In this episode I complete my line-by-line exploration of the Heart Sutra I cover what the sutra means when its says "there is no" such-and-such, why it proceeds through such long lists of things that don't exist the way we conceive of them (and what those lists refer to), and the significance of the mantra presented at the end

The Heart Sutra is probably the best-known Buddhist text in the world It's less than 250 words long and considered to present the essence of Mahayana Buddhism However, its meaning – and its attraction to Buddhists – may not be immediately evident! In this episode, I first recite the Heart Sutra for you and give you a brief overview of its history to provide you with a little context Then I start working my way through the text line by line, offering definitions of terms, explaining references, and giving you a sense of the teaching being conveyed I'll finish the line-by-line analysis in the next episode

In traditional Zen practice, we have a lot of what we call “forms” Forms are the established ways we enact our practice with our bodies they include the ways we move in the meditation hall, sit in the meditation posture, place our shoes outside the door, chant and offer incense, show respect for one another, eat communal meals, and enact our rituals and ceremonies Why do we have so many forms instead of just going with the flow and letting people do things the way they want to