Living the Heart Sutra: What’s an Ordinary Sentient Person to Do? - Part 2

By Chang Jie
07/05/2009

 On July 5, 2009, Harry Miller, a long-time student of Master Sheng Yen, gave the second of his two-part talk on the Heart Sutra. The first talk was given on March 1, 2009. The purpose of the talk was to show the profundity of the sutra, how we may increase our understanding and faith in the dharma, and help us in our practice and in our lives. He explained some of the major concepts and the meanings of some of the Sanskrit and Chinese terms in the sutra. He also referred to some of the Indian and Chinese commentaries on the sutra.

According to Mr. Miller, the Heart Sutra is part of the liturgy in Mahayana monasteries around the world. It is recited rather than studied as a sutra, used for purification or repentance purposes, as a method of contemplation and also to calm the mind. The methods of contemplation in the sutra are described in detail in Master Sheng Yen’s book, "There is No Suffering".

He quoted Shifu: "How do we contemplate ultimate nirvana? In daily life, we must understand that avoiding vexing situations is not appropriate. Running away does not do us any good. Neither does self-deception or pretending that the situation does not exist. It is best to accept situations without vexations and deal with them calmly. Of course, this is difficult to do. But even though we are nowhere near ultimate enlightenment, we can still adopt the attitudes and the ways of a Buddha."

Mr. Miller said that seeing the emptiness yet the existence of the world around us can help to reduce our attachment to suffering and increase our positive outlook on life.

The session concluded with a question and answer session with the audience.