New Heart of Wisdom - part 1

Question 1

What is Wisdom?

Answer 1

A realization that releases our buddha nature from obstructions (p2-3)

Question 2

What is ‘method’?

Answer 2

A realization that ripens our buddha nature. (p2-3)

Question 3

Where does suffering come from?

Answer 3

Comes from non-virtuous actions (p2-3)

Question 4

What is Perfection of Wisdom?

Answer 4

A wisdom that is associated with the mind of compassion for all living beings. (p2-3)

A wisdom that realizes emptiness, associated with compassionate mind of bodhichita. (p27)

Question 5

What is the essence of the perfection of wisdom?

Answer 5

A wisdom that realizes emptiness directly, associated with the compassionate mind of boddhichita. (p7)

Question 6

What is the structure of the main body of the sutra?

Answer 6

1. Common explanation of the background (speaker, time, place, spoken to whom)
2. Uncommon explanation of the background
3. Explanation of the sutra itself

(p11-12)

Question 7

What is a Buddha?

Answer 7

A person who is completely free of from all faults and mental obstructions (p12)

Question 8

What four sufferings must all living beings experience?

Answer 8

Birth, sickness, aging, death.

In life after life.

Realized by Prince Siddhartha. Seeing the vicious cycle led to great compassion for them.
(p15)

Question 9

What is the First Wheel of Dharma?

Answer 9

Buddha’s first teachings. Including the 4 noble truths.

Principle source of Hinayana (‘lesser vehicle’).

Question 10

What is the Second Wheel of Dharma?

Answer 10

Contains perfection of wisdom. Source of Mahayana (‘greater vehicle’), along with third wheel.

Question 11

What is Dharma?

Answer 11

Means ‘protection’. By practicing buddha’s teachings we protect ourselves from suffering.

All problems we experience in daily life originate in ignorance, by by practicing Dharma we eliminate ignorance.

Question 12

Condensed:

Commentary to the heart sutra has two parts. What are they?

Answer 12

1. Explanation of the direct meaning

2. Explanation of the hidden meaning

Question 13

Condensed:

The explanation of the direct meaning of the sutra has three parts. What are they?

Answer 13

1. The meaning of the title
2. The homage of the translators
3. The explanation of the main body of the Sutra

Question 14

Condensed:

The explanation of the main body of the Sutra has three parts. What are they?

Answer 14

1. The common explanation of the background to the Sutra
2. The uncommon explanation of the background to the Sutra
3. The explanation of the actual sutra

Question 15

Condensed:

The common explanation of the background to the sutra has four parts. What are they?

Answer 15

1. The speaker
2. The time when it was delivered
3. The place where it was delivered
4. To whom it was spoken

Question 16

Condensed:

The explanation of the actual sutra has four parts. What are they?

Answer 16

1. The question of Shariputra
2. The answers by Avalokiteshvara
3. The approval of the answers by Buddha
4. The followers are pleased and take the teachings to heart

Question 17

Condensed:

The answers by Avalokiteshvara has six parts. What are they?

Answer 17

1. A brief explanation of how to train in the perfection of wisdom on the paths of accumulation and preparation.
2. An extensive explanation of how to train in the perfection of wisdom on the paths of accumulation and preparation.
3. An explanation of how to train in the perfection of wisdom on the path of seeing
4. An explanation of how to train in the perfection of wisdom on the path of meditation
5. An explanation of how to attain the Path of No More Learning
6. Conclusion

Question 18

Condensed:

An extensive explanation of how to train in the perfection of wisdom on the paths of accumulation and preparation has two parts. What are they?

Answer 18

The explanations of the four profundities of…

1. The aggregate of form.
2. The aggregates of feeling and so forth.

Question 19

Condensed:

An explanation of the four profundities of the aggregate of form has four parts. What are they?

Answer 19

The explanations of the profundities of…

1. The ultimate of the aggregate of form
2. The conventional of the aggregate of form
3. The union of the two truths of the aggregate of form
4. The nominal distinction of the two truths of the aggregate of form

Question 20

Condensed:

An explanation of how to train in the perfection of wisdom on the path of meditation has five parts. What are they?

Answer 20

1. Recognizing samsara
2. Who experiences suffering
3. How we experience suffering
4. How we wander in samsara
5. The attainment of liberation or nirvana

Question 21

Bodhichita

Answer 21

Has two aspirations

1. Wish to benefit & bring happiness to all beings
2. Wish to attain buddhahood in order to accomplish (1).

Question 22

Bodhisatva

Answer 22

Someone principally motivated by bodhichita

Question 23

How does a person enter the Mahayana lineage? How do they become a son of the lineage?

Answer 23

Enters by developing a mind of compassion for all living beings. Becomes son of lineage by cultivating this compassion.
(p25)

Question 24

What are the two types of internal paths (a.k.a. paths or actions of mind)?

Answer 24

Mundane paths - lead to rebirth in samsara (3 lower realms or 3 higher realms)

Supramundane paths - lead to permanent liberation from samsara (Hinayana and Mahayana).

Question 25

What are the three types of actions?

Answer 25

Actions of body, speech, and mind. Actions of mind are the most important.

Question 26

What is kharma?

Answer 26

When our mind makes a determination to do something this is an action of mind, and is called kharma.

Question 27

What are the five Mahayana paths?

Answer 27

1. Accumulation (pre: bodhichita & tranquil abiding) 2. Preparation (pre: experience superior seeing). Prep to realize emptiness of all phenomena. 3. Seeing (pre: directly realizes emptiness of all phenomena). Sees the way things are. 4. Meditation 5. No More Learning (enlightenment).

Question 28

What is a valid cognizer, and what are the two types?

Answer 28

A mind that realizes its object non-deceptively. 1. Subsequent (crying implies unhappy). Relies upon a sign or reason to know its object. 2. Direct (sensory)

Question 29

How can we know emptiness from subsequent valid cognizers?

Answer 29

Wisdom arisen from... 1. listening (i.e. teachers) 2. contemplation 3. meditation

Question 30

What are the five aggregates?

Answer 30

Form - all objects of the five senses Feeling - experiencing happiness, unhappiness, or indifference Discrimination - distinguishing one object from another, right from wrong, etc. Compositional factors - includes mental factors like attention, inattention, faith and effort, delusions like anger and jealousy, and other mental factors like mindfulness and regret. Also includes abstract concepts like persons, life, time, and potentialities. Consciousness - cognize the general aspect of an object by eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mental consciousnesses.

Question 31

Emptiness

Answer 31

The mere absense of inherent existence. (p-?) Emptiness is a permanent phenomenon. But manifestations of emptiness need not be permanent. (p76)

Question 32

Proof that form is empty, according to buddha in the Condensed Perfection of Wisdom

Answer 32

If we investigate the aggregates with (sharp) wisdom, we cannot find them. Like trying to find the depth of the ocean by shooting an arrow. If our body inherently existed then we'd expect we could find it from investigation.

Question 33

What does it mean that unproduced space and emptiness are non-affirming negatives?

Answer 33

It means they imply the absense of something without also implying the presence of something else. vs an affirming negative such as being not-female, which implies being male. (p56)

Question 34

What is the 'middle way' view of emptiness?

Answer 34

It avoids the extreme of non-existence by accepting the existence of phenomena that are merely imputed in dependence on a valid basis of imputation. It avoids the extreme of existence by knowing that there is no inherent existence.

Question 35

What is self grasping?

Answer 35

The conceptual mind that holds phenomena to be inherently existent. This gives rise to all other delusions such as anger and attachment, and is the root cause of all suffering and dissatisfaction. (p-??) Self grasping is not a valid mind because we don't exist inherently. (p68)

Question 36

What is the principal practice while on the paths of accumulation and preparation?

Answer 36

Meditation on emptiness. We need to realize emptiness with a generic image.

Question 37

Why are the 2nd - 4th profundities called the subtle conventional nature of phenomena?

Answer 37

Because they are even more difficult to realize than the first profundity (the phenomenon's emptiness), and we cannot gain a perfect and complete understanding of profound emptiness until we have understood this.

Question 38

What is an ultimate truth?

Answer 38

Emptiness. (Synonymous) When cognized directly, emptiness does not falsely appear to be inherently existent, so it is a truth.

Question 39

How do mere appearance and mere name correspond to the subtle conventional nature of phenomena?

Answer 39

These explain the conventional nature of things (conventional truths), which are part of the 2nd-4th profundities.

Question 40

What are the five ways phenomena can be "dependent related"?

Answer 40

By cause, by name, by its parts, by basis of imputation, or by mere imputation by mind. (This list progresses from most gross to least gross. We should train in dependent related phenomena to understand the emptiness of the body.) Only impermanent phenomena are dependent related by cause. e.g. body is dependent on causes & conditions.

Question 41

What is a Superior Bodhisattva?

Answer 41

A bodhisatva who as attained a direct realization of emptiness.

Question 42

Summarize the sutra of the four noble truths

Answer 42

Buddha says 1. You should know sufferings (from our countless lives, and develop a wish to attain permanent liberation from them) 2. You should abandon origins (delusions, primarily self gasping ignorance) 3. You should attain cessations (permanent liberation from sufferings) 4. You should practice the path (meditate on the path to liberation)

Question 43

What is a mantra?

Answer 43

An inner realization that protects living beings from the obstructions of mistaken conceptions and mistaken appearances.

Question 44

What are the five types of mantra?

Answer 44

1. Mantra of the perfection of wisdom 2. of great knowledge 3. of unsurpassed mantra 4. equal-to-the-unequalled mantra 5. unequalled mantra These correspond to the 5 paths, in sequence.

Question 45

Who is Master Nagarjuna?

Answer 45

He returned the perfection of wisdom sutras from the naga world to the human world. He then restored and spread Mahayana Buddhism in general and the teachings of the perfection of wisdom sutras in particular. Therefore the kindness of Nagarjuna is immeasurable.