The one thing we're going to get to actually, in this last part of the sutra, is the mind having no hindrances, not having fear, without fear. So we won't talk about this, but it's very easy to be very fearful. The idea of not having something to cling to, to be in fear of annihilation comes up, especially for some people. I'm sure some people have experienced this when thoughts really slow down or during mental gaps of silence that can actually be frank. Because there's this sense. So often we solidify, we create our false sense of self through these thoughts and through practice.

[01:13]

When we keep returning to our breath, and letting go of thoughts. There are times when the thoughts come further and further apart. And it can be very scary. Yeah, that's a good point. Okay. Great wisdom, beyond wisdom, heart sutra, oh, oh, oh.

[02:47]

Oṅkī-deśvara, Oṇi-śākha, when practicing Nibbāla, Prajñāpāramitā, perceive that all five skandhas in your own being are empty and would stay from all suffering. O Śāriputra, form does not differ from emptiness. Emptiness does not differ from form. That which is form is emptiness. That which is emptiness, form, the same is true of feelings, perceptions, formations, consciousness. O Shariputra, all dharmas are marked with emptiness. They do not appear nor disappear, are not tainted nor pure, do not increase nor decrease. Therefore, in emptiness, no form, no feelings, no perceptions, no formations, no consciousness, no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no color, no sound, no smell, no taste.

[03:59]

No object of mine, no realm of eyes, until no realm of mind, consciousness, no ignorance, and also no extinction of it, until no old age and death, and also no extinction of it, no suffering, no origination, no stopping, no passing, no cognition, also no attainment with nothing to attain. A Bodhisattva depends on Prajna Paramita, and the mind is no hindrance. Without any hindrance, no fears exist. Far apart from every perverted view, one dwells in Nirvana. In the three worlds, all Buddhas depend on Prajna. And attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect, enlightened, and therefore know the Prajna Paramita is the great transcendent mantra, is the great right mantra.

[05:04]

is the utmost mantra, is the supreme mantra, which is able to relieve all suffering and is true, not false. So proclaim the pratyahara-mita mantra. Proclaim the mantra that says, gati, gati, para, gati, parasam, gati, bodhisattva. So up until this point, everything we've read in the sutra has to do with negating an intrinsic existence.

[06:12]

Avalokiteshvara has stated that all forms and feelings, perceptions, thoughts, are empty in nature. And he's gone on to state that even the basic Buddhist teachings such as the Four Noble Truths and the 12 links in the chain of dependent origination that also can de-occur in existence. So then the sutra goes on to say that there's no attainment. And naturally, all of this can lead one to feel despairing or depressed. And of course, this is from a in the class a number of times, and it's a very natural feeling. I think most of us who have practiced have felt this at some point or another. But then the sutra doesn't stop there.

[07:16]

It goes on to say that with nothing to attain, one dwells in Nirvana. So how does that happen? And then it goes on to say that The mind is, therefore, without hindrances. And without any hindrances, one is without fear. And then, finally, the Heart Sutra culminates with the mantra, gāte gāte pāra gāte pārsaṁ gāte bodhisattva. So, at this point, I think we should discuss what it means to depend on prajnaparamita and the mind have no hindrances. One thing that the sutra says is, it says, far apart from every perverted view, one dwells in nirvana.

[08:35]

The language could be a little intimidating, but there are, in Buddha's doctrine, what they call perverted views, and we've talked about those already, but basically, there are four perverted views, and they're really the three aspects or marks of existence that we talked about before, but I'll just state them. First, there's the view that anything existent can be permanent. And then the view that one can find satisfaction in things. And then the third false view is that there's a permanent self or soul. And then finally, the false view that things are desirable and worth clinging to. And so, these are the things that produce fear and confusion in the mind.

[09:47]

And generally, Fear, by nature, seeks things to cling to, which, of course, causes even more anxiety, or chasing after things, or happiness. And these are nothing but the back door of the three marks of existence. Actually, you lose three marks of your distance. If you don't get the three marks of your distance, then you can lose it. And then the fourth one is actually the second noble truth, which is the suffering arises out of desire. And that's the end. Is this page 23?

[10:53]

Yes. Can you give me an example of what you counted? I understand the words are counted, but I'm not sure what they are. You have to hear the first and second. And you're sitting in the chair, and there's a chair, and you've got your socks, and you've got your jacket on, and your glasses, and you had a mother and a father, and you did something before you came over here, and what you had to do to get here, and it all is compounded to make you right now. I'm just going to leave this. even space, which contains life itself.

[12:15]

Therefore, it's very important to address from time immemorial any project of our experience. So I'd like to read just something from the Dalai Lama about relying on prajnaparamita. This question came up, I think, in the first class about what that means, to depend or to rely on prajnaparamita. The Dalai Lama says, not to rely on anything, worldly or otherwise, to let it all go, to seek refuge and support nowhere,

[13:19]

Not leaning on crops which give our separate self its false reality. And then, Edward Consey says, not to rely on anything worldly or other than us. To give the resulting emptiness a free run, unobstructed by anything or by the fight against. Also, the speaker says, all bodies are going to depend on human consciousness. But you start to get used to that after a while.

[14:29]

There are mountains and rivers. There are no mountains and rivers. There are mountains and rivers. The third mountains and rivers is different. I don't know if that's really a question. It just seems like it's so issue of depression is starting to come up. And personally, I haven't come up for a few years, so it's starting to come up here. And now, I'm starting to think, whoa, there really is not a question. Is it nothing to retain and nothing to depend on? I mean, there are these. We all do those things. We all do it. It's human nature to do it. So what we're really after is understanding. They found some of the refuges.

[15:49]

They give you comfort. True. That's true. So it's okay. But most people have a feeling. Again, you might not articulate it, or you might not have some theoretical or religious discussion about it, but you have a feeling that they have this kind of soul, this kind of identity that needs to be protected, and they hurt people, and they want to be careful of, and survive, and it kind of definitely has a continuity. Most people have that kind of feeling. And you can't say it's totally wrong, but it's not the kind of attachment and the solidity that we give it.

[16:59]

Well, that's more, yes, but I think that we can have a feeling about our soul without having that, without even forgetting about after death, just as life, that we're attached to a feeling of soul. Well, as Karen said, we must understand it. Yeah, that's what they're hoping. We can't do something like that here. Something like that, yeah. People really want to feel like it's not the end, that there's something else happening afterwards.

[18:11]

And he didn't exactly say that there was nothing after death. He just said that if there's something after death, it's not something that's permanent or fixed. It's changing. And one of the qualities of the soul is that it can be fixed and permanent. So dwelling in Nirvana, And dwelling implies a calm, firm, settled sense.

[19:17]

One definition, explanation of this idea of dwelling, the bodhisattva dwelling, is although he has only emptiness to hold onto, The bodhisattva does not tremble into an abyss, but somehow remains stable and settled in a deep sleep. What is Krishna Paramita? What is Krishna Paramita?

[20:19]

When practicing deeper, the finer on Krishna. Wisdom beyond wisdom. Wisdom beyond wisdom. Because it is the ultimate wisdom. Are you crying? No, I didn't cry for nothing. It's so nice to see you. I thought I was going to want to play a bit of classical music. I cannot forget the joy I made when I was a little kid. I think partly Because we're always running after joy and enthusiasm.

[21:37]

That's why it seems like we're being negative. But just naturally arising joy and enthusiasm is really nice. But it's the chasing of it that works most of the time. If we talk about it too much, then we start chasing it. That's why we don't get inspiration. Well, I think one thing that seems to me always positive is that when you let go, you relax. I mean, you no longer can sleep all night long. And that relaxation itself, I think, is very nice. Quite apart from whatever else. Yeah, if you go through the various states of meditation of the jhanas, the various informal meditative states, and if we don't talk about Zen so much, but other Buddhist stories we can talk about, one of the problems is letting go of that pleasure, of the pleasure of really being peaceful and joyous and calm, but not getting stuck on that, not turning to that.

[23:00]

I mean, most of us don't have that problem. But it is, for those of us who do experience something, apparently, that's a problem. They don't give us a break. That's one of those famous spiritual traps. Yeah. Yes. So then we come to the word nirvana, which is, in Zen, we don't talk about nirvana. very much. Nirvana, it basically means enlightenment, you know, complete, thorough enlightenment. And it's a very, you know, I think it's good to understand what the words we're using are about, and how teachers and Buddha uses words, and how we use words, I'm not so sure if it matters so much for us what Nirvana is or isn't.

[24:07]

It's just practice in our life. But there is something to come to light. If Buddha says, you know, there is this kind of progression of practice and there is this reality, then it's worth it to try, I think it's worth it to try to You don't necessarily have to understand this, but be aware of what's being said. Somehow, even though we're talking about some seemingly ultimate experience, we can learn something from. And it very quickly becomes kind of theoretical, because we don't feel like we're in touch with your mind. So it becomes kind of theoretical and quickly intellectual. So what's interesting, though, is that there are different ways of describing it or approaching it.

[25:11]

And so I would like just to read you a few. versions. And I kind of want to apologize for reading. Whenever somebody gets up to give a lecture and they have like four books with them, I sort of wince. But I'm going to do that to you now. And basically, these are all different traditions. And these are all very short. And this first one is from the original sutra, one of the sutras from Buddha. These are the middle length sutras. And this is kind of the classical way that Nirvana was originally described. I won't go through it. In the sutras, they do a lot of repetition, so I won't repeat everything, but it's something like this. Being myself subject to birth, he's describing his enlightenment.

[26:14]

Being myself subject to birth, having understood the danger in what is subject to birth, seeking the unborn supreme security from bondage, nirvana. I attain the unborn supreme security from bondage, nirvana. Being myself subject to aging, and old age and death. Having understood the danger in what is subject to aging, old age and death, seeking the unaging supreme security from bondage, nirvana, I attain the unaging supreme security from bondage, nirvana." So this is very dualistic, the way of speaking. I attained the security from bondage. It's like you get into this nice little place, and you're secure from bondage.

[27:17]

You're free, and you're secure. The language is very dualistic. That's what's said in the sutras. how we speak of it, how Suzuki Roshi and how Mel have spoke of it. Here's, and oddly enough, they're both very similar. Here's Suzuki Roshi. We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence. We should find perfection in imperfection. For us, complete perfection is not different from imperfection. This is non-Buddhism. The eternal exists because of non-eternal existence. In Buddhism, it is a heretical view to expect something outside this world. We do not seek for something besides ourselves.

[28:17]

We should find the truth in this world through our difficulties, through our suffering. This is the basic teaching of Buddhism. Pleasure is not different from difficulty. Good is not different from bad. Bad is good, good is bad. They are two sides of one coin. So enlightenment should be in practice. That is the right understanding of practice and the right understanding of our life. So to find pleasure in suffering is the only way to accept the truth of transiency. Without realizing how to accept this truth, you cannot live in this world. Even though you try to escape from it, your effort will be in vain. If you think there is some other way to accept the eternal truth that everything changes, that is your delusion. So here's what Mel says. The early Buddhists said the thing to do is to let go of clinging.

[29:24]

And in order to let go of clinging, you have to let go of thirst. In order to let go of thirst, you have to let go of sensation. In order to let go of sensation, you have to let go of contact and the rest, until you finally get down to ignorance, which is the cause of all delusion. This is condition co-production, which we've talked about. Ignorance and delusion are actually synonyms. They can be used as synonyms. They, the Hinayanists, tried to eliminate all causes of suffering until they eliminated life itself. And for them, nirvana was extinction. Extinction of all the causes of suffering. Because if you have life, you are bound to have suffering. So for them, nirvana was to extinguish all the causes which lead to suffering and rebirth in the cycle. But later, Mahayana Buddhists didn't buy this idea. Because for them, the causes of suffering, the problems of life itself, will never go away.

[30:25]

That's different from how Buddha was talking about it. To eliminate life itself, in order to be free of suffering, is a kind of life-denying goal. For Mahayana Buddhists, the path is to find nirvana within our life of suffering. In other words, we are not trying to eliminate all the causes of suffering. Of course, one should not do something foolish in order to create suffering, but no matter how much we try to avoid the cause of suffering, we are always in the midst of it anyway. Life is not just suffering, it's also joy. So the Mahayana way is to find the joy of life within the suffering, and within our passions is also our salvation. So instead of escaping from life, in Mahayana and Zen especially, If you face life completely, you can become one with it completely. And so, somewhere between these two are the Tibetans, and here's the Dalai Lama.

[31:36]

And then, finally, here is a, this is a Theravadan teacher who's a modern Theravadan teacher, Ajahn Chah. He died, I think, 10, 20 years ago. He was Jack Kornfield's teacher. sort of strict, traditional, so-called Hinayana teacher, but a modern one, and said, When we have this kind of peace established in our minds, we can depend on it.

[32:58]

This peace, we say, has arisen out of confusion. Confusion has ended. The Buddha called the attainment of final enlightenment an extinguishing, in the same way that fire is extinguished. We extinguish fire at the place where it appears. Wherever it is hot, that's where we can make it cool. And so it is with enlightenment. Nirvana is found in samsara. Enlightenment and delusion exist in the same place, just as do hot and cold. It's hot where it was cold, and cold where it was hot. When heat arises, the coolness disappears. And when there is coolness, there is no more heat. In this way, nirvana and samsara are the same. We are told to put an end to samsara, which means to stop the ever-turning cycle of confusion.

[34:00]

This putting an end to confusion is extinguishing the fire. When external fire is extinguished, there is coolness. When the internal fires of sensual craving, aversion, and delusion are put out, then there is coolness also. This is the nature of enlightenment. It's the extinguishing of fire, cooling of what was hot. This is the end of samsara. So, if you try to put all that together, I don't know if you could put it all together. You could just hold that these are different ways of describing what I would assume is the same thing. I would assume that all these, who knows? But these all seem to be very good descriptions, and yet they come at it from different angles.

[35:05]

And it seems like they will a more or less dualistic way of describing it. Somebody would describe it in a more dualistic way and somebody in a less dualistic way. And I don't think it's something that we can pin down. I think the point that Mel and Suzuki Roshi are making is that nirvana is not that you're trying to sort of make, get into a kind of a sterile existence where you're not having to get your hands dirty, where you're separating, you don't want to have anything to do with anybody who's angry, you don't want to have anything to do with anybody who's sloppy, you just want to be only with perfect people, in a perfect monastery, because that's where Nirvana is. And they're warning us to not, not be like that. Right, as though it were impossible.

[36:07]

But there were monks in the past, you know, it's not so easy for us, but there were monks in the past who didn't have families, who just had no belongings, who were supported by the surrounding community, and they could just go sit and meditate in the forest. And they could really avoid a lot of the kind of turmoil that lay people are involved in. So, I think partly it's a sweetening for that kind of practice. Well, it's actually the one that I like the best. He's trying to describe, they're all trying to describe something which is not realistic. That's why it's impossible. He's trying to give you the sense of that it's like hot water and cold water, that they're both water, but one is hot and one is cold.

[37:14]

So it's not like you're removed. You're not removed from water. The quality of the water is different. That's what he's trying to say. These things like samsara and nirvana have the same material, it's just that how you understand What you're doing is different. But did you think there was sort of a meaning to the metaphor of hot and cold? Yeah. That's the traditional metaphor the Buddha used, which is Nirvana is the extinguishing of fire extinguisher, and you're extinguishing this heat of the fire. That's probably the axiom.

[37:59]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ