when the buddha first started teaching the dharma,he began by teaching the avatamsaka sutra,which is known as the king of all buddhist sutras.he talked about the 80 scrolls of this sutra for twenty-one days.then he turned on to the agamas for twelve years,which is on early or primitive buddhism.then he turned to the mahayana sutras,which are known as the vaipulya sutras,such as the amitabha sutra,or the vimalakirti sutra and so on for eight years.after that,he then spent the next twenty-two years talking about the sutras on prajna wisdom.therefore,from this we can see how important prajna is in buddhism.

when we talk about prajna,it is not about knowledge,nor our learnings from schools,nor is it a type of philosophy. instead,it is a theory about our true self.but at the same time when we talk about this true self or prajna,it is formless and therefore,while we may see what others look like in our normal lives,we usually fail to be able to find our true appearance.and now this true self is formless and shapeless,it would take a lot of learning and hard work in order for us to find the so-called prajna.

when master hui neng,the sixth patriarch of zen school taught the dharma,he once asked his audience a very special question.he said,"now,i have a thing in mind.but this thing is either without a head or a tail,nor is it with hands,legs or arms,nor does it have a face or a backside.and can you tell me what this thing is?"

there was a very confident youngster among the audience he stood up and said,"i know the answer.this thing that you are talking about is the origin of all the buddhas,which is the buddha nature within all sentient beings."

but master hui neng was not happy with this answer.he replied by saying that,"i already told you that this thing is without a name;not even a surname.nor does it have a face or an appearance,yet you still insist on telling me that this is the origin of all buddhas,and this is the buddha nature.therefore, no matter how well you get at your studies in the future,the best state you can ever reach will be that of an intellectual."

from this we can see that no matter how hard we try to describe what this original self is or how the original appearance looks like,our efforts would have been in vain,because this is indeed a very profound theory.

therefore,in order to help you get a clearer picture of what prajna is about,i have divided it into several categories,starting from the elementary level,to the middle and even the advanced, or the very advanced levels.and we can treat these levels as different stages of learning,starting from elementary school to middle school and even to universities and then even to research institutes and so on.and if we were to start at the elementary level of prajna,it would be a prajna that has to do with right views.and then if we were to go up a level higher to the middle level,then it would be the level of the two vehicles;the pratika buddhas and the sravakas.and on their level,prajna appears to be dependent origination.therefore,dependent origination is on the level of the two vehicles.and then going on to a higher level,which is that of a university,it would be the level of bodhisattvas,who will see prajna in the form of emptiness,or shunyata.however,the true level or the most advanced level of prajna would be on that of the buddhas.therefore,you will have to attain buddhahood in order to see the most supreme level of prajna.

when we talk about prajna in the form of right views, some of you may say,"i know what prajna is.prajna means wisdom."but this is not entirely correct because wisdom still refers to the knowledge possessed by those such as scientists or those who possess deep learnings of the social knowings,and there is a wisdom or knowledge of intellectuals.if we go back to the word knowledge in chinese,when the word"to know"becomes ill,it turns into ignorance.therefore,we must say that wisdom is a form of prajna,it's still not an ultimate way of describing it.

therefore,prajna is difficult to understand,but at the same time,prajna is our eternal life.prajna also represents our undying true self. and if you were to try to look for prajna with your eyes or heart,sometimes you may say that,"i will possess prajna.just by possessing right views about how this world operates."

and if you were to try to look at this world through your eyes,then flowers would appear as flowers to you.then you would also tell yourself that you see a table or that you see other human beings in front of you.and then in this case your eyes would be like a camera.just as long as you adjust the aperture correctly,and then the camera will provide a very accurate picture of what you actually see in front of you.so some of you may think that just as long as you adjust your eyes to that level, you will possess right views.

but what exactly do we mean by right views?you possess right views when you understand or acknowledge the fact that this world exists in half virtue and half evil,and also when you possess the knowledge that there is cause and effect.and when you do that you possess right views.

for it is when you possess the ability to tell between good or bad people,or when you possess the knowledge to tell between people who are of eminence or people who are simply ordinary,or when you possess the ability to tell between what is in the past, what is in the present and the future.we pretty much have the ability to tell between these kinds of distinguishments,then you can be said to possess right views for a human being.

but of course you can go a level higher and gain a deeper insight of prajna.for example,it would be people like lao tsu or chuang tsu or even the philosophers as well as sakyamuni buddha or his most supreme disciples such as the arahats.when you are at this level you will perceive prajna to be the law of dependent origination.

in other words,the world in the eyes of these sages will appear quite different from the eyes of ordinary beings.and that's why we say that before you start practicing meditation or zen,a mountain will appear as simply a mountain to you and a river will just be a river.but after you start practicing zen, suddenly the mountain is no longer a mountain and rivers no longer are rivers anymore.nevertheless,when you gain a deeper insight of the pract of zen,and mountains will once again become mountains,and rivers will once again appear just as rivers to you.

but of course,when we break these three levels down and in a beginner's eyes,of course they will just see the physical mountain and river of the world.

but if scientists were to go into the mountains and the rivers,and use their equipment to look deeply into these phenomena,and then,of course,a mountain will no longer be a mountain;they will see something else.

however,in the eyes of enlightened minds,they would adopt a less destructive attitude towards the world and they will no longer try to go against the normal laws or the normal appearances of this world.instead,they will simply follow what everybody is used to seeing and feeling.

in the eyes of the sages and the arhats they will see the world through a kind of telescope of dependent origination.and of course this may all seem very

to you.that dependent origination is the fact that things arise and cease to be due to a set of causes and conditions.ok,it's

to say them but it's much more difficult to understand their true meaning.

the very fundamental principle of dependent origination is that everything arises due to a set of causes and conditions,such as a house or human beings or every phenomenon,which you see in this universe.in order for them to become what you see,they have to make sure that the right causes and conditions fall into place in order for them to become existent.

take these flowers as an example.when you look at them, if you say that they are flowers,you're merely seeing the false appearance of flowers.why?because these flowers came from seedlings and seedlings actually have to depend on soil or sunlight as well as air and water in order to grow and turn into a flower. therefore,based on this theory,when you look at these flowers through a set of enlightened eyes,you will actually be seeing or looking at dependent origination.

or you may take a look at this building.you may tell yourself that of course we know that this is a house;everybody knows that it's a house.however,if you were to take away the beams,to take away the bricks,the tiles,and even the concrete, and then where will the house be?

from what we have just said it would be quite clear that this house is a false appearance or has a false name because it actually came from the combination of different parts that make up a house.

and if you were to say that this body represents myself.ok, what if we separate your skin,your flesh,your bones and your blood?after these different elements fall apart,then where will this self be?

we can also use the example of a baby.at first we call it a baby,but after a few years,the baby will grow into a little girl, and then she will become a young student or a lady,or then a woman or a missus,or then she becomes a mother.and if she keeps growing she becomes a grandmother.

and what exactly is she?what kind of true self is she? which of the baby or the girl or the lady or the woman or grandmother represents this female or this being?

therefore,without understanding the true idea or meaning of dependent origination,we will find ourselves fooled by these unrealistic names or phenomenon most of the time.

we went from the elementary level of knowing prajna through right views and through the middle level of knowing prajna through dependent origination.now it's time for us to look at prajna on a university level,which is through the eyes of a bodhisattva;and prajna in this case will become emptiness. and now what exactly is emptiness?

some of you may say,"it's easy to understand what emptiness is!"emptiness means nothing.emptiness means things are not there.emptiness means that the four elements are not there,but this is completely wrong.

what do we mean by emptiness?emptiness means being there or existence,because there has to be emptiness first in order for things to come into being.

take a look at this cup in my hand.well,the cup has to be empty for the water to be there.if there was never any emptiness within the cup,then how can the water be inside the cup?

for the ladies who have come this evening,i'm sure all of you would have brought your purse,right?otherwise there would be no where else to put your belongings,and so there has to be some kind of space within your purse in order for you to place your accessories inside it.

and if my nostril is not empty,if my ears were not empty, and if my mouth or even my organs were not empty,so imagine they are all blocked,do you think i could still be alive?

from this we can see that emptiness is based on existence.take this room as an example.if this room was never empty, then how can we hold this dharma talk inside of it?the same goes for the universe.if the vast universe is not empty,then where can all the living beings abide.

and most of the time people fight for the reason of space. for example,sometimes people fight over a table or people fight over a bed or even a piece of land.so when there is not enough space,people start quarrelling.even countries will fight with each other over,say,an island or a small hill.from this we can see how important space is,because it provides the very basis of our existence.but at the same time,we have to realize that, while we fight over these things that appear to be physical in existence,we are in fact fighting for space.so when you fight for something,you are also fighting for emptiness.

it's not easy for you to gain a proper understanding of right views,but it's even harder to gain a proper understanding of dependent origination.let the theory of emptiness alone,now we are talking about a level that is even higher,which is that of the buddhas.

what exactly is prajna?

let me ask you a question.what was the name of sakyamuni buddha's mother?

for those of you who have the very basic understanding of buddhism,you would tell me that sakyamui buddha's mother was queen maya.but this answer would be wrong.

why?because queen maya was actually the mother of prince siddhartha,not sakyamui buddha.

in that case,who would be sakyamuni buddha's mother? and the answer would be prajna.and why do we say that?this is due to an old saying which tells us that prajna is the mother of buddhas from the past,present and future times.

therefore,without prajna there cannot be the buddhas. this is just like us;if we never possess that true self or prajna within us,no matter how much good deeds we do,no matter how much help we offer to other people,when we go home, there will not be a mom for us to return to.

therefore,in order to understand prajna,we cannot even try to imagine what it is,nor is it what we call knowledge in this world.in order for you to understand what prajna is,you will have to rely on persistent pract of buddhism and the experiences which you gain from these persistent practs will one day give you a true understanding of what prajna is.

as you have come to understand what prajna is today,let me tell you that after understanding prajna,you would then tell yourself that you have truly understood the truth of life in this world.and without understanding prajna,your world will be like covered in darkness.you cannot even see a thing inside it.

i'm not trying to criticize anybody but if we were to look at the world through the eyes of a buddha,and then the buddha would see that all of us are still living within ignorance and mistakes.

now take a look at the podium in front of me.do you all know what it is?

of course,you will say,"i know,i know what it is.it's a table,it's a podium."

but if you were to say that,then you would be wrong. why?because you are only looking at the unrealistic phenomenon of this table.this table is,in fact,made from wood or timber.

let me ask you the same question again.what is this thing in front of me?ok,this time you could tell me that it is a piece of wood.once again you're wrong.

why?because a piece of wood cannot only be made into a table.it can also become a chair or even the beams of the flooring you see in front of you.so therefore,what exactly is this thing in front of me?it's a tree.

ok,once again.what is this thing in front of me?ok,this time you could tell me it's a tree.but you're wrong once again. and why are you wrong this time?why,because before it became a tree it was a seed,and it was a seed that received nourishments from the soil,from the sunlight,from air,from water,and other kinds of factors in order for it to grow into a tree.

therefore,it is a seed that has gathered the energy given to it by the various aspects of this universe in order for it to grow into a tree.and then for this tree to become timber that is made into a table,or a chair,or flooring.so from this you would not only be looking at a seedling,instead you'll be looking at dependent origination;you'll be looking at the fact that this is a collection of different causes and conditions,and you will also see the fact that there is a nature of emptiness that lies within the tree or the seed,and it's something that cannot exist by its own because it has to depend on other causes and conditions in the universe in order to exist and survive.therefore,when you understand all of this you will actually be looking at this table or this podium in front of me through the eyes of prajna.

if you are able to sit through all these five days to actually listen to this whole series of talk on the heart sutra,and then you will complete in listening to the dharma,and that's the first level of wisdom.but there are different sequences of this whole process.after hearing the dharma,you need to think this through,think about what you have heard and process it in your mind,and then put your thoughts into pract.so these are the actual sequences of how you can learn the dharma.and once you do that you will be able to transcend our worldly knowledge and become closer to prajna wisdom.

a very famous saying from the zen school tells us that a thousand year old darkness can be dispelled immediately with the presence of a lit candle.and this is similar to prajna wisdom that lies within us.if we look at ourselves,we would be like an unlit lantern,which is dark,still searching for that light of prajna. and once we are able to light up the lantern,and then we will be able to find and follow the light,or the brightness of prajna wisdom.

another very famous metaphor used by the buddhist sutras is about a group of blind people feeling an elephant.and the one who touched the elephant's trunk will tell you that an elephant looks like a hook,while one who touches his ears will tell you that an elephant looks like a fan made of banana leaves,and another one that touches the leg will tell you that an elephant looks like pillars,and while those that touch the elephants stomach will tell you that an elephant looks like a drum.and, finally,one who touches his tail will tell you that an elephant looks like a broom.but these people who are blind,who are not looking with their eyes are like those people without prajna wisdom.and what you really need to do is to open up your eyes,which is the eyes of prajna wisdom in order for you to really see the true appearance of truth or elephant.

for example,those who are color blind would not be able to tell the true appearance of things.for example,if i were to ask you what does the moon look like and we could tell that person that the moon is a very bright thing.

then he would tell you,"ah,so you mean something like a candle,because a candle is also bright."then i would say,"no, the moon is supposed to be round.""oh,so you mean a plate.a plate is round and it's cold.""no,no,no,a moon looks white.""so are you talking about snow?it's white and it's cold."and no matter how hard you try to describe the moon,that person will never be able to see what the moon looks like unless he opens his eyes of prajna wisdom.therefore,once you open up your eye of prajna wisdom,you will be able to see that moon.

and at the end of the sutra it will send us a message,which basically means that every physical phenomenon in this world are illusional.

take the following story as an example.there was a very young couple and they were celebrating their first anniversary. therefore the husband tells his wife,"go down to the cellar and bring up our best wine so we can celebrate."and so the wife went down to the cellar and opened up one of their trunks,buckets and then she was very surprised because what she saw was the image of a young beautiful woman in front of her.

and she got very angry and rushed back upstairs and accused her husband of cheating on her by hiding a young woman in his cellar.

but the husband said,"what are you talking about?i'm not hiding anybody."and she said,"well if you don't believe it, come down to take a look for yourself."the two of them went down to the cellar and then it was the husband's turn to look into the bucket.this time it was his turn to get very,very angry. and he turned to his wife and said,"you are the one who is a slut,because you are hiding a very handsome man in the cellar."

the two continued to fight about who was the one who hid another person in the cellar.as they continued to fight their brahman master walked by and heard them fighting.so the two explained the situation to him. and he decided to go down and take a look.and after taking a look,he turned to the two of them and said,"you disloyal people,how can you betray me and find another master.i don't care about you anymore.i'm leaving."

and then after a while as they continued to fight,a buddhist monk walked by and heard them fighting and not soon after listening to the story,he knew what was happening.

what he did was he went outside and picked up a huge rock and then threw it at the bucket and as the bucket broke all the wine spilled onto the floor and when that happened,none of the young woman or the young man or any of them ever existed anymore.

we feel a lot of suffering in life because most of the time we are being fooled by the delusional images we see.

therefore,if we not only become an intellectual,we can also take a step further and gain prajna wisdom.once we do that,the world will appear much more different from us.

this happened during the tang dynasty.once there was a man,who had a baby goose and what he did was he placed this baby goose inside a bottle and continued to feed it.as time went by this goose grew bigger and bigger until it could not move or get out of the bottle,but the man did not want to break the bottle just to set it free.so he was caught in a very serious dilemma.

and this man consulted the very famous minister of his period,minister pai shou.he said,"what should i do?i don't want to break the bottle,but i want to set the goose free."but even minister pai shou did not know what to do.

therefore the minister took this goose inside the bottle over to see zen master nan chuan and he asked this master,"what should i do to set this goose free without breaking the bottle?"

and suddenly the master yelled out to the minister,"pai shou!"and the minister answered,"yes,i'm here!"and then the master asked him once again,"who told you to go inside the bottle?"

what the zen master meant was that this world is so big and wide,and you can go to all the places you want to.why did you end up getting your heart trapped within that bottle?and in the story the goose represented our hearts.

and from this story it tells that if we become too attached to our money,one day we'll be trapped by our money.

and if we were to see love as the most important thing in this whole world,then one day we will become the slave of love。

and for parents who think that their children mean the most important thing in this world,one day you could also end up just being the mere servant of your children.

if we were to talk about filial piety today,there are only parents who are filial to their parents and to their children.and there are no children who are filial to their parents.

if you don't believe it,take a look at the children's hospital. you will see countless number of parents walking in and out of the hospital;busy taking care of their children everyday.but if you were to turn to a nursing home,you will see only very few people who turn up to visit their parents.

people nowadays,some are short of morals and that is due to our lack of understanding of the way things turn out to be,or the causes of the problems which we're facing from our original appearance.

and now how exactly do we open up the eye of prajna wisdom within ourselves to look for the causes and conditions that has happened in the past to be able to tell or get an answer to where we come from,from the past or where will we go in the future.

and what exactly can we do to coexist with the countless sentient beings in this world in harmony and peace?

and as we know that people throughout the whole world,a lot of them are calling out for world peace.but at the same time, none of them are able to provide a more specific method to how we can actually achieve world peace.

this world is filled with people who come from different backgrounds with different ways of thinking.and amongst these people,some may be fond or have a tendency of fighting or starting up a war while the other half may have a higher tendency to achieve world peace.since there are all these different kinds of these dissimilarities,it's obvious that world peace will be very difficult to achieve.

let's take a look at all the leaders all around the world. while they are gathered together,even come together in the form of the united nations,to call for world peace,but at the same time,different countries are taking turns to go against their agreement in stopping nuclear testing or disarming their countries and so on.

i remember how master tai shu once suggested to president roosevelt about ways to achieve world peace.he said to him that if everybody becomes compassionate or everybody becomes selfless,and then world peace will happen.

but we have to be honest to ourselves and we have to admit the fact that it is not that easy for every single human being in this world to become compassionate or selfless.

sometimes i worry about the disharmony between taiwan and mainland of china.and i also worry that one day war can really happen between the two sides of the taiwan straight. then one day i realize that there is a way to world peace.this way is prajna wisdom.

and i realized that in order for there to be world peace, there has to first be equality between both sides.for example, we cannot have either one side which appears to be greater or bigger than the other,nor can we have one side who appears to be wealthier than the other,nor can we have a side that simply appears to be better than the other.without these inequalities and then world peace will be possible.

therefore,equality is a very important characteristic of prajna wisdom.for example,when we say that every single sentient being possesses the buddha nature and then this means that every single being is on equal terms with one another.and at the same time,prajna also has to be universal;so it has to be the same to everybody.and furthermore,prajna also has to be inevitable.so these are the basic qualities of prajna wisdom.

i would like to tell you now that this treasure or prajna within us is something that is bigger than everything else.it is higher than anything else,and it is greater than anything else.

we can actually see prajna in the most trivial matters of life. so for example,if you are sleeping in bed at night and if your hair clipper was to fall onto the floor.you don't have to turn on the light to find it.you simply reach out your hand and for some reason you just know where it is.you will be able to pick it up and put it back without even opening your eyes.and what do we call this ability?this ability is also like prajna wisdom.

with some people,every time they open their mouth,they will make somebody angry and this means that they do not have prajna wisdom.on the other hand,there could be someone else, who is always able to solve disputes just by saying a few words.and when this person does that,he is also ing us the quality of prajna wisdom.

let's put aside how great or how high or how magnifnt prajna can be and focus on this characteristic of equality.if we were to go beyond whatever is the greatest or the best or the biggest in this world,and see things as equal,then this characteristic of equality is also a sign of prajna wisdom.

in the past,people have used light or brightness as a metaphor for prajna.

in that case,we can say that the sun is also prajna wisdom. why?because it shines on this world and all the sentient beings equally.it does not pick between people.it doesn't say that i'm not going to shine on you just because you're not rich.it doesn't tell you that i'm not going to shine on you just because you're not great enough.therefore,this quality of universality and equality is in fact something that's enough to make the sun called prajna wisdom.

for something as great as the sun,another example will be water.why?because when there is enough space,the water will flow and fill up that space or when you're thirsty,it will provide for you and quench your thirst no matter who you are.and therefore,with this kind of universality and equality,i think it's also enough to call water something as great as prajna wisdom.

another thing as great as the former two is air.air is everywhere.when you go into the forest,there will be air;when you're in your room,there will be air;no matter where you go, there will be air.just as long as you need it,it will be there for you.and it's never ive.and it always provides for every single living being that requires it.therefore,for such a quality as equality,we can also say that air possesses the characteristic of prajna wisdom.

and another thing that is great is the earth.no matter who you are,no matter whether you're a woman or a man,no matter whether you're fat or skinny or overweight,the earth will always be there to carry you.therefore,this quality of equality and universality once again displays a very special characteristic of prajna wisdom.

when we talk about the great nature and its aspects such as the mountains or the rivers or earth or even the stars,the sun and the moon and even air;all of these possess a quality of prajna wisdom,which is something that is not ive,something that is universal and something that is equal.therefore,as you look at these qualities of great nature,you will also be looking at the special quality or characteristic of prajna.

therefore,prajna wisdom is an intrinsic part of all of us. just like a very famous song in the past that tells us that roses bloom everywhere.now i would like to add one extra line,which is prajna also exists everywhere.

and now,in which part of our body can we find prajna?

when we need to find oil,we may dig in the mountains or the rivers.in a way,we actually are looking for its resource. the same goes for us when we look for prajna.it exists within the very source of our heart or mind.

in today's time,most people spent most of their energy onto

themselves look good.for example,by putting on makeup and they also spend time on figuring out how they can get the most nutrition out of the food they eat,so that they can keep a healthy body.so they are pretty much willing to do all these kinds of things to make themselves good or well.but when we try to turn their attention towards spiritual cultivation,which is a search for prajna wisdom,they will become much more reluctant to do so.

this is a very interesting story from the buddhist sutras. once there was a very rich man.because he was so rich,he was able to have four wives.

and his very first wife,who was the oldest,because she was getting old and losing her beauty and the man found no problem in forgetting about her very quickly.

the second wife was also older but she is in charge of looking after the family and,therefore since she still does something for him,he spends time every now and then thinking or caring about her.

and the third and fourth wives are much younger and therefore much more beautiful,therefore he is happier to spend time with the two.

but life has to go on.one day he got old,and he came close to death and he thought to himself,if i were to go on the journey towards my afterlife alone,then i would be rather lonely. therefore i would need somebody to come with me.and as there was the tradition of having one of the wives buried with the deceased,he decided that he could pick one of his wives to be buried with him.

his first cho was the fourth wife because she was his favorite and she was the most beautiful and with whom he spent the most time with.and as soon as the fourth wife heard about the man's intentions,she got very scared.she said,"you're n to me when you're alive,but you can't do anything for me after you pass away and i still have a very bright future ahead of me. so please don't pick me."

even though he was disappointed,he still had other chos. and therefore,he turned to his third wife and he said to her,"you know how kind i am to you and you have promised that we will be together forever so why don't you come with me?"but the third wife also refused.she said,"i'm still young and beautiful and after you die,you cannot do anything for me,but since i'm still young.i can remarry after you pass away,so please don't pick me."

and then he turned to his second wife who said,"i don't think that this is a good idea.look at all the household affairs that needs management.so here's the thing,you go ahead and die and i'll look after your memorial servs.i'll take care of everything after you die."

and the man became extremely disappointed but he still had one cho left.he knew that he had never been kind to his first wife,so he pretty much had no hope in persuading his first wife to go with him. but nevertheless he decided to give it a try.and with much surprise the oldest wife said to him,"the moment i married you,i knew that the rest of my life i will have to be with you,no matter where you go.so,yes,i will come with you;i will die with you."

the man became extremely surprised,but he also realized that time will tell you who will be the closest and the most loyal person to you,even though he had never been that good to her.

now please think very carefully as to why i have spent so much time telling you this story from the buddhist sutra.

think carefully.who does the fourth wife represent?what does she represent?

the fourth wife represents our self.

think about all the nutrition or the makeup which we apply to our bodies to make our bodies look good or feel comfortable. but when it's time to pass away,our body will not be the one that comes with us.

well what about the third wife?the third wife represents our money,our gold,our diamonds and our assets.and you cannot take it with you when you pass away.and the moment when you pass away,this money or gold or assets will marry somebody else.

what about the second wife?the second wife represents our family,our relatives and our friends.when we pass away,the most that they can do for you is to come to your funeral serv and they will come to say goodbye to you.but that's it.they're not going to follow you into your next life.

and this is the moment when you see the importance of the first wife.and the first wife actually represents our mind or heart.at normal times we tend to neglect the importance of adding quality or learning or knowledge to this mind.sometimes we will not even think about what it is to purify our mind. nevertheless,when it is the moment of death,it will still just be this mind,which follows us into our next life.that's why this phrase tells us that upon death.there is nothing that we can bring with us.only our karma will follow us.

in the treaties on the awakening of faith in the mahayana, it opens up with a single sentence,which tells us that our mind opens up to two different kinds of gates.the first type of gate opens up to the road of prajna wisdom,while the second opens up to the path of arising and ceasing,which is the more phenomenal side of life.and therefore,for most of the time we tend to ignore the path of prajna wisdom and follow that second path,which causes us to continue to travel in the cycle of birth and death.

to sum up what we have said so far this evening,i must tell you that prajna is extremely important to everyone of us.

so how do you go about finding this prajna wisdom?

and even buddha cannot help you find this prajna wisdom. you must only rely on yourself to find it.

and as the saying tells us that the knot can only be untied by the person who made it first.therefore,you have to depend on yourself to find a path that leads to this prajna wisdom.

this is similar to how the countries in the world today are searching for more sources of energy.what about your own source of energy?where is it?

and then we can go a step further and ask ourselves,"what can we do with prajna wisdom once we find it?

what can prajna do for us?"

if i have ten dollars on me.i can go out and buy myself a packet of chocolate.but if i have prajna,what can i do with it?

for one thing,

if you are able to open up your eye of prajna wisdom,you will gain a proper or clearer or absolute insight of this world. once you do that,you will get a clearer picture of where you will go in the future.

and secondly,the most important thing that prajna can do for us is to help us understand what suffering is about and then set ourselves free from this suffering.

for example,prajna wisdom will be there to tell you that there's er ahead of you,so please don't keep walking or there's a pit in front of you.it will bring you suffering,so don't fall into that pit of suffering.therefore,that's where the function of prajna wisdom comes into full swing.

sometimes you may think that once you possess prajna wisdom and it will allow you to know ways to find a good job or to make your life much better,but there's much more than that to prajna wisdom,because prajna wisdom is a different type of knowledge,or it's a different type of wisdom. once you possess prajna wisdom,you will be able to find liberation,you will also be able to find ,and you will also be able to find stability.

an example of how we can make use of our prajna wisdom is,say for example,when you listen to somebody else and that person says something and you realize that this makes sense to you.or you could tell yourself that,"this makes sense, therefore i should bear it in mind,remember it and it could come into play the next time."when you do this,you are allowing the function of prajna wisdom to come into full swing and that's why a verse tells us that the creeks are the tongues that vo the sound of dharma,while the mountains represent the pure body of the buddha.what this is trying to say is that at the normal times of your life,you need to listen very carefully to the messages around you even if it does not have a real vo,even when it is just a hand gesture,you need to listen very carefully to the message that is hidden behind it.and once you're able to do that and find it's true meaning and you'll be very close to using or utilizing your prajna wisdom properly.

as we continue with this talk now,we have to realize that this is also part of a distance-learning program therefore people from many different parts of the world can also hear us and see everyone of you inside this room.

and i remember how dr.lancaster,the former president of the university always reminded me to leave time for our friends over the internet to raise their questions.

so anyone of you in the audience or via the internet,please feel free to raise your questions.

as i have tried to deliver to you as much detail on prajna wisdom as possible,it seems like we've still run out of time.

so we'll make up for it tomorrow.

and in the past,you used to have to register and pay a fee to listen to these talks,but i believe we have reached an agreement recently to exempt everybody,most of you from this fee.

this applies to the students,too;the students of university of the west.

and as for our students via the internet and our audience here,i know a lot of you also paid a fee in the previous talks,but i believe starting from now on you won't have to pay the fee,but of course your donations and support are very welcome.

and as university of the west is still very young and has only recently been granted member status by wasc and it still requires a lot of encouragement and support.therefore,of course,your support will be very welcome and appreciated by the university.