Tag: T’ien-t’ai

• 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 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

• 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

• The Enduring Life Span and Diverse Teachings of the Thus Come One: An Analysis of Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sūtra

  

  The Lotus Sūtra stands as a cornerstone of Mahayana Buddhism, revered for its profound teachings on the universal potential for enlightenment. Central to its message is the doctrine of the One Vehicle, which posits that all Buddhist paths ultimately converge towards Buddhahood 1. Chapter Sixteen, titled “The Life Span of the Thus Come One,” occupies…

  William Altig

  April 6, 2025

  Chapter 16

  Bodhisattva Ideal, Buddha-nature, Buddhist Commentary, Buddhist Compassion, Buddhist Doctrine, Buddhist history, Buddhist Pedagogy, Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist teachings, Chapter Sixteen, Dharma, Discourses, Enlightenment, Eternal Buddha, Jataka Tales, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Mystic Law, Nichiren Buddhism, One Vehicle, Parables, Religious Inclusivity, Shakyamuni Buddha, Similes, Skillful Means, Spiritual Growth, Tathagata, T’ien-t’ai, Three Bodies of Buddha, Thus Come One, Universal Enlightenment, Upaya