Bro Teoh’s WPCS Sunday class dated 6th May 2018

Dear Kalyanamittas,

Below are the audio links  and outline short notes to our above 6th May 2018 Sunday class recording for sharing by all.

Outline pointers for 6th May 2018 Sunday class sharing

Chapter viii – Difficult questions Pages (369 – 370) and Chapter ix Proclamation were discussed:

  1. What are true merits?
  • True merits are pure merits performed without the ego/personality and the 3 evil roots.
  • Tainted merits are not pure merits. These merits are tainted with ‘self’ and ‘greed’.
  • Must one always sit in meditation to realize enlightenment (liberation of mind)?

2. Not necessary. Daily mindfulness to cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path in the midst of life is the way. The form and mind is not a permanent unchanging entity. The form and mind exist dependent on conditions. When one realizes this, there will be no more delusion to arise the grasping. When the Buddha realized this, he came to great awakening.      3. A real cultivator is not dependent on whether one is a monk or a layperson. Its sincerity, understanding and virtue that makes a person a true cultivator. It is the virtue and wisdom within our nature that counts, not the external appearancestatus and title.

  1. With the Bodhisattva vows, the Bodhi mind will be there then even if the Sasana is not around, one will still have the conditions to encounter the Buddha’s Teachings when born as a human being.
  2. Rare is it to be born a human, even rarer is it to encounter the Teachings. Now that we are born human and have the Teachings and the sasana within our reach, do not forsake the great opportunity to cultivate.
  3. PG shared her recent 1 week Mahayana chanting retreat experience at Cameron Highlands.
  4. Sister Lee shared a story of a 100 year old lady who recently passed away recently. This lady who was illiterate cultivated via just chanting Kuan Yin’s name. She realized that cultivation is in the mind hence can be done anywhere and not at a specific place.
  5. Bro Teoh explained the 3 types of Dharma friends.

(Note: above outline draft is prepared by Sister Mun Yuen)

Bye! and with metta always,

Teoh

From: Ms Lee Siew Gaik

[06/05, 21:37] Lee Siew Gaik:

https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/73-6th-Patriarch-6-May-2018.mp3

or at:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a8m3i7xk7hlawu6/73%206th%20Patriarch%206%20May%202018.MP3?dl=0

73 6th Patriarch 6 May 2018.MP3

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Bro Teoh’s 15th April 2018 Sunday class recording

Dear Kalyanamittas,

Below are the audio links to our last Sunday’s 15th April 2018 class recording for sharing by all.

Bye! and with metta always,

Teoh

Short notes for WPCS 4th March 2018 Sunday class and Short notes for talk on 1st March 2018

Short notes for WPCS 4th March 2018 Sunday class

  1. The form and mind goes the way of nature, i.e. they are impermanent and therefore it is empty. If one grasp and cling onto the form and mind, it will lead to suffering. The mundane mind is the mental aspect of the 5 aggregates of form and mind. Feeling changes all the time hence the mind’s fleeting nature.
  2. All sensual pleasure is a prelude to suffering. Sensual pleasure means pleasure or desire derived from the conditions arising world just like your wealth, title, reputation, loved ones, etc. which are all impermanent.
  3. The above sentence is true only when one perceives the world with the deluded mundane mind, i.e. with no understanding.
  4. The above sentence is no longer true if there is understanding because there will be no attachment to the condition world. Understanding will free your mind.
  5. From Karma point of view, one must understand that our form and mind is subject to karma hence it has its duty towards nature and you can love your loved ones whole heartedly but you must have no attachment towards them.
  6. Shen Hsiu’s incorrect teaching:
  • Dwell with the mind. (By dwelling you make the mundane mind active hence no more silent mind);
  • Contemplate stillness. (Implies attachment to the calm state of mind);
  • Sit up all the time without lying down. (Not natural and cannot be in a state of relax to develop the daily mindfulness)

The true mind (which is the silent mind in pure awareness) doesn’t dwell. The silent mind is obscured when thought and emotion arise. The conditioned or focus mind in concentration is not free. Mind in Samadhi is free, collected and unwavering.

  1. Hui Neng’s true teaching:
  • Realize the true mind. Work on the true nature, not the body and the mundane mind.
  • The true mind does not dwell.
  • Not necessary to sit still but be mindful of all actions, movements and anything that arise in the midst of life (daily mindfulness). When you force yourself to sit, it is a conditioned state and there is resistance to the sitting.

The mind dwells when it perceives and when thought focuses on something and input the content of consciousness. However, we need to use the mind to live life, just do not proliferate the arising thoughts. Realise that a lot of the thoughts are unnecessary. Know how to use thoughts with wisdom to arise only the right and wholesome thoughts. Always accord and flow with conditions and act with wisdom following Noble 8-fold path.

  1. When the mind is calm, it has clarity and it is peaceful and happy. When there is no more mental hindrances, the spiritual faculties of sati will take over and the mind can be in sati to detect the very subtle mind and physical movements.
  2. Endurance via understanding is non-resistance. Moving to make yourself comfortable is not endurance. Just relax.
  3. If the mind is silent, nothing will disturb it, not even in the midst of a storm. The mind will not be drawn into any phenomenon. It will not be affected or disturbed by any conditions.
  4. Factors of enlightenment are: Sati (mindfulness) → Dharmavicaya (Dharma investigation) → Viriya (spiritual zeal) → Piti
  5. Fantastic meditative experiences and special feelings or sights during meditation should not be mistaken as a sign of progress unless it can give rise to wisdom. Usually it is just nature’s blessings and something to help increase the faith.

Short notes for talk on 1st March 2018

  1. Today is Chap Goh Meh, the last day of the CNY 2018 celebration. The lunar calendar of the Chinese culture has evolved through careful observation and astronomy. Bro Teoh said, over the last thirty years or so, civilization has evolved and progressed very rapidly. With the understanding of dharma, life can become very meaningful and beautiful. Our present Sasana is also very unique because this is the golden era where the consciousness has evolved beautifully and many cultivators will progress very fast. Bro Teoh mentioned that while surfing the internet recently, he came across a lot of wise people having the ability to share the rather profound teaching of Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching). Nowadays, the consciousness is so developed that people can understand this great teaching. Bro Teoh shared a video on Master Hsu Yun. The Master mentioned that when you meditate, behave like a ‘dead’ person and continue to develop the silent mind. Even when thoughts arise, do not worry but relax and be at ease. This also explains the opening verse of the Heart Sutra: `自在菩萨 …. When Bodhisattva at ease (Avalokiteshvara) was cultivating the profound prajna paramita, he illuminated the five skandhas and saw that they are all empty, and he crossed beyond all suffering and difficulty.’ So, the Bodhisattva is always at ease (自在菩萨). Real emptiness is to be awakened to. Technology has given us the opportunity to listen to such profound teachings.

 

  1. Bro Teoh emphasized the need to train the mundane mind so that we can use the trained mind state to develop the meditation in the midst of life and be aware every moment, every instant from within. Most human beings are not conscious of life but instead they are constantly lost in thought most of the time via thinking, reacting, planning and worrying about life. Without the dharma, we cannot cope with life. Most people focus and concentrate on what they want to achieve through hard work, striving diligently to be successful. This is the mundane way to develop success. However, the spiritual approach is to train the mind to see things clearly and act via wisdom instead of following what the mind tells us. Acting according to memory is not acting at all because our accumulated memories are either good or bad. When we react to life so often, these habitual tendencies will condition us to be heedless thus hindering the mind from entering the meditative state of inner peace and inner calmness.

 

  1. Bro Eric apologized for turning up late for the class. He mentioned that he was very angry during driving leading him to take the wrong way thus arriving late for the class. Bro Teoh make use of Bro Eric’s experience as conditions to share the dharma. When you are angry or unhappy, the evil roots are present, creating conditions for other things to happen. Without clarity and understanding, we will make wrong decisions. The thinking mind reacts very fast bringing about negative mind states that condition negative karma to arise. Anger is a very negative emotion. Bro Eric continued to explain that he had not been listening to the dharma for quite some time. Bro Teoh further explained that the habitual tendencies will arise due to long periods of heedless thinking. This will further condition the mind to `chatter’ and get caught in a cocoon of thoughts. When we are mindful, we are sensitive and aware. So, all these cannot happen. It is important to tell yourself, `I will never allow these ‘evil roots’ to arise no matter what happens.’ Hence, if we are not mindful, the evil roots will take over. We should bear in mind how to apply the following right effort to abandon the wrong thoughts:
  2. a) Think of the direct opposite wholesome thought (anger is not you but condition-arising);
  3. b) Think of the consequence of holding on to those wrong thought;
  4. c) Silent the mind and maintain awareness (this is the meditative approach);
  5. d) Trace the origination factors and retrospectively reverse it (the wisdom approach);
  6. e) Finally, if all these fail, then with your teeth clenched and tongue against the palate, abandon the wrong thought (by sheer will-power).
  7. To prevent such wrong thoughts from arising, we should straighten our views through reflection and contemplation. When we do this, one day, we can awaken to this wisdom and the mind will not behave in the old way anymore. Then, a new way of life takes over. This becomes mindful living because even the slightest movement of the mind can be felt. We must be determined to have this mindfulness to be aware. Then, we can transform from a heedless way to a heedful way of living. Finally, Bro Teoh reminded us to ask questions because it is the fastest way to learn the dharma because it sets the conditions for dharma to unfold. All of life is dharma and nature is our best and greatest teacher. Nature has its own set of nature’s laws so if we know these laws we will know how to live life and we will not get entangled in life.

Re: 69th lesson of the 6th Patriarch Platform sutra

Re: WPCS Sunday class recording dated 25th Feb 2018

Dear Kalyanamittas,

Below are the audio links to our recent Sunday’s WPCS Sunday class dharma recording for sharing by all. Please do listen to rather beautiful sharing given. Also attached are the short notes for this sharing.

Re: Short notes for our 25th Feb 2018 WPCS Sunday class

  • During meditation just relax body and mind and maintain silence and let the thoughts arise because the untrained mind is heedless and it thinks a lot. Do not worry about them as they will dissipate away if you don’t feed them with anymore thought energy. This does not mean we should ignore or be indifferent towards the thoughts that arise. We must understand that we are heedless because we have not trained this mundane mind which lacks the 5 spiritual faculties and having wrong views. Understand this and just let things be via not trying to fight or suppress or control the thoughts.
  • Wrong views (especially self-delusion) stir one’s mind to create dualities, i.e. good and bad, right and wrong etc. Self-delusion give rise to the ego to arise the possessiveness where one will then grasp and cling onto the phenomena world of consciousness believing that they are real. As a result when things do not go our way, we become unhappy. We then start to project our thoughts leading to all the fear, worry, anxiety, sorrow and lamentation etc.
  • To train the mind to be heedful to arise the silent mind, we can first begin with the mind sweeping method and metta to de-condition the heedless thinking to arise the silent mind. Then stabilise it via Anapanasati leading to mindfulness and heedfulness. When we are just mindful of the in and out breath without thought we have Sati (i.e. awareness and the breath move as one, with no thoughts). Alternatively we must train the mind to cultivate the 5 spiritual faculties to overcome the 5 mental hindrances.
  • Just relax and silent (to maintain awareness). When we are just aware without thought, we will become calm leading to piti and sukha. Then continue to relax and maintain awareness until passadhi or tranquillity of mind arise. This is the silent mind, the meditative mind in sati that can awaken to realise the wisdom via the direct seeing.
  • Common mistakes of cultivators are:
  1. They try to suppress and control thoughts via method and techniques to focus and fix the mind so that thoughts cannot move or wonders off. But this is not a free mind, it is a conditioned focus mind in one-pointedness or samatha concentration leading to jhanas and energy fields. Instead of cultivating  Anapanasati (which is mindfulness of the in and out breath) they focus on the breath to develop the samatha concentration to stop or suppress the thinking;
  2. Another common mistake is verbalization via the noting method leading to thought-based meditation where the cultivator are also required to slow down all their actions and movements like walking, sitting, standing, turning, bending, etc. and are told that this is Vipassana or insight meditation. However, Vipassana is not a method or a technique but it is an understanding or an awakening that arise via insight into the 3 Universal True of impermanence, non-self and suffering via the direct seeing with the silent mind. Just be AWARE of all actions, movements and vibrations within the body and mind without verbalization.
  • Don’t stir the mind means not having likes and dislikes. Don’t arise dualities. The mind will then be still by itself. Likes and dislikes, are the first 2 mental hindrances of sensual desire and ill-will.
  • The highest meditation is to be aware of all moments and actions in the present moment which is the daily mindfulness cultivation or Mindfulness and clear comprehension cultivation in daily life.
  • Questions asked:   a) Is verbalisation the same as suppressing and controlling thoughts?  b) Do we ignore thoughts that arise in meditation and in daily mindfulness?   c) Do we meditate until there is no meditator?  d) Is the silent mind a prerequisite to meditation?                                                                            (Note: Draft Short notes prepared by Sister Mun Yuen)

With metta always,

Teoh

From: Sister Lee Siew Gaik

https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/68-6th-Patriarch-25-Feb-2018.mp3

or at:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/53d62f08z0j6bhe/68%206th%20Patriarch%2025%20Feb%202018.MP3?dl=0

68 6th Patriarch 25 Feb 2018.MP3

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Bro. Teoh’s Sunday class dated 21st Jan 2018 recording

Dear All,

Below are the audio links to our Bro. Teoh’s WPCS Sunday class dated 21st Jan 2018 recording for sharing by all. It is a very Highly Recommended talk. Please do listen to it attentively to develop the clear understanding of the beautiful dharma shared. The short notes to the talk are also included below for your easy reference to help u understand better:

Short notes for WPCS Sunday class dated 21 Jan 2018

  1. The human being consists of the 5 aggregates of form and mind, i.e. the physical body(1st aggregate of form) and mind (which has 4 more aggregates of mind). The ‘form and mind’ come into being as a result of Karma, i.e. it is dependent originating – arise due to causes and conditions. The ‘form and mind’ (which is the human being) exists but it is not a permanent unchanging entity hence not you.
  2. When we meditate via the silent mind (without any interference from our views, opinions, scars of memories, conditionings, traditions and belief systems etc.) to see things as they are, we will be able to insight into the 3 universal characteristics of nature to realise that this ‘form and mind’ is not us (self).
  3. In cultivation, we should allow thoughts to arise and pass away naturally and not to suppress, control or resist them. When we try to control, resist and suppress thoughts, unwittingly we are actually using another thought to resist or stop these thoughts. When we do this we are using thought to meditate leading to ‘thought-based meditation’. Who meditates, who note? The thought! So whenever there is a ‘meditator’, there is no meditation because thought cannot realise the enlightenment which is beyond thought and beyond time. Before one is enlightened thought is always egoic.
  4. Dhammapada verses 21, 22 & 23 confirm the importance of Heedfulness in meditation and since Heedfulness = ever mindful + constantly meditative (cultivating the Noble Eightfold Path); first we need to train the mind to be mindful then stabilise it to be ever mindful. After that use it to meditate via following the below steps:

(a) Train the MUNDANE mind to be quiet and mindful via the mind sweeping method and metta.

(b) Then stabilise this quiet mind via Anapanasati to be ever mindful in the midst of life to cultivate the Noble 8-Fold path via the daily mindfulness. Meditation is to be constantly aware via the silent mind to observe, understand and insight into phenomena to develop the wisdom.

(c) Why Anapanasati? Because the breath is always in the present moment hence when we are mindful of the in and out breath we cannot think, we are always aware. Then relax into every mind state that arise to realize the piti, sukha, passadhi (or tranquillity of mind), and the silent mind (which is the meditative mind or mind in sati). When mind has entered sati the daily mindfulness will arise naturally because by then all of sense experiences like seeing, hearing etc will be in sati all the time.

  • Mind is the forerunner of all things. When mind arise all of the phenomenal world and the myriad creation will also arise. The mundane mind then via its own self-delusion clings and grasps onto the ‘form and mind’ and phenomenal world thereby causing the human being to go through endless circles of births and deaths (samsara).
  • PG shared her experience of having disturbing thoughts and how she overcame them by just observing them via the silent non-reactive mind. When she started to observe these thoughts silently, there was no more mental energy channelled to feed the arisen thoughts. There was no more ill-will (or aversion) towards those thoughts or desire to stop those thoughts. The thoughts then slowed down and finally ceased or stopped by themselves via returning to their original state before the stirring.
  • People think the mind must be quiet when in meditation but this is not the correct understanding because meditation means to silent your mind to observe and understand with the true mind (without thought) to develop the wisdom. Observe the chattering mundane mind with your silent mind. Do not use another thought to do away with the chattering mundane mind. The thoughts will stop by themselves because they are condition arising (not you) and they are also not intrinsic to the true mind.
  • If you meditate using a focus mind in concentration or absorption, it will lead to energy fields or psychic ability and you cannot handle your daily life well because the anusaya or latent tendencies (or the ‘pain body’ as Eckhart Tolle calls them) are all not rooted out as yet; instead they are all being suppressed under those mind states. They will surface when there are conditions then we will react and be afflicted when faced with situations we dislike or don’t understand because there is no wisdom to liberate the mind.
  • If it is a free mind with understanding and wisdom our mind will not stir under any conditions in daily life. We will not react and become afflicted.
  • Thoughts are just harmless consciousness that arise and pass away then cease; how come they can have such power to make you so miserable? Because via self-delusion you cling on to them and you will be afflicted.
  • Always remember ‘the awareness of inattention is attention’ and only wisdom frees the mind.
  • Why doubt? Give yourself a chance to try it out, to investigate. Change the way you do things to improve your life and change for the better. Always, have an open mind.
  • To be born as a human being is very rare. To encounter the Buddha’s teachings is even more rare. So don’t be heedless anymore. Don’t waste your time anymore for this window of opportunity is very rare therefore do Strive on with Heedfulness! 

(Note: About draft short notes was prepared by Sister Mun Yuen)

From: Sister Lee Siew Gaik

http://brohttps://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/67-6th-Patriarch-21-Jan-2018.mp3teoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Teoh-WPCS-67-6th-Patriarch-2018-01-21.mp3

or at:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/oo8y6kb5nh2vd4g/67%206th%20Patriarch%2021%20Jan%202018.MP3?dl=0  . Highly Recommended!

67 6th Patriarch 21 Jan 2018.MP3

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Bye! and with metta always,

Teoh

Bro. Teoh’s Sunday class’s recording dated 14th Jan 2018

Dear All Kalyanamittas,

Below are the audio links to our last Sunday’s 66th lesson of the 6th Patriarch Platform sutra recording dated 14th Jan 2018 for sharing by all. The following important short notes link and its details are enclosed below for your easy reading, listening and understanding:

https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Short-Notes-Teoh-WPCS-180114.pdf

Short notes for 66th lesson of the 6th Patriarch Platform sutra (Sunday class dated 14.1.2018): 

Audio mp3 : https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/66-6th-Patriarch-14-Jan-2018.mp3 

Whiteboard Note : https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/66-6th-Patriarch-14-Jan-2018.jpg

  1. Samadhi is different from concentration

Samadhi is a mind which is “unwavering and collected“. It is a free mind without thought where the mundane mind is silent and not active. Whereas, concentration (or Samatha mind state) is a conditioned mind in Appana concentration. The mind is a focused mind in one-pointedness or absorption concentration. One is then in the Jhana or absorption mind states.

There must be an understanding that Samadhi always exist in one’s true mind but it is obscured (or clouded) by the mundane mind. Hence to realize Samadhi, one only needs to be silent and aware.

Most people seek peace and special experiences like seeing light (or nimitta), experiencing calmness and stillness during meditation but what they do not understand is, when they do that, they are actually focusing via effort and energy field to isolate the mind to abide within so that it is peaceful and calm but there is no clarity of awareness within. This will lead to suppression of delusion and negativity of mental states via strong mental concentration and absorption and one cannot live life with this type of mind state. Then one will not be able to develop the wisdom via mindful observation because all the latent tendencies (or anusaya) are being suppressed and they are not rooted out as yet.  

Actually, one does not need to do concentration or absorption meditation because the mind on its own will return to its original state of inner peace and stillness before the stirring if we can just stop feeding it with anymore heedless thinking or thought energy.

  1. Surangama Sutra

Perception of form is consciousness, whereas its non-perception is wisdom

2.1 Explanation for “Perception of form is consciousness”

Worldly perception is by the mundane mind via our mental consciousness, i.e. we can perceive the world via our mundane mind’s seeing consciousness. Our brain which is basically memories and memories are our accumulation of experiencesGood and Bad. They are our views, opinions, conditionings, scars of memories, traditions, our belief systems, our phobias, our insecurity, our fears, worries and anxieties etc. including our greed, hatred and various type of emotional negativities.

Since thoughts are response to memories hence perception via the thought comes from memory and that’s how mental perception comes to be with every moment of consciousness. Hence mundane perception of mental form is consciousness. Take for example the seeing consciousness – how do you know it is a Buddha image? Via memory isn’t it? Then you stir your mind via inputting your content of consciousness according to your views, opinions and conditioning accumulated within your brain or memory. Therefore, when we use our mundane mind to see via our memories, we are not seeing the truth or the reality and we cannot see things as they are because we are perceiving what we see according to our conditioned mind which are full of words, concept, views and opinions, dualities and conditionings, etc.

Hence ‘acting according to memory is not acting at all. One should act with wisdom instead.    

Sometimes these conditioned memories, views, opinions, scars of memories and fears, etc. are also accumulated in our subconscious and when there is condition to trigger them, those conditioned memories etc. will arise and your mind will stir accordingly. If we act according to these conditioning, views, opinions, etc. it will result in us not acting according to wisdom. We are merely perceiving things via our old conditioning or habitual tendencies, resulting in wrong perception in every moment of consciousness. Take for example, when a past phobia is triggered, one will panic based on previous experience. But if one just develop the wisdom to act via careful observation or heedfulness then one can just stopped reacting or stirring one’s mind and just stay silent to inquire into what just happened? One will have the understanding to realize that “when conditions are like that, things will be like that” because the reality IS or Truth IS. There will be wisdom and one will not be afflicted like before by the old habitual way of heedless living. Then when one become more skillful in this new way of heedful living, one can move on to the next step to trace the origination factors then retrospectively reverse them, so that we will not fall into the same trap again in the future. 

2.2 Explanation for “Non-perception is wisdom”:

Non-perception is not using the mundane mind to see. It is using the direct seeing via the pure awareness or silent mind to ‘see things as they are’ (to see truth, to see the reality), without being influenced by our views, opinions, belief system and conditioning, etc. When we see things via the true mind there is no discrimination or distinction between good and bad because there is no words or concept of duality to arise those deluded thoughts. Everything just follows nature’s laws; only mighty Nature rolling by.

3.0 Question and Answers session after meditation

Question 1: Bro Song shared his experience of having strong sankhara activities all of a sudden despite after having a period of very stable mindful and heedful daily mindfulness living. These sankhara activities arise for no apparent reason and he was fully aware of their arising and also his subtle mind movements and reactions within and he did not know how to deal with them at that time apart from ‘allowing it to be’ until he heard Sis Mindy’s last Sunday question to Bro. Teoh regarding her experience at the cittanupassana retreat that she attended recently.

He then understands that the real cittanuppasana is not ‘thought observing thoughts’ but instead the mind is aware of all the mind states or content of consciousness as they arise. When the content of consciousness has greed one is aware of its arising (or stirring of the mundane mind), so that one’s mind (which is in sati) is sensitive. Then the habitual subtle stirring will weaken as one develops this mindfulness until it is very stable. Then one can contemplate deeper into the arising sankhara (or what happened) to understand that this was actually a test from his cultivation or nature.

Bye! and with metta always,

Teoh

From: Sister Lee Siew Gaik

https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/66-6th-Patriarch-14-Jan-2018.mp3

or at:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/67wk1lw7vpx8zte/66%206th%20Patriarch%2014%20Jan%202018.MP3?dl=0  

66 6th Patriarch 14 Jan 2018.MP3

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Bro. Teoh’s Sunday class dated 7th Jan 2018

Bro. Teoh’s 64th lesson of the 6th Patriarch Platform sutra dated 17.12.2017 recording

 

63rd lesson of the 6th Patriarch Platform sutra class dated 3.12.2017