Dharma Realm Buddhist Young Adults

Knowing versus Doing

by Franklyn Wu

It was the first Sunday of the retreat. The topic for the evening lecture was cause and effect. The hot weather plus the fact that I got up at 3:30 that morning made me sleepy. I struggled to follow the 10 grounds (of Bodhisattvas), and the 4 stages (of Arhats), and the 33 heavens on the board. I was trying really hard not to think, "an academic from Stanford can tell me about all these terminologies, but how do they relate to the Shurangama and causes and effects?" Just when I was about to blank out, the Dharma Master made a statement that made all the difference in the world for me. She said, "Arhats are really good with principles; Bodhisattvas are great with specific matters". She further explained that Bodhisattvas not only understand the principles perfectly, but they have the courage and the strength to carry them through. This statement spurred storms of reflections in my mind about my "practices", which I soon realized were non-existent.

Summary by David Yin

The Shurangama retreat was the first 2-week Dharma practice and study retreat organized by DRBY. Focusing on Vol 4 of the Shurangama Sutra - It consisted of three lectures and a nighttime discussion every day. The participants were presented with a variety of topics: the creation story of Buddhism, karma, 8th consciousness, 5 skandhas (form, feeling, cognition, formation, consciousness), emptiness, morality, principles, wisdom, and compassion.

For many, this retreat deepened their perceptions of Buddhism. People who have grown up with a Buddhist background realized how everything fit together. Others, not so familiar with all the terminology, still got a taste of the holistic view of reality presented by the Buddha. Although this was not an entry point for a person unfamiliar with Buddhism, DM Heng Chih made the material comprehensible for as many people as possible. Complex ideas were further elaborated upon by analogies and were followed by lengthy question and answer periods.