On the first Saturday of each month many of us gather for a deep study into a Buddhist sutra or other important Buddhist work. This started almost thirty years ago, soon after Tendai Buddhist Institute was established. Originally it was called ‘A Survey of Buddhism’ because the first work we explored was a fairly dense work of the same name by Sangharakshita. This was meant to be an introduction to Buddhism. Over time this class morphed into what it is today.
During these many years, almost thirty, we have examined the Lotus Sutra, Readings of the Lotus Sutra, Diamond Sutra, Heart Sutra, Śrīmālādevī Sutra, and many more. Currently we are exploring the Vimalakīrti Sutra. The method we use is that which I was exposed to during my time at Taisho University in Tokyo. The Heart Sutra took us two and a half years to complete. Considering how short that sutra is it provides a measure of how extensive was the probe.
Not coincidentally, it is also a way in which the Jewish Talmud class I attended at synagogue was conducted many years earlier. A painstaking examination of a work, line by line, word by word, including commentary, footnotes, etc. is employed. In the last monthly sutra class, we managed to cover four and a half pages of text. I suspect some people find the method way too plodding; slow and methodical.
The people partaking of this class is a handful contrasted with the number who may attend our regular weekly gatherings. Clearly such a close examination of canon, or related does not attract everyone. However, those who do attend find it valuable. The charm to me is that the subject itself is of great importance. More importantly, one finds the landscape to be much more fascinating by virtue of the time we take to concentrate on it.
The normal method of study may be like driving a car through the countryside. One sees the sights whiz by, we see what is there and can appreciate it. Then there is riding a bicycle through the same countryside. The details become more pronounced, and the features stand out with greater clarity. Walking the same terrain results in a much different view. The clarity that is experienced is at a totally different level. We notice the small flowers, the irregular rocks, the color of the bark on a tree, in a way that whizzing by in a car, or pedaling on a bicycle do not afford. There is a clarity when we slow down and traverse the space with care and attentiveness.
The value of the sutra classes is at several levels. In the Kaikyoge we recite, “Now I have a chance to discern and listen to the Dharma. I wish to understand the real intention of the Tathagata”. That is the explicit reason we study the sutras and associated work. There is the act of study as a form of devotion. We also find ourselves taking paths, tangents if you will, that sticking to the highways or bike trails do not permit.
During a deep discussion we find ourselves investigating the teachings as they apply to our everyday life. Zhiyi referred to this as the fourth type of contemplation as ‘neither sitting nor walking’ meditation. In other words, contemplation is not restricted to sitting only, walking only, and sitting and walking, the other three types of meditation. I should mention that the fourth type of mediation takes a fair amount of discipline. It is not as easy as it sounds, thus having ways of modeling it is useful.
To take the time to examine sutra with care, without the constraints of a time limit has rewards that are immense. If you have not already done so, give the monthly sutra class a try. We welcome one and all to join us.
Gassho with love . . . Monshin