Hello all,

We continue on...

I think I’m going to try something a little different this week...

We are getting into some of the more philosophical aspects of the Heart Sutra. Emptiness, of course, is still a big centerpiece and now we are being introduced into the concept of “Absolute” and “Relative”. And the necessity of not just understanding these things but also living them.

Entire libraries of books have been written on these subjects. There is another thread on Treeleaf right now concerned with translations of the Heart Sutra that touches on this a little :
https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...ra-Translation

Instead of trying to get too deep, I’m going to post a couple of my favorite quotes from this section:

“When we say form is emptiness, we negate this body and mind. When we understand that emptiness is form, we negate emptiness. Negate means to let go. To let go of thought means to become free from both sides. Then we can see reality from both perspectives without being attached to either.” p. 154

““To study the Buddha’s Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self”. To forget the self means to negate this one. By negating this one, we see others more clearly.” p. 155

And, probably my favorite:

“This is our vow. Somehow I cannot help but follow this way of life. It is my practice. And when I see another person living this way I feel encouraged. If even one person is inspired or encouraged by my practice, I am really happy.” p. 156

Trying to not get too philosophical, was there anything that spoke to you and your practice? Anything become a little clearer, or a little more confusing?




Gassho,

Shugen

Sattoday/LAH