Who Am I? The Meaning of Emptiness Is Not Nothing - with Ven. Robina Courtin (01/02/2014)

Описание: We recite the Heart Sutra as a regular part of our practice, yet the core phrase we recite, "Form is empty, emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form," seems mysterious. What does it mean? The same is said for sensations, emotions, thoughts, as well as matter itself. Even how we look at "me/mine."

When we think about and meditate on this, we sometimes think that "empty" means nothing. Depressing! Emptiness is not "nothing!" The word "emptiness" is just the translation of the Sanskrit "shunyata," or in Tibetan "tong-pa-nyi," which have very different meanings and associations than the English word "emptiness." With this class we will learn some of the deeper meaning of these concepts, and how, surprisingly -- very surprisingly! -- this deeper understanding leads to a profound sense of fullness and liveliness in our relationship with ourselves and the world.

Biography

Born in Australia in 1944, Ven. Robina Courtin spent the early part of her life studying classical singing, being involved with the radical left/feminist activism and then, in her quest for a spiritual path, studying martial arts. She became a student of Lama Yeshe and was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun at Kopan Monastery in 1978. Since then, she has worked full-time for the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) in several roles; editorial director of Wisdom Publications, editor of the Mandala Magazine, and director of the Liberation Prison Project. Since 1987 she has taught Buddhist courses and retreats at FPMT centers worldwide. Well-known for her intense energy and no-nonsense manner of expressing her profound understanding of Buddhist philosophy, Ven. Robina is the subject of an award-winning documentary, "Chasing Buddha" and a film by Christine Lundberg called "On the Road Home".