The Diamond Sutra Date: September 20 & 21 Time: 10:00 - 13:00 Location: Sun-Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, Taipei Reservation: Attendance is free, but reservation required.* *To reserve seats, please notify James Lo at Siddhartha's Intent, Taipei (e-mail: siddwish@yahoo.com.tw). Please state your name and the number of seats required. Reserved tickets can be collected at the information desk at The Sun-Yat-sen Memorial Hall from 9:00AM to 9:45AM on September 20. NB: Please ensure that you arrive on time, as space cannot be guaranteed after 9:45AM Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche - Brief Introduction: Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse is regarded as the second reincarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. He was a close student of H. H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and continues to embody the Rime or non-sectarian approach to Buddhist study and practice. He has established Buddhist colleges in India, Bhutan, and Tibet, and a retreat center in Sikkim. From the late 1980's, he has traveled and taught widely throughout the world, establishing centers in North America, Europe, the Far East, and Australia. Diamond Sutra - Brief Introduction: The Sanskrit name of the sutra is Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita. Vajracchedika means the diamond that cuts through illusion, and Prajnaparamita means perfection of wisdom. In English, it is simply known as the "Diamond Sutra" or "Diamond Cutter Sutra." In Buddhism, the root of suffering is identified as ignorance. This is illustrated by the example of a man who mistakes a piece of rope for a snake. Seeing what he believes to be a snake, he takes action to defend himself. However, being based on a mistaken view, his response is inappropriate. Only when he realizes the true situation does he relax and his suffering end. As the name implies, the text teaches how to cut through ignorance and give rise to wisdom, and it is introduced in the form of a dialogue between the Buddha and his disciple Subhuti. Although attitudes and customs have greatly changed since the time of the Buddha, the cause of suffering has not. Therefore, this scripture is as relevant to modern society as it was 2,500 years ago. The concluding gatha of the scripture expresses the essence of the text: "All composed things are like a dream, a phantom, a dewdrop, a flash of lightening. That is how we should observe them."