I added another question and related quote to the summary of the May 4, 2024 Class on DCB26-“How to Realize Prajna”. It relates to what Buddhists, even Bodhisattvas, should do to deal with those who do great damage to the interests of living being and create chaos in society. You may want to check it out as it may surprise you [Hint-you should be heroic].
Today we started and completed our discussion of the Six Paramitas and began to discuss receiving the formal and main practices in Lesson 39, Learning from Buddha College and Seminary (LFBCS) Course DCB26 “How to Realize Prajna”.
What are the Six Paramitas?
“The Six Paramitas are as follows: Being giving and charitable saves one from stinginess and greed; that is, one can liberate oneself from stinginess and greed by being giving and charitable. Observing the precepts saves one from violations. Patience saves one from anger and hatred. Exerting effort saves one from laziness. Dhyana saves one from scatter-mindedness. Prajna saves one from ignorance. These Six Paramitas are very important. They all must be practiced by Bodhisattvas in their cultivation. Only Arhats do not like to practice the Six Paramitas.”
How does one practice the Six Paramitas?
“With respect to being giving and charitable, one should be giving and charitable with one’s wealth, with the Dharma, and with fearlessness. Only then can one save oneself from stinginess and greed. With respect to observing the precepts, by observing the precepts and disciplines, one naturally avoids committing all offenses. If you can be forbearing, then you will naturally not give rise to any thoughts of anger or hatred. No matter who criticizes you, you will not quarrel or fight with him. With respect to effort, when you exert your utmost effort, you will no longer have a lazy mindset. You will not be lazy. With respect to dhyana, if you can achieve it, if you can abide in the state of samadhi, then you will have overcome scatter-mindedness. After you give rise to prajna, you no longer have ignorance.”
Where and with whom do you practice the Six Paramitas?
“Therefore, you should practice the Six Paramitas in your conduct. You practice them yourself and thereby transform others. You cultivate yourself and teach others. This is walking the path to enlightenment. In all matters, we should consider living beings, bringing benefit and happiness to sentient beings through our actions. In all matters, we should bring benefit and happiness to living beings with whom we have karmic affinity. We should also resolve to bring benefit and happiness to living beings with whom we do not have karmic affinity so as to establish new karmic affinities.”
Which of the Paramitas are most important?
“One cannot break up the Dharma of the Six Paramitas that entail great conduct and great compassion, thereby preferentially practicing some of the paramitas to the neglect of others. If one observes the precepts but is not giving and charitable, then one will be unable to take in sentient beings and edify them. If one is giving and charitable but does not observe the precepts, then it will be difficult for one to pursue the cultivation of dhyana and wisdom. If one is patient and forbearing but does not exert effort, then it will be difficult to succeed in one’s endeavor to become enlightened. If one exerts effort but is not patient and forbearing, then it will be difficult for one to eliminate demonic hindrances. All of you disciples understand these last several sentences. I will not explain them. If one has dhyana but not wisdom, then one will be ignorant and stubborn. If one has wisdom but not dhyana, then one will have wild wisdom, worldly emotions, and avidya.”
What determines if you can receive the supreme and great dharmas?
“If you want to request Dharma from a person of great holiness, it truly is very, very difficult. Why is it difficult? Actually, it is difficult yet not difficult. It is your behavior that prevents you from learning Dharma, especially from those masters of tremendous holiness who hold supreme and great Dharmas that transcend the Dharmas of esoteric Buddhism. . . Because those Dharmas must be obtained in exchange for your conduct, determination, and sincerity, it is far from easy.”
What is the highest or topmost Dharma?
“Actually, the truly highest, topmost Dharma is not any Dharma of Tibetan esoteric Buddhism. Rather, it is the Dharma that only Shakyamuni Buddha holds. . . Therefore, with this exception, there is no need to speak of which sect or school is higher or lower among all the sects and schools currently in the world, whether it is Mahayana, Hinayana, Chan, Pure Land, or the esoteric school. They are all the same. All Dharma must accord with the Dharma capacity of the person receiving the Dharma. Dharma that corresponds with such capacity is high, and Dharma that does not is low.”
Next:
We will hopefully finish DCB26 Lesson 39 with the remaining questions on receiving formal and main practices and also finish Lesson 40 on concluding Dharma at our June 22, 2024 ZOOM session starting at 9:00 am. I also hope to discuss the Guide to Enlightenment that I will share with those who do Solitary Retreats at the temple or complete the coursework for DCB26. THERE WILL BE NO ZOOM CLASS ON JUNE 15.
The recording of the June 8 DCB26 class is now available. You must be enrolled in DCB26 in one of the membership programs at the LFBCS 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 LFBCS with your membership identification number AND are enrolled in this class.
DCB26-Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra: “How to Realize Prajna”
June 8, 2024: Lesson 39.2-The Dharma to Pass through Barriers, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (112-133) and (HERE) for recording of class.
June 1, 2024: Lesson 39.1-The Dharma to Pass through Barriers, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (108-111) and (HERE) for recording of class.
May 25, 2024: Lesson 38.2-H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Imparts Buddha Dharma-Causality and the Rules and Methods of Continual Practice, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (95-107) and (HERE) for recording of class.
May 11, 2024: Lesson 38.1-H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Imparts Buddha Dharma-Causality and the Rules and Methods of Continual Practice, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (82-94) and (HERE) for recording of class.
May 11, 2024: Lesson 37.2-H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Imparts Buddha Dharma-Causality and the Rules and Methods of Continual Practice, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (76-81) and (HERE) for recording of class.
May 4, 2024: Lesson 37.1-H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Imparts Buddha Dharma-Causality and the Rules and Methods of Continual Practice, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (53-75B) and (HERE) for recording of class.
May 4, 2024: Lesson 36.3-H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Imparts Buddha Dharma-Causality and the Rules and Methods of Continual Practice, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (47-52) and (HERE) for recording of class.
April 27, 2024: Lesson 36.2-H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Imparts Buddha Dharma-Causality and the Rules and Methods of Continual Practice, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (18-46) and (HERE) for recording of class.
April 20, 2024: Lesson 36.1-H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Imparts Buddha Dharma-Causality and the Rules and Methods of Continual Practice, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (1-17) and (HERE) for recording of class.
CLICK for links to DCB22-Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra: PART TWO–I. through Lesson 11a.2-“Consciousness.”
CLICK for link to 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. Note: not all of the forwards, notes, and introductions are complete.
CLICK for Background information on Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra and why it is such an important text.
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