Tag: Voidness

• The Three Treasures of the Dharma Teacher in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  This briefing document synthesizes key themes and concepts from Chapter 10 of the Lotus Sūtra, “A Teacher of the Dharma,” focusing on the Buddha’s instructions to Medicine-King Bodhisattva regarding the three indispensable conditions for propagating the Dharma: the Room, the Robe, and the Seat. It emphasizes the Sūtra‘s unique status, the challenges of the “evil…

  William Altig

  September 12, 2025

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

  Active Listening, Arhat, Bhaiṣajyarāja, Bodhisattva Practice, Buddha, Buddhahood, Chū, Collection of Merit, Collection of Wisdom, Compassion, Dedicated Work, Dharma propagation, Dharma Teacher, Dialogue, Ekayāna, emptiness, Evil Age, Forbearance, Gentleness, Great Compassion, Inherent Existence, interconnectedness, Interdependence, Kṣānti Pāramitā, Ke, Kū, liberation, Lotus Sūtra, Madhyamaka school, Mahākaruṇā, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Medicine-King Bodhisattva, middle way, Non-judgmental Inquiry, Nāgārjuna, One Vehicle, Parable of the Burning House, Parable of the Prodigal Son, Patience, perseverance, Provisional Existence, Robe of the Tathāgata, Room of the Tathāgata, Saṃsāra, Seat of the Tathāgata, Skillful Means, Spiritual Fortitude, Spiritual Obstacles, Suffering, Svabhāva, Sān Dì, Tathāgata, Three Treasures, Threefold Truth, Tiantai School, upāya, Voidness, Yogācāra school, Śūnyatā

• The Lotus Sutra, the One Vehicle, and Nichiren’s Embodiment of Buddha’s Mind

  

  I. Executive Summary This briefing document examines the profound doctrinal shift introduced by the Lotus Sūtra within Mahayana Buddhism, particularly its declaration of the “One Vehicle” (Ekayāna) as the ultimate path to universal enlightenment, transcending prior teachings as “expedient means” (upāya). It highlights the pivotal narrative in Chapter Six where the Buddha’s foremost disciples, representing…

  William Altig

  September 1, 2025

  Chapter 6, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Arhatship, Bodhisattva, Bodily Reading, Buddha’s Mind, Buddhahood, chanting, Diamond Sūtra, emptiness (śūnyatā), Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, Expedient Means (Upāya), Hinayana, inner transformation, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sūtra, Lotus Sūtra Chapter Six, mahayana, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Mahā-Kāśyapa, Maudgalyāyana, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō (Daimoku), Nichiren, Omniscience, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Prajñāpāramitā, Pratyekabuddha, Prophecy of Buddhahood, Provisional Teachings, pure and far-reaching voice, Socially Engaged Buddhism, Societal Responsibility, Subhūti, Three Thousand Realms in a Single Thought-Moment, Transcendent Buddha, Treatise on Opening the Eyes of Buddhist Images, Unsurpassed Wisdom, Voidness, Wonderful Dharma, Śrāvaka

• 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