Let me start with saying I really appreciate the work so many of you do in terms of trying to get people informed, keep people honest, and keep things on topic.
These three sutras regularly come up when discussing Zen (Buddhism). I don't want to get into discussing whether Zen is Buddhism although, as always, discuss whatever you're moved to discuss. :)
The Lankavatara Sutra is definitely an important piece of the Zen equation (regardless of how you define it) as Bodhidharma placed great importance on it.
The Diamond Sutra is also prominently placed in the history of Zen as it's said that Huineng (the 6th Patriarch/Ancestor of Zen) experienced enlightenment upon hearing a passage from it. I know Dharma Drum Mountain a (Chan) Buddhist organization places a lot of importance on the Diamond sutra as well.
I'm not exactly sure where the Heart Sutra fits into "Zen Lore", but it is regularly brought up. If you happen to know please share. :)
I'm going to slowly work through all three texts and I'll share bits and pieces along the way.
I'm still reading the introduction of Red Pine's translation of the Lankavatara Sutra. I'll probably do his translation of the Diamond Sutra next and finish with the Heart.
I figured I'd share these two bits I just ran into. Emphasis mine.
The Buddha agrees [to share his teachings] and proceeds to instruct the king in the illusory nature of what Buddhists call dharmas, all those things we think of as real, be they tangible, intangible, or merely imagined.
This was interesting to me because I've only thought of "dharma" as the teachings. Here, and I'm sure in many of the quotes shared, dharma refers to all phenomena.
Shortly after there's a passage which prompted me to write this…
Just as the Diamond Sutra teaches detachment from dharmas, and the Heart Sutra teaches the emptiness of dharmas, the Lankavatara teaches the non-projection of dharmas, that there would be no dharmas to be empty or to be detached from if we did not project them as existing or not existing in the first place.
If you've read one, or all of these, and have any PROTIPS I should keep in mind as I work through them (additional resources, insights, etc.) please do share. :)
Submitted December 28, 2019 at 01:33PM by CaseyAPayne https://ift.tt/34YBVz6
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