The Noble Eightfold Path - Part Eight
Right Concentration - Sammā-samādhi

Sutra recitation and discussion by M.C. Owens

Sammā-samādhi ('Right Concentration')- Eightfold Path Series, Part Eight

Sāmaññaphala Sutta ('Fruits of the Homeless Life')
Dīgha Nikāya #2 
Sutra Recitation by M.C. Owens 3-31-2022

Sāmaññaphala Sutta ('Fruits of the Homeless Life') Sutra Recitation 3-31-2022

Vajra Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra
Translation and sutra recitation by M.C. Owens
August 3, 2022

Vajra Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra - Recitation 8-3-2022

Vipallasa Sutta ('Inversion')
Anguttara Nikaya 4.49
Introduction and sutra recitation by M.C. Owens

Vipallasa Sutta ('Inversion')9-18-2022

Sumatidārikā Paripṛcchā Sūtra
('Questions of Sumati') 
From the Ratnakuta Sutra collection, #30

Sutra recitation by M.C. Owens
November 8, 2022

Translated from Taishō Tripiṭaka volume 12, number 336

Sumatidārikā Paripṛcchā Sūtra ('The Questions of Sumati')11-09-2022

Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra (The Lion's Roar of Queen Śrīmālā)
Sutra recitation by M.C. Owens 
1-25-2023

Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra (The Lion's Roar of Queen Śrīmālā) 1-25-2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra 
Chapter One:  Buddha Lands 
Translated and recited by M.C. Owens 
February 17, 2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra - Chapter One: Buddha Lands (recitation)2-17-2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra
Chapter Two: Expedient Means
Translated and recited by M.C. Owens
March 8, 2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra - Chapter Two: Expedient Means (recitation) 3-8-2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra
Chapter Three: The Disciples
Translated and recited by M.C. Owens
March 31, 2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra - Chapter Three: The Disciples (recitation) 3-31-2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra
Chapter Four: The Bodhisattvas
Translated and recited by M.C. Owens
April 14, 2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra - Chapter Four: The Bodhisattvas (recitation) 4-14-2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra
Chapter Seven: Observing Sentient Beings
Translated and recited by M.C. Owens
June 9, 2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra - Chapter Seven: Observing Sentient Beings (recitation) 6-9-2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra
Chapter Ten: Accumulation of Fragrances Buddha
Translated and recited by M.C. Owens
August 15, 2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra - Chapter Ten: Accumulation of Fragrances Buddha (recitation) 8-15-2023

Welcome to another semester of the Lotus Underground School of Buddhism (LUSB). This Fall I will be offering three courses: an advanced sutra study course on one of my favorite sutras from the Ratnakūṭa (‘Heap of Jewels’) called the Universal Gateway to the Inconceivable. I will be holding a four-part meditation workshop on the Foundations of Mindfulness called Acts of Remembrance. And, there will be an opportunity for you or someone you know to take my Turning the Dharma Wheel course, the first part of the LUSB Introduction to Buddhism. 

All courses are held on-line via Zoom with the recordings available to participants afterwards. 

TURNING THE DHARMA WHEEL: Introduction to Buddhism
Sunday mornings, 9:00 - 10:30am (Pacific), 10 week course
October 1 – December 3, 2023 
Tuition: $300

A traditional way of learning Buddhism is called Anguttara, ‘adding one’ – wherein the teachings of the Buddha are presented numerically in increasing order, such as the Three Poisons, the Four Noble Truths, and the Five Aggregates. This 10-week course uses a similar method of interlocking systems to explore fundamental Buddhist concepts and their interrelations. The ideas presented in each week’s session increase in complexity and build on previous session topics, thus 'turning the Dharma wheel.’ This course also provides an introduction to Buddhist texts, modern interpretations, and the transcendent applicability of Buddhism.

This is the first course in a three-part series that make up the LUSB Introduction to Buddhism.    

Advanced Sutra Study Course: The Universal Gateway to the Inconceivable
Thursday evenings, 6:00pm - 7:30pm (Pacific), 6 week course
October 5  – November 9, 2023
Tuition: $200

The Universal Gateway is a deceptively brief sutra that is as complex as the better known Heart Sutra. This sutra is a series of short poems recited by the Buddha that describe entry into different samādhis (‘meditative absorptions’) by observing various characteristics of reality, such as sights, sounds, scents, flavors, etc., to the very characteristics of being and non-being. The poems weave together multiple elements of Mahāyana Buddhism: cosmology, samādhi, as well as the teaching of Emptiness, which is the underlying theme of the poems. The course is a deep dive into this contemplative and beautiful sutra full of big ideas, presented as a thousand-petalled lotus flower made of the seven treasures.

Meditation Workshop: Acts of Remembering  
Tuesday evenings, 6:00pm - 7:30pm (Pacific), 4 week course
November 7 - 28
Tuition: $125

Smṛti is one of the earliest terms used in Buddhism for meditation. In the modern world it is commonly translated as ‘mindfulness’, however it is helpful to know that the word smṛti indicates something like ‘remembering’ or ‘recalling’, and is traditionally contrasted with the more receptive act of śruti, ‘hearing’. There are many ways to understand how the act of remembrance relates to Buddhist meditation and other aspects of psycho-physical practice. 

This meditation workshop presents the traditional satipaṭṭhāna system of Buddhism, a four-step practice that gets progressively deeper as the object of focus, or mindful awareness, shifts from mindfulness of the body to bodily sensations, followed by mindfulness of mind-states themselves, and finally mindfulness of the very principles (dharmas) governing the construction of mind-states. Broken into four evenings, each session will include a guided meditation, periods of silent sitting, in addition to analytical discussion of these foundational ideas, and their numerous sub-categories.

LOTUS UNDERGROUND - FALL 2023 - NEWSLETTER

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra
Chapter Twelve: Seeing Akṣobhya Buddha
Translated and recited by M.C. Owens
September 27, 2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra - Chapter Twelve: Seeing Akṣobhya Buddha (recitation) 9-27-2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra
Chapter Thirteen: Dharma Offerings
Translated and recited by M.C. Owens
October 20, 2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra - Chapter Thirteen: Dharma Offerings (recitation) 10-20-2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra
Chapter Fourteen: Entrustment
Translated and recited by M.C. Owens
November 20, 2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra - Chapter Fourteen: Entrustment (recitation) 11-20-2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra
(Complete Recitation)
Translated and recited by M.C. Owens, 2023

Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra (recitation) 2023

The Way to Brahmā - Tevijja Sutta ('The Three Knowledges')
Dīgha Nikāya ("Collection of Long Discourses") #13
Translated by Maurice Walshe
Recited by M.C. Owens

The Way to Brahmā - Tevijja Sutta ('The Three Knowledges') DN 13

Sabbāsava Sutta ('All the Taints')
Majjhima Nikāya #2 
Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi
Recited by M.C. Owens, February 2024

Sabbasava Sutta ('All the Taints')

THE ŚŪRAṄGAMA SUTRA: Being Indestructible 
A ten-week sutra study course
Thursday evenings, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm (PT)
April 18 – June 20, 2024 
Tuition: $300

The Śūraṅgama Sutra is a mysterious sutra found in the Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist canons, and is a foundational text for the Zen and Vajrayana traditions, where it is used as a primer for beginners. Surprisingly, significant parts of this sutra were first translated in English in 1871, followed by a translation that appeared in Dwight Goddard’s A Buddhist Bible in 1932, where it became influential among Jack Kerouac and the ‘beat spiritualists’ of the post-war era. The sutra is a long dialogue between the Buddha and Ānanda on the nature of mind and consciousness, a format reminiscent of the ‘pointing-out’ instructions of the Dzogchen tradition and the Zen practice of ‘directly pointing at the mind’. This ten-week course will explore the major chapters of this important text and provide an overview of the entire sutra and its history.

ESCAPE FROM SAMSARA: Introduction to World-Systems  
A presentation on Buddhist Cosmology
Saturday May 18, 2024
9:00am – 11:00pm (Pacific)
This class by donation, suggested fee : $45

A cosmology is an understanding of where the world and the beings in it came from, what they are made of, and what happens to them when they decay. When studying Buddhism, it is helpful to be familiar with the basic tenets of traditional Indian cosmology, and some of the unique features of Buddhist cosmology that developed from them. This visual presentation uses art and iconography from a variety of traditions to create an immersive experience that explores several alternative views of creation, space and time, multiple heavenly and hellish realms, and the abodes of the gods, while laying out a Buddhist cosmological roadmap to liberation - from Samsara to Nirvana.


LUSB 2024 SUMMER RETREAT

I am in the planning stages of a multi-day, in-person sutra study retreat. The retreat will run approximately 2-3 days in length, and will most likely be held in Northern California, in mid -to -late August this Summer. I am trying to get a sense of how many people would be interested in attending so I can locate an appropriate location and lodging. The retreat would revolve around the reading and discussion of a particular sutra in structured sessions, with ‘monastery style’ days, including communal vegan/vegetarian meals, silent meditation sessions, opportunities for physical practice, and time for solitary reflection. If you are interested and would like to hear more please register at LotusUnderground.com

Lotus Underground 2024 Spring Announcement

Samantamukha Sūtra ('Universal Gateway')
Mahāratnakūṭa, sūtra #10
Translated and recited by M.C. Owens

Samantamukha Sūtra ('The Universal Gateway') April, 2024

Dharmachakrapravartana Sutra (Turning The Dharma Wheel)
M. C. Owens

Recorded at San Francisco Dharma Collective
January 13, 2019

Part One of the Eight Schools of Buddhism Series

The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, from the Samyutta Nikaya, the Connected discourses of the Buddha. The first teaching of the Buddha.
“These two extremes should not be followed… What two? Indulgence in sensual pleasures from sensual objects, which is low, vulgar, the way of ordinary people, ignoble, and unbeneficial; and the indulgence in self-mortification, which is painful, ignoble and unbeneficial. Avoiding these two extremes, the Tathagata has realized the Middle Path, which gives rise to vision and knowledge, leading to tranquility and to insight, to enlightenment, to Nirvana.”

Dharmachakrapravartana Sutra ("Turning The Dharma Wheel") 1-13-2019

Vimalakirti Sutra - Part One
M.C. Owens

Recorded at the San Francisco Dharma Collective
February 17, 2019

Ch. 1 - Ch. 6 of the Vimalakirtinirdesa Sutra, translated into English from the Tibetan by Robert Forman

Part 1 of 3

Vimalakirti Sutra SFDC

Vimalakirti Sutra - Part One 2-17-2019

Vimalakirti Sutra - Part Two
M.C. Owens
 
Recorded at the San Francisco Dharma Collective 
February 24, 2019

Part 2 of 3

Vimalakirti Sutra

Vimalakirti Sutra - Part Two 2-24-2019

Vimalakirti Sutra - Part Three 
M.C. Owens

Recorded at San Francisco Dharma Collective 
March 3, 2019

Part 3 of 3

Vimalakirti Sutra - Part Three 3-3-2019

"The Benefits of Renunciation" (Samannaphala Sutta) 
From the Digha Nikaya, the Long Discourses of the Buddha #2

M. C. Owens
Recorded at San Francisco Dharma Collective
April 14, 2019

Sramanaphala Sutta ("The Benefits of Renunciation")4-14-2019

"The Demon General Atavaka Dharani Sutra" 
Esoteric Buddhist Traditions  

M. C. Owens
Recorded at San Francisco Dharma Collective
April 21, 2019

Demon General Atavaka Dharani Sutra 4-21-2019

Avatamsaka Sutra ("Flower Garland")
M. C. Owens

Recorded at San Francisco Dharma Collective
April 28, 2019

Avatamsaka Sutra ("The Flower Garland")4-28-2019

Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra 
M. C. Owens

Recorded at the San Francisco Dharma Collective
August 4, 2019

PRAJÑAPARAMITA HEART SUTRA

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, while practicing the profound prajñaparamita, clearly saw that the five aggregates are empty; thus, overcoming all suffering. 

Sariputra, form is no different from empty; empty no different from form. Form is just empty; empty just form. Sensation, perception, conditioning, and consciousness are also like this. 

Sariputra, this is the emptiness of all dharmas: they neither arise nor cease; are neither defiled nor pure, and neither increase nor decrease. For this reason, within emptiness there is no form. No sensation, perception, conditioning or consciousness. No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body or mind. No sight, sound, scent, taste, touch or thought. No seeing,…even no thinking. No ignorance nor end of ignorance,…even no aging and death, nor end of aging and death. No suffering, its origin, cessation or the path, No wisdom and no attainment. 

Since nothing is attained, bodhisattvas maintain prajnaparamita. Then their heart is without hindrance, and since without hindrance, without fear; escaping upside-down, dream-like thinking and completely realizing Nirvana. All buddhas of all times maintain prajnaparamita, thus attaining anuttara-samyak-sambhodi.   

Hence know, prajnaparamita is the all-powerful mantra, the great enlightening mantra, the unexcelled mantra, the unequaled mantra, able to dispel all suffering. This is true, not false. Therefore, proclaim the prajnaparamita mantra; recite the mantra thus: 

Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!

Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra 8-4-2019

Vajra Prajnaparamita Sutra (a.k.a the Diamond Sutra)
M. C. Owens

Recorded at the San Francisco Dharma Collective
August 11 & 18, 2019

Vajra Prajnaparamita Sutra (a.k.a the Diamond Sutra)8-11-2019

PRAJÑAPARAMITA HEART SUTRA
Recited by M.C. Owens, 2020

The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, 
while practicing the profound prajñaparamita, 
clearly saw that the five aggregates are empty; 
thus, overcoming all suffering.

Sariputra, 
form is no different from empty; 
empty no different from form. 
Form is just empty; 
empty just form. 
Sensation, perception, conditioning, and consciousness are also like this.

Sariputra, this is the emptiness of all dharmas: 
they neither arise nor cease; 
are neither defiled nor pure, 
and neither increase nor decrease. 
For this reason, within emptiness there is no form. 
No sensation, perception, conditioning or consciousness. 
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body or mind. 
No sight, sound, scent, taste, touch or thought. 
No seeing,…not even thinking. 
No ignorance nor end of ignorance,
Not even aging and death, nor end of aging and death. 
No suffering, its origin, cessation or the path.
No wisdom and no attainment.

Since nothing is attained, bodhisattvas maintain prajnaparamita. Then their heart is without hindrance, 
and since without hindrance, without fear; 
escaping upside-down, dream-like thinking 
and completely realizing Nirvana. 

All buddhas of all times maintain prajnaparamita, 
thus attaining anuttara-samyak-sambhodi.

Hence know, prajnaparamita is the all-powerful mantra, 
the great enlightening mantra, 
the unexcelled mantra, the unequaled mantra, 
able to dispel all suffering. 
This is true, not false. 

Therefore, proclaim the prajnaparamita mantra; recite the mantra thus:

Om Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!

Heart Sutra Recitation 2020

Bringing the wisdom of Buddhist sutras to life through recitation, translation, humor, and storytelling.

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