The Fragrance of Emptiness —A Book-Study Class Exploring The Heart Sutra

Join us for an in-depth study of The Heart Sutra and the Buddhist teachings on emptiness in this 5-day course. 

The San Francisco Shambhala Center is starting a series of Essential Dharma classes that aim to identify and clarify key teachings that form the foundation of Buddhist thought. The traditional approach to covering such a broad topic is with a step-wise study of the Buddha’s teachings across the more than 50 years of his teaching life. Though this type of academic approach has great value, there is also merit in jumping right into the deep end of the pool with the most profound and, for some people, most puzzling aspect of the teachings: emptiness or sunyata (Sanskrit).

Happily, there is a wonderful road map to an understanding of emptiness, the Heart Sutra. One of the most beloved and inspiring texts in the Buddhist canon, the short form of the Heart Sutra is chanted daily by Mahayana Buddhists around the world as a reminder for us to broaden our perception of the world and challenge our assumptions about the nature of reality.

In this class, we will be working with a recently published book about the Heart Sutra by Anam Thubten, The Fragrance of Emptiness. Though there are many books about the Heart Sutra, Anam Thubten’s work is distinguished by a clear, concise presentation of the text and is designed to be appreciated and understood by Western readers. (Anam Thubten is the founder and leader of the Dharmata Foundation in Richmond, CA).

Finally, though we will be working through The Fragrance of Emptiness on a chapter-by-chapter basis, this will not be a typical book-study class. We won’t be in any rush to “finish” the book in class; there’s just too much richness in the Heart Sutra to rush through it. Rather, we will be pausing from time to time for contemplation and meditation, time for us to let our assumptions and fixed attitudes relax and unwind into a space of freshness and insight.

Essential Dharma Classes
The Fragrance of Emptiness is the first in a series of Essential Dharma book-study classes covering the foundation of Buddhist thought. Future Essential Dharma classes will focus on other core teachings, including The Four Noble Truths and the nature of the awakened heart (bodhicitta, Sanskrit).

Text
Please purchase a copy of The Fragrance of Emptiness before the start of the first class. It can be purchased on Amazon or directly from The Dharmata Foundation.

Class Leader
This class will be led by Bruce DalSanto, a long-time dharma teacher and practitioner whose connection with Shambhala Buddhism stretches back to 1974 and a chance encounter with its founder Chogyam Trungpa in San Francisco.

Cost
Program Price: $75
*Patron Price $100
Limited Income Price, $50.
Nobody turned away for lack of funds.

*Paying the Patron Price helps support students who cannot afford full fee.

Contact
For questions contact Peter Dobbin: peterdobbin [at] icloud [dot] com

Registration
Please register and pay online in advance of the class to ensure your space and so that the coordinators know to expect you.