There will be no ZOOM class on June 14, but will resume on June 21 at 9:00 am.
We started Lesson 33 of DCB25 using The Perfection of a Buddha from the Heart Sutra as our text. The following are some of the questions addressed during this ZOOM session.
What does it mean to be a Buddha?
“A Buddha is one with truly supreme and correct enlightenment to perfection. What a Buddha realizes is the perfect status of one with correct enlightenment that is truly supreme. A Buddha has thoroughly awakened to and realized the four characteristics or marks. What does awakening to and realizing the four characteristics or marks mean? It means thoroughly understanding the four characteristics or marks, realizing them completely. He sees through the dreams of arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing. To Him, these four dreams thoroughly dissolve into emptiness. He completely sees through the dreams that they are. He completely recognizes them and thoroughly realizes them to be empty. He does so perfectly and is able to manipulate and resolve them at will. A Buddha leaves behind the combined consciousness. He extinguishes the continuing mind. He transforms the eighth consciousness into the four wisdoms. The mind-king is transformed into wisdom, and the wisdom produces marvelous utilizations.”
What is meant by leaving behind the combined consciousness?
“Ordinary people have the combined consciousness. Combined refers to the karmic forces generated from the coming together of causes and conditions or all causes and effects. Then, this gives rise to differentiation by the combined mind consciousness.”
What does it mean that a Buddha realizes and enters into the permanent state that is emptiness?
“The permanence referred to here is not a permanence in which ordinary people abide. Rather, it is the ultimate truth of non-duality. It is unmoving and changeless. It is permanence that is not the absence of impermanence. This is referring to the undefiled empty nature and true-thusness of Buddha-nature. Thus, a Buddha extinguishes the mind whereby thoughts continuously break off and continue. In the mind of an ordinary person, one stray thought is followed by the next. However, a Buddha is completely free of one stray thought followed by the next. A Buddha abides in the perfect state of emptiness. This is the state of realization of a Buddha.”
How are the the eight consciousnesses transformed into the five wisdoms?
“The first five consciousnesses are transformed into the (1) Wisdom of Having Accomplished What Was to Be Done. . . The sixth consciousness is transformed into the (2) Marvelous Observing Wisdom. . . A Buddha transforms the seventh consciousness into the (3) Wisdom of Equality. The seventh consciousness is called the manas consciousness. A Buddha is not attached to it at all. Moreover, a Buddha transforms it at will. It can appear or disappear at will. Furthermore, this thinking is based on the wisdom of prajna. It is not the ordinary person’s imagination stemming from differentiation. . . A Buddha transforms the eighth consciousness into the (4) Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom. So, in the midst of these four wisdoms, in the state of the natural equality of these four wisdoms, a Buddha completely understands that emptiness is devoid of forms of characteristics and that true emptiness is marvelous existence. Marvelous functions naturally arise, which become the essence of great utilization that pervades the universe totally and without differentiation. . . After the first four wisdoms, the fifth wisdom arises, the (5) Wisdom of the Fundamental Nature of the Dharma Realm. This is how the natural and marvelous functions of the five wisdoms come into being.
What are the two ways to recognize what a Buddha is?
“Thus, it is said that a Buddha has realized five wisdoms. , , Because such enlightenment entails equality, perfection, and supremacy, it is called anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. . . There is another explanation, which is that the word “correct” means the center path that avoids extremes. A Buddha is one who realized and awakened on one’s own, one who relied on what is intrinsic within oneself to enlighten oneself.”
What is meant by the term “three bodies”?
“You now understand that one originally has the three bodies and four wisdoms. What is meant by the term “three bodies”? They are the dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya.”
Are Buddha-nature, true emptiness, and marvelous existence are all the same?
“That is, Buddha-nature, true emptiness, and marvelous existence are all the same. In essence, there is no twofold truth to attain. In essence, there is no form that can negate emptiness. In essence, there is no form that can be abided in. Emptiness and form are one taste.
The Buddha Master also gave a complete description of what “anuttara-samyak-sambodhi” means; explained why a Buddha is also called one who relied on what is intrinsic within oneself to enlighten oneself; discussed both initial enlightenment and innate enlightenment; explained the source of the three bodies and four wisdoms; and used several ways to explain “turning the light to illuminate inwardly.” The Buddha Master also discussed the source of all phenomena and what is the non-dual, indivisible essence of Buddha-nature as well as the six and nine realms and much more on Buddha-nature and different levels of realization as well as who can be considered “practitioners of non-Buddhist ways. This was a very profound session that cannot be simply summarized.
Be sure and enroll in DCB25-Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra: Part TWO-III, if you want to join our long term study of the Heart Sutra or the broader study of C41(A)-the Three Principle Stages & Paths of Buddhist Practice. There is an expanded article on C41(A) that explains its scope and content, which was discussed before starting DCB24 last Saturday. CLICK for video of that discussion and revised maps of this roadmap to C41(A). DCB24 is one of the Learning from Buddha Seminary (LFBS) courses that are included in C41(A). There is also another article that discusses G03(A) and G03 Evolution of Buddhism, two additional courses that are also part of C41(A).
CLICK for a list of available classes in each of the programs: Auditing, Buddhist Studies, and Xiuxing Seminary. Those with membership in the Xiuxing Seminary Program who are only interested in serious practice and not opening a Dharma Center may also elect to follow the Xiuxing Practice Program and take a seven or thirty-day Solitary Retreat.
Next:
The next class in DCB25 will continue with our discussion of Lesson 33- The Perfection of a Buddha at our June 21, 2025 ZOOM session at 9:00 am. THERE WILL BE NO CLASSES HELD ON JUNE 14 due to other scheduled events in Hesperia.
If you have enrolled in C41(A) or DCB25 or DCB24 or DCB23 or DCB22 or DCB21 or DCB26, you may continue to use the same ZOOM link to attend the Saturday morning discussions. However, you will need to enroll in the appropriate course to be able to watch the video recordings of the classes, download study materials, or study the related questions.
TO DATE: DCB25-Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra: PART TWO–IV and C41-Three Principal Stages & Paths of Buddhist Practice.
The recordings of the May 17, 2025 DCB25-Lesson 32B class is now available. All of the recordings and summary of ZOOM discussions for DCB21, DCB22, DCB23, DCB24, and DCB26-Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra are now available along with the questions for DCB25. You must be enrolled in each of these classes in one of the full membership programs at the LFBS 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 LFBS with your membership identification number AND are enrolled in this class.
“Having forever left inverted dream-thinking, they dwell in ultimate nirvana. All Buddhas of the three times rely on prajna-paramita and thereby attain anuttara-samyak-sambhodi.”
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 LFBS classes and how to register for the ZOOM discussions.
June 7, 2025: Lesson 33-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–IV, The Perfection of a Buddha (104-139) and (HERE) for recording of the class.
May 17, 2025: Lesson 32B–The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–IV, The “Three Times, Anuttara, & Samyak” (84-103) and (HERE) for recording of the class.
May 10, 2025: Lesson 32A–The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–IV, The “Three Times, Anuttara, & Samyak” (69-83) and (HERE) for recording of the class.
May 3, 2025: Lesson 31-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–IV, The Different Levels of Nirvana (24-68) and (HERE) for recording of the class.
April 26, 2025: Lesson 30–The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–IV, “Having forever left inverted dream-thinking, they dwell in ultimate nirvana.” (25-43 ) and (HERE) for recording of the class.
April 19, 2025: Lesson 29C–The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–IV, “. . . Bodhisattvas rely on prajna-paramita, and thus their minds have no hindrance.” (18-24) and (HERE) for recording of the class.
April 12, 2025: Lesson 29B–The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–IV, “. . . Bodhisattvas rely on prajna-paramita, and thus their minds have no hindrance.” (13-19) and (HERE) for recording of the class.
April 5, 2025: Lesson 29A-The Great Stage–Wisdom Path of the right view of emptiness, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra–IV, “. . . Bodhisattvas rely on prajna-paramita, and thus their minds have no hindrance.” (1-12) and (HERE) for recording of the class.
CLICK for article on the last class held on DCB24 and links to all 13 ZOOM class discussions on DCB24 held from January 4, 2025 to March 29, 2025,
January 4, 2025: Roadmap to C41(A)–Three Principal Stages & Paths of Buddhist Practice. Video of class discussion.
CLICK for article on the last class held on DCB23 and links to all 13 ZOOM class discussions on DCB23 held from August 24, 2024 to November 16, 2024,
CLICK for article on the last class held on DCB22 and links to videos of all 21 ZOOM class discussions on DCB22 held from February 10, 2024 to April 20, 2024 and from June 29, 2024 to August 3, 2024.
CLICK for article on the last class held on DCB21 and links to videos of all 18 ZOOM class discussions on DCB21 held from November 21, 2022 to April 1, 2023. Note: not all of the forwards, notes, and introductions are complete.
CLICK for article on last class held on DCB26 and links to videos of all 8 ZOOM class discussions held on DCB26 held from April 20, 2024 to June 22, 2024.
CLICK for Background information on Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra and why it is such an important text.
CLICK for information on S01-Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation (SAUMOL) Seminar.
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