Another series of classes on the preliminary translation of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha’s sutra that uses the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra to bestow true Buddha-dharma was held over the Labor Day Week End at the temple. We started again with the Buddha Master’s introduction to Avalokitesvara (Kuan Yin) Bodhisattva’s Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra which He uses to clearly and concisely impart the absolute truth of liberation and how to obtain it. These classes provided the historical framework for the Heart Sutra and two of the six sections of “PART ONE: Expounding Dharma through the Title of the Sutra.” (“PART TWO” will cover the actual text of the sutra.) The first section of PART ONE explains the origin as well as the general and distinct meanings of the sutra title itself. The other sections cover each of the terms in the title: “prajna,” “parami,” “ta,” “heart,” and “sutra.” The classes this weekend focused just on “prajna”–the three kinds of prajna and how it is a Sanskrit term that the ancient Chinese translators chose to not even try to translate, feeling it would be a mistake to attempt to translate it into worldly language. The three kinds of prajna are Intrinsic-Reality Prajna, Contemplative Illumination Prajna, and Language Prajna.
Prajna is often translated as “wisdom” in English, but the Buddha Master explains why that is inaccurate, extremely frivolous, and fails to connote good or evil, because we tend to lump intelligence and craftiness into what we call wisdom. He explains that wisdom can be differentiated into “scattered intelligence” that is devoid of concentration or any real powers and “marvelous wisdom” like prajna that is derived from concentration and is unequaled and incomparable.
In these classes we were also introduced to the famous Chinese classic Journey to the West, and how the Monkey King Sun Wukong and Dharma Master Xuanzang’s trip to India is much more than an entertaining adventure and story. This novel has been translated into English and presented in various movie and TV versions that you can find on the internet. It is recommended reading.
Future classes on PART ONE will continue to discuss the rest of the title and more about the historical Master Xuanzang whose translation of the Prajna Paramita Sutra is used in Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra (ETATTTHS).
Our next extended intensive study of the ETATTHS will be held at the temple from October 11-20 and again in December as part of the annual year-end Meditation Retreat between Christmas and New Years. See Schedule for details.
Add comment