The Heart Sutra
A concise teaching on dependent arising and emptiness. The five aggregates are empty of fixed, independent existence; therefore transformation and liberation are possible.
Dharma Classics
Complete readings and structured practice guides.
The Diamond Sutra
Read the English translation of The Diamond Cutter at 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Three Principal Aspects of the Path — Study Guide
- With reverence to the teachers, this text gathers the essential path taught by the Buddha.
- Those who seek freedom, without attachment to worldly pleasure, should listen with a clear mind.
- Renunciation is the doorway: without it, the wish for liberation cannot become steady.
- Contemplate the difficulty of finding a meaningful human life and the uncertainty of death; loosen concern for this life.
- Contemplate karma and the sufferings of cyclic existence; loosen concern for future worldly lives.
- When no attraction to cyclic prosperity remains and freedom is sought day and night, renunciation has arisen.
- Renunciation alone cannot lead to full awakening; it must be joined with bodhicitta.
- See beings swept by suffering, karma, disturbing emotions, birth, aging, sickness, and death.
- Remember their kindness and generate the sincere wish to free them all.
- Without wisdom realizing reality, renunciation and bodhicitta cannot cut the root of cyclic existence.
- Appearances arise dependently, while emptiness is free from fixed assertions; seeing both dispels extremes.
- When dependent appearance and emptiness are understood together, grasping at inherent existence ends.
- Appearance prevents the extreme of existence; emptiness prevents the extreme of nonexistence.
- Having understood these three essentials, rely on solitude and joyful effort, and accomplish the aim.
Seven-Point Mind Training — Study Guide
1. Preliminaries
Reflect on precious human life, impermanence, karma, and the limitations of cyclic existence.
Reflect on precious human life, impermanence, karma, and the limitations of cyclic existence.
2. Bodhicitta
Train in ultimate bodhicitta by examining mind and appearances; train in conventional bodhicitta through giving happiness and taking suffering with the breath.
Train in ultimate bodhicitta by examining mind and appearances; train in conventional bodhicitta through giving happiness and taking suffering with the breath.
3. Adversity as the Path
When hardship comes, abandon blame, work with the strongest affliction, remember kindness, and transform conditions through compassion and wisdom.
When hardship comes, abandon blame, work with the strongest affliction, remember kindness, and transform conditions through compassion and wisdom.
4. A Lifetime's Practice
Gather practice into intention and conduct; begin and end life by entrusting the mind to bodhicitta.
Gather practice into intention and conduct; begin and end life by entrusting the mind to bodhicitta.
5. Measure of Training
All Dharma has one purpose: diminish self-grasping. Rely on the primary witness—your own honest awareness—and keep a joyful, workable mind.
All Dharma has one purpose: diminish self-grasping. Rely on the primary witness—your own honest awareness—and keep a joyful, workable mind.
6. Commitments
Do not contradict the training, become erratic, speak of others' faults, wait in ambush, misuse Dharma, seek gratitude, or turn spiritual practice into self-promotion.
Do not contradict the training, become erratic, speak of others' faults, wait in ambush, misuse Dharma, seek gratitude, or turn spiritual practice into self-promotion.
7. Trainings
Maintain one intention, correct faults first, train impartially, keep promises, practice in difficult conditions, avoid retaliation and pretense, and continue steadily in daily life.
Maintain one intention, correct faults first, train impartially, keep promises, practice in difficult conditions, avoid retaliation and pretense, and continue steadily in daily life.