Heart Sutra Day-Long Retreat

May 18, 2024 | 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Austin, TX

A Day of Practice and Contemplation of the Heart of Transcendent Wisdom
Cost: Pay What You Can
Suggested Donation: $50
Lunch Included

The Heart Sutra (or Prajnaparamita Sutra) is one of the most meaningful texts in all of Buddhism. Prajna means wisdom and paramita is variously translated as “perfected” or “transcendent”. So this text is about the ultimate wisdom. In a way that is both direct and inscrutable, it lays out the path to liberation from suffering. 

In this one-day program, we will practice meditation and review the text, line by line. The version we will discuss is here. You’ll see that it’s not particularly long.

The point of this gathering is not to master the text intellectually, but to develop a feeling for it. Though I’ve recited it for close to 30 years, I’m not sure I understand it any better today than when I first read it–but my relationship to it grows deeper and deeper in ways I can’t describe. It exerts a kind of magic. It points the way to enlightenment. It explains emptiness. In a very concise way, it shows us what to do to be fully alive. 

One of my favorite lines is: “Since there is no obscuration of mind, there is no fear.” The Heart Sutra points the way to clarifying the confusion that underlies all our fears. 

If you’re interested in learning more and considering how you might incorporate the Heart Sutra into your personal practice, please join me on May 18 for a one-day exploration in a small, supportive group.

Suggested offering is $50 but please contribute what makes sense to you.

May 18

10:00 am-5:00 pm

Includes lunch

Location: 504 Powell Circle, Austin

Limited to 15 students