Author: Payton Swick

This week we had the distinct privilege of hosting Dharma Teacher Cara Lai to give her reflections on the topic of Emptiness.

This talk explored emptiness as the heart of the Buddha’s teaching and a direct path to freedom. Rather than something bleak or nihilistic, emptiness is revealed through the three marks of existence—impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and not-self—as the living truth that nothing is fixed, solid, or separate.

When we look closely, the fleeting nature of experience makes life more precious, not less; the things we crave never fully satisfy because they are unstable; and even our deepest suffering is not personal but part of the shared human condition.

Through meditation, illness, love, and even motherhood, emptiness becomes something intimate and liberating: a release from rigid identity and a falling into connection with everything. Far from draining life of meaning, emptiness opens us to awe, tenderness, and fierce presence.

In this way, emptiness is not a void but a fullness beyond clinging—an experience that feels less like nothingness and more like love.

Poem: The Way It Is by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer: https://www.ayearofbeinghere.com/2015/06/rosemerry-wahtola-trommer-way-it-is.html

If you wish, you may express your gratitude through the Dana page on Cara’s website: https://www.caralai.org/give.html

In Buddhist philosophy when we say things are “empty”, we mean they are empty of independent existence. All things are conditioned; they are products of thousands of separate conditions and only exist because those conditions have come together at that moment in time.

Our slice of toast depends on the baker, the miller, the truckers, the farmers, the grain, the sun and rain, etc. Remove any one of those, and this one slice of toast at this moment cannot exist.

The illusion of independent existence creates a sense of expectation. But that expectation is dependent on conditions and is empty of real separate truth.

This is easy to say but deep down most of us disbelieve it very strongly. How can my food go bad? How can my body not work like it did? How can my partner seem different than they were? These all feel like betrayals. They are! They are betrayals of our expectations. And so we suffer.

Is it possible to live in a way by which we won’t feel these betrayals?

Payton guided our discussion this week. Here’s his notes:

Empty apple

When we see an apple and we think, “I like apples!”, we have a concept in our heads of what an apple tastes like. But then, if we take a bite and we don’t like the taste, we are momentarily confused. How can this be? We like apples. Is this not an apple?

We are forced to invent a new concept to explain it. This is a bad apple, which is like an apple but does not taste good. Then we give the apple to our dog and the dog happily eats it, enjoying every bite. How can this be? It was a bad apple and that means it doesn’t taste good, and I know my dog doesn’t like things that don’t taste good (I’ve seen them spit out medicine and raw broccoli before) so why did the dog enjoy this?

We must invent a new concept again. The dog likes rotten food. But what if the dog doesn’t eat a particular rotten food? We have to refine our concepts yet again.

All of these concepts and investigations can be useful, but it would be much simpler if we just didn’t assume that the thing we bit into was an “apple”, or that “apples are a thing we like”. Instead, we could have had the same experience of biting into an apple, encountered an unpleasant taste, and put it down. No more investigation required.

When the dog smells food, they may try to eat it. If it tastes bad, they spit it out and go on with their day, unperturbed. We, on the other hand, may get frustrated. We want to find out why a bad apple was allowed to be served to us. We want to find a more pleasant tasting apple because we now are craving that taste. We long after something or get angry at something. This is suffering created by the illusion of a separate, sustainable thing called “an apple” which is a thing we like to eat.

If we were eating a mystery food with our eyes closed, the problem would not exist. Good taste, bad taste, we wouldn’t have or build an expectation.

We build and use these expectations constantly with objects, but also with people, with ourselves, and with our own emotions. We think we know how something is, and when it is not how we expect, suffering happens.

Of course we need to have expectations and they can healthily guide our life, but at the same time we need to avoid getting trapped by them when they inevitably prove to be false.

The apple is empty of “apple”-ness. It’s a mystery, really. As are all things, really.

The idea of an apple or the idea that we like apples are like soap bubbles; they seem real and solid but then, suddenly, they vanish.

Disappointment

Payton also played an excerpt from a talk by Kate Munding on the topic of Disappointment, which you can listen to here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/85877/

Our sangha is in the midst of a series of explorations of Emptiness, which Sam began last Sunday.  This week, Michael guided an unpacking of the famous Heart Sutra, which brings a Mahayana perspective: Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Form.  

Payton and visiting Dharma Teacher Cara Lai will round out the series in the subsequent weeks.  

Join us as we go further into this rich and various territory of understanding and practice. 

There are many translations, but here is one: https://thebuddhistcentre.com/system/files/groups/files/heart_sutra.pdf

And here is another by Thich Nhat Hanh offered by a member of our Sangha this week: https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/letters/thich-nhat-hanh-new-heart-sutra-translation

Michael’s notes follow:

The Heart Sutra is framed with symbolic/literal geography and personality. Vulture Peak offers a high unimpeded view of  mountaintops of Bihar (Vihara) and the cast of characters is anchored by the mostly silent Buddha, who approves what he hears, plus Shariputra the analytical whiz of Early Buddhism, to whom speaks Avalokitesvara /Kwan Yin, embodying the mahayana.

What seems like a litany of denial of all the original teaching’s analytic categories is actually a claim for the porosity of everything included in the sutra—the inclusion of emptiness not as an ultimate, but within the very texture of all being(s).  

Emptiness is like Zero, in ancient Indian mathematics, neither  nothing nor something: mathematically defined as 1-1=0.  now you see it, now you don’t, in a world of traces without essences.  Traces appear and disappear, while change itself is the underlying reality (contrasted to the notion of a world comprised of things which change).

Thich Nhat Hanh’s famous sheet of paper demonstrates the whole world’s Interbeing, present in that sheet: rain, cloud, the soil, logger, etc. Paper is made of non-paper elements. . . .

. . . which is more engaging when we leave sheets of paper behind, and turn to lived experience:

Love is made of non-love elements; grief of non-grief elements, etc .

Thich Nhat Han’s homesickness for his mother, and then finding her fully present in the very meat of his own hand further complicates and enriches Indra’s net.

The Sutra’s “no fears exist” goes beyond classical fears of “flood, fire, snakes and elephants” and includes modern self-doubt, “preparing a face to meet the faces that you meet,” as TS Eliot put it.  Our hesitation betrays our fear. And, as Trungpa suggested, Awakening can be understood as transcending hesitation. 

The concluding mantra not only points to going beyond, but also goes beyond itself and enters the immediacy of direct experience.

Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate 

— Bodhi Svaha

Gone Gone Gone beyond Gone beyond even going beyond  

—Awakened state, Right on!

Sam guided our sangha this Sunday.  Inspired by a quote from Shabkar Tsokdruk Rangdrol (1781–1851) — “The mind’s nature is vivid as a flawless piece of crystal – intrinsically empty, naturally radiant, ceaselessly responsive” — we considerd other writings and listen to excerpts of some relevant dharma talks.

Here’s Sam’s notes:

In a sangha run by Max or Don, the term “Radiant Mind” showed up and I thought I’d pursue that today.   To me, it points to the primordial fact of the radiance or luminosity of the present moment…   The sense of reality and presence of the present moment.

Reminded me of the writings of Ken Wilber, this from the book “The Simple Feeling of Being” (this is an anthology of his earlier writings):

There are many things that I can doubt, but I cannot believably doubt my own consciousness in this moment.   My consciousness IS, and even if I tried to doubt it, it would be my consciousness doing the doubting.  

  The very undeniability of my present awareness, the undeniability of my consciousness, immediately delivers to me a certainty of existence in this moment, a certainty of Being in the now-ness of this moment.  

  I am not objects in nature, not feelings in the body, not thoughts in the mind, for I can Witness them all.   I am that Witness — a vast spacious, empty, clear, pure, transparent Openness that impartially notices all that arises.

later he writes to the reader:

…  the Witness itself will disappear entirely, and instead of witnessing the sky, you are the sky;   instead of touching the earth, you are the earth;  … You are the empty mirror that is one with any and all objects that arise in its embrace, a mindlessly vast translucent expanse:  infinite, eternal, radiant beyond release.   And you are That…

There is only the world, and you are all of that; you are not merely on this side of your face looking out there.   “In here” and “out there” have become one with a shuddering obviousness.  Consciousness is one with all that is arising — a vast, open transparent radiant, infinitely Free and Full expanse.

Reminded me of Christina’s Feldman’s teachings about “liberation is in the present moment” (I think was a personal communication since I haven’t found that written or in dharmaseed…I don’t have a quote)  and also a quote by Nisargadatta Maharaj.   This is from “I am That” Ch. 3:

M:   There is something exceptional, unique, about the present event, which the previous, or the coming do not have. There is a livingness about it, an actuality; it stands out as if illuminated. There is the ‘stamp of reality’ on the actual, which the past and the future do not have.

Q: What gives the present that ‘stamp of reality’?

M: There is nothing peculiar in the present event to make it different from the past and future. For a moment the past was actual and the future will become so. What makes the present so different? Obviously, my presence. I am real for I am always now, in the present, and what is with me now shares in my reality. The past is in memory, the future — in imagination. There is nothing in the present event itself that makes it stand out as real. It may be some simple, periodical occurrence, like the striking of the clock. In spite of our knowing that the successive strokes are identical, the present stroke is quite different from the previous one and the next — as remembered, or expected. A thing focussed in the now is with me, for I am ever present; it is my own reality that I impart to the present event.

We then sat for 20 minutes, and then I played the first 35 minutes of

 https://dharmaseed.org/talks/player/9071.html Joseph Goldstein 2010-05-25 Intrinsically Empty, Naturally Radiant, Ceaselessly Responsive : An Exploration of the Nature of our Mind

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Related things I did not mention:

I found books on the Radiant Mind;   one by Peter Fenner inspired by Dzogchen teachings;   I took that out of a library — really felt he was trying to sell something… 

One by Jean Smith but hadn’t looked at it.

Found a blog by Ajahn Sujato [ https://sujato.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/on-the-radiant-mind/  Sujato’s blog: on Pabhassara Sutta AN 1:49] :

Radiant, monks, is this mind. And it is defiled by transient defilements. An unlearned ordinary person does not understand that in accord with reality. Therefore I say, “An unlearned ordinary person does not have mental development.”

Radiant, monks, is this mind. And it is freed from transient defilements. A learned noble disciple person understands that in accord with reality. Therefore I say, “A learned noble disciple has mental development.”

This is the normal way the Buddha talked about the mind. It is not that it is “naturally” radiant or defiled: it is naturally conditioned. When the conditions for darkness are there, it is dark, when the conditions for light are there, it is light. Our passage, which is unique, without parallels in any early Suttas, syntactically awkward, clearly the subject of editing, can be read as suggesting a different take on things, that the mind is somehow “radiant” even when covered by defilements. Or it can be read in line with the other, more clear suttas.

In either case, there is no suggestion here that the “radiant mind” be connected with Nibbana. Quite the opposite: the whole point of the sutta is that it can be defiled, so it cannot be Nibbana.

    Reminded me of the “pathless path” —  looking it up on ChatGPT

The “pathless path” in spirituality, related to Buddhism and non-duality, isn’t a set of steps but a recognition that enlightenment isn’t a future goal to be achieved through effort, but is already present in “being” or raw awareness, requiring letting go of striving, concepts, and the “doer” to see what’s already here. It involves effortless presence, seeing through mind-made illusions, and recognizing the timeless reality within the everyday, like resting in simple awareness of sensations or the breath, rather than adding practices to the mind. It’s about realizing you’re already home, not traveling to it.   It contrasts with progressive paths where you work toward a future goal (e.g., mindfulness, mantra). The pathless path points to the already-present reality that traditional paths ultimately reveal, but by removing the “path” itself. 

Core Concepts

• Being, Not Doing: It’s a state of presence, not a process of acquisition or striving for something better.
• No Techniques Needed: Moves beyond traditional meditation techniques like mantras or “who am I?” questions, which imply a journey.
• Letting Go: Focuses on releasing control, resistance, preferences, and the concept of a separate self.
• Already There: The destination (liberation, reality) is already present; there’s no need to get there.
• Direct Experience: Emphasizes seeing reality as it is, without mental filters, by observing raw sensations and the flow of experience. 

How it Works in Practice

• Rest in Awareness: Simply rest in what you are (pure awareness or being), without trying to change it.
• Observe Sensations: Notice the field of changing sensations (tingling, warmth, pressure) in the body without reacting or interpreting them.
• See Mind Patterns: Become aware of how the mind distorts experience, allowing these patterns to diminish naturally.
• Union of Timeless & Time-Bound: Involves inhabiting both the everyday world of action and the timeless dimension of pure presence. 

Key Contrast

• It contrasts with progressive paths where you work toward a future goal (e.g., mindfulness, mantra). The pathless path points to the already-present reality that traditional paths ultimately reveal, but by removing the “path” itself. 

I asked ChatGPT “Sutta where buddha says self not found in aggregates or outside of them”…   Answer mentioned   Yamaka Sutta, Anattalakkhana Sutta, Khemaka Sutta, and Alagaddupama Sutta.   

ChatGPT Offered “Nagarjuna’s tetralemma” so I said OK.

“Ahhh nice, we’re going full Madhyamaka mode now.   Love it.”

Reminded me of a warning by Dogen:

Zen master Baoche (Bow-Chuh) of Mt. Mayu was fanning himself. A monk approached and said, “Master, the nature of wind is permanent and there is no place it does not reach. Why, then, do you fan yourself?”

” Although you understand that the nature of the wind is permanent,” Baoche replied, “you do not understand the meaning of its reaching everywhere.”

” What is the meaning of its reaching everywhere?” asked the monk again. The master just kept fanning himself. The monk bowed deeply.

The actualization of the buddha-dharma, the vital path of its correct transmission, is like this.

If you say that you do not need to fan yourself because the nature of wind is permanent and you can have wind without fanning, you will understand neither permanence nor the nature of wind. The nature of wind is permanent; because of that, the wind of the buddha’s house brings for the gold of the earth and makes fragrant the cream of the long river.

This Sunday we watched a video of Brother Phao Linh teaching about the Diamond Sutra. He specifically addressed the notion that human beings have an identifiable and bounded lifespan. He challenges several assumptions we hold about our lives having a beginning and an ending. He describes the great understanding and love that can come to us when we dissolve the notion of beginnings and endings.

The video Darryl played is only accessible to folks who took the Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet course, so sharing the link wouldn’t work. If someone would like to listen to a similar teaching that is in discussion format, here is a link to an episode from the Plum Village Podcast – The Way Out is In. The title is Space, Time and the Ultimate Dimension. The discussion takes place with members of the Outrage and Optimism podcast crew and the Way Out Is In crew. You get to hear several different voices, questions and thoughts.

And here is the pdf of the Sutra we studied, excerpts from the Diamond Sutra as translated by Thich Nhat Hanh.

At the base of all the subtlety of Buddha’s most extensive meditation instructions, rests contemplation of the body.  Jackie guided us this week as we explore various dimensions of mindfulness of the body, and the insights that these can yield.       

Our period of meditation was framed by Jill Shepherd and Eugene Cash talking on Contemplation of the Body. Together these can lead to a profound steadiness that we can draw upon in these particularly troubling times.

Links to talks are forthcoming.

As endings approach — the end of a life, the end of a year, there is a natural longing to clean the slate and rediscover true equanimity. The path to inner peace often leads straight through Forgiveness–and the year’s end offers a good occasion to look inside to see who you might forgive.  It is the act of letting go of past grudges that lifts the burden, whether that forgiveness is spoken aloud or undertaken in the silence of one’s own heart.

Ellen guided our reflections this Sunday, drawing on a talk on forgiveness by Nikki Mirghafori, followed by a guided meditation by Bhante Buddharakkhita.

Nikki’s talk is here (the last third of this recording): https://dharmaseed.org/talks/86894/

Bhante’s talk is here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/93807/

Max guided our reflections this Sunday, focusing on Right or Wise Effort.

Much of the effort we expend can be wasted or even counterproductive because it has not been wisely shaped.  Keenly aware of this, the Buddha had a great deal to say about how to shape our efforts by preparing the ground in our states of mind, from which all our intentions and actions spring.

Drawing on writings by Thich Nhat Hanh and a talk by Carol Wilson, we explored shaping the mind in ways that promote well focused and wholesome action, out of which the best results in time arise.

Links to the talks TBD

Guided by Don, this week we explored the sublime as it appears in our everyday life.

A talk by Stephen Batchelor was at the center of our exploration, taking us through and beyond particular meditative techniques to something much more accessible: the deep appreciation of life in its best present moment. The reality of death puts day-to-day being into focus.

We don’t need to wallow in speculation about heaven, hell, past/future lifetimes etc. The good stuff is all contained in the present moment. We can cultivate a wholesome state of mind. The rest is way beyond our control.

You can listen to the talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/17170/

Karma (or kamma in Pali), is the fifth of the Five Daily Recollections. It points to the natural law of cause and effect unfolding moment by moment. Joseph Goldstein describes karma as “resting on the tip of intention,” emphasizing that it is the quality of our intentions — more than the action itself — that shapes the ripples of experience. Each intention plants a seed; each choice conditions how the heart-mind inclines in the next moment, much like a pebble cast into a still pond.  

But how does karma function when there is no fixed Self to receive its results, and when all phenomena are inherently empty? If experience is a dynamic flow rather than a possession, what does it mean to be “the owner of our actions”? And how might a deeper understanding of intention help loosen habitual patterns and open the possibility of more skillful responses?

Sonia led our Sangha this week. You can listen to the talks she played here:

“Karma”, by Joseph Goldstein

https://dharmaseed.org/talks/player/15978.html

“Karma and Intention” by Gil Fronsdal

https://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/transcribed-talks/karma-and-intention/