Teaching on the Heart Sutra, Part 6

Latter-Section Practical Hand-Clap Obstacle Clearing — Ritual Liturgy

The Heart Sutra Obstacle-Clearing dharma contains many technical practices.Most Heart Sutra teachings are mostly theory, but actually using the Heart Sutra's merit to remove obstacles — the Tibetan tradition does more of this.Earlier I taught a batch of disciples; I had rules.Ordinary disciples weren't transmitted the technical practices.At that time there were close inner disciples who entered the room — only they were taught the obstacle-clearing method.In the Tibetan Heart Sutra Obstacle-Clearing dharma, do we do smoke offering or an obstacle-clearing fire offering?And using the Heart Sutra to practice — the practice I just mentioned requires soul-flesh separation.From the Heart Sutra's realm you can do meditative sitting; sit using the Heart Sutra's realm to leave the ordinary person's awareness and create another kind of awareness above the sixth consciousness.I don't know if you can hear this.Our normal awareness — let me ask: based on your current you, how many kinds of awareness do you have?

Plainly: "I exist" relies on these feelings; that's how you feel your existence.Because eyes see — only with something seen is there me.I am the one seeing the thing, not you seeing it, so "seeing is believing." Because of what's seen, I feel I've seen the thing, and I have feeling about it.Hearing something — hearing you speak — only then is there a feeling of your and my existence.Because you speak and I listen.So right now I speak, you listen, so there is my existence and your existence.Your feeling is that there is my existence, hearing the sound of my speaking.So who's listening?You're listening.Who's speaking?I'm speaking.Right?Awareness: the nose — only with breath can you live, only then can the action of breathing happen.Smelling the offering incense — ah, so fragrant — only then do you feel I sense this is fragrant.All of it is you, right?The tongue speaks and tastes things.Who's feeling it?Is this thing tasty or not?You use it, not me.I have no feeling.Tasty?That's your feeling, still yours.Because we have this skin-feeling, I feel my hand is here.If the hand goes numb, you feel almost no feeling.That's not yours.I think therefore I am.I need to think of this as related to me, so it exists.If this thing isn't related to me, I feel it doesn't exist, not related to me.

So many passersby come and go whom you don't know — you feel it doesn't concern you.Passerby A, Passerby B — what's it to me?A dog hit on the roadside: a compassionate person pities him and chants a Buddha-name; an uncompassionate person — just an animal, what's it to me, he's him, you're you.Because we have these feelings, we feel the existence of me.My existence is nothing great; these feelings assemble you — because you have these feelings there is the existence of "me." If you take your feelings away bit by bit, that's death: eyes can't see, mouth can't speak, ears can't hear, body starts earth-water-fire-wind-space breakdown, legs crumble can't walk, hands crumble can't lift, body crumbles can't move, organs crumble you don't feel hungry, gradually dying.But one feeling still stays on the body — this is me, this body is mine.Awareness is still there.So you can never leave your body, can't be transferred.At an accident scene, why go call the soul?

Why does a Daoist or monk go call the soul?To draw out that awareness.Draw it to where?Home.You can't decide whether you can go home.A person has an accident outside — why go through soul-calling?Because he'll get lost there.Because he doesn't know he's dead.Because his body is there, he clings there, can't leave.So accident sites often have hauntings — fire scenes often haunted, and murder scenes haunted.He can't leave; his whole awareness fixes there, because that was his most important awareness, so it stays there and doesn't detach.A master or high monk must go draw that awareness away using a soul-calling banner.Draw it to where?Always draw it home.Must bring it back.Some are drawn to a temple.This drawing is very important — it guides you to walk.Not every soul can be drawn away.I've met many who couldn't be drawn — I went to handle them.Why couldn't they?Not every soul is so clever.No soul can tell what's real from fake, can't tell whether the "you" at this moment is dead or alive.Don't assume a dead person knows he's dead — not necessarily.

I think dying is like dreaming: seems real, seems fake; sometimes seems real but — dreaming feels real, so is the dream real, or is the current us real?If it's a good dream, we hope it's real; if a nightmare, we hope it's fake.Why?Real versus fake depends on dreaming versus waking.Awake, you say thankfully it was just a nightmare.If you don't wake?Entirely in a nightmare, because nobody can wake you, you can't wake either.So you're long in a nightmare, long in time; you don't realize that's you.A long dream becomes real.If it's a nightmare, how do you escape it when you can't wake and nobody can wake you?Long in a nightmare — fleeing, dread, fear, being hunted — this is what happens when you didn't settle karmic debtors before death: after death, when they appear, you're hunted for a long time, dunned for debt.Think — isn't that plot terrifying?

So first, you must have self-rescue ability at that moment.Thinking of new things isn't possible — the brain neurons stop then, you can only find things in the archive.Like dementia — can only speak of the past, not the future.Past events they keep telling, remember clearly, but recent events they can't recall.If your brain still has Buddha-names, mantras, Master's teachings, images of various deities — if these exist, they'll manifest, and the path brightens, you still have salvation.

If your brain has none of these memory contents, no road to walk.So chant mantras until very familiar — if you can chant in dreams, that counts as practice.Try.If you can chant the Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra in a nightmare, I'll hang a gold medal on you.Usually in a nightmare, you forget everything, can't recall anything.If you chant and don't meet a ghost — some people chant Amitābha and the ghost still doesn't leave.Ghosts aren't afraid of Amitābha — compassionate, right?"You can't punish me, you're Amitābha." So some chant Amitābha and it won't leave.You don't say Amitābha has no effect; keep chanting Avalokiteśvara, still no effect.In the end, what works?Five national curses, or three?The ghost disappears, you wake.Do curses work better than Buddha-names?Why?When a person curses, strong red light emits.Angry, afraid — the light turns dark.Ghosts approach based on your light.If you emit strong light, they don't dare approach.Normally, after holding mantras and chanting sutras, you have righteous energy; even very upright people, others don't dare approach — the light above is very bright.If mood is bad, sickness drains fighting power, depression — the light goes grey.Ghosts see he's "my country" — first thing: possession.Why?Because we're close, they stick on.

Second, they guide you to do what they did in life.So normally, build up bright light in us.Many mantras produce bright light in us.To accomplish soul-flesh separation, I think the best and easiest to practice: whether cremation, burial, or sea-burial — practice the Heart Sutra well.Practice to what?To where self-grasping is gone, then greed, anger, delusion, pride, doubt — the five poisons — are gone.Then you easily accomplish so-called soul-flesh separation, because you no longer cling to those things; you drop them when you say drop, won't look back.Simply: whatever remains of the flesh, it's just a carbohydrate, a pile of rotten meat, a shell — same as a cicada's cast skin.

A snake sheds its skin; it doesn't keep the skin, reluctant to let go, because it wants to grow.If it doesn't shed, it can't grow and will die.A snake that doesn't shed will die — strangled by its own skin.So it must shed to grow.A cicada that doesn't shed its shell can't leave; it stays underground 7 or 9 years, can't fly, that shell doesn't open, it can't spread wings and fly high, it's still inside the shell.A chick that doesn't break the shell can't survive — won't-break-shell chicks die inside.A full-term baby that doesn't come out — difficult birth — either mother dies or baby dies.

When the time comes, you must let go of this shell.The shell protects the chick; our body protects the soul so we can reincarnate and do many things.But a practitioner's angle differs.A practitioner thinks our body is a ritual implement — the best implement for training the soul.Buddhism says, Daoism says, "human birth is hard to obtain." Why?Only humans have essence, energy, and spirit — three.Only humans can absorb the essences of sun, moon, stars.So only humans can cultivate to become buddhas and bodhisattvas, or to produce an independent soul-flesh.Only humans can — because humans have wisdom.It's just that you've been covered, can't enlighten, so you can't leave this shell.Underground 9 years is 9 years; you can never fly out.

If a silkworm in the cocoon can't break through, it won't become a moth; it dies, dries out.We used to raise silkworms.If one didn't break out, cut it open — the pupa dried and died inside.If it can break through, it chews a hole and comes out, becomes a moth with wings.What does the moth do?Continue the next generation.If it can fly, it flies free, but its life isn't long; after continuing the lineage it dies.Its soul isn't a full three-soul — it's a partial soul.Insect souls are called partial souls — not even one full soul.Called "cripple," as in disabled — crippled soul.So many people, ghosts, punished by a dharma master for great sins, struck apart by heavenly thunder — "soul scattered to all directions" — ever hear that?

In puppet operas or films, "soul scattered" — the soul is incomplete, shattered.Shattered becomes "crippled soul," which becomes an insect.Insect lifespan is short, so becoming human form is very hard.To become human form — the Three Jewels gathered, Five Elements complete — is not simple.This is the best dharma implement.If you don't properly use this implement from birth to death this life, you've wasted this fine golden body.It can cultivate to become a bodhisattva, a buddha; it can cultivate to shed the mortal shell, to achieve soul-flesh separation, then be free, liberated from suffering.

The Buddha's liberation from suffering means leaving my fleshly-body awareness and creating a world and new realm that doesn't need a body, doesn't need this kind of painful torment.So from the Heart Sutra's view, almost the whole process tells you how to reflect on self.When looking at yourself, see something come out of it — otherwise why look?What's there to see?I'm just skin wrapping flesh, flesh wrapping bone, inside large and small intestines, blood — that's all.Just that.What's the other one?The other one comes to see: I have large intestine, small intestine, stomach, lungs, heart, liver, skin and flesh — who is this person?The Heart Sutra lets you split off and say there's another awareness that can look at your whole body inside and inner being.Gradually pull yourself apart, pull awareness apart.Look at the present you — then separated.Why?You're no longer one you — you've become two yous, one looking at yourself.Can you think it through?Another you has appeared, looking at yourself.When you look in a mirror, is the one in the mirror looking at you, or are you looking at the mirror, both there?Gradually train until you are the mirror-you, not the current you.Then you can do soul-flesh separation — soul and body cut like this.

Because our soul is sandwiched in our body, whatever we do isn't led by the soul; it's led by these twelve awarenesses.Just-mentioned eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind — only leading at the six-consciousness level.Because you don't need that much, God gave you only this much feeling.Is this what you want?What?Eating — taste — tasty or not.Eyes look — are color, scent, and taste complete; ears listen to what — light music; hearing nice words makes you happy, comfortable.Nose smells scent.These awarenesses satisfy your desire to eat.Other feelings — no demand.You only hear the sound in front; at most the garbage truck.You don't hear another world's sound.You can't hear what the animal's cry means.You have none of this ability, because you don't need it; this satisfies you.You only do what an ordinary person can — survival ability.You don't demand superior ability.

An ordinary person hears a dog bark all night — annoying — but what you hear is noise.If you had clairaudience, you'd hear what that dog is saying all night.Oh — the dog has been tied up; rope too short; can't sleep well, can't not sleep; the owner didn't feed him, hungry and cold; the rope is tied short; he can't rest well; uncomfortable; he's complaining and cursing!If you don't have clairaudience, you don't know what the dog means, so annoying, so angry.If you hear it, that's a dog in trouble; we should help, and the dog stops.Please neighbor — the dog isn't fed, rope too short, he can't sleep, no water, uncomfortable, keeps barking and crying.If you understand, isn't it different?

If you have the heavenly eye, you see things as beautiful.This girl is pretty, this guy handsome; you like him, want to pursue him as a wife.But with heavenly eye, you see: oh, it's a fox-spirit transformed, that's why so pretty, specializing in seducing men.Or a white-bone spirit sucking men's essence, energy, spirit; or a fox transformed, a peacock, even a pig.His soul's true body is that.Looking pretty doesn't matter.So with the heavenly eye, you won't cling to what you see, won't be infatuated.

With clairaudience, you must have compassion for sentient beings, because you can tell the cause of all their sounds.So Avalokiteśvara practiced ear-perfection — his ears, when hearing sentient beings' sounds, so he's called "hearer-of-sounds, savior-from-suffering." A dog barks, he knows its suffering; a cat cries, he knows its suffering; a ghost cries, he knows its suffering; a person cries, he knows the person's suffering.Cultivate the ear-faculty to clairaudience, and the realm is different.You're no longer a vulgar person.The ordinary person's living and life — already upgraded.

Why practice dharma?If in the end you're still a vulgar person, that's wasted practice.Your eye-realm is only this.Your ear-realm hears only good, not bad.Your mouth only eats tasty; unpalatable, you despise.Your realm is this.In Avalokiteśvara's ear-perfection, he says: I cultivated my ears to the end; my ears became perfectly fluent — ear function better than a bat's, with sonar.My ears can hear a sound from a hundred thousand leagues.I can understand all animal cries.I can understand all sentient beings' needs.So when the six consciousnesses are raised, you're no longer the vulgar person's awareness; look back at yourself: I'm just a moving lump of flesh, a thing that eats.Plants also absorb water; you eat, absorb nutrition — right?You're no different from plants.All animals also eat to survive, no different.Even pigs choose tasty from untasty.Our pig got used to eating toast — if it isn't toast, it won't eat.Pigs know tasty from not.So how are you different from a pig?Same, taste similar.If your level isn't deepened, all your behavior and expressions — eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind — corresponding to form, sound, smell, taste, touch, dharma — same as an ordinary person.Unless you properly train your awareness, properly train your self-grasping, properly put down your ordinary fleshly body, you can't find your soul.All truth inside the body is the soul, not the flesh.The one living inside is the real you.The house is just a shell for shelter.Those in mansions, in flat houses, in courtyard homes — all for shelter; luxury differs, but the people living inside are the same.The house just shelters.A bed is a bed.A million-dollar Simmons, very soft and comfortable — but the poor sleeping on straw mats are also cool, also sleep.You sleep 8 hours; he sleeps 8 hours.Same sleep, just for rest; their hearts don't ripple.Your heart shouldn't ripple either: why does he sleep on Simmons while I sleep on straw?Answer: it's just sleeping.Sleep on a 100,000-dollar bed, a million-dollar bed, or a straw mat — same sleep time, same waking, same answer.

So when your heart grasps equality — all the same — there's no good or bad, no stake.Then the heart is just calm.Calm."Without desire, firm." When I have no comparison, no right-and-wrong distinction, no big-small distinction, no interest distinction, no beauty-ugliness distinction, my heart is calm.If the heart is calm, afflictions and obstacles are gone.But because our demands are too many, comparisons too many, the heart can't be satisfied, can't be calm.The Heart Sutra helps you gradually see yourself.We must reflect on self to look at ourselves.The first line, "Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, coursing deep in Prajñāpāramitā," means: calm down, close eyes, turn around and look at yourself.Scan: what is this fleshly body for?Just to eat, sleep, make money?What else am I for?Where is my soul?Can I find him?I should chat with him.This is the Heart Sutra's realm.When you find where your soul is, awareness emerges.OK, I've found one; another — not this current one.When you establish another "me," the fleshly me and the other me will mutually illuminate each other.The character "illuminate" in "illuminated the five aggregates as all empty" means: as I reflect back and look at everything, I find past events unobtainable, present unobtainable, future unobtainable.Past affairs from now onward all gone, can't be reclaimed.The current me unobtainable, the future unobtainable.Since nothing is obtainable, what's the point?"Past mind unobtainable, present mind unobtainable, future mind unobtainable" — who knows tomorrow?That's unobtainable.The past is past, can't return, unobtainable.Only the present you has your feeling.Yesterday's you is gone.The future you — may or may not still be there, don't know.Only the present you exists.We only exist in the present, not in the past, not in the future.Only the present is you.The next moment, whether it's still you, we don't know.

The past you is long gone.So no past, no present-and-future — don't split time into past, present, future.Then we're sad; we often remember former people, pleasant and unpleasant; we cling to the past, fantasize about the future.Then you're disturbed in present behavior.So when past, present, future don't exist, it evens out.That's best, safest.

The whole Heart Sutra lets you gradually find back the real me — what is it.In potential development it's called getting another me inside, another child.We have a child inside; deep in the heart he knows you better than anyone.It's just that until you find the awareness, you can never understand yourself.You can only find other teachers to look at your Purple Star chart, find a little of yourself: oh, you're this kind, this kind of person."I didn't know before, this is me." Let the fortune-teller tell you it seems like this.Because using myself to look at myself becomes what?Referee and player.If using another you to look at you, it's fair.The flaw of self-grasping: being referee and player, not admitting the good and bad parts of my behavior, always thinking the good."I'm absolutely not like that, I'm absolutely good." So this person won't understand, can't repent for past, can't repent for former life; for the future he can't produce merit; the present he can't seize.So life is always drifting, can't advance.So we must earnestly learn Heart Sutra practice.

From chanting through dharma meaning to practice — advance through the Heart Sutra section by section.

Many chant it, but chant what?The condensed version — like this teaching: "Avalokiteśvara, coursing deep in Prajñāpāramitā" — chanting the condensed.But I recommend reading the original.The original is translated directly from the Great Treasury — the booklet from last week's Heart Sutra obstacle-clearing, the original I first handed everyone.Reading the original is smoother, clearer in meaning.The condensed is for memorization, easy to recite.The original has smoother phrases.Now if we want to do Heart Sutra practice, today I'll teach several methods.Normally, in doing Heart Sutra obstacle-clearing I'd teach disciples.For obstacle-clearing, 9 times; for perfection, 6 times.But the current Heart Sutra norm is to recite the sutra 3 times, the heart-mantra 21 times.I recommend chanting the original, chanting Master's liturgy, and the Chinese version I handed out last time.Chanting Tibetan or Chinese — merit the same.So chant 3 rounds of the original.After finishing, continue the heart-mantra 21 times.

But there's a key: in the liturgy there's a hand-clap section.Remember?The clap's purpose has four parts, in four passages.Clapping is shattering — I shatter the problem I face.Clapping requires a target.For treating illness, for depression or manic-depression, if the person isn't before me, I cut out a paper figure; if there's a photo, paste it on the figure's head.On top write "Oṃ Āḥ Hūṃ" — three characters — to signify consecration.Then, facing this figure, what's his problem — write it on the back.Relieve his depression, relieve his manic-depression, relieve his poverty — write it on, then face this person to practice.In front place a small sandalwood censer.For obstacle-clearing we burn what?Pogostemon seeds (po-bu-zi).Black sesame, white mustard — three.Below of course lay down obstacle-clearing powder.Our san-jing smoke offering obstacle-clearing powder — Tibetan obstacle-clearing powder — spread below, then put po-bu-zi on top.Pass around a po-bu-zi.In tantric fire offerings, po-bu-zi is used for destroying bad things.Also in empowerments: po-bu-zi is used to destroy impurity in our eyes, placed on the head.Chinese pharmacies sell it; this is po-bu-zi.

Method of practice: when you recite the sutra once or the heart-mantra 21 times, take po-bu-zi — 21 times, 21 pieces.Gate gate pāragate...drop in, destroy.Destroy — one round, two rounds — smoke rises, destroy what?Destroy what?Destroy what?Four lines total — destroy four lines.Each chant destroys what?The first line — nobody has the liturgy, I'll print one for you, you can see directly.In each section there are four destroying lines, all after reciting the Heart Sutra.Some have destroying lines in that Heart Sutra section.So at the clap part, you start throwing.Throw in, burn.If there's a target, use paper to cut a figure as substitute.If it's your enemy, cut a figure, write his name.Write on the back what you want destroyed, then write Tibetan "Oṃ Āḥ Hūṃ" for consecration.Use po-bu-zi, white mustard, black sesame.Burn in front of him, chant the Heart Sutra 3 times, heart-mantra 21 times, and at the destroying point, piece by piece clap down and burn.Clear so far?This is the technical operation.If the liturgy — Tibetan liturgy — hasn't been requested yet, chant this one: the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Heart Sutra, 3 times, mantra 21 times.Where does the clap appear?Take the Heart Sutra liturgy and look.Which section — look where it says to chant.Mark it on this copy, bracket the paragraph.There you perform the clap.The original Tibetan is called "three claps," the Heart Sutra Obstacle-Clearing three claps.

The last line is "all obstacle sources together," so there are four claps total — four claps.Bring a copy of the Heart Sutra liturgy.OK, let me see which section the clap is in.So you need to request the liturgy — whenever you can request, request together.Everyone has recited it once.Normally, if you want to do it yourself, first chant this Chinese.I'll tell you where the claps start.The clap verses I've prepared — I'll give one to each.Also a dedication after the clap finishes.No matter what demon — the Heart Sutra removes four kinds of demons.In Tibetan it's written as removing four kinds of demons, including the death-demon.Among the four demons: afflictions, five-aggregate demon, death-demon, desire-demon, affliction-demon.And five-aggregate demon — inexplicable disturbance.Four claps are at — bracket where they are.I'll print one for each.

Finally chant "not arising not ceasing, not permanent not cut off.All evil demons disobey, cherish life as truth.Just as in the past, heaven and earth rely on Prajñāpāramitā..." up to "believe, receive, uphold." What I give you ends with "hearing the Buddha's teaching, all greatly rejoice, believe, receive, uphold," right?After the liturgy there's prostration to Master, prostration to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha.I'll print it for you.After chanting through "all greatly rejoice, believe, receive, uphold," chant the sheet I give you — it has the four claps and the dedication after.When I say we can start requesting the manuals, please come request.Everyone has only cultivated it once; manuals need several cultivations before requesting again.

"Believe, receive, uphold" — now follows...I'll give you that sheet; you can start practicing.So the Heart Sutra in Tibetan is also called the Great Dharma of Obstacle-Clearing and Demon-Expelling.Avalokiteśvara transmitted the Heart Sutra: if you have obstacles in learning or seeking dharma, whether internal heart-demons, or material external obstacles, or even the fierce stars in Purple Star astrology — we can use this to do obstacle-clearing.In daily life, when there are problems hard to untie — obstacle-clearing dharma removes obstacles.We all have many obstacles — money, career, family, children, dharma learning, even health.How to clear health obstacles?Let me add: health obstacles — same, use a paper figure substitute.On the figure, mark your uncomfortable spot with red pen, circle it.Hand hurt — where?Draw a red circle there.Then cultivate obstacle-clearing for that body part.

Another method: buy self-adhesive round stickers from the stationery store, small.First paste on your uncomfortable area, 10 to 15 minutes, absorb the sick energy, then take it off and paste on the corresponding part of the paper figure.Two color options to choose from.Because the Heart Sutra doesn't distinguish — it has four methods (pacifying, increasing, magnetizing, destroying), four different lights.These four use four light colors: pacifying, increasing, magnetizing, destroying — white, red, blue, yellow.These four colors — if you want to write — four colors: pacifying white (pacifying calamity, illness, obstacle, deliverance of the dead), so treating illness also uses white; obstacle and deliverance too.This method isn't usually transmitted.Second, increasing — yellow light, yellow (increase wealth luck, benefit, money, harvest).Then magnetizing — red light, red (create connections, kinship, love, good affinity).Then destroying — blue (subduing ghosts, villains, evil persons, disturbance).How to use now?Buy stickers in four colors — white, yellow, red, blue.Mood bad, want to improve someone's mood — what color?Magnetizing, red — paste on his chest.Create the feeling of love.A coworker wants to harm you, constantly making trouble — cut out his figure, grab his FB photo online, paste the head on.On the head write Oṃ; throat write Āḥ; chest write Hūṃ.If you can't write Tibetan, write Chinese — that's consecration.If you want to subdue his heart, paste blue on his chest.Place it in front of you and start chanting the Heart Sutra liturgy.The whole Heart Sutra dharma, in its practice content, is very excellent — not just chanting.In the future, after finishing the Heart Sutra teaching, we'll all learn meditation, practice meditation by the Heart Sutra's steps.The steps go from "Avalokiteśvara" all the way to "gate gate pāragate...svāhā." Follow his progression — contemplate, look at myself.Put down everything; my work is only to observe my body, observe my inner being; nothing else — this is Avalokiteśvara.

"Coursing deep in Prajñāpāramitā" — I use the deepest gaze to look at myself; I no longer look outward.I look at the body, look inside me, look at my ease.Observe deeply inward, step by step.Observe until one day you "illuminate the five aggregates as all empty"; you'll find everything past, everything present — only memory remains, nothing exists, all is empty.Then awareness emerges.

On the figure, head write Oṃ, chest write Āḥ, heart write Hūṃ.Best to write Tibetan.Right — in exams you must write these three characters.As much as possible, Tibetan.Tibetan Oṃ Āḥ Hūṃ is easy to write; that means consecration.After consecration, start the dharma practice, then begin burning the auspicious items.This method I privately pass to you.On Saturday, if the lama comes to help us practice the Heart Sutra, probably we won't do this — we'll just chant with the wooden fish.Some things the lamas don't know.If I did it this way, the lama would feel: you called me — do my method.

I don't want them to steal it.This dharma is mine.Only our own disciples I teach; others I don't.What color pen?If you want to do it today — white pen you can't see, so generally we uniformly use black.For a magnetizing love-matter you can use red; mostly red; red is better for consecration.For Tibetan — if you can't — because I used my digital writing pad and it came up.Everyone practice Tibetan writing.Red pen: face write Oṃ, throat write Āḥ, Shanzhong-point (chest) write Hūṃ.That consecrates it.In dharma practice it's more powerful.I'll write it for you later.

Guidance: how to write Oṃ, Āḥ, Hūṃ.OK, written on the person — that's consecration.Then you must practice chanting Oṃ Āḥ Hūṃ seven times.Chant after writing is fine.If you can write and chant together — fine.The paper figure can only be consecrated.Other functions follow the four colors — pacifying white, increasing yellow, magnetizing red, destroying blue.Change mindset — paste on chest, because all demons arise from the heart-demon.For treating illness — hand hurts, paste on hand; head hurts, paste on head; foot hurts, paste on foot — to remove the illness obstacle.Like disease obstacle also for deliverance.You can also use the Heart Sutra to deliver someone, but — don't skip the deliverance ceremony after I teach you this.Then it's meaningless, because a ceremony gathers all merit power, even greater.So individually I allow you to practice.For deliverance, use white.

For villains harming, or persistent disturbances, use the destroying method.Of course, if the disturber has a specific target, if no target, this paper figure doesn't represent you or them — it represents the demon.Write on the paper figure "four" — 1234's four.Just mentioned: five-aggregate demon, affliction-demon, desire-demon — four demons.Write the four demons, plus illness-demon — these four demons.In Tibetan, four demons are affliction, five-aggregate, death, desire.You can add illness-demon — illness goes with death-demon; it's result-oriented.Death-demon prevents dying soon — remove the death-demon.For illness, remove the illness-demon.So if sick without a specific target, remove the illness-demon, remove these four demons.Five-aggregate demon is the usual — the five aggregates we discuss in the Heart Sutra, earth-water-fire-wind-space illness, "five aggregate heats." So illness-demon is almost within the five-aggregate demon; illness-demon shouldn't be placed with death-demon, should go with five-aggregate demon.Because the ailments arising from metal-wood-water-fire-earth — place illness-demon after five-aggregate demon; these two together can remove it.Without special need, we remove these four.You can also put the Purple Star chart in front.You want to remove these — actually, these fierce stars affect your mood, also affect your luck.If you want to cut off these stars' influence, I think it's impossible to make the stars totally disappear.The important thing: the stars disturb your heart, inevitable.Like the Yangren (Blade) star makes you suffer — but with obstacle-clearing, eating bitterness becomes nourishment.So a person provoking you — you can't slaughter him and solve the problem; it's not like that.If there's a next life, he'll still find you.Better handle the karmic knot between you.Even if you destroy him, the matter still exists.So rather than destroy him, resolve the matter — same principle, that's uprooting.Below must lay obstacle-clearing incense.When we do san-jing smoke offering, we burn that — tomorrow morning 11am san-jing offering.If you have no powder, request from Sister Jian.The po-bu-zi, white mustard, black sesame make noise when burned — popping — able to destroy.In the past when I did fire offerings, I added corn; corn pops like popcorn.Corn is useful too, but for small smoke offerings at home it's not suitable — it'd explode everywhere, dangerous.That's done at the end of fire offerings; smoke offerings — some kids want to pick up and eat the popcorn, so put corn to become popcorn for them.

So sometimes it's not just 3 and 21 — chant more if you have time.Standard: Heart Sutra 3 times, heart-mantra 21 times.Chant 3 rounds of the original, then after "believe, receive, uphold," I'll give you that sheet for the four claps, then they chant a dedication.For now this.But the dharma must keep being taught — if you don't hear the dharma meaning, the dharma power won't start.If you haven't heard me finish or heard the dharma meaning, your entire transmission's dharma power won't come out.So dharma must keep being taught.

Heart Sutra must keep being chanted.Come, let's practically do it well.Today your attendance is very worthwhile — this is something lamas won't teach.So in regular practice, if you've learned Kṣitigarbha's "Mantra of Settling Karma," you can add it in.Heart Sutra dharma isn't only Heart Sutra; your regular practice can be included.You can do them simultaneously, so don't abandon Kṣitigarbha's Settling-Karma Mantra just because of this.

Next, more important — two mudras.One is Avalokiteśvara's obstacle-clearing mudra.Avalokiteśvara promotes this — cultivating this dharma eliminates obstacles, so we use Avalokiteśvara's obstacle-clearing mudra.Second: because this is called Prajñāpāramitā Buddha-Mother, strike the Prajñāpāramitā Buddha-Mother mudra.The Buddha-Mother at last time's dharma assembly — on the obstacle-clearing plaque, that image is Prajñāpāramitā Buddha-Mother.Her samaya is the Heart Sutra scripture; her mudra is a scripture.The final completion sheet I give you — all have refuge, because mudras are rules only for refuge-taken disciples.

Then the first: this is Prajñāpāramitā Buddha-Mother Bhagavān, Prajñāpāramitā Buddha-Mother mudra, two palms joined.So when chanting Heart Sutra, first form the mudra, place at chest.In the mudra right hand is always on top.In meditation sitting, right leg on top.If overlapping left and right, right leg must stay on top.This is Prajñāpāramitā Buddha-Mother's mudra.When reaching obstacle-clearing, we start Avalokiteśvara's obstacle-clearing mudra.Form the obstacle-clearing mudra first; when you clap, release the mudra.Avalokiteśvara obstacle-clearing mudra: both index fingers bend down, thumbs press them; two hands cross outward, index fingers together bent inward, thumbs press index.The index finger is desire — eating is done by sticking finger to food.The thumb is wisdom — subduing desire; the others don't speak; bend in, index pressed, with thumb.Use wisdom to subdue your desire, thus removing obstacles.If a person has no desire, no obstacle.Demons come from desire.So in subduing the four demons, one is the desire-demon.The death-demon is unavoidable; just hope dying doesn't come fast.Five-aggregate demon — bodily aches, all metal-wood-water-fire-earth imbalance.So no afflictions in the five-aggregate demon.We subdue four demons; first subdue the desire-demon.With the desire-demon comes the affliction-demon.Then five-aggregate demon, illness-demon, death-demon.Humans succeed because of desire, and perish because of desire — desires to subdue the other, conquer, win.All desires create good karma and bad karma.OK, these two mudras.So normally when holding mantras, invite Prajñāpāramitā Buddha-Mother to bless; when reaching obstacle-clearing, switch to the obstacle-clearing mudra.Three claps — I'll give it to you.After "believe, receive, uphold" come three claps — actually four claps.In Tibetan it says three claps; the last one strikes away all, cuts off all, in the verse's end.After, add your intention — obstacle-clearing all together.So you do the obstacle-clearing in order, three times, three consecutive claps.

Generally blue.Only in doing the destroying method, with a triangular box for subjugation, I use black.In tantric fire offerings, for killing one wears black.I'd pick thorny plants, poisonous ones, burn them, aim at certain persons with a triangle; my offering tray would be triangular, wear black, burn poisonous plants, thorny plants, visualize that person in front, poison them.So tantric practice has good methods and also killing methods.I'm more compassionate; I won't do that to erring disciples; otherwise a lot.This is the Heart Sutra Dispel-Obstacle Clap Verse.After chanting "believe, receive, uphold," you prepare to continue with "Namo, prostration to Master" — the four refuges, don't forget.

The Exoteric school prostrates to three: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha.But if you're a tantric disciple, you prostrate to Master.Master is the source of all dharma.Still prostrate first.Four prostrations, not five.Right.

OK, we begin — after all "believe, receive, uphold," "Namo, prostration to Master, prostration to Buddha, prostration to Dharma, prostration to Sangha, most-victorious Buddha-Mother Prajñāpāramitā.Thus taking refuge and prostrating completely, may these words of truth, all accomplish as needed."

The Four Heavenly Kings contemplate the most-victorious Buddha-Mother Prajñāpāramitā's profound meaning; by the power of recitation, dispel all unfavorable conditions.I now, likewise, by this most-victorious Buddha-Mother Prajñāpāramitā's profound meaning, by recitation's power, in dharma teaching, hearing, contemplation, cultivation...remove all unfavorable conditions.May by the power of Master, Three Jewels, and the ten (quarters)...This is crucial."May by the power of Master, Three Jewels, and the earth-essence" — this is the point when you move all things.If you don't chant this line, you have no dharma affinity."May by the power of Master, Three Jewels, and the earth-essence" — this is borrowing power.So chant this line; it moves Master, then moves all buddhas and bodhisattvas' power to descend.Then do the four claps.Actually three claps; the last line covers all, so you must know your topic clearly.First, "Namo, prostration to Master, prostration to Buddha, prostration to Dharma, prostration to Sangha." Some say Vajra Monk — I taught before.We do Prajñā?From the start of chanting we recite "Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva..." We also use this.So this is the Heart Sutra's mudra, fitting Prajñāpāramitā Buddha-Mother, Heart Sutra.When we want to clear obstacles, we start the obstacle-clearing mudra, before and after clearing.During the actual clapping, that's not — unless to release and clap.

OK, first "dow-ba," second "mei-ba," third "shi-ba," fourth something "jia yi ge lao-du." All first — "may it block" — block, that is, stop in parallel.Say I have a lawsuit — the first.Second: "may it come to nothing" — blocked and stopped, becomes nothing, parallel.Finally, cut off — four stages.You must do all four stages: "may it block and stop" — what matter?Second: "may it come to nothing" — big matters become small, small become none.These four stages.Chant the Tibetan then follow with Chinese aspiration.

I'm now using the Chinese version for the practice; later in the liturgy it's Tibetan recitation of the Heart Sutra — same, three claps here.The previous liturgy also has three claps — don't do them, because I don't want them to learn it, since they don't have the mudras.I'll say first.If there's a lama, don't do it; I teach you — fear they'll copy.They don't know this unless they take refuge, then I'd give it.Just mentioned — prostration to Master — right leg always on top in meditation sitting.For prostration, you don't necessarily use the mudra I just gave — just join palms.Humble palms-joined: the middle must be hollow; two index fingers right pressing left — that's Maṇi jewel, empty-nature palms-joined Maṇi jewel.Right thumb pressing left thumb — called "golden-vase subtle word," Vajrayāna palms-joined.Not pressed flat.Right.Tuck thumbs inside.OK, this is prostration to Master.For prostrations to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, use this — humble palms-joined.Palms-joined.Mostly throughout we use Prajñāpāramitā Buddha-Mother mudra.During prostration, use humble palms-joined.Then start the clap, use Avalokiteśvara obstacle-clearing mudra.Open to clap, then restore to obstacle-clearing mudra.

Clap, clap again — got it?Yes or no?Like this: once, then start chanting the chapter head's clap, "dow-ba ji-ji" — may it be blocked and stopped.Lawsuit matter, clap.Again, Avalokiteśvara helps me clear obstacles.Again "mei-ba ji-ji" — come to nothing, clap.That simple.How could you not know?First, blood-sugar-lowering obstacle.Right.At that moment, clapping is useless.At that moment, biscuits work.Clear the steps; don't mix them up.If a lama infiltrates, don't do it.Previously only inner disciples were taught.Form mudra first.Chant and move, then clap.After finishing — last, "all demon obstacles exhausted without remainder, hsin dang gu-ru-ye svāhā," clap complete.Then chant the verse: "all demon obstacles exhausted without remainder, hsin dang gu-ru-ye svāhā."

"Extinguish 80,000 demon obstacles, middle and outer, favorable and adverse, all calamities depart; favorable conditions and resources perfect and quickly transform to realize; present ease, wondrous auspiciousness arrives."

You chant it...broad Buddha-speech...Right, here all join palms.Let's do once from start to end.See from page 11.For your info, Exoteric palms-joined is "all equal, sentient beings equal." Esoteric palms-joined — within emptiness there's Maṇi jewel, Maṇi jewel's secret hidden inside, it's locked.Not locked is "sentient beings equal," everyone same, no money, all no money.But I give you, the difference is here.Not that Exoteric is bad; Exoteric is by nature equality, right?Go to Tzu Chi and tell them you have no money, give me money to spend — so the real Vajra palms-joined is interlocked.This is Vajra palms-joined.Normally don't be too odd — just like this, so Exoteric looking at it won't find it odd, embarrassing, not seen.Secret here — called space-treasury hidden inside, thumbs tucked within.

In class we also do this, right?"There is form, perhaps non-no-form; in emptiness there's attainment, not nothing in emptiness." Why?Right?Secret hidden in the thumb.OK, begin chanting.We chant "Thus have I heard..." — first take the wooden fish and strike.Next time let's do the paper figure.

Let's continue.Liturgy begins...

"Thus have I heard.Once the World-Honored One was in Rājagṛha at Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, with 1,250 great monks, and all bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, surrounding together.At that time the World-Honored One entered the samādhi called 'profound radiance proclaiming the true dharma.' Then Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva was in the Buddha's assembly.This bodhisattva had already been practicing profound Prajñāpāramitā, observing the five aggregates as empty of self-nature.Then the Venerable Śāriputra, by the Buddha's supernatural power, addressed Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva, saying: 'If good men and good women wish to practice this profound Prajñāpāramitā dharma gate, how should they practice?' Then Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva told the Venerable Śāriputra: 'Now listen attentively.I will proclaim it for you.If good men and good women wish to practice this profound Prajñāpāramitā dharma gate, they should observe that the five aggregates are empty of self-nature.What is called the five aggregates' self-emptiness?That is: form is emptiness, emptiness is form; form is not other than emptiness, emptiness is not other than form.Feeling, perception, formations, consciousness are also like this.Śāriputra, all these dharmas have this empty characteristic: no arising, no ceasing, no stain, no purity, no increase, no decrease.Śāriputra, therefore in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, perception, formations, consciousness; no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, dharma; no eye-realm, no eye-consciousness-realm, up to no mind-realm, no mind-consciousness-realm; no ignorance, no end of ignorance, up to no old age and death, no end of old age and death; no suffering, origin, cessation, path; no wisdom, no attainment, nor non-attainment.Śāriputra, because of non-attainment, the Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva, relying on practice in accordance with Prajñāpāramitā, has mind without attachment, without obstruction.Because without attachment, without obstruction, no fear.Far from all inverted delusions, ultimately perfect quiescence.All Buddhas of the three times, relying on this Prajñāpāramitā, attain anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.Therefore, know Prajñāpāramitā is the Great Bright, the Supreme Bright, the Unequaled Bright, which can quell all sufferings and afflictions.This is the true, non-false dharma.All cultivators should learn thus.I now proclaim the Prajñāpāramitā Great Bright, saying: tadyathā, oṃ, gate, gate, pāragate, pārasaṃgate, bodhi svāhā.Śāriputra, all bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, if they can chant this Prajñāpāramitā bright phrase, are practicing profound Prajñāpāramitā.' Then the World-Honored One serenely rose from samādhi and praised Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva, saying: 'Excellent, excellent!Good son, as you have said, so it is, so it is.Prajñāpāramitā should be practiced thus.This is the true supreme ultimate.All Tathāgatas also rejoice.' The Buddha having spoken this sutra, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva, all the monks, up to the worldly devas, humans, asuras, gandharvas, and all great assemblies, hearing the Buddha's words, all greatly rejoiced, believed, received, and upheld."

Prepare to continue — normally chant 3 times.Due to time limits, Heart Sutra 3 times, heart-mantra 21 times.Then the Heart Sutra Dispel-Obstacle Clap Verse.

Then no wooden fish needed."Prostration to Master, prostration to Buddha, prostration to Dharma, prostration to Most-Victorious Prajñāpāramitā Buddha-Mother..." Avalokiteśvara obstacle-clearing mudra...not yet, "may it block and stop" what matter — speak internally, I want to block what matter — clap, turn and come back, obstacle-clearing mudra...Still joined palms like this, chant..."unfavorable conditions and obstacles all distant; favorable conditions and resources perfect and quickly transform..." perfect completion.End here.

Actually Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sutra practice has two meanings: one tells your own inner soul; one tells, teaches our karmic debtors and those obstructing us.And "I tell my soul" — in the Heart Sutra's merit this is said — then I also tell those troubling me, these Heart Sutra functions.The five aggregates all empty — finding me is useless, so look through.Internal and external, remove some bad things.The whole process is this.Of course, going home to start practicing — 3 rounds of Heart Sutra, 21 heart-mantras, then start obstacle-clearing.

Later when practiced to meditation, we use this mudra lowered.Because here it tires, place it at the navel; begin internally chanting the memory-version Heart Sutra: "Avalokiteśvara, coursing deep in Prajñāpāramitā..."

Turn the dharma wheel clockwise, chant in circles — at the final center chant the heart-mantra "gate gate pāragate...svāhā." Its central seed-syllable is Āḥ; Āḥ is "equality," so there's no enemy-versus-us.In the central seed-syllable we use Āḥ, in the end use the Āḥ character.

Āḥ is the Āḥ in Oṃ Āḥ Hūṃ.Āḥ can pacify all matters.The Āḥ just given — don't dot, no circle, no lower part — just this.Āḥ placed at the center, and the outermost chants "Avalokiteśvara, coursing deep in Prajñāpāramitā, illuminated the five aggregates as all empty, crossed over all suffering and calamity, Śāriputra..." Last, chant "gate gate...svāhā." If you chant 3 rounds of "Avalokiteśvara, coursing deep in Prajñāpāramitā..." then "gate gate...svāhā" 21 times, then Āḥ — the middle Āḥ — hold Āḥ.

Āḥ...From realm to heart-mantra to seed-syllable; from many concepts turning into one simple, finally only one Āḥ.Āḥ returns to the most natural.Āḥ must be used in deliverance.Āḥ is no discrimination, no hatred, no bad thing.

Sentient beings equal, most auspicious, nothing.We use Āḥ.In meditation, the seed-syllable's ending.Gradually, after dharma meaning is finished, we start practicing meditation.In meditation, start to purify your heart, use the Heart Sutra to purify, start turning the dharma wheel.First circle, turn larger, so the neighboring sound-array can also hear.

Chant "Avalokiteśvara, coursing deep in Prajñāpāramitā..." three times, then enter the second layer — heart-mantra.

Āḥ...Became a crow?Āḥ is one sound; the mouth doesn't say Āḥ, Āḥ in the heart, breath follows breath.Āḥ exists here; the brain only has Āḥ, the heart only Āḥ.The brain is calm.Āḥ pacifies all troubles.

Obstacles, pressure, depression — annihilated in Āḥ.Because Āḥ has no high or low tone, called equality-sound.In Japanese Shingon, many high monks and ācāryas — when meditating, hang an Āḥ before them, "Āḥ-contemplation." Observe an Āḥ until brainwaves calm.Then the brain has no fluctuation, heartbeat normal, breathing normal, all unified, peaceful.Then the heart is peaceful, body balanced, heart balanced, soul balanced.Inside balanced, those outside troubling you balanced.No one fights, calm.From calm, another wisdom emerges — "because of nowhere to abide, mind arises." So first pacify yourself, and your wisdom emerges.If you're loud and squawking, no wisdom emerges — only using your current knowledge and eloquence.Calm down, then wisdom emerges.Loud people have no wisdom.In calm, wisdom emerges.

For any decision, first chant the Heart Sutra 3 times, heart-mantra 21 times, then decide.Still turn the dharma wheel.Don't decide so fast."Is this investment good?" "Very good." Then down.Look at the Purple Star chart first, calm down."Is this matter good or not?"

First pray to Bhagavān, Buddha-Mother, Prajñāpāramitā Buddha-Mother.If no answer in the spirit, form the mudra, chant "Avalokiteśvara, coursing deep in Prajñāpāramitā...svāhā." Finally condense into one Āḥ.Then look at this Āḥ — ask Prajñāpāramitā Buddha-Mother to decide for me, good or not — your heart has the answer.For obstacles, do the same.If inconvenient to burn — office with AC — a steamer-smoke device can't be burned.Same thing.Walk the obstacle into the Āḥ to annihilate, clap.

Never heard the Heart Sutra was so useful — can be used so brilliantly.In offices with AC, with a steamer no burning — do it inwardly, make an inner fire offering.In office you can't burn, white mustard and black sesame smoke — do internally.Also clap.Claps aren't excessive, right?Four items.When chanting — if you can't memorize the original, memorize the condensed."Avalokiteśvara..." — easy to memorize.

Chant daily and memorize.Second, the heart-mantra must be memorized.

Third, the Āḥ as the central target.Everything touching Āḥ equalizes, no strife.That's called alpha wave, equality, not-arising-not-ceasing.The Āḥ seed-syllable and sound mean not-arising-not-ceasing, continuous without break, so they have no coming and no going, not-arising-not-ceasing.The Āḥ seed-syllable's pronunciation means not-arising-not-ceasing, sentient beings equal, no war, no strife, most peaceful without fluctuation.So it's called the meditation wave.Japanese Shingon all practice Āḥ-contemplation.Ācāryas, Vajra masters all practice Āḥ-contemplation.In the meditation room an Āḥ is hung; they sit facing the Āḥ.Yes.Quite powerful.So use Āḥ to dissolve all afflictions, obstacles, matters — even villains can be eliminated.

I had an old treasure-revealer (terton) in his seventies — a tantric terton.I went with him to Baoshan, then along the way delivered victims of a China Airlines crash.We used Āḥ to deliver."Āḥ" — a water bottle, place a cord inside, with Āḥ draw them up.Place a pure-water bottle, drop the five-color line, visualize all crash victims coming to the bottle to receive nectar, then draw them up one by one."Āḥ..." quite moving.Use Āḥ for deliverance.Hūṃ is for breaking; Oṃ is for beginning.Oṃ Āḥ Hūṃ — three meanings: Oṃ begins, Āḥ pacifies, Hūṃ breaks.Today spoke too much — not very good.So coming today, your merit is good.The old rule — only entering-the-room disciples were transmitted this.

Excerpted from a teaching by the Venerable Master Urgyen Topden Rinpoche, 2020.10.24.