Tag: Wisdom (Prajñā)

• More Than a Reward: 5 Radical Ideas Hidden in a 2,000-Year-Old Buddhist Text

  

  For many, religious or spiritual practice is often seen through a transactional lens: perform specific actions, say the right words, do good deeds, and you will receive a reward—a better life, good fortune, or a favorable place in the hereafter. This view presents spiritual development as a kind of karmic accounting, where we steadily accumulate…

  William Altig

  October 17, 2025

  Chapter 17, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  awakening, Bodhisattva Ideal, Bodhisattva Path, Buddha-nature, Chapter 17, Compassion, daimoku, devotional practices, Dharma Body, Dharmakāya, Discrimination of Merit and Virtue, Enlightenment, Eternal Buddha, Final Dharma Age (mappō), Fumbetsu Kudoku Hon, King of Sūtras, Limitless Merit, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Merit Transference, Namu Myōhō-renge-kyō, Nichiren, Non-Duality, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Pariṇāmanā, Puṇya, Pure Land, Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra, Skillful Means, Tendai, Tiantai, upāya, Virtue (De), Wisdom (Prajñā)

• 4 Surprising Lessons on Leadership from a 13th-Century Buddhist Monk

  

  Introduction: The Search for a Perfect Guide In a world rocked by uncertainty, we all search for reliable leaders, mentors, and guides. We crave authority that is wise, compassionate, and strong enough to help us navigate the complexities of modern life. But what if the most effective framework for leadership wasn’t forged in a contemporary…

  William Altig

  October 4, 2025

  Nichiren

  absolute spiritual authority, Amida Buddha rejection, Bodhisattva Practice, Compassion (Karuṇā), compassion without skill, debt of gratitude (Hōon), Dharma Body (Dharmakāya), Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha, frightening master, Gohonzon, human limitations, Kitō-shō, kosen-rufu, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sūtra, Manifestation Body (Nirmāṇakāya), Mappō, Mentor-Disciple relationship, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren Daishonin, Non-Duality, Parent, Parent virtue (Shin), practice for oneself (Jigyō), practice for others (Keta), refutation (shakubuku), Reward Body (Sambhogakāya), Sahā world, Shu-Shi-Shin, Skillful means (Upāya), Sokushin Jōbutsu, Sovereign, Sovereign virtue (Shu), spiritual unfilial piety, teacher, Teacher virtue (Shi), Three Virtues, Treatise on Prayers, Trikāya correlation, Wisdom (Prajñā), wisdom without compassion

• 5 Ancient Buddhist Teachings from the Lotus Sūtra That Will Change How You See Reality

  

  For many, Buddhist enlightenment seems like a remote, almost unattainable goal. We picture it as the reward for a lifetime of monastic discipline, reserved for a select few who renounce the world. It feels like a distant peak, shrouded in mist, accessible only to the most dedicated spiritual athletes. The Lotus Sūtra, one of the…

  William Altig

  September 29, 2025

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

  Arhatship, Bodhicitta, Bodhisattvayāna, Buddha’s Universal Vow, Buddha-nature, Chapter 16 “Life Span of the Thus Come One”, Chapter Two “Expedient Means”, Compassion (Karuṇā), Conventional Truth (Saṃvṛti-satya), daimoku, dependent origination, emptiness (śūnyatā), Eternal Buddha, human revolution, Inherent Potential, Knowledge that Separates, Knowledge that Unites, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Myōhō-renge-kyō, Nichiren School, One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Original Enlightenment (Hongaku), Parable of the Burning House, Parable of the Prodigal Son, Pratyekabuddhayāna, Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra, Skillful Means (Upāya-kauśalya), three thousand realms in a single moment of life, three vehicles, Tiantai School, Ultimate Truth (Paramārtha-satya), Universal Enlightenment, upāya, Wisdom (Prajñā), Śrāvakayāna

• Avalokiteśvara’s Role and Transformation in Mahāyāna Buddhism

  

  Executive Summary This document synthesizes a detailed analysis of Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, as presented in Chapter Twenty-Five of the Lotus Sūtra, titled “The Universal Gateway.” The analysis reveals a complex figure whose significance extends far beyond that of a simple devotional deity. The central thesis is that the text presents a dual-layered understanding…

  William Altig

  September 22, 2025

  Chapter 25, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  *Avalokitasvara* (Sound Perceiver), *Guanshiyin* (Perceiver of the World’s Sounds), *upāya-kauśalya*, *śūnyatā* (emptiness), *īśvara* (Lord who looks down), allegorical interpretation, Amitābha Buddha, Anger, Avalokitesvara, Chapter Twenty-Five, Chenrezig, Compassion (Karuṇā), Engaged Buddhism, feminization of Avalokiteśvara, folly/ignorance, Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin, Heart Sutra, inner transformation, kannon, kanzeon, karma, lotus flower symbolism, Lotus Sutra, lust, Mahayana Buddhism, Natha Deviyo, One Vehicle doctrine, Pure Land Buddhism, pure water vase, Putuo Shan, Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Seven Difficulties, Skillful Means, Sukhāvatī, Thirty-Three Forms of Manifestation, Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara, three poisons, Universal Gateway, Upaya, willow branch, Wisdom (Prajñā), World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva

• 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

• Merit and Wisdom in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  Date: August 23, 2025 Subject: An Exegetical Analysis of Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra: The Accumulation of Merit and the Path to Clarity Key Sources: Excerpts from “Lotus Sūtra: Merit and Wisdom” 1. Executive Summary This briefing document provides a detailed review of Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra, “Discrimination of Merit and Virtue,”…

  William Altig

  August 23, 2025

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

  bhikṣu, bhāvanā, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist practices, Chapter Seventeen, clarity, Dharma, dāna, ego-clinging, emptiness (śūnyatā), Internal Transformation, Kṣānti, Lotus Sūtra, Maitreya Bodhisattva, maitrī, Meditation, mental purification, Merit (Puṇya), Nirvana, non-self (anātman), One Vehicle (Ekayāna), Philosophy, Religion, Saṃsāra, sangha, self-conceit (māna), Skillful means (Upāya), Spiritual Development, Spirituality, stūpa-mausoleum, Two Accumulations, virtuous actions, Wisdom (Prajñā), śīla

• Buddhist Perspectives on Time, Purpose, and Enlightenment: A Briefing

  

  This briefing synthesizes key themes from the provided source, “Lotus Sūtra: Time’s Immeasurability,” focusing on the Buddhist understanding of time, its implications for spiritual practice, and the path to enlightenment. It aims to address the modern anxiety of “not enough time” by demonstrating how the Sūtra’s teachings transform this perception into a liberating framework for…

  William Altig

  August 2, 2025

  Chapter 16, Chapter 7, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  14th Dalai Lama, Abhidharmakośabhāṣyam, Ajahn Brahm, Arhat, Ayya Khema, Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva’s vow, Buddha, Buddha-nature, Buddhism, Buddhist Philosophy, Busyness (modern delusion), Compassion (Karuṇā), cosmic time, Cosmology, Cyclical time, Dukkha, Enlightenment, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Great Compassion (Mahākaruṇā), Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence, Ink-powder parable, Kalpas (Aeons), karma, Linear time, Lotus Sūtra, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Mindfulness, Nirvāṇa, Parinirvāṇa, Pema Chödrön, Phantom City Parable, Philosophy, Pratyekabuddha, Precious human birth, Present moment, Religion, Saṃsāra, Skillful means (Upāya), spiritual path, Spiritual Practice, Spirituality, Sumeru-worlds (Cakravāḍa), Temporal Anxiety, Thich Nhat Hanh, Thousand-million-fold world (Trisāhasra-mahāsāhasra-loka-dhātu), time, Wisdom (Prajñā), Yojanas, Śākyamuni Buddha