Dharma Book Jewel Mirror of the Awakened Heart
Awakening Never Apart: Jewel Mirror of the Awakened Heart is a pocket guide Zen Master Hung Chi-Sung composed for the convenience and deepening of his own cultivation. It is also his most essential instruction in this lifetime—pointing straight to the ultimate heart of the Buddha Dharma. Rare is human birth, and rarer still is hearing the Dharma—thus, this moment is graced with auspicious Dharma joy.
May every reader, in accord with the author’s vow, carry it close at hand life after life. Each morning upon waking—or before sleep—recite one verse, three verses, or the entire text as conditions allow: first for self-benefit, and second for the benefit of others.
Palm-sized though it is, this booklet points to the awakened suchness of the boundless Dharma realm. Through concise verses and contemporary language, it guides us—whether walking, abiding, sitting, or lying down, and even as we face birth, aging, illness, and cessation—to directly behold:
Present awakening is ever-present;
Awakening is never apart from the self.
When nature enlightenment is fully present,
One is beyond all that exists—no longer bound by what currently exists.
Awakening Never Apart is not simply a book to rest on a shelf, but a pocket guide—a lifelong practice manual to be carried close at hand. Through its concise verses and daily recitation, we learn to live ever in accord with our present experience amid all conditions of life—family, relationships, the pressures of work, illness, and even the time of dying and the bardo (the intermediate state). In this way, “awakening” is no longer merely a concept; it becomes present awareness itself—luminous, clear, and able to appear in any moment.
By gathering the very core of the Dharma into brief verses, it is made easy to keep close at hand—ready to open and recite at any moment. It supports both beginners and long-practiced cultivators in the midst of busy life, offering brief pauses of stillness and clear, present awareness, and helping to establish a steady rhythm of practice.
Clear guidance, close at hand for daily practice.
The author presents the concept of “Whole-Life Education”: from taking rebirth—through the time in the mother’s womb—to childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age, and even through the final moments of life and the bardo (intermediate state), one may recite and uphold these verses to steady body and mind, sustain the luminosity of awakening, and cultivate both merit and wisdom.
Whole-Life Education—From Birth to Cessation
Recognize grace, repay grace—kindle the inexhaustible lamp of awakening.
You’re warmly invited to join the Awakening Never Apart Initiative.
Through every act of downloading, reciting, sharing, and offering support, may this Jewel Mirror of the Awakened Heart find its way into more homes, schools, medical settings, and workplaces—helping more people, amid stress, grief, and illness, to rediscover steadiness and clarity.
May all beings become BuddhAll; may the entire Dharma realm together become a Pure Land.