Lama Surya Das – Ep. 67 – The Heart Sutra

Lama Surya Das - Ep. 67 - The Heart Sutra

This week on the Awakening Now Podcast, Lama Surya Das explores the wisdom of the Heart Sutra and the clear view of Prajñaparamita.

Show Notes

The Gate Mantra (Opening) – Lama Surya Dass introduces the Prajñaparamita mantra from Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya Sutra, also known as the Heart Sutra. He looks at how this mantra and the sutra it comes from embody the virtue of emptiness and inspires the courage to let go.

“Gate gate paragate parasaṃgate bodhi svaha  | Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone utterly beyond, Enlightenment hail!” – Prajñaparamita Mantra, The Heart Sutra

The Action of the View (6:15) – We look at how Tibetan non-mediation aligns with the wisdom of the Prajñaparamita.

“The practice of Sky-gazing, open and aware. Letting go, letting be. Pure objective observation, awareness alone.” – Lama Surya Das  

Explore the practice of the threefold path of Natural Great Perfection in Dzogchen practice on Ep. 51 of the Awakening Now Podcast

Action and Non-Action (19:20) – How can we be “as is” with the practice of non-meditation while also being open to action and engaging with the world?  Lama Surya Das looks at the balance we need to strike between action and the practice of view meditation.

“When practicing deeply the Prajna Paramita perceives that all five skandhas are empty and is saved from all suffering and distress. 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, impulses, consciousness.

All dharmas are marked with emptiness; they do not appear or disappear, are not tainted or pure, do not increase or decrease.

Therefore, in emptiness no form, no feelings, perceptions, impulses, consciousness.

No eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no color, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no object of mind; no realm of eyes and so forth until no realm of mind consciousness.

No ignorance and also no extinction of it, and so forth until no old age and death and also no extinction of them.

No suffering, no origination, no stopping, no path, no cognition, also no attainment with nothing to attain.

The Bodhisattva depends on Prajna Paramita and the mind is no hindrance; without any hindrance no fears exist.” – The Heart Sutra

Lama Surya Das - Ep. 67 - The Heart Sutra

Images via Wikipedia and Virtualvinodh