On November 8, 2025 we continued our discussion of DCB26-“How to Realize Prajna.” You may still join that class (See instructions at bottom of this article along with links to previous lessons.) and do the following homework. Listening to the same material we discussed last year may be helpful.
HOMEWORK-DCB26: Watch video 37.1 from May 4, 2024. Those attending previous classes all have specific assignments from these questions, but all should be prepared to answer questions 79B-107 in Lesson 37 during ZOOM Class. You may also submit your answers via course procedures.
The following are brief summaries of part of our discussion on November 8 with links to previous classes. The large bold blue quotes are from a preliminary translation of Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Please note that in this class we heard the understanding expressed by the various participants. To hear the actual quotes from the Buddha Master you need to listen to the classes held in 2024. Also please remember that we are still working with a preliminary and unauthorized translation of the Buddha Master’s teachings so they can only be used for reference.
What methods should be used to check how you deal with worldly objects and affairs?
“If you want to learn from Buddha, you must actually act accordingly through your three karmas. You have to actually do that. Hence, there should be concrete criteria to check how you deal with worldly objects and affairs. What, after all, are such concrete criteria? What methods should be used to check how you deal with worldly objects and affairs? They are the most basic criteria consisting of the myriad practices subsumed in the Six Paramitas, the Ten Wholesome Behaviors, the Four Limitless States of Mind, and the precepts taught by the Buddha. You should use all of the precepts, disciplinary rules, and other Dharma expounded by the Buddha as the criteria or standard. Such criteria are the standard.”
How should we, as Buddhists, deal with scoundrels and evil beings who harm the lives of living beings, sully the true Dharma, and create chaos in society?
“Some people may also rhetorically ask, ‘Cultivation in Buddhism requires such good actions. Not only is one prohibited from killing a living being, one is even prohibited from thinking any evil thought. Doesn’t this provide to those rascals in society who are filled with extreme evil, those demons, evil spirits, and scoundrels who disrupt society, the conditions for them to do bad deeds? Doesn’t this hand over to them the opportunity to do bad deeds?’ “
“It is true that Buddhism advocates great loving-kindness and compassion, has as a fundamental tenet the universal saving of living beings, and teaches sacrificing one’s own interests to benefit others. However, Buddhism also includes having great heroism and a fearless will! With respect to those scoundrels and evil demons who do great damage to the interests of living beings, poison or harm the lives of the public, use evil teachings to sully the true Dharma, espouse feudal superstition, and create chaos in society, Buddhism advocates fighting back against them without relenting in the slightest and without the least bit of fear toward them. . . Therefore, Bodhisattvas are even willing to give up their own lives to protect the interests of the public. . . therefore, in order to protect the interests of the public and the world, we will not forgive that small number of bad people. Thus, we should report to the appropriate authorities bad people and their bad deeds and evil conduct.”
What does contemplation of impermanence entail?
“Our contemplation of impermanence entails contemplating all conditioned phenomena as being like a dream, illusion, bubble, or shadow, as being like dew and like lightning. All sentient beings will definitely die. All non-sentient things will definitely perish. Any being that has life will die. Anything that does not have life will eventually break down. Our bodies are false combinations of the four great elements. They likewise will break down. There is nothing in the world that does not break down. Everything that we see today in this Buddha Dharma site where sutras are expounded will break down. They will all undergo the process of arising, existing, decaying, and vanishing.”
The Buddha Master also discussed how we should prepare to learn Dharma and what we need as our initial foundation. He mentions the Bodhisattva Precepts but told us that He would not transmit them to us at this time. He also provided the specific Dharma that is essential for realizing prajna and explained the purpose of cultivating ourselves and learning from Buddha. He provided an explanation of what happens when we enter the generation stage of a mind determined to leave samsara, using various methodologies employed by different schools and sects as examples.
Be sure and enroll in DCB26-Realizing Prajna, 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. CLICK for video of that discussion and revised maps of this roadmap to C41(A). DCB26 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 on DCB26 will continue the discussion of Lesson 37-“Preliminary Practice Dharma” at our November 22, 2025 ZOOM session at 9:00 am. We may be able to start Lesson 38–the actual Preliminary Practices.
If you have enrolled in C41(A) DCB26 or DCB25 or DCB24 or DCB23 or DCB22 or DCB21, 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: DCB26-How to realize Prajna and C41-Three Principal Stages & Paths of Buddhist Practice.
The recordings of the November 8, 2025 DCB26-Lesson 37B 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. 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. CLICK for information on LFBS class P10 or CLICK for Hesperia classes.
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.
November 8, 2025: Lesson 37B-Preliminary Practice Dharma, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (67-79A) and (HERE) for recordings of the class.
November 1, 2025: Lesson 37A–Preliminary Practice Dharma, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (53-66) and (HERE) for recordings of the class.
September 27, 2025: Lesson 36E–H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Imparts Buddha Dharma-Causality and the Rules and Methods of Continual Practice, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (44-46, 47-52) and (HERE) for recordings of the class.
September 6, 2025: Lesson 36D-H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Imparts Buddha Dharma-Causality and the Rules and Methods of Continual Practice, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (37-43) and (HERE) for recordings of the class.
August 30 2025: Lesson 36C-H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Imparts Buddha Dharma-Causality and the Rules and Methods of Continual Practice, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (28-36) and (HERE) for recordings of the class.
August 23 2025: Lesson 36B-H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Imparts Buddha Dharma-Causality and the Rules and Methods of Continual Practice, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (18-28) and (HERE) for recordings of the class.
August 9, 2025: Lesson 36A-H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Imparts Buddha Dharma-Causality and the Rules and Methods of Continual Practice, Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Text of the Heart Sutra-How to Realize Prajna, (1-17) and (HERE) for recordings of the class.
CLICK for article on September 21, 2025 class held at Hesperia on Lessons 5 & 6: Three kinds of Prajna.
CLICK for article on August 17, 2025 class held at Hesperia on Lessons 3 & 4: Introduction to Prajna.
CLICK for article on July 20, 2025 class held at Hesperia on Lessons 1 & 2: Background and Introduction to the Heart Sutra and H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra.
CLICK for article on last class held on DCB26 in 2024 and links to videos of all 8 ZOOM class discussions held on DCB26 held from April 20, 2024 to June 22, 2024.
CLICK for article on the last class held on DCB25 and links to all 15 ZOOM class discussions on DCB25 held from April 5, 2025 to August 2, 2025,
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 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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