On March 23, 2024 we finished our study of four of the Five Aggregates from DCB22- Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-I by studying form, feeling, conceptualization, and action. Next week we will study consciousness. We also added R97X-Solitary Retreat- Xiuxing Practice Program to the LFBCS curriculum. The following are key points from last week’s class:
What Is the Form Aggregate?
“Forms are all phenomena with form in the worlds of living beings. They are the entities of the four great elements. In the two realms of sentient beings and insentient things, everything that has form is a hindering obstacle. This so-called hindering obstacle is the hindrance of substance, or matter . . . Forms are the things that we see. We see them as specific images and shapes with color . . . Any entity with form, any entity of the form aggregate, any concrete, substantive entity of form, and any entity of form of a mental or imaginary nature are hindering obstacles.” The Buddha Master gave us many examples to illustrate this. Forms “are are impermanent, conditioned, material hindrances.”
What Is the Literal Meaning of the Feeling? Aggregate?
“Feeling means ‘reception,’ to receive everything that is false and delusive, the myriad worldly phenomena. This refers to the feelings that are produced when the six sense bases of living beings come in contact with the six sense objects . . . The aggregate of feeling is receiving everything, feeling everything, taking in everything that is false and delusive . . . All phenomena of the outside world and all phenomena produced from internal causes are false and delusive. . . The myriad worldly phenomena relate to the feelings that are produced when the six sense bases of living beings come into contact with the six sense objects. The six sense bases of living beings—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—come into contact with the six sense objects—forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and objects of mind.” The Buddha Master gave examples and further explained that “the aggregate of feeling has three kinds of experiences following contact—pleasure, suffering, and neither suffering nor pleasure . . . The aggregate of feeling is directly controlled by the mental factors; that is, by mind consciousness.”
What is the Literal Meaning of Conceptualization?
The Chinese character for this aggregate literally means to think. The Buddha Master tells us that “conceptualization is imagination and also entails differentiation . . . The aggregate of conceptualization refers to the ability to apprehend forms or characteristics as entities. It is able to apprehend green or yellow, long or short, male or female, enemies or loved ones, suffering or pleasure, and other forms and characteristics . . . Conceptualization belongs to the mental factors. It apprehends differences in objects perceived by the mind.“
What is the Action Aggregate?
The Chinese character for this aggregate is 行 (xing), which literally means to go, to do, to act, to practice, behavior, deeds, etc. There are various translations of this aggregate, such as the aggregate of action, volition, mental formation, impulse, intention, conditioning factors. “The aggregate of action specifically entails creating and continuously moving. Because one thinks of objects perceived by the mind, thoughts continuously and ceaselessly revolve in the mind, one after another, like a string of pearls. Actions are in action all day long. All ideas are constantly revolving and in motion . . . Actions specifically entail creating karmic forces from doing bad deeds and karmic forces from doing good deeds.”
Does Doing Good Deeds Cause One to be Liberated?
No, but it may cause one to be reborn in more auspicious conditions, being reborn in the good realms of samsara. Both bad deeds and good deeds entail causality, “since with the arising and moving of thoughts in the mind, one falls into the category of an ordinary person. How, then, could one not descend? However, doing good deeds falls into the category of good karma. Doing bad deeds falls into the category of bad karma. Both types are karma. Having karma, one has not liberated oneself from samsara . . . Actions entail creating the two types of karma, dark and white. The law of cause and effect is completely based on actions. This is what binds one within samsara. As long as there is action, causality will bind you, will tie you up. You will be tethered to samsara and will not be permitted to leave it. With even one single intention or thought, you will not be allowed to leave.”
What is Needed to Become Liberated from Samsara?
“One who has thoughts arising and moving in one’s mind is a living being in samsara. Only prajna will cause one to not descend. Only if one enters the mind of the Tathagata-garbha will one not descend.” The Buddha Master provided the encounter of King Yama with the scholar and expert of dhyana, Zhang Zaixi, as an example of this.
What Are the Three Sources of Action?
“Body, speech, and mind all create karma stemming from actions. The aggregate of action plants the causes that create all karma. All that belong to the aggregate of action, all effects produced from body, speech, or mind, will create all kinds of karma. Creation of karma naturally entails the planting of causes. Having planted causes, there will definitely be effects. If there is a cause, then there will be an effect.”
Next:
We will continue this discussion at our March 30 ZOOM session starting at 9:00 am by exploring the last of the Five Aggregates- the eight types of consciousness (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind, manas, and alaya).
“Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, when practicing deeply the prajna-paramita, illuminated the five aggregates, saw that they are all empty, and crossed beyond all suffering and adversity.”
DCB22-Expounding the Absolute Truth through the text of the Heart Sutra–I and C41-Three Principal Stages & Paths of Buddhist Practice
The recording of the March 23 class is now available. You must be enrolled in DCB22 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. Please note that Lessons 6A and 6B are part of Course C41.
March 23, 2024: Lesson 10B-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–I, “Five Aggregates”, (144-154) and (HERE) for recording of class.
March 16, 2024: Lesson 10A-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–I, “Five Aggregates”, (114-143) and (HERE) for recording of class.
March 16, 2024: Lesson 9E-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–I, “Two Levels”, (108-113) and (HERE) for recording of class.
March 9, 2024: Lesson 9D-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–I, “Two Levels”, (87-107) and (HERE) for recording of class.
March 9, 2024: Lesson 9C-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–I, “Practicing Deeply”, (78-86) and (HERE) for recording of class.
February 24, 2024: Lesson 9B-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–I, “Practicing Deeply”, (59-77) and (HERE) for recording of class.
February 17, 2024: Lesson 9A-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–I, “Practicing Deeply”, (51-58) and (HERE) for recording of class.
February 17, 2024: Lesson 8C-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–I, “Bodhisattva”, (37-50) and (HERE) for recording of class.
February 17, 2024: Lesson 8B–The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–I, “Avalokiteshvara”, (31-36) and (HERE) for recording of class.
February 10, 2024: Lesson 8A-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–I, “Avalokiteshvara”, (1-30) and (HERE) for recording of class.
February 3, 2024: Lesson 6B-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra-Prajna(Wisdom) & Dhyana(Ta), (355-369) and HERE for recording of class.
January 20, 2024: Lesson 6A–The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra-Prajna & Dhyana(Ta), (317-354) and HERE for recording of class.
CLICK for article on the entire text of Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra.
CLICK for article with instructions on how to enroll in LFBCS classes and how to register for the ZOOM discussions.
CLICK for course DCB21-Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra: Forwards, Introductions, & Title.
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