlightenment is an inherent potential within all beings, accessible to everyone, and mutually beneficial. Through key doctrines and parables, the Sūtra demonstrates that individual spiritual…

  William Altig

  August 1, 2025

  Chapter 10, Chapter 7, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  All Beings Attain Buddhahood, Bodhicitta, Buddha-nature, Buddhahood in Remote Past, Buddhism, Chapter 10 Lotus Sūtra, Chapter 7 Lotus Sūtra, Conjured City Parable, Dharmakaya, Disturbing Emotion, emptiness, Enlightenment, expedient means, interconnectedness, Jealousy, Kumārajīva, Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Meditation, Mudita, Nichiren, Non-Zero-Sum, One Buddha Vehicle, Phantom City Parable, Philosophy, Religion, Shakyamuni Buddha, Shoho Jisso, Skillful Means, Spiritual Abundance, Spirituality, Sympathetic Joy, T’ien-t’ai, True Aspect of All Phenomena, Universal Benefit, Universal Enlightenment, upāya, Voidness