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Sutra on the Enjoyment of the Ultimate Dimension 5
In 2010 at Upper Hamlet, the chanting of the Heart Sutra reached only about 50–60% because the teacher was still learning to chant, while the Heart Sutra is a Dhāraṇī, a supreme mantra, and it is necessary to preserve the original tonal marks—sắc, huyền, hỏi—to maintain the rhythm, without distortion or omission. Besides the Heart Sutra, it is necessary to revise the Four Recollections in English and compose new music to maintain solemnity and effectiveness. Before chanting, we learn to listen to the bell to invite our ancestors, descendants, and every cell in our body to listen together, because the sound of the bell has the capacity for deep healing and nourishment.
Prostration is “touching the earth,” not an act of supplication but a spiritual yoga that harmonizes body and mind through meditative contemplation. We must contemplate non-discrimination between the one who bows and the one who is bowed to, realizing that both are of the nature of emptiness. Thus, when bowing:
- Knees touch the earth, left hand raised: “This is my mother”; right hand raised: “This is my father.”
- Forehead touches the earth: “This is my teacher,” and behind are my ancestors.
- Invite mother, father, teacher, ancestors, siblings, descendants to bow down together.
- After three deep breaths of contemplation, the sound of the bell signals to stand up.
Reciting the name of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (Namo Avalokiteśvarāya) with reverence helps to transform sexual desire, anger, and ignorance, turning negative energies into peace and clarity. Building the Sangha is an essential mission: every peaceful step, every breath, every smile, every act of cooking or cleaning contributes to nourishing the Sangha. Walking meditation is to play in the Pure Land right away, reciting “With each step, I enter the Pure Land” with the breath, so that each step touches the realm of purity.