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The Heart Sutra
Preface
# 2
The
BuddhaDharma is profound and wonderful, but to expound the unfathomable
doctrine in all its depth is far from easy. Some people devote most of
their energy and thought to Dharma, teaching or explaining sutras;
deducing, searching for terms and supportive quotations, they have not
yet reached the level of the Buddha's mind. The one who has not climbed
Mount Tai (Tai Shan) can only say "How majestic!" Someone who has not
seen the Yellow River, yet describes how great, how vast it is, is not
speaking from experience. If one's view regarding Dharma is based on
speculation, one's understanding will not be clear and one is not going
to be in a position to explain the Dharma successfully to others. When
the teacher lacks understanding of the Dharma, it is hard on the
students. They must study too hard to make up for the incomplete
guidance; they might even become discouraged and give up, fearing
failure, and that would be such a pity! When the great master expounded
the Heart Sutra in the Buddhist Library of China, I translated his
lectures from Mandarin into Cantonese. I had taken refuge in the Three
Precious Ones from my master many years ago, and Le Kuo, another
master, had taught me Buddhadharma. Obliging and kind, he did not
abandon me although I was foolish. He guided me patiently to the right
path. Bound by my fixed karma I am constantly in a hurry and do not
devote enough time to the Tathagata's teachings. It is difficult to
reduce my ignorance and change my habits and my mind is as dull as it
was before I started aspiring to Buddhadharma. The great master T'an
Hsu's practice of the Tao, of Bodhi is most serious. He thoroughly
comprehends the unsurpassed Dharma in its implications and his Tao is
of the highest integrity. His great reputation has been long
established. My goal while learning Buddhadharma was to work with an
all-out effort, to follow faithfully and to be authorized to translate.
I feel, nevertheless, uneasy about my own limited knowledge. Prior to
his systematic explanation of the sutra, the master presented in
everyday language and with perfect freedom of expression the results of
thorough and exhaustive study, bringing into play all the subtlety of
the wondrous and profound Dharma. It seemed as easy as if he peeled a
plantain or stripped a cocoon, using many carefully chosen examples
along the way to make his discourse more relevant in terms of daily
life. The audience was very impressed and deeply moved. If the great
master did not climb Mount Tai, had not seen the Yellow River with his
own eyes, how could he express himself so lucidly, so consistently?
During
those nine days of his lectures the entire Dharma assembly experienced
a deep sense of wellbeing, and at the conclusion of the series they all
agreed to make a collection toward the publication of the master's
discourses, to be used as an offering to all mankind and to provide a
Dharma condition in the future. I have accepted the responsibility for
arranging and organizing my notes of the master's discourses. Other
commentaries I have read so far were brief and to the point, but that
approach did not suit all readers. Consequently, I chose not to edit my
record of those lectures and handed them over complete, integral with
the great master's teaching; I did not avoid or dodge any of the
problems. I presented the minutes in a straight-forward manner, because
people have been having difficulty at times with literary language. I
did not take the liberty to emphasize, exaggerate or add anything for
fear of losing the meaning and the expressions characteristic of the
great master's discourse. May I be forgiven for my awkward presentation.
WANG
WAI,
Disciple of the Three Precious Ones
The year
of Wu Hsu, April, Hong Kong.
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