Tag: wisdom

• The Bodhisattva Ideal and World Purification in the Lotus Sūtra Chapter Twenty-Three

  

  Date: September 4, 2025 Subject: Review of “The Luminous Path: An Examination of the Bodhisattva Ideal in Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra” This briefing document summarizes the key themes, ideas, and facts presented in the provided source, “The Luminous Path: An Examination of the Bodhisattva Ideal in Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra,” focusing…

  William Altig

  September 7, 2025

  Chapter 23, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Bodhisattva Ideal, Buddha Virtue Pure and Bright Like the Sun and Moon, Buddhist Philosophy, Chapter Twenty-Three, Compassion, Dharma, Dharma Offering, Enlightenment, Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings, Gratitude, Healing the World, Karma Purification, karuṇā, light, Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Non-attachment, prajñā, Pure Land, Purification, Radiance, Rebirth, Samsara, Self-Immolation Metaphor, Selfless Devotion, Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Transformation, True Mind, True Vigor, upāya, wisdom

• 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

• Buddhas Live in the Lotus Sutra

  

  This briefing document reviews the core themes and essential ideas presented in “Buddhas Live in the Lotus Sutra: A Reflective Essay,” focusing on Nichiren Daishonin’s profound insights into the unique status of the Lotus Sutra. Main Themes and Most Important Ideas/Facts: 1. The Lotus Sutra as the Essential “Environment” for Buddhas Core Idea: Nichiren Daishonin…

  William Altig

  August 12, 2025

  Nichiren

  Anicca, Attain Buddhahood, Birds, Buddha-nature, Buddha’s robe of compassion, Buddha’s true heirs, Buddhahood, Buddhism, Call to action, Chapter 16, Compassion, Constant guidance, Dependent existence, Devadatta, Dragon King’s daughter, Dukkha, Enlightenment, Essential environment, Eternal Buddha, Everlasting Dharma, faith, Fish, Frogs, Full enlightenment, Good karma, Gosho, Impermanence, Indian lizard, Inner stability, joy, kṛkalāsa, King Rinda, King Wonderful Adornment, Letter from Sado, Life Span Chapter, Living presence of Buddhahood, Lotus Jewels, Lotus Sutra, Medium for Buddhahood, Nam-myōhō-renge-kyō, Nichiren, Nichiren Daishonin, Nichiren Shu News, On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings, One Vehicle, One-eyed turtle parable, peaceful practices, Persecution, perseverance, Philosophy, Provisional sutras, Rare opportunity, Religion, Reply to the Mother of Lord Ueno, Riches of the Law, Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Scaffolding metaphor, Shakyamuni Buddha, Slander, Spirituality, Supreme teaching, The One-eyed Turtle and the Floating Log, The Selection of the Time, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Transitory attachments, True Dharma, Udumbara flower, Ultimate reality, Ultimate Teaching, votary of the Lotus Sutra, wisdom, Wonderful Dharma

• Seeing the Buddha in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  I. Executive Summary This briefing examines the multifaceted meaning of “seeing the Buddha” within the context of the Lotus Sūtra, contrasting the historical quest for a physical encounter with Siddhartha Gautama with the Sutra’s promise of an ever-present Buddha accessible through spiritual engagement. The Lotus Sūtra redefines “seeing the Buddha” from a literal perception to…

  William Altig

  August 5, 2025

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

  Buddhahood, Chapter Sixteen Lifespan, Chapter Ten Masters of the Dharma, Copying the Sutra, Dharma-body, divine protection, Enlightenment, Eternal Buddha, Expounding the Sutra, four kinds of devotees, Inherent Buddha-nature, Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Meritorious Acts, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren, Origin teaching, Persecution, Pilgrimage, Reading the Sutra, Reciting the Sutra, samadhi, Seeing the Buddha, Slander, Spiritual Hardship, Spiritual Realization, Trace Teaching, Universal Buddhahood, Upholding the Sutra, wisdom, Zhiyi, Śākyamuni Buddha

• The Perfume of Wisdom: Discerning Reality Through Purified Senses on the Bodhisattva Path

  

  I. Executive Summary This briefing summarizes the core themes and key insights from “Lotus Sūtra Sensory Perception” and its accuracy check, “The Perfume of Wisdom: An Accuracy Check.” The documents explore the profound concept of purified sensory perception, particularly the sense of smell, within the framework of the Bodhisattva path as presented in Chapter Nineteen…

  William Altig

  August 4, 2025

  Chapter 19, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Attachment, Avidyā, Bodhicitta, Bodhisattva Path, Bodhisattva vow, Buddha’s Eye, Buddhism, Chapter Nineteen, Compassion Meditation, compassionate action, Death Meditation, Delusion, Discerning Moral Qualities through Scent, Enlightened Perception, External Objects, Focused Attention, Ignorance, Internal Sensory Organs, Lotus Sutra, Loving-kindness, Mahayana Buddhism, Meditation, Merits of the Dharma Teachers, Mind as Sixth Sense, Mindfulness, Moral Purity, Nirvana, Non-attachment, Non-Deluded Perception, Olfactory Capacity, Open Monitoring, Philosophy, Purification of the Six Roots of Perception, Purified Senses, Religion, Rokkonshoujou, Samsara, Sati, Sensory Transformation, Shakyamuni Buddha, Skillful Means, Spiritual Development, Spirituality, Taṇhā, Universal Liberation, upāya, wisdom, Āyatana

• The Patient Vow in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  I. Executive Summary This briefing document synthesizes the core themes and critical insights from “The Patient Vow: A Theological and Psychological Analysis of Compassion in Chapter 14 of the Lotus Sūtra” and its review. The central argument is that Chapter 14 of the Lotus Sūtra, particularly the teachings on “Peaceful Practices” (Anrakugyō), provides a sophisticated…

  William Altig

  August 3, 2025

  Chapter 14, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Anrakugyō, Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva vow, Buddhism, Buddhist Feminism, Burnout, Chapter 14, Compassion, cosmic time, Delaying Nirvāṇa, Ekayāna, emptiness, Great Fault, Great Loss, Kalpas, karuṇā, Kṣānti, Lotus Sūtra, Mañjuśrī, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Meditation, Non-Judgmentalism, One Vehicle, Patience, Patient Vow, peaceful practices, Philosophy, prajñā, Priceless Gem Parable, Psychological Analysis, Reflective Practice, Religion, Rules of Association, Self-Perfection, Skillful Means, Spiritual Hygiene, Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Pride, Spirituality, Sukhivihāra, upāya, wisdom, Yogācāra, Śūnyatā

• The Catalytic Power of Inquiry and the Eternal Buddha in the Lotus Sūtra

  

  Date: July 28, 2025 Subject: Review of “Lotus Sūtra: Questioning and Faith” essay, focusing on key themes and insights from the Lotus Sūtra, particularly Chapters 15 and 16. Source Documents: Executive Summary: The reviewed essay, “Lotus Sūtra: Questioning and Faith,” is highly commended for its “thoroughly researched, textually accurate, and philosophically sophisticated” analysis of Chapters…

  William Altig

  July 28, 2025

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

  “Skilled Physician” parable, Bodhisattvas, Buddhism, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Compassion, Critical Inquiry, Dharma., Enlightenment, Eternal Buddha, faith, Hindering Doubt, inquiry, Kalama Sutta, Lotus Sūtra, Mahayana Buddhism, Mahāparinibbāna Sutta, Maitreya Bodhisattva, Meditation, Milindapañha, Nichiren Buddhism, Personal Verification, Philosophy, Productive Doubt, Religion, Self-reliance, Shakyamuni Buddha, Skillful Means (Upaya), Spirituality, Tiantai, Universal Buddhahood, wisdom

• Navigating Adversity in Nichiren Buddhism – Persecution, Purification, and the Path to Buddhahood

  

  This briefing examines the core themes within Nichiren’s teachings, particularly his understanding of persecution, the role of the “three poisons,” and the transformative power of the Lotus Sutra in the “Latter Day of the Law.” It highlights how adversity is not merely an obstacle but a crucial catalyst for spiritual growth and internal purification, ultimately…

  William Altig

  July 24, 2025

  Nichiren

  Anger, Atsuhara Persecution, Bodhisattva, Buddhahood, Buddhism, Compassion, Eternal Buddha, Ever-Present Buddha Śākyamuni, External Adversity, False Dharma, Feudal Japan, Greed, hōbō, Ignorance, Internal Transformation, Karmic Purification, Latter Day of the Law, Lotus Sutra, Meditation, Miao-lo, Moxibustion, Mystic Law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, nenbutsu, Nichiren Buddhism, Nyosetsu Shugyō-shō, Persecution, Philosophy, Provisional Teachings, Religion, Saha-World, Self-mastery, Shakubuku, Shakyamuni Buddha, Spiritual Decline., Spirituality, Three Kinds of Enemies, three poisons, True Dharma, Votary, wisdom

• Concepts of Universalism in Religious Thought

  

  This briefing document reviews the main themes and most important ideas or facts regarding universalism, drawing from excerpts concerning Swedenborg’s reflections, the Lotus Sutra, and Catholicism. Overall Theme: The sources explore the concept of universalism in different religious contexts, specifically focusing on the potential for salvation or enlightenment for all beings. While the terminology and…

  William Altig

  June 4, 2025

  Nichiren, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  Apocatastasis., Arcana Coelestia, Avalokiteśvara, Bible Interpretation, Bodhisattva, Buddhism, Christian Universalism, Compassion, Correspondences (Swedenborgian), Dalai Lama, Divine Love and Wisdom, Eastern Religions, Enlightenment (Buddhist), faith, Heaven and Hell, Holistic Reality, Inner Meaning, Interfaith Dialogue, Lotus Sutra, Meditation, Mysticism, Nirvana, Nontheism (Buddhism), Perennial Philosophy, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Rebirth, Religion, Religious Pluralism, Religious Tolerance, Scriptural Interpretation, Skillful Means (Upaya), Souls, Spiritual Parallels, Spiritual Reality, Spirituality, Suffering (Dukkha), Swedenborg, Theology, True Christian Religion, truth, Unitarian Universalism, Universal Reconciliation, Universalism, Western Esotericism, wisdom

• The Inexpressible Merits of the Buddha and the Transformative Power of Language in the Lotus Sutra

  

  The Lotus Sutra, a cornerstone of Mahayana Buddhism, stands as a revered text celebrated for its profound expositions on the inherent Buddhahood of all beings and the path leading to enlightenment.1 Its teachings have resonated deeply across East Asia for centuries, influencing countless practitioners on their spiritual journeys.1 This report undertakes a detailed analysis of…

  William Altig

  May 9, 2025

  Chapter 8, The Great Teachings of the Lotus of the True Law

  acoustic, awakening, blues ballad, Bodhisattva Path, Buddhist song, Compassion, Dharma music, Folk Blues, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana Buddhism, Meditative, Mindfulness, peaceful music, Poetic, soft vocals, spiritual folk, Spiritual Music, tender, timeless truth, Universal Enlightenment, wisdom