Tag: Tiantai School

• 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 Transformation of Worldly Adornment into Spiritual Merit in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  Date: September 1, 2025 Source: Excerpts from “Lotus Sūtra Chapter Analysis: The Transformation of Worldly Adornment into Spiritual Merit: An Exegesis of King Wonderful-Adornment’s Offering in the Lotus Sūtra” This briefing document summarizes the key themes, ideas, and facts presented in the provided analysis of Chapter Twenty-Seven of the Lotus Sūtra, focusing on the story…

  William Altig

  September 3, 2025

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

  Bodhisattva Medicine King, Bodhisattva Medicine Superior, Bodhisattva Path, Buddha Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King Flower-Wisdom, Buddhism, Chapter Twenty-Seven, Democratization of Enlightenment, Dharma Accessibility, Family Revolution, Jeweled Platform, Karmic Debt, King Wonderful-Adornment, Lay Practice, Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Nichiren, Pearl Necklaces, Pure Eye, Pure Storehouse, Queen Pure Virtue, renunciation, Skillful Means, spiritual merit, Spiritual Transmutation, Sōka Gakkai, Tiantai School, Tāla-tree, Universal Enlightenment, upāya

• The Eternal Buddha, Skillful Means, and Ultimate Reality in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  This briefing document provides a comprehensive review of the main themes and crucial ideas presented in the provided source, “The Eternal Buddha: Lifespan, Skillful Means, and Ultimate Reality.” It focuses on the re-conceptualization of the Buddha, the pedagogical role of skillful means (upāya), and the implications for practitioners and the understanding of reality within the…

  William Altig

  August 26, 2025

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

  Buddha-nature, Buddhism, Chapter 16 (The Life Span of the Thus Come One), Compassion (Karuṇā), Cosmic Scale of Buddhahood, Dharma-kāya (Pure Dharma Body), Eternal Buddha, Expedient Nirvāṇa, Faith and Practice, Historical Buddha, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Meditation, Nichiren, Nirmāna-kāya (Transformation Bodies), Nonduality, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Ontology, Parable of the Burning House, Parable of the Skilled Physician, Pedagogy, Philosophy, Religion, Sambhoga-kāya (Perfect Reward Body), Skillful means (Upāya), Spirituality, Tiantai School, Time (Linear vs. Unconditioned), Tri-kāya (Three Bodies), Wisdom (Prajñā), Zhiyi, Śākyamuni Buddha

• The Dragon Girl’s Enlightenment: A Briefing on Universal Buddhahood and the Challenge to Tradition in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  Date: August 8, 2024 Subject: Analysis of the Dragon Girl’s Narrative in the Lotus Sūtra‘s Chapter Twelve Purpose: This briefing provides a detailed review of the main themes and most important ideas presented in the provided sources regarding the Dragon Girl’s story in the Lotus Sūtra, highlighting its significance for Mahāyāna Buddhist doctrine, particularly concerning…

  William Altig

  August 8, 2025

  Chapter 12, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Avalokiteśvara, Bodhi, Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, Buddhism, Buddhist art, Chapter Twelve, Devadatta, Dharma, Dragon Girl, Dragon King Sāgara, East Asian Buddhism, Emptiness (Śūnyatā), Enlightenment, Expedient Means (Upāya), Female Buddhahood, Five Obstacles, Gender Transformation, Guanyin, Henjō Nanshi, Instantaneous Enlightenment, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Meditation, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Nāga, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Patriarchal Prejudices, Philosophy, Precious Jewel, Religion, Sokushin Jōbutsu, Spiritual Equality, Spirituality, Spotless World of the South, Subitism, Sudden Enlightenment, Sudhana, Three Thousand Realms in a Single Moment of Life (Ichinen Sanzen), Tiantai School, universal salvation, Wisdom Accumulated, Zhiyi, Śāriputra

• The Illusory Oasis: An Analysis of the Parable of the Magic City in the Lotus Sutra

  

  The Lotus Sutra, a cornerstone of Mahayana Buddhism, holds a prominent position in East Asian Buddhist traditions.1 Revered as the final and complete teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha by many, it presents profound concepts such as the One Vehicle (Ekayana) and skillful means (Upaya).1 These doctrines underscore the Mahayana understanding that all Buddhist paths ultimately converge…

  William Altig

  May 10, 2025

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

  Buddhahood, Buddhist Symbolism, Buddhist teachings, Chapter Seven Lotus Sutra, Conjured City Parable, Lotus Sutra, Magic City Parable, Mahayana Buddhism, Nichiren Buddhism, Nirvana, One Vehicle (Ekayana), Phantom City Parable, Skillful Means (Upaya), Tiantai School, Zen Buddhism