The Heart Sutra is the essence of the wisdom teachings of liberation. It is a summary of the Buddha’s awakening experience under the Bodhi Tree. This dharma talk explores and clarify the wonderful yet highly misunderstood teachings of emptiness. Empty of what? Emptiness does not mean annihilation or nihilism or that you do not exist. After investigating all 5 skandhas / aggregates – form, feeling, perception, mental formations and consciousness we find them empty of a permanent, enduring, separate, self.  Yet this emptiness is full of life overflowing with inter-being, the birds, trees, sky, forest and all beings inter-are woven into a seamless totality.

This teisho was given by Subhana Barzaghi, roshi at Autumn sesshin 2024 at Kodoji