We have changed the name from Learning from Buddha College and Seminary (LFBCS) to Learning from Buddha Seminary (LFBS) to reflect our focus more on the “practice” and not the “academic” side of our programs. It was always our intent to emphasize implementing what the Buddha taught more than just studying it. The academic focus was included when we were trying to help Chinese students obtain student visas to be able to do three year retreats that were envisioned to be a critical part of the program. Although that is still a goal, we now realize that we are not ready to do that at present nor were there students ready to do such retreats. We have modified our program to offer instead the Solitary Retreats of seven or thirty days. Perhaps the longer retreats can be added in the future. We will not be offering Masters degrees for now at least, only certificates of completion. All other aspects of LFBS including courses and membership options remain the same.
We completed Lesson 30 of DCB25 using “Having forever left inverted dream-thinking, they dwell in ultimate nirvana.” from the Heart Sutra as our text. The following are some of the questions addressed during this ZOOM session:
What is meant by “. . . inverted dream-thinking, . . . “?
“The word inverted (dian dao) means not distinguishing between the head and the feet, placing things upside down without knowing it, not distinguishing top from bottom, and regarding the bottom as the top. Dian has its own separate meaning, which is confusion over what is true. Dao also has its own separate meaning, which is pursuing what is false. The two characters refer to confusion over what is true, grasping the false, and regarding the false as true. . . Thus, ordinary people are joyfully attached to the afflictions of cyclic birth and death. They naturally regard the afflictions of cyclic birth and death as the joys of human life. Although they are in the midst of the afflictions of cyclic birth and death, they still do not want to die. However, in the end, they are unable to escape from death. To be in such a state over a long period of time is called inverted dream-thinking. This refers to living beings that forever remain in such a state, living beings that undergo the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death. That is what is meant by inverted dream-thinking.”
What else does “dream-thinking” refer to?
“Dream-thinking also refers to the four kinds of dreaming minds that are produced from the internal consciousness—arising, abiding, changing, and delusion. These four kinds of dreaming minds are like ropes that bind living beings to birth and death, tightly tethering them to the pillar of samsara. They thus forever remain in samsara, unable to achieve liberation. . . Change gives rise to all kinds of different phenomena. One then thinks that all phenomena are real, are the truth. Different phenomena are produced due to the karmic forces of cause and effect. . . Delusion refers to delusion-based karma, to all sins and hindrances that delude one’s mental functions and produce various kinds of karmic forces.”
What do the four kinds of dreaming minds (“arising, abiding, changing, and delusion”) refer to?
“. . . arising refers to all kinds of false dreams that arise in the human world. . . Abiding refers to abiding in the world. One constantly remains in samsara, never leaving samsara. . . Change gives rise to all kinds of different phenomena. One then thinks that all phenomena are real, are the truth. Different phenomena are produced due to the karmic forces of cause and effect. . . Delusion refers to delusion-based karma, to all sins and hindrances that delude one’s mental functions and produce various kinds of karmic forces. One does not know, but everything belongs to a dream state. All of this is included in the mental functions.”
Have Arhats realized ultimate nirvana?
“They set as their aspiration leaving samsara. However, they are bound by inverted dream-thinking. What Savakas and Pratyeka-buddhas have realized is that there is the attainment of emptiness and nirvana. Although they have cut off attachment to self, they nonetheless are attached to dharmas. Since they have still not eliminated their attachment to dharmas, the nirvana that they realize is not the ultimate nirvana.”
What is the meaning of the “ultimate Nirvana” referred to here?
“The ultimate nirvana that is referred to here in the Heart Sutra means becoming a Buddha. Once one forever leaves the four kinds of dreaming minds, one ends the five underlying grounds of affliction. If we reach ultimate nirvana by achieving the status of Buddhahood; that is, if we realize Buddhahood with a dharmakaya, then we can forever leave the four kinds of dreaming minds. If we forever leave the four kinds of dreaming minds, we extinguish the five underlying grounds of affliction. The five underlying grounds of affliction are the five types of latent afflictions.”
What are the four virtues or attributes?
“This fruit already shows the existence of fruit, but actually there is no attachment to the fruit. It includes the four virtues or attributes, which are permanence, bliss, true-self, and purity.”
The Buddha Master provided many examples to further explain these concepts and how living beings continue to revolve in a continuous wheel of causes and effects with countless births and deaths. He even told us that not only may we turn into beings other than a human, we might actually turn into a non-sentient thing. He also discussed the five latent afflictions; what is “false emptiness” and “true emptiness”; what it was like to become a ghost after death and the Dharma to bestow food on hungry ghosts; and much more.
Be sure and enroll in DCB25-Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra: Part TWO-III, if you want to join our long term study of the Heart Sutra or the broader study of C41(A)-the Three Principle Stages & Paths of Buddhist Practice. There is an expanded article on C41(A) that explains its scope and content, which was discussed before starting DCB24 last Saturday. CLICK for video of that discussion and revised maps of this roadmap to C41(A). DCB24 is one of the Learning from Buddha Seminary (LFBS) courses that are included in C41(A). There is also another article that discusses G03(A) and G03 Evolution of Buddhism, two additional courses that are also part of C41(A).
CLICK for a list of available classes in each of the programs: Auditing, Buddhist Studies, and Xiuxing Seminary. Those with membership in the Xiuxing Seminary Program who are only interested in serious practice and not opening a Dharma Center may also elect to follow the Xiuxing Practice Program and take a seven or thirty-day Solitary Retreat.
Next:
The next class in DCB25 will continue with our discussion of Lesson 31- The Different Levels of Nirvana at our May 3, 2025 ZOOM session at 9:00 am.
If you have enrolled in C41(A) or DCB25 or DCB24 or DCB23 or DCB22 or DCB21 or DCB26, you may continue to use the same ZOOM link to attend the Saturday morning discussions. However, you will need to enroll in the appropriate course to be able to watch the video recordings of the classes, download study materials, or study the related questions.
TO DATE: DCB25-Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra: PART TWO–IV and C41-Three Principal Stages & Paths of Buddhist Practice.
The recordings of the April 26, 2025 DCB25-Lesson 30 class is now available. All of the recordings and summary of ZOOM discussions for DCB21, DCB22, DCB23, DCB24, and DCB26-Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra are now available along with the questions for DCB25. You must be enrolled in each of these classes in one of the full membership programs at the LFBS to access the course materials, questions covered (in parenthesis), and/or the class recordings. Please note that these links will only work if you are logged into LFBS with your membership identification number AND are enrolled in this class.
“Having forever left inverted dream-thinking, they dwell in ultimate nirvana.”
CLICK for article on the entire text of Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra.
CLICK for article with instructions on how to enroll in LFBS classes and how to register for the ZOOM discussions.
April 26, 2025: Lesson 30-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–IV, “Having forever left inverted dream-thinking, they dwell in ultimate nirvana.” (25-43 ) and (HERE) for recording of the class.
April 19, 2025: Lesson 29C–The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–IV, “. . . Bodhisattvas rely on prajna-paramita, and thus their minds have no hindrance.” (18-24) and (HERE) for recording of the class.
April 12, 2025: Lesson 29B–The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–IV, “. . . Bodhisattvas rely on prajna-paramita, and thus their minds have no hindrance.” (13-19) and (HERE) for recording of the class.
April 5, 2025: Lesson 29A-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–IV, “. . . Bodhisattvas rely on prajna-paramita, and thus their minds have no hindrance.” (1-12) and (HERE) for recording of the class.
CLICK for article on the last class held on DCB24 and links to all 13 ZOOM class discussions on DCB24 held from January 4, 2025 to March 29, 2025,
January 4, 2025: Roadmap to C41(A)–Three Principal Stages & Paths of Buddhist Practice. Video of class discussion.
CLICK for article on the last class held on DCB23 and links to all 13 ZOOM class discussions on DCB23 held from August 24, 2024 to November 16, 2024,
CLICK for article on the last class held on DCB22 and links to videos of all 21 ZOOM class discussions on DCB22 held from February 10, 2024 to April 20, 2024 and from June 29, 2024 to August 3, 2024.
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 21, 2022 to April 1, 2023. Note: not all of the forwards, notes, and introductions are complete.
CLICK for article on last class held on DCB26 and links to videos of all 8 ZOOM class discussions held on DCB26 held from April 20, 2024 to June 22, 2024.
CLICK for Background information on Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra and why it is such an important text.
CLICK for information on S01-Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation (SAUMOL) Seminar.
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