On August 24, 2024 we will continue our study of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra by studying 281 questions related to the next course covering the following: SARIPUTRA, FORM DOES NOT DIFFER FROM EMPTINESS; EMPTINESS DOES NOT DIFFER FROM FORM. FORM IS EMPTINESS; EMPTINESS IS FORM (Second-Phase Principles). THE SAME IS TRUE OF FEELING, CONCEPTUALIZATION, ACTION, AND CONSCIOUSNESS. SARIPUTRA, EMPTINESS IS THE CHARACTERISTIC OF ALL DHARMAS. THEY DO NOT ARISE OR PERISH, ARE NOT DEFILED OR PURE, DO NOT INCREASE OR DECREASE. THEREFORE, IN EMPTINESS THERE IS NO FORM, NO FEELING, CONCEPTUALIZATION, ACTION, OR CONSCIOUSNESS; NO EYES, EARS, NOSE, TONGUE, BODY, OR MIND; NO FORMS, SOUNDS, SMELLS, TASTES, TOUCHES, OR OBJECTS OF MIND; NO REALM OF EYES, UP TO AND INCLUDING NO REALM OF MIND CONSCIOUSNESS; (Practicing Dharma, Dharma Protectors) NO AVIDYA AND ALSO NO ENDING OF AVIDYA, UP TO AND INCLUDING NO AGING AND DEATH AND ALSO NO ENDING OF AGING AND DEATH (Twelve Links of Conditioned Origination: Avidya, Action, Consciousness, Name & Form, Six Entrances, Contact, Feeling, Craving, Grasping, Existence, Birth, Aging & Death) . . .
This is the second of a series of four Learning from Buddha College and Seminary (LFBCS) courses that uses the text, meaning, and principles of the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra to transmit the Dharma. DCB23 will begin with a two-hour zoom session on August 24, 2024, 9:00 am Pacific Time from the Holy Vajrasana Temple in Sanger, California. We will start with Lesson 15 on the famous two sentences from the Heart Sutra, “Sariputra, form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does not differ from form. Form is emptiness; emptiness is form.” I will lead from a list of questions and read from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra to provide the answers to these questions. The sessions will be recorded so you can return to study the text and gain insight from the discussion. We finished the first course in this series on August 3, 2024. We only have a preliminary translation of this awesome text. You can still join the discussions and even enroll in the courses we have already completed to hear the rest. You can find links below on recorded videos of our class discussions to date and other background material.
Enrolling in DCB23-Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra-II
Enrolling in this course involves two steps: You need to enroll in DCB23 AND register for ZOOM class associated with that course. If you have already enrolled in C41(A)-Three Principal Stages & Paths of Buddhist Practice or other courses in this series (DCB 21, DCB22, or DCB26), you may continue to use the same ZOOM link. However, you will need to register for DCB23 to be able to view the videos or questions related to this course.
STEP ONE: Enroll in Learning from Buddha College & Seminary Course DCB23 as either a Buddhist Studies or Xiuxing Seminary Student. Once enrolled you may go to course and download the questions covered in the discussions and watch videos of sessions held on the earlier classes.
Links to Related Articles
CLICK for article on the entire text of Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra.
CLICK for article on the last class held on DCB22 and links to videos of all 19 ZOOM class discussions on DCB22 held from February 10, 2024 to August 3, 2024. It included the following: AVALOKITESHVARA BODHISATTVA, WHEN PRACTICING DEEPLY PRAJNA PARAMITA (Two Levels of Wisdom Based Insights), ILLUMINATED THE FIVE AGGREGATES, SAW THAT THEY ARE ALL EMPTY (Five Aggregates, Consciousness, Dual-use/Two-body Dharma/Yam-Yum, Four Great Elements, Death, Dreaming, Time, the Ten Illusory Things & the Eighteen Kinds of Emptiness) AND CROSSED BEYOND ALL SUFFERING AND ADVERSITY. It also includes discussions on two sessions held in January and February 2024 from DCB21 on Prajna and Ta (Dhyana).
CLICK for article on the last class held on DCB21 and links to videos of all 18 ZOOM class discussions on DCB21 held from November 2022 to April 2023. It included Expounding Dharma through the Title of the Sutra: Introduction to the Title of the Sutra, PRAJNA (Three Types of Prajna), PARAMI, TA, HEART, SUTRA, and History of Dharma Master Xuanzang with commentary by H H Dorje Chang Buddha III on three ancient schools of Buddhism and how we should study them. Note: not all of the forwards, notes, and introductions are complete.
CLICK for article on last class held on DCB26-How to Realize Prajna and links to videos of all 8 ZOOM class discussions held on DCB26 held from April 2024 to June 2024.
CLICK for Background information on Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra and why it is such an important text.
CLICK for video of formal release of Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra and link to Chinese video of the nectar ceremony blessing the publishing of the book.
CLICK for article and link to videos of 2023 Dharma Assembly in Glendale, California honoring the birthday of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III that unveiled the first three volumes of the “Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III Complete Sutra Collection.”
CLICK to read Nagarjuna’s Maha Prajnapamita Shastra for more information on the Heart Sutra.
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