The Heart Sutra and *Bodhisattva Vows
with H.E. Ling Rinpoche
We are deeply honored to welcome His Eminence Ling Rinpoche to Shantideva Center, who will teach on the Heart Sutra and give the Bodhisattva Vows for practitioners who wish to take them.
The Heart Sutra is one of the most beloved and renowned Buddhist teachings—memorized, chanted, and taught wherever the Buddha’s teachings are shared. It is a central text in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, belonging to a class of “the Perfection of Wisdom” (Prajñāpāramitā) teachings. This sutra describes the Buddha inspiring his young disciple Shariputra to ask Avalokiteshvara for advice on how to practice the profound perfection of wisdom, at precisely the moment when the bodhisattva was having a revelatory experience on the matter. In this sutra, it is explained how the five aggregates are empty of inherent nature, captured in one of its first lines, “form is emptiness; emptiness is form.”
It is said that the wisdom realizing emptiness is the only means by which we can remove the ignorance holding us back from enlightenment; and that to develop this wisdom we must listen, contemplate, and come to embody teachings like this one. To listen to teachings from His Eminence Ling Rinpoche on this most profound subject is an incredible opportunity to develop this awareness.
Like Shariputra, may we also experience this astounding, unbroken lineage of the living dharma with utmost sincerity and dedication. Teachings on the Heart Sutra will be followed by a rare chance to receive the Bodhisattva Vows from His Eminence Ling Rinpoche. The Bodhisattva Vows are a commitment to tirelessly undertake the welfare of all beings as one’s most precious aim—in this and in future lifetimes.
Prayers and Additional Materials
About the Teacher
His Eminence the 7th Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche was born in India on November 18, 1985. When he was 18 months old, His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognized him as the reincarnation of his Senior Tutor and “my Root Guru,” the 6th Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche, who passed away in 1983. The 6th Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche accompanied His Holiness when he fled into exile from Tibet in 1959.The 6th Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche was the most renowned and qualified master of the 20th century and his many students included Lamas, Tulkus, and Geshes from all the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism – he was also the 97th Gaden Throne Holder – the supreme head of the Gelugpa tradition.Beginning with Charka the Arhat Udhay during the time of Lord Shakyamuni Buddha, twenty previous incarnations of His Holiness the 6th Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche have been identified, including Tutors to His Holiness the 6th, 11th, and 13th Dalai Lamas; the 48th and 75th Gaden Throne Holders; as well as kings, yogis, scholars, and lay adepts prominent in the spiritual histories of India and Tibet.His Eminence the 7th Ling Rinpoche has completed all five Geshe Studies subjects (Logic, Perfection of Wisdom, Middle Way, Higher Knowledge, and Monastic Discipline) and was awarded his Geshe degree from Drepung Loseling Monastic University in South India in November 2016. In 2018, he completed a year of further studies at Gyuto Trantric College in Dharamsala. His Holiness the Dalai Lama continues to closely guide him. In 1991, His Eminence Ling Rinpoche gave his first teaching in South Korea. Since then he has given teachings and tantric initiations in many countries throughout Asia, Europe, Canada, the United States, Israel, Australia, and Mongolia as well as Tibetan settlements throughout India and Nepal. For more information about His Eminence Ling Rinpoche and his upcoming tour, please visit his website: //lingrinpoche.info/
