Well, I just want to say that this morning in the first period of sitting, I was here with you sitting and tears glistened in the eyes at the beauty of this practice of us sitting together. So beautiful, so wonderful to get together and sit still and practice enlightenment. Last month I spoke about this, also welcome to people here the first time. Last month I talked about this expression of a special transmission outside description, which doesn't use words.

[01:03]

directly indicating the mind of persons. Seeing nature and becoming Buddha. I talked about that last month. It's sometimes said to be the way that... Here we have a statue of Bodhidharma up there. the bulging eyes, bodhisattva, great compassion, bodhidharma. Supposedly, he gave this special transmission. He came from India and gave China this special transmission, which didn't use words, but directly indicated the mind. Studied. and to be illuminated, and to be a vehicle of study to realize the nature of mind, which is the nature of everything.

[02:12]

And this process of realizing the nature of mind makes Buddhas. This is what he came to teach. So it's kind of like quintessential Zen. I talked about that last time. So it's talking about a practice where what's being conveyed to yourself is to study the mind, study the mind, study the mind. Whoever you meet, study the mind, illuminate the mind, see its nature, make Buddha. This This teaching, this practice which is conveyed is sometimes called the mind, the Buddha seal, the Buddha mudra. The Buddha mudra or the Buddha mind mudra.

[03:17]

Mind mudra, the Buddha mind mudra is study everything. with understanding that you're studying mind. Don't get distracted from studying mind no matter what happens. If people insult you and disrespect you, don't get distracted from studying your mind. Give up being distracted from studying your mind, seeing its nature, and making Buddha. The Buddha mind seal is yourself. And then it says in one of our texts, expressing the Buddha mind seal, the Buddha Mudra in all your actions. So we're trying to learn no matter what we're thinking, saying, or whatever we're making, everything we're doing all day long to express that Buddha seal, that mind seal.

[04:27]

Do you have a seat, Elena? Do you have a good seat? Okay, good. You're welcome. Great. Now, what I want to emphasize this week is that I still, I really feel that this, that the Buddha Mind Seal is really the main all day long. And now, while taking care of the Buddha Mind Seal, I would like to talk to you about some of the expression, a special transmission outside the scriptures. So one way to understand the special transmission outside the scriptures is that when you study the scriptures you don't get distracted from the Buddha Mind Seal.

[05:47]

And part of the reason I'm bringing this up again today is I don't want you to get distracted from the Buddha Mind Seal when I bring up loss of scriptures. The Buddha Mind Seal is to look at scriptures and not get distracted by them. And particularly look at the most magnificent teachings, the most profound teachings, and not get distracted from studying yourself when you look at the most profound teachings. In retrospect, I think it was great because I'm on the verge of opening up these profound scriptures to you. This next week, we're going to start a series of classes at the Yoga Room about, I believe, the perfection.

[06:59]

Anybody know about that? Is that what the class is called? Do you remember? Yeah. The series of classes about studying the perfection of wisdom and also wisdom beyond wisdom. And you don't have to look at texts to practice wisdom. As a matter of fact, the perfect wisdom texts, in the text it says you don't have to study these texts to realize perfect wisdom. These perfect wisdom texts tell you you don't have to look at the texts which are telling you you don't have to look at the texts. But it's quite helpful to look at texts which tell you that, which remind you of the Buddha Mind Seal. And some people in the history of Zen were looking at these perfection of these perfect wisdom texts, these wisdom texts. And then they went to Zen teachers to ask the Zen teachers about these texts.

[08:05]

And the Zen teachers, most of the Zen stories are to ask the person if they just got distracted by the text. So people who are trying to study themselves use British texts to help them study themselves and then sometimes when they're using the text to study themselves they get distracted from studying themselves by the text because the text is discussing about how to study yourself. That you're looking at the text and forgetting it's you. All these books, these magnificent books here, these are your mind. You're looking at your mind. See your mind? Look at me. I'm your mind. I'm not the full extent of it, but I'm an example of your mind.

[09:09]

many of our ancestors were ancestors that studied the teachings, studied the scriptures. But they didn't realize wisdom. And then they went to a teacher and told them about their sense that they hadn't really understood the point of these teachings. And then the teacher responded to that like this. One of these excellent students went to a teacher named Sher To, which means It means stone head, but not so much that he had a stone head or was a stone head, but that maybe he sat on the head of a stone, sat on top of a stone.

[11:35]

It's one of our ancestors. And another one, Alshan, went to ask him about what's the point of all these teachings? I don't get it. And Shirtos said to Yashin, being so won't do, or being like this won't do. Not being like this won't do either. Being like this and not like this won't do at all. How about you? How about you? So, if you're a student of a teaching, or if you're studying a teaching, being like this won't do.

[12:39]

If you're studying Buddhist wisdom books, being like this won't do. Not being like this won't do either. Being neither like this nor not like this won't do at all. How about you? Studying the Buddha's teaching. If that's the way you are, that won't do. How about you? That's another word, Buddha mind seal. Anyway, Shurto said that to Yashan and Yashan didn't get it. And Shruti wouldn't say any more. And Yashan said, please help me. And he said, no. Help me. How about you? You want help?

[13:48]

How about you? The one who says, I'm saying this now, the one who says, how about you? This is your mind talking to you. He says, but I would recommend you go see Matsu, great Master Ma. Go see him. So he goes and sees Master Ma and tells him, asks him the same question, basically. Maybe he told him what Shuto said. Anyway, he goes and sees him and says, what's the point? What's the meaning? And Master Ma says, sometimes I make him raise his eyebrows and blink. Sometimes I don't make him raise his eyebrows and blink. Sometimes raising eyebrows and blinking is right.

[14:49]

Sometimes it's not. How about you? And Yashan realized the Buddha mindset. He woke up. He finally really looked at the mind, illuminated it, and became Buddha. So I would like to put something before you to see if you can study yourself while I'm talking to you. To see if you can study the mind and talk to you about the perfect wisdom teachings. May I start what may be called the second turning of the wheel?

[15:59]

The second turning of the wheel is the perfect wisdom scriptures, the perfect wisdom teachings. May I now set the second turning of the wheel rolling? Yes. May I? Yes. May I? Yes. Okay. Okay. Here's a book. See what it says? Buddhist Wisdom Books. It's kind of nostalgic for me. This book. This book is translated by... It's a book of scriptures. It has the Heart Sutra in it. Translated by Edward Kansa. This is another perfect wisdom book. Perfect Wisdom Scripture. Translated by Edward Kansa. This is another perfect wisdom book translated by Edward Kansa. The Diamond Sutra has, I think, 32 sections.

[17:08]

Is that right? The Heart Sutra just has, I think, 254 Chinese characters. Not so long. This is the perfection of wisdom in 8,000 verses, 8,000 lines, much bigger. And this is the perfection of wisdom in 25,000 lines. When Siddharishi was close to death, he he said to his successor at Zen Center, Richard Baker, he said, you should spend some time with Kansa. And Richard Baker thought he said, Kansayon. That Satsang guru was telling him to spend time with the bodhisattva of compassion. But then it became clear that he meant to spend time with Edward Kansa, the translator, who was offering classes in Berkeley.

[18:15]

in the fall of 1971, while Suzuki Roshi was dying, Edward Konza was offering these classes. So we'd started to go over to Berkeley to go to classes with Edward Konza. This was 42 years ago, almost. I started studying. We'd already been chanting the Heart Sutra for many years at Zen Center. But now we went and studied with Kansa more about the perfection of wisdom teachings. I'm sorry, what is perfection of wisdom teaching as opposed to what else? Thank you. For years and years here, I've been talking to you about the Bodhisattva Training Program, which has six basic precepts, six basic training methods, which are, what are they?

[19:31]

Number one, generosity, ethics, ethical training, patience, enthusiasm, diligence, concentration and wisdom. Right? So, these six perfections I've been talking to you about. These are six ways that bodhisattvas train to become themselves. To really become themselves completely and thereby become free of themselves. The main thing that actually sets beings free is the perfection of wisdom. But the perfection of wisdom is supported by the first five perfections. And I've talked to you a lot about the first five perfections. And we could talk more, and we will.

[20:33]

But now I'm saying, now I'm going to start talking about, go right at... But anyway, look at the perfection of wisdom. I've said again many times, we can't really practice the perfection of wisdom without practicing the first five. These are actually done in sequence. One, two, three, four, five, six. Practice generosity, ethics, patience, and so on. We can't really practice the perfection of wisdom. We can't practice concentration unless we practice gentleness, patience, and enthusiasm for concentration. You can't become concentrated unless you're enthusiastic about it. Half-hearted interest in concentration doesn't yield concentration.

[21:36]

You have to be diligent about it. You have to think it's really cool. I was just thinking the other day, Well, I was watching it. I was recently in a hotel and I was watching the television and there was an ad that somebody said to the kids, an adult says to kids, which is better, doing one thing at a time or two things at a time? And the kids say, two things at a time. He says, right. And I thought, I have a lot of competition. Millions of people are hearing doing two things at once is better than one thing at once, doing one thing at a time. So I do one thing at a time when I hear somebody saying two things at a time is better. I study myself when somebody says doing two things at once is better than one. Being concentrated is really boring. Being hysterical is really cool. So when I hear that, I try to be enthusiastic.

[22:37]

I try to get worked up about... I try to get enthusiastic. about being calm. Because we hear being calm and relaxed and flexible and focused will lead toward understanding the nature of things, will understanding reality, will support wisdom, and that will liberate beings. Therefore, concentration is really cool. but not just for itself. Setting the stage for wisdom, for perfect wisdom of the Buddhas. So, as opposed to what else? As opposed to, not opposed to, but in addition to that which supports it. But now, I'm going to more go right wisdom and then talk about

[23:42]

as you're studying the wisdom to watch out for things which indicate you have not done what supports it. That will be part of the study of wisdom when you watch out for the indications that you have not done your homework. I have said here a number of times, first clean the temple, then sit. First clean the temple, then be still and realize Buddha. If you sit down and you haven't cleaned the temple, then maybe the mice come and start pooping on your cushion and the rats are gnawing at the ceiling. Maybe I should clean the temple a little bit before I try to sit. So, another text that Edward Collins had translated is called The Questions of Suvikranta Vikraman.

[24:57]

I asked Reverend Mio Leahy, you know, what that, how to translate it from Sanskrit, and he said, maybe you could translate it as bold conqueror, something like that, or courageous victor, bodhisattva. It's a scripture. And at the beginning of that scripture, it talks about who this teaching is not, the teaching of perfect wisdom, who is it not appropriate for. And then, for example, it says, it's not appropriate for the needed people. And when Timur heard that the other day, he had a response. And he can say it again in a minute, but basically, hearing who should not hear this teaching is a way for us to look at ourselves and to do our housecleaning

[26:06]

to see if we're taken care of. If we look at all the different people who should not hear the teaching, we can look at ourselves, study ourselves, study ourselves. So we have to study ourselves a lot before we can be ready for wisdom. Now I've been talking about how to study ourselves. You study yourself by practicing generosity. You study yourself by practicing ethics. You study yourself by practicing patience. Am I patient? Am I in the present with my pain? Am I veering away from my pain? Am I thinking about how long it's been going on? Am I thinking about why me? Or am I just right here with it? And look at yourself and see if you're doing those practices. In other words, you study yourself. In other words, you see, am I lazy? So I'll talk to you about that later. But it's saying, if people don't do this homework, this teaching might not be good for them.

[27:16]

If they're not prepared, it might not be good for them. What about Zen centers where they chant the Heart Sutra, where they offer people this teaching? We haven't had much problem with the heart center, actually. Most people just hardly even hear us when they're chanting it. If people hear them, it seems to be maybe not helpful. So I'm a little cautious. I should say I wish to be cautious about sharing these perfect wisdom teachings with you. But still, even being cautious, I think I might be able to share a little bit of it with you today. Yeah. So here's the wisdom in 8,000 lines.

[28:22]

English translation from Sanskrit. In Edward Kahn's commentary on the Diamond Sutra, which means the Diamond Cutter of Perfect Wisdom, in that commentary he mentions that most of the Prajnaparamita scriptures start with paying homage. They start by paying homage. So at the beginning of the Diamond Sutra, at the beginning of the Heart Sutra in the longer version, there's paying homage.

[29:47]

And the homage in Sanskrit is om namo bhagavatyaya ariya prajnaparamita. Homage to the perfection of wisdom, the blessed, the noble. Homage to the perfection of wisdom, the lovely, the holy. And then at the beginning of the scripture also it says, Homage to the perfection of wisdom, the lovely, the blessed, the holy, the noble. That's two different translations. Arya can be noble or holy and Bhagavad-gita is holy or lovely. It's an epithet of the Buddha. The Buddha is blessed and lovely. The Prajnaparamita is blessed and lovely.

[30:51]

And now I have a and a responsibility to offer you, Ted, and that is to go back behind you and bring us Prajnaparamita. Prajnaparamita. Do you see her? Do you see her, Ted? There she is. You know, that's Manjushri Bodhisattva. That's the Bodhisattva of wisdom. I'm asking you to bring me the goddess of perfect wisdom. You see a goddess there? You can tell she has very female form. Do you see her female form? I have no idea.

[31:57]

That's prajnaparamita. Now please bring it. That was... I couldn't have planned that better. Please bring it. Please bring prajnaparamita. Please, please, what do you call it? Please progress on the path and bring me that statue. Thank you. So this is Prajnaparamita. This is a statue of the goddess Prajnaparamita. Linda, would you place this on the altar between the two incense burners?

[33:22]

Yes, right there, yeah. Thank you. Now we have a statue of Prajnaparamita sitting in front of the Buddha. Do you see? Prajnaparamita is the mother of all Buddhas. homage to the perfection of wisdom, the blessed, the whole. At Zen Center and most Zen Centers, we chant a shorter version of the Heart Sutra. The full version of the Heart Sutra has the homage at the beginning and also has a description which is there. I looked at the large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom, and I noticed that at the end of Edward Kahn's introduction to this sutra, well, I thought he had

[34:52]

Yeah. To this large sutra on perfect wisdom, Edward Kansa says, om namo bhagavatyaya ariya prajnaparamita. He pays homage at the end of his preface. And he said that usually these prajnaparamitas start out with homage. So I looked at the sutra and it doesn't start with homage. It just starts out Thus I have heard. There, at the beginning. So it describes the scene, and I'm not going to go into it right now, I'm just going to go to the second chapter, which is called, the second chapter of this perfect wisdom scripture is called the thought of enlightenment. And it says, when the Bhagavat, when the Blessed One, saw that the whole universe, with the world of gods, the world of Mara, the world of Brahma, with its Sramanas and Brahmanas, had assembled,

[36:34]

as described in the previous chapter, and also all the bodhisattvas would one day reach the state of Buddha, when he saw all this, he said to Venerable Shariputra, a bodhisattva, a great being, who wants to fully know all dharmas, in all their might, In other words, have Buddha's wisdom. Should make endeavors in the perfection of wisdom. A bodhisattva who wants to realize Buddha's wisdom should make endeavors in the perfection of wisdom. And Shaiputra says, how then should the bodhisattva endeavor in the perfection of wisdom. And the Blessed One says, here, Shariputra, a bodhisattva, a great being, having stood in the perfection of wisdom by way of not taking a stand in it, should perfect

[37:55]

the perfection of giving patience. How do you endeavor in the perfection of wisdom? By standing in it by way of not taking a stand in it. How do you abide in the perfection of wisdom? How do you endeavor in the perfection of wisdom? By abiding in it by way of no abode, no abode in anything. That's the name of this place. And then the 8,000 lines. There's an introductory section.

[39:00]

And then the next section is Edward Collins' names. The next section, The Extinction of Self. So, in this 8,000 lines, we have a disciple, a monk named Venerable Subhuti. And by the Buddha's power, he said to the Bhagavat, the Lord, the Bhagavat has said, quotes, make it clear now, Subhuti, to the Bodhisattvas, he just said this,

[40:09]

A moment ago, the Buddha said, make it clear, Subuddhi, to the bodhisattvas. Now Subuddhi is saying, you just said, make it clear to the bodhisattvas, the great beings, starting from the perfection of wisdom, how bodhisattvas, great beings, go forth in perfect wisdom. Okay? So the Buddha in this text is saying, Subuddhi, would you please make it clear to the practice perfect wisdom? Edward Kansa, when he was alive, he thought that this 8,000 lines was the oldest of the Perfection of Wisdom texts. Since that time, he has passed away now, but now scholars think that maybe the Diamond Sutra is earlier. One of the reasons they think that is that in the Diamond Sutra, Subuddhi doesn't seem to know anything about the perfection of wisdom.

[41:18]

Venerable Subuddhi in the Diamond Sutra doesn't seem to know about it and the Buddha is teaching him about it. After the Diamond Sutra, Subuddhi now is a teacher of the perfection of wisdom. So in this Sutra now, the Buddha is saying, Subuddhi, please teach the other bodhisattvas. So in the 8,000 lines, he seems to be the teacher. In the Diamond Sutra, he seems to be just an initiate, just being initiated into it. So I'm just saying this is what some scholars feel now that it makes sense in a way. Buddha the expert, the champion student of Buddha vis-à-vis the perfection of wisdom. He's a monk who's also a bodhisattva and he's now being asked by the Buddha to teach the other bodhisattvas and make it clear to them how they should practice prajnaparamita.

[42:31]

And so, Subodhi said, you said for me to do this, to teach them how to go forth into perfect wisdom, but I got a, this is a comment by me, but Subodhi's got a problem. His problem is, when one speaks of a bodhisattva, What dharma does the word bodhisattva denote? I do not, O blessed one, see any dharma bodhisattva. So this is a place where we honor bodhisattvas and we honor the mind of bodhisattvas which has no abode. In time, The buddhi doesn't see anything that's a bodhisattva. Nor a dharma called perfection of wisdom.

[43:33]

He doesn't see perfection of wisdom either. He's being asked to make it clear to the bodhisattvas how to go forth into perfection of wisdom. He doesn't see the bodhisattvas. He doesn't see the perfection of wisdom. So then the buddhi says, Since I neither find nor apprehend nor see a dharma bodhisattva nor a dharma perfect wisdom, bodhisattva shall I instruct and admonish and in what perfect wisdom?" And Subuddhi goes on. See, he's a good teacher. The Buddha asked him to instruct them, and he's instructing them by saying, there's nobody to instruct and nothing to instruct them. That's how I instruct them. And he says, and then he goes on and says, and yet, oh blessed one, when this is pointed out, what I just pointed out, when I talk like this, this way,

[44:41]

If a bodhisattva's heart does not become cowed or stolid, might say bored, nor does she despair, despondent, if he does not turn away or become dejected, does not tremble, is not frightened or terrified, It is just this bodhisattva, it is just this bodhisattva, this great being who should be instructed in perfect wisdom. So maybe now, at this particular moment, when I told you about this, if you didn't get scared, maybe you should be instructed further. So should I go on a little further?

[45:51]

And then Subuddhi says, this is Subuddhi talking. By the Buddha's might, this is Subuddhi talking. Just like in the Heart Sutra, it's Avalokiteshvara talking. By the Buddha's power. Now Subuddhi says, it is precisely this that should be recognized as the perfection of wisdom of the bodhisattva, as his instruction in perfection of wisdom. What is it that should be recognized? That a bodhisattva can persevere. That you listen to it without getting depressed, without getting trembling, without moving, without getting bored. You just listen to it. And not even that, because we're just talking about what you don't do.

[46:59]

It's when you, when this is pointed out, you respond this way, this is That's it. Then a little bit more. When the bodhisattva thus stands firm, when he thus stands firm, that is his instruction and admonition. Moreover, when a bodhisattva wisdom and develops it, he should so train himself that he does not pride himself on that thought of enlightenment. And now I'm just going to skip a little bit and read.

[48:10]

A bodhisattva does not become afraid when this deep perfect wisdom is being taught. A bodhisattva who does not become afraid when this deep perfection of wisdom is being taught should be recognized as not lacking in perfect wisdom. as standing in the irreversible stage of a bodhisattva, standing firmly in consequence of not taking his stand anywhere. You stand firmly in the perfection of wisdom by not taking your stand anywhere. As you get into this you might start to tremble a little bit. The perfection of wisdom cannot be apprehended.

[49:23]

It is thus that a bodhisattva should course in the perfection of wisdom. This concentrated insight of a bodhisattva is called the non of all dharmas. The perfection of wisdom is that all dharmas lack apprehension. They lack being grasped. All phenomena.

[50:27]

Dharma is all phenomena. Also, I look at the beginning of the 8,000 lines, and I found no homage. Also unusual. But I did notice, 135 pages later, in a second, I did notice homage to the perfection of wisdom in the middle of the text. The perfection of wisdom, O blessed one, is the accomplishment of the cognition of all knowing. The perfection of wisdom is the state of all knowing.

[51:32]

The Blessed One says, so it is, Shariputra, as you say. He says, the perfection of wisdom gives light, O Blessed One. I pay homage to perfection of wisdom. She is worthy of homage. She is unstained. The entire world cannot stain her. She is a source of light. To everyone in the triple world she removes darkness. and she leads away from blindness, from blinding darkness caused by the defilements and by wrong views. In her we can find shelter. are her works. She makes us seek the safety of the wings of enlightenment. She brings light to the blind. She brings light so that all fear and distress may be forsaken.

[52:35]

She has gained five eyes. She shows the path to all beings. She herself is an organ of vision. She is the gloom and darkness of delusion. She does nothing about dharmas. She guides to the path those who have strayed on bad roads. She is identical with all knowledge. She does not use any dharma. because she has forsaken the residues relating to both kinds of coverings, those produced by defilement and those produced by the cognizable. She does not stray or stop any dharma. She herself, unstopped and unproduced in perfect wisdom.

[53:49]

She is the mother of all Buddhas on account of the emptiness of all marks. As a donor of the jewel of all the Buddhas, she brings about the ten powers of the Buddha. She cannot be crushed. She protects the unprotected. She is the help for the four grounds of self-confidence. She is antidote to birth and death. The clear knowledge of the own being of dharmas, for she does not stray away from it. The perfection of wisdom of the Buddhas, the blessed ones, sets in motion the wheel of dharma. So now we have this female altar.

[55:01]

And I just found this also, this piece of paper. I don't know who wrote this. It might be somebody familiar, but I don't know. It starts out, homage to the perfection of wisdom, the lovely, the holy. Shall I read it? What do you think? Tracy, you didn't nod. How did it go? Pretty well. Would you like me to read it? Homage to the perfection of wisdom, the lovely, the holy, who is adorable, endowed with infinite virtues.

[56:07]

Homage also to the knowledge of all modes, of all the tathagatas, and to all Buddha's sattvas. i.e., homage, oh wisdom, oh wisdom, oh great wisdom, oh great wisdom, the illuminator, wisdom, great remover of ignorance, suchness, good suchness. Help me succeed. Oh, excuse me. Success. Good success. Succeed. Blessed lady. Beautiful in all your limbs. Loving mother. Your

[57:14]

Hand is held out to me. Stand, stand, tremble, tremble, shake, shake, yell, yell, go, go, come, come, blessed body or blessed lady. Do not delay your swaha. So, the ladies, according to this little, whoever wrote this, the ladies being requested to be a really good woman and stand, stand, tremble, tremble, shake, shake, yell, yell, go, go. She's doing quite a dance, this perfection of wisdom. And we're supposed to, not supposed to, but if we can be still with her,

[58:19]

all this intense activity of suchness while not moving, then we can receive her blessings. There's quite a few more I have also here which I'll go into later. 108 Names of the Blessed Perfection of Wisdom. I'll read that to you later. So, this is an initiation of the study of perfect wisdom, which I have enthusiasm about. And I wonder how you're doing after all this, or with all this, or before all this. Any responses you care to offer? My response is that I'm blown away, but I have a question, which is a narrow question.

[59:35]

You mentioned or read about two kinds of coverings. One of which was a covering due to defilement and one due to commission. It said cognizable, yeah. Yeah. In the Heart Sutra it says, without any hindrance no fears exist. And the hindrance refers to these two kinds of hindrance which are also called coverings or obstructions. There's other kinds of hindrance too, like there's karmic hindrance. After karmic hindrance is removed, then there's still the hindrance of defilements. And then there's the hindrance, Kant translates it as the hindrance of the cognizable. But another translation is the hindrance to cognition.

[60:39]

But both directions are good. Because whenever you know anything, whenever you have an object out there that you know, the mere fact of it being out there, that there's something cognized, that constructs the perfect cognition. But on a grosser level, we have the obstructions of, for example, greed, hate and delusion. And then on a grosser level we have the obstruction of not even looking at God. So, the people who are listening to this teaching at least have removed the karmic obstruction enough to be able to hear the teaching, but there still may be emotional obstruction to letting it in. Once we drop the emotional obstruction, Once you drop the, you know, the greed and hate and confusion you feel about objects, the next obstacle is to remove the objective, the objectivity of it, the externality of it.

[61:59]

And then when that drops, no fear exists. Being when the hindrance or the coverings of greed, hate, and delusion around the things we see, when that drops, we're less afraid, but there's still some fear as long as anything's external. As long as things stand out there before us, there's still some fear. And that covering, when that is removed, external, then there's no fear. That's in the Heart Sutra, and also in this praise of Prajnaparamita. I think the next question was Tracy, and then John. Two things. The first one, I was curious that, Ophi, is there any turn besides who is shouldn't implore his fears of balancing by such a big one?

[63:06]

It just happened to be number one, Kasita. Yeah. There's a whole list. And I'll talk about that later. And I'll talk about it at the yoga room. And there's a whole list of ten things to look at in yourself to see if they're there. And if they're there, then the practice of the perfections addresses them. But they're things to find in yourself. And if you can find them and take care of them, You'll be more ready to receive the lack of apprehension of anything. If you have that, you shouldn't even bother studying it, rather than when you're studying it, you should notice that quality. That's what I'm saying is that, and that's what Pluma had to respond to, the idea that conceited people should not be taught this. That's one way to see it, is that if you saw a conceited person, you shouldn't teach it.

[64:12]

Another way would be, look at yourself to see if you're conceited, address your conceit, and then you'll be more ready to receive this teaching. To see if you have some of these other character attributes can be found in yourself. Or if you think, well, I don't have any of them, then you probably have at least the first one. So then, if you take care of that one, then you're opened up to the other one. If you take care of the other ones, you don't have the first one. Does that make sense? If you take care of laziness and things like that, then you're not going to be so conceited. Like, I've got a lot of work here. I have lots of laziness to work with. That doesn't sound too conceited. I should say I'm the best at working with laziness because I'm the most lazy person. I'm the world champion at laziness. John and Amanda? Yes?

[65:12]

Yes? Perfection? Well, also perfection means, one of the means of perfection is complete. But the more literal translation of paramita is going beyond or having gone beyond. So there are actually like six forms of paramita. So in the... the big sutra which I started to read, talking about how do you stand in prajnaparamita. You stand by not taking a stand in giving ethics. You don't take a stand in your usual idea of these practices. You go beyond your usual idea of them. But you practice them, and you practice them so perfectly, so completely, that you go beyond your idea of them.

[66:15]

And when you go beyond your idea of giving, you reach perfection of wisdom. When you go beyond your idea of ethics, by practicing them completely, you arrive at perfection of wisdom. When you do any of these practices completely, you realize that they complete, that they include the other ones. You realize that they were already included. Just like in Tango practice, the old masters, you know, all they basically do is walk. And you can see that they But you have to sort of train all the other stuff to be able to walk that way. John? Yes. Defilement is wrong understanding?

[67:16]

I think that I'm not saying it's wrong to say that defilement is wrong view. I wouldn't say that's wrong. I would just say the root of the word defilement, the Sanskrit word klesha, which is often translated as defilement, it means sustain. So in some ways it's not so much that hatred is wrong view. So this greed, hate and delusion is kind of wrong view. But greed and hate are not exactly wrong view. They're more like consequences of lack of correct understanding. When you don't understand correctly, then the way you see things kind of like stains them.

[68:21]

You know, you don't understand things you think that you could hold them or get rid of them. So thinking that you can hold them then further kind of muddies the situation. So wrong view, in some sense, delusion is greed and delusion is there when there's always hate, when there's hate. So wrong view must be there for there to be greed and hate. So wrong view in a sense is the basic defilement. I think it makes it easier for me to understand that term. As wrong view. But now that it's easy for you to understand, then you can also see that it's not exactly that anger is wrong view or lust is wrong view. Those are emotions based on wrong view. With wrong view, you wouldn't have lust and hatred. You wouldn't hate anything.

[69:27]

You would have no ill will if you didn't have wrong view. Wrong view is necessary to have ill will. and wrong view is necessary in order to be attached to things. And so we can be attached. So is hatred an outflow of defilement? Hatred is a defilement and it's also an outflow of defilement. It's based on a more basic defilement which is delusion One second, I see you, and I think Amanda was next. Is that right? Could you speak up, please? Yes. What's coming closer and closer to each other?

[70:34]

The teaching and conceit are getting closer and closer to each other? Yeah. And what you were saying about some kind of carefulness about teaching to someone who's holding to conceit. I'm thinking of conceit as conception, and I'm wondering if it seems like the releasing of conceit, just the realization of wisdom, The releasing of conceit is the realization of wisdom? That's right. So I'm very interested in the function of this teaching, the verse that you're giving about being careful about teaching to someone who is conceited or... You could say, be careful about giving this teaching to someone who's conceited, but you could also say, be careful of his teaching if you're conceited.

[71:39]

I mean, conceit. Because conceit is antithetical to this teaching, because conceit would be things that you could get it. Could there be two roads with conceit? Two roads to conceit? Yeah, there could be two roads. One road from conceit could be that you don't take care of it, and it just thrives. The other road would be that you would study it, that you would check to see what it's like, and you'd find out that conceit is baseless. That conceit is, you know, it can serve a purpose. But it's overdoing. It's overdoing the situation. It's apprehending something. and really there's nothing to apprehend, and then the conceit would drop. In order for it to drop, some of the other problems in our character would have to be addressed too, because it's hard to be lazy and study conceit thoroughly.

[72:46]

Okay? Oscar and, was it Oscar and Abby? Abby? Yes, Abby? I have a general study question about studying the mind and material. I remember years ago when I was studying anatomy, the form of the test was not based on recognition at Lee Hall. So that meant that when you were taking an anatomy test, you had to fill in all the different parts of the body. So everyone in the class got very good at understanding the body. And then I went to a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit in San Jose that was a model that da Vinci had of the shoulder. And it was completely contrary to what Western anatomy. And it was very refreshing, because it was sort of like pulling the tablecloth off the table, and all the dishes stayed there, shaking a little bit.

[73:52]

It's still on the table. And I find with a lot of Dharma teachings, . And they're more advanced because there's no maybe agreed upon understanding of what the meaning of it is. So there's understanding the bones of it, the gist of it, what is being proposed, then what it actually means. And then there's also studying the mind at the same time. So sometimes it's difficult for me to simultaneously study my mind and understand sort of the mechanics of what that state imposed. You say, it's hard for you to study your mind at the same time what? Trying to understand the mechanics or the how it was imposed, because it's a non-Western teaching. And since I was not a born Buddhist, I have no cultural sort of understanding of it. what's being proposed other than what I've studied in the last several years.

[74:55]

Could you stop there? Yes. So, one of the things that Edward Kahn says, the purpose of a commentary is to, on a scripture, is to tell people what the words mean. And so, I think that's part of what you're saying, is you would like some commentaries on what the words mean. But the commentary doesn't tell you what the actually leads you into the deep meaning of the scripture, but it helps you get ready for it. It helps you, it's part of the preliminary work of being able to contemplate it, where some of the vibration you have addressed and calmed. So that then you can... Somebody said to me recently, it's hard to listen to somebody and at the same time study myself. So how much listening to somebody to get to the point where you can stop listening to them as other than your mind?

[76:07]

At some point you have to renounce caring about understanding them You need to study your mind at the same time. But if you're not at that point, well then let's listen to them for a little longer until you feel like, have you listened long enough so that you can continue to listen but not trying to get what they're saying? Give up getting what they're saying. And primarily your job is to listen as listening to your mind. But some people feel like, if I listen to somebody talk, and remember that it's my mind I'm listening to, I won't be able to understand what they're saying. Do you follow that? And at some point you say, I just can't stand it. I don't feel to not get what they're saying. You say, okay. But at some point you have to renounce getting what they're saying and learn to listen Not necessarily without getting it, but yeah, sort of without getting it.

[77:15]

Listen without apprehending it. Which means listen to it as your mind. And of course you can't apprehend yourself. But you may need to warm up to that by asking questions about the words so that you feel like you can tolerate standing by way of not taking a stand. And you said you weren't born a Buddhist, but I don't think anybody's born a Buddhist except maybe some very advanced bodhisattvas born a Buddhist, maybe. But I don't think so. I think they all, when they're born, they don't know they're Buddhists, even though they know, even though they're conscious. We all have to learn Buddhism over, and we're learning it. So you're welcome to ask questions about what words mean. and read commentaries about the words as preparation for meditation, which means what? Realizing that when you're reading these scriptures, they're not other than your mind.

[78:19]

I love it when I'm able for even a fleeting moment to release apprehension and be with the mind. And I also feel like I would need a more in-depth understanding of these teachings because they sound very interesting to me, and I'm curious if there is a commentary or commentaries that are in print that you would recommend that we could read as we're studying this. Actually, Edward Collins was enthusiastically mentioning that, as he was writing these texts fifty years ago, that another professor named Professor Tucci had recently published some commentaries by Asanga and Vasubandhu on the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra.

[79:24]

So this translator who did the translation work He did the translation, but he didn't know exactly what the words he was translating meant. And so then another scholar translated a commentary by ancient masters on what the origin of sutra meant. However, although I might recommend some of these commentaries, the commentaries might not be on what I'm talking about. So it would just be that you could have commentaries on some of the wisdom texts. But what I'm doing, what I will be doing, won't necessarily be about the text you're reading the commentary about. I'm not going to go through a text and a commentary. I'm not going to do that. But you could do that. I've done that. But I would be trying to read something. Actually, Edward Kansa said, you people should, you know, you people should be making your own commentaries like Hakowin did.

[80:34]

So if you want to see the commentary of a Zen teacher, you can read Hakowin's commentary. But he doesn't read his main. He's actually showing the results of his meditation on himself when he's looking at the Heart Sutra. So Hockman looks at the... He was ready to look at the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra and the Blue Cliff Record and all these stories to see it while he's looking at this test to see if he's distracted by these texts. So I'm offering these texts as ways for you to see if you cannot be distracted by them. But it may be helpful for you to read commentaries on them so that when I'm talking about them and testing to see if you're distracted by them have more ability to not apprehend them. And there's lots of commentaries on the Heart Sutra. And here's one of them. So here's a commentary on the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra, so you can read this. And there's another big fat book of commentaries on the Heart Sutra.

[81:41]

And there's lots of commentaries on the Heart Sutra, which I mean, I can give you, but also there's probably already at Zen Center a list, a reading list of commentaries on the Heart Sutra. Just like there's lots of commentaries now on, again, Joe Cohen. All good to read, but what I'm emphasizing is the Buddha Mind Seal. So I'll be trying to look at these teachings of perfect wisdom, paying homage to the perfection of wisdom. And now can we study these teachings ...perfection of wisdom without getting distracted by them. Because if we study the teachings of perfection of wisdom and don't realize we're studying our mind, we won't understand them. We'll just be disoriented by them. And people who are disoriented are not ready that we should come back again. Yes?

[82:45]

If you're wondering if the feeling of your mind blown is a distraction? If you study it, it's not a distraction because you're not distracted from study. The thing is to be studying all the time. By not apprehending it. Don't apprehend. If somebody says, I had a taste of not apprehending. Well, don't apprehend mind-blown. Don't apprehend that either. So, when I was young, conceited meant to be stuck up, you know.

[83:56]

Yeah. But now, having studied ways and philosophy and whatnot, Isn't a conceit any fixed idea taken as real? Yeah. That's conceit. Your own rigidity, then your conceit. Yeah. Conceit is closely related to arrogance. You're exaggerating the situation too much. Too much. Overdoing it. So the process we're talking about isn't examining every grain to see which one is like panning, just letting the conceits drift away and then finding our own mind at the bottom of the pan? The process we're talking about is not apprehending what you just said. Right. OK. Yes.

[85:04]

Non-apprehension arises from examination, when it's agitated or excited, or mind longs to look right at it, and then... I think it is a fruit of examination, yes. And you start examination by welcoming it, and so on. By welcoming it. You begin the examination of anything by welcoming it and so on. So we practice this. And you culminate the examination after having calmed down with what you've examined, with what you've been careful of karmically, with what you've been patient with, and with what you've been diligent with. So all these things go with examining. And now you top it off by discernment and then you open to the reality of it, which is that it can't be apprehended.

[86:10]

These Prajnaparamita texts, however, are not always telling us the preparation. They're giving us an opening to non-apprehension immediately. So that's why we have to be careful of them. What did Timu say about conceited people not studying? Well, it was the general instruction of qualities of people that would mean that it's not appropriate for them to hear the teachings. So what did Timu say? I said at the moment when you study yourself, when you hear this teaching, the teaching is not apprehended as something which comes from outside.

[87:19]

And so I feel like acting on this teaching comes not from manifesting this teaching and following it, but from studying your mind hearing this teaching. As far as to hearing who shouldn't receive the teaching? qualities of people for whom the teaching might not be appropriate. That was his response. Another way to say it is, if you study yourself, when you hear about who shouldn't receive the teachings, if you study yourself, you're not distracted by those qualities because you might discover them in yourself, but that's just part of your study. Qualities in yourself makes you ready to receive the teachings.

[88:24]

But not necessarily looking for them, but just when you hear them, you just might wonder how that applies to me. Also, I might mention that I changed the scroll there. That scroll is a perfect wisdom. the Mahaprajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra, written in what's called Siddham, Sanskrit Siddham characters, in a circle. It was written to me by one of our former Sangha members named Jerry Fuller. He gave that to me when he was dying. It might be part of the sutra, but I'm not sure. I can't read those.

[89:27]

It's not Chinese characters. I can't read it. The assembly seems... Quiet and sober, is it? I think we can work with this. Thank you very much. May our intention equally extend to every being and place with the true merit of Buddha's Way.

[90:17]

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