Saturday, March 29, 2014

Beyond Nonduality - A Dharma talk

In this talk, the first of a two-part series, I address the common Mahayana interpretation of Enlightenment--insight into Emptiness and nonduality. I encourage you to look beyond the realm of all conditionality, beyond even nonduality, to the unconditioned Absolute.

Introduction and sound engineering by Tom Inzan Gartland.


Sunday, March 23, 2014

The Heart Sutra: A Meditation Manual



I recently completed writing a new book, a commentary on the seminal Buddhist text, the Heart Sutra. It's called The Heart Sutra: A Meditation Manual, and as its title suggests, I interpret the sutra to be a meditation manual, rather than an exposition on the fundamental emptiness (sunyata) of all reality, as it is traditionally understood. Here is a sample: 


There is no singular thing called Buddhism; there never has been. To suggest that there is one entity with that name undermines the rich and diverse manifestations we refer to under the generic rubric called “Buddhism.” 

Among Buddhists, there is no consensus about what constitutes “Buddhism.” For some, it’s encapsulated in the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path, for others it’s the universal truth of emptiness or interconnectedness, for still others Buddha Nature or Tathagatagarbha constitutes the Buddha’s Awakening. Let’s not forget the salvific orientation of the Pure Land traditions or the religious devotion of East-Asian “cultural” Buddhists. That’s not even mentioning esoteric or Tantric Buddhism. 

Simply put, there is an enormous variety of viewpoints, interpretations, and priorities in the labyrinth we commonly call Buddhism. So despite what some reductive and legislative pundits claim, there is no orthodox Buddhist doctrine. 

I have read many commentaries on the Heart Sutra, all of which implicitly claim to offer the official approach to understanding the text, as if there were only one way to interpret the sutra.

There isn’t.

Dependent Origination—the teaching that nothing can exist on its own, and therefore all phenomena are empty of self-existence (sunya)—is the traditional lens through which commentators interpret the Heart Sutra. There is, however, another way to approach the text, and Buddhism itself, which I shall offer here.

Nature Origination, derived from such influential texts as the Avatamsaka Sutra and the Awakening of Mahayana Faith, takes a completely different stance. This approach views all phenomena as being empty precisely because their true nature is actually the Absolute, Suchness, or Buddha Mind, the Reality that transcends all dualities and descriptions.
According to Nature Origination, this is what the Heart Sutra communicates through a series of negational commands. "You are not your eyes, ear, nose...so look beyond them to your true nature, the Absolute."

Like many influential spiritual texts, I feel that the Heart Sutra does not explicate, it points. It is not interested in describing Nirvana in the way that the Avatamsaka Sutra does; the Heart Sutra actually offers a series of practices to realize Nirvana for oneself. This is where my reading differs from most other commentators', for I see the text as being prescriptive rather than descriptive. What other interpreters view as an explanation of reality—interdependent and empty—I view as an actual blueprint for practice. In this regard, I regard emptiness as a command or a verb, as in "Empty your mind!" of its contents.

Like many influential spiritual texts, I feel that the Heart Sutra does not explicate, it points. It is not interested in describing Nirvana in the way that the Avatamsaka Sutra does; the Heart Sutra actually offers a series of practices to realize Nirvana for oneself. This is where my reading differs from most other commentators', for I see the text as being prescriptive rather than descriptive. What other interpreters view as an explanation of reality—interdependent and empty—I view as an actual blueprint for practice. In this regard, I regard emptiness as a command or a verb, as in "Empty your mind!" of its contents.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

You are Not That - Dharma talk

What you are can never be located in time, space, or mind. What you are defies all objectification, for as the Tao Te Ching says, "The Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao." If you can hear it, see it, smell it, think it, then that is NOT it. The true Buddhadharma is formless; it is that which precedes all subjects and objects. In order to discover your original face, eliminate all of those things that you falsely identify with as your-self. Spot them and realize that you are NOT them. They come and go according to conditions, your true nature does not. So what are you? Don't be limited by words or thoughts, for you are ultimately beyond them all.

Introduction and sound engineering by Tom Inzan Gartland.


My new book is out!

Available now


The Heart Sutra is the most famous of all Buddhist texts. Thousands of commentaries have been written about it, but none of them like this one. In this fresh and original interpretation, Andre Doshim Halaw challenges conventional readings of the Heart Sutra by arguing that the scripture is not actually an exposition about emptiness (sunyata) as it is commonly read, but in fact a meditation manual. Drawing upon his experience as a Zen teacher and meditation instructor, Andre demonstrates how the sutra uses the ancient Indian meditation technique called Neti-Neti (meaning "Not this, not that") to reveal the Absolute, the unconditioned reality of all Buddhas.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Mind-Only: Dharma Talk

When we cut through all of the buzzing in our heads and fully immerse ourselves in the present moment, we 'become' the present moment. This is what Zen Master Dogen called "dropping off mind and body." Whatever we are doing or feeling 'becomes' the entire universe universe. This isn't some special or mystical state; it's our original no-state state. Zen practice is about cutting through the imagined separation in our lives and allowing us to experience the entire universe's presence in every moment of our lives.

Introduction and sound engineering by Tom Inzan Gartland.


Saturday, March 8, 2014

You Jistsu


My friend showed me a hilarious video from the YouTube Channel, EnterTheDojoShow. It's a martial arts satire, like The Office for karate. In the episode below, Master Ken, the crazy host and Ameri-Do-Te instructor, challenges his students to outsmart themselves in a mirror, since "the only thing dangerous to an Ameri-Do-Te student is himself."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hMoA7Q75cg#t=4m20s

From a Zen point of view, Master Ken captures the human condition perfectly--our perennial tendency to divide ourselves and get in our own way. We resist the present moment because we wish that things were different. When we're packing for the vacation, we tell ourselves that we'll be relaxed once we're at the airport; but of course once we arrive in the terminal, we tell ourselves that we'll relax on the plane. When on the plane, on the beach. On the beach, when we get home.

We are constantly deferring the present moment in search of some imaginary, elusive perfect moment in the not-too-distant (or perhaps distant, I don't know) future. Or maybe we're looking to the past "when things were great."

At the risk of sounding trite, all we have to do is accept--no, embrace--the present. Stop picking and choosing how we think the world ought to be and instead accept what actually is.

Quit squaring off with ourselves in the mirror and accept the fact that when we raise our hand, the mirror image follows. As in a hall of mirrors, there can be countless representations of us, but Zen practice is a constant returning to our original wholeness, unsullied by the division of expectations and self-judgment.

Just this, right here, right now. The sound of traffic outside, the hunger in our bellies, the smell of cooking breakfast. There is no life for us but this one.

As always is the case in life, we do have a choice--we can continue to divide ourselves (as is the human habit) or quit sabotaging ourselves. For inevitably, when we divide ourselves, we are only setting ourselves up for a slap in the back of the head. Just ask Master Ken.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

In the Buddha's Footsteps - Dharma talk

In this talk, delivered during a full-day Zen retreat with the Original Mind Zen Sangha, I discuss how we are "walking in the Buddha's footsteps" every day by practicing the Buddhadharma.

Please enjoy.

Introduction and sound engineering by Tom Inzan Gartland.