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    The Towering Assembly Paid Member

    Shakyamuni Buddha with the fingers of his right hand then opened the door of the tower of the seven treasures. A loud sound issued from it, like the sound of a lock and crossbar being removed from a great city gate, and at once all the members of the assembly caught sight of Many Treasures Thus Come One seated on a lion seat inside the treasure tower, his body whole and unimpaired, sitting as though engaged in meditation. And they heard him say, "Excellent, excellent, Shakyamuni Buddha! You have preached this Lotus Sutra in a spirited manner. I have come here in order that I may hear this sutra." More »
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    A Greater Awakening Paid Member

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    The Final Word: An Interview with Jacqueline Stone Paid Member

    "The Lotus Sutra presents itself as being extraordinarily precious. It is difficult to encounter it; it is difficult to believe it; it is difficult to understand it; it is difficult to preach it. So embracing the Lotus Sutra is something that is even more difficult than the most mind-boggling supernatural feats. The scripture is equated with the Buddha’s body, and so to hold the sutra is to hold the very body of the Buddha..."More »
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    Single-Practice Masters Paid Member

    The Lotus Sutra directly influenced the development of Japan’s “single-practice” Buddhist traditions, which placed one practice above all others as the most correct and effective means to enlightenment for all people. Emerging during the Kamakura period (1185�1333), the primary proponents of the Japanese Pure Land, Soto Zen, and Nichiren schools of Buddhism all embraced the single-practice approach. More »
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    The Towering Assembly Paid Member

    In this excerpt from the Lotus Sutra, buddhas and believers gather in the sky to hear the preaching of the Wonderful Law. More »
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    Entering the Lotus Paid Member

    Although I would not have described it as such at the time, looking back, I’d say that my first decade or so of Zen practice was focused on self-improvement, especially on discipline. I think I learned a lot, but most of what I learned centered on me - my strengths, my weaknesses, that sort of thing. During this time, I spent three years in monastic training at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and when I returned, I felt�More »