Tag: Three Powerful Enemies

• The Art of Refuting Ideas Without Attacking People

  

  Introduction: The Challenge of Meaningful Disagreement In our modern world, it often feels impossible to disagree on important topics without the conversation descending into personal attacks. We encounter ideas we believe are genuinely harmful, yet we are urged to be tolerant. This leaves us with a piercing question: How can we challenge ideas we find…

  William Altig

  November 16, 2025

  Nichiren, Uncategorized

  Admonishing the State, Atsuhara Affair, Bodhisattva Practice, daimoku, Faith Practice Study, Final Dharma Age, Gohonzon, Gyōchi, hōbō, Hōnen, Kamakura Shogunate, Kokka Kangyō, kosen-rufu, Lotus Sutra, Mappō, Martyrdom, Mongol Threat, Namu-myōhō-renge-kyō, Nanjō Tokimitsu, Nichiren, Nichiren Shoshu, Nikkō, Nyosetsu Shugyō-shō, One Vehicle, Persecution, Provisional Teachings, Pure Land Buddhism, Risshō Ankoku Ron, Sado exile, Shakubuku, shōju, Slander of the Dharma, Soka Gakkai, Tatsunokuchi Persecution, T’ien-t’ai, Three Powerful Enemies, zen

• The Vow, The Foe, and The Final Crew

  

  The Buddha spoke, “I’m leaving soon; the world will turn to night, Who will guard my teaching, and keep the truth alight?”   A million bright disciples, from shining worlds afar, Stepped up and made a promise, reaching for a star. The Messenger’s Promise (Chapter 13): “We are your loyal messengers, so do not worry now! We’ll spread the sacred…

  William Altig

  October 5, 2025

  Chapter 13, Chapter 15, poems, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Abhaya, Bhaiṣajyarāja, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Encouraging Devotion, Essential Teaching, Fearless Vow, Lotus Sūtra Chapter 13, Mappō, Miao-lo Classification, Not Sparing Body and Life, propagation, Superficial Connection, Theoretical Teaching, Three Powerful Enemies

• 4 Shocking Lessons on Conviction from the Lotus Sutra

  

  Introduction: More Than Just a Promise We’ve all made promises. Some are small, but others are profound vows that shape the course of our lives—a commitment to a person, a cause, or a belief. We tend to think of conviction as a straightforward matter of sincerity and willpower. If you believe strongly enough and are…

  William Altig

  October 5, 2025

  Chapter 13, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Abhaya, Abhaya Mudra, arhats, Arrogant false sages, Arrogant lay people, Arrogant priests, Bhaiṣajyarāja, Bhikshunis, Bodhisattvas, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Buddha’s extinction, Chapter 13, Chapter 15 (Emerging from the Earth), Delegated authority, ekayāna (one vehicle), Encouraging Devotion (Kan Ji), Essential Teaching (Honmon), Evil Age, Fearless Vow, Great Delight in Speaking, Karmic Purification, Kṣānti, kosen-rufu, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāprajāpatī, Mahāpratibhāna, Mappō, Medicine King, Miao-lo, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Not sparing bodies and lives, perseverance, Predictions of Buddhahood (vyākaraṇa), Propagation of the Dharma, Saha world, Spiritual conflict, Superficial Connection, Theoretical Teaching (Shakumon), Three Powerful Enemies, Tiantai Buddhism, Votary of the Lotus Sūtra, Wonderful Dharma, Yaśodharā, Zhiyi, Śākyamuni Buddha

• Arrogance vs. Faith in the Lotus Sutra

  

  Overview This briefing document reviews the central role of arrogance and its antitheses—faith and respect—as crucial factors in understanding and benefiting from the profound teachings of the Lotus Sutra, particularly as highlighted in Chapter 2 (“Expedient Means”) and elaborated upon by Nichiren Daishonin. The sources emphasize that the Buddha’s “wonderful and inconceivable” Dharma requires an…

  William Altig

  August 14, 2025

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

  arrogance, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, Buddha-nature, Buddhist practice, Chapter 2 Expedient Means, Dharma, Enlightenment, faith, Five Thousand Arrogant People, Fourteen Slanders, humility, karma, Lotus Sutra, Miao-lo, Nichiren Daishonin, Obstacles to Dharma, One Buddha Vehicle, Persecution, Receptivity, respect, Shakyamuni Buddha, Slander, Spiritual Growth, Three Powerful Enemies, Śraddhā, Śāriputra