Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness, there is no form, no feeling, no perception, no formation, no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no appearance, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no dharmas; no eye dhatu up to no mind dhatu; no dhatu of dharmas, no mind consciousness dhatu; no ignorance, no end of ignorance up to no old age and death, no end of old age and death; no suffering, no origin of suffering, no cessation of suffering, no path, no wisdom, no attainment, and no non-attainment. Therefore, Shariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no attainment, they abide by means of prajñaparamita. Since there is no obscuration of mind, there is no fear. thIs famous excerpt from the Nalanda Translation Committee’s well-known translation of the Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya, popularly known as the Heart Sutra, is an expression of the inexpressible, fundamental Buddhist view (if it can be called a ‘view’) born from Lord Buddha’s great compassion.
Powerful reply! I can barely comprehend it but it definitely gives me the feeling that I wasn’t shouting into the void and this path I’m going down will be worthwhile. Thank you my good friend : )
Glad to see you writing again! Keep up the good work.
Yes, the Heart Sutra was directly spoken by the Buddha and its something we recite everyday. It's a fundamental Buddhist teaching. Basically, it says in its way, that absolutely nothing truly exists. We, as Buddhist reinforce this concept daily.
We also recite, practice, and meditate on what we call the four seals. Here is a brief explanation of the four seals by one of my teachers, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinooche:
"So what is the particular view that Buddhists try to get used to? Buddhism is distinguished by four characteristics, or “seals.”
Actually, if all these four seals are found in a path or a philosophy, it doesn’t matter whether you call it Buddhist or not. You can call it what you like; the words “Buddhist” or “Buddhism” are not important. The point is that if this path contains these four seals, it can be considered the path of the Buddha.
Therefore, these four characteristics are called “the Four Seals of Dharma.” They are:
All compounded things are impermanent.
All emotions are painful. This is something that only Buddhists would talk about. Many religions worship things like love with celebration and songs. Buddhists think, “This is all suffering.”
All phenomena are empty; they are without inherent existence. This is actually the ultimate view of Buddhism; the other three are grounded on this third seal.
The fourth seal is that nirvana is beyond extremes.
Without these four seals, the Buddhist path would become theistic, religious dogma, and its whole purpose would be lost. On the other hand, you could have a surfer giving you teachings on how to sit on a beach watching a sunset: if what he says contains all these four seals, it would be Buddhism.
The Tibetans, the Chinese, or the Japanese might not like it, but teaching doesn’t have to be in a “traditional” form. The four seals are quite interrelated, as you will see."
This is deep and wild and free and intelligent. I'm the only English speaker for miles around where I live. I speak French but I don't know anyone as profound as you come across man!
Like I said on Twitter, my books are my escape (reading and writing) sometimes to a better place. Sometimes into a dark void. But always seeking truth in amongst all the noise...
Thanks for connecting. And keep up the great "written" work!
Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness, there is no form, no feeling, no perception, no formation, no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no appearance, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no dharmas; no eye dhatu up to no mind dhatu; no dhatu of dharmas, no mind consciousness dhatu; no ignorance, no end of ignorance up to no old age and death, no end of old age and death; no suffering, no origin of suffering, no cessation of suffering, no path, no wisdom, no attainment, and no non-attainment. Therefore, Shariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no attainment, they abide by means of prajñaparamita. Since there is no obscuration of mind, there is no fear. thIs famous excerpt from the Nalanda Translation Committee’s well-known translation of the Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya, popularly known as the Heart Sutra, is an expression of the inexpressible, fundamental Buddhist view (if it can be called a ‘view’) born from Lord Buddha’s great compassion.
Powerful reply! I can barely comprehend it but it definitely gives me the feeling that I wasn’t shouting into the void and this path I’m going down will be worthwhile. Thank you my good friend : )
Hi Luther,
Glad to see you writing again! Keep up the good work.
Yes, the Heart Sutra was directly spoken by the Buddha and its something we recite everyday. It's a fundamental Buddhist teaching. Basically, it says in its way, that absolutely nothing truly exists. We, as Buddhist reinforce this concept daily.
We also recite, practice, and meditate on what we call the four seals. Here is a brief explanation of the four seals by one of my teachers, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinooche:
"So what is the particular view that Buddhists try to get used to? Buddhism is distinguished by four characteristics, or “seals.”
Actually, if all these four seals are found in a path or a philosophy, it doesn’t matter whether you call it Buddhist or not. You can call it what you like; the words “Buddhist” or “Buddhism” are not important. The point is that if this path contains these four seals, it can be considered the path of the Buddha.
Therefore, these four characteristics are called “the Four Seals of Dharma.” They are:
All compounded things are impermanent.
All emotions are painful. This is something that only Buddhists would talk about. Many religions worship things like love with celebration and songs. Buddhists think, “This is all suffering.”
All phenomena are empty; they are without inherent existence. This is actually the ultimate view of Buddhism; the other three are grounded on this third seal.
The fourth seal is that nirvana is beyond extremes.
Without these four seals, the Buddhist path would become theistic, religious dogma, and its whole purpose would be lost. On the other hand, you could have a surfer giving you teachings on how to sit on a beach watching a sunset: if what he says contains all these four seals, it would be Buddhism.
The Tibetans, the Chinese, or the Japanese might not like it, but teaching doesn’t have to be in a “traditional” form. The four seals are quite interrelated, as you will see."
This is deep and wild and free and intelligent. I'm the only English speaker for miles around where I live. I speak French but I don't know anyone as profound as you come across man!
Like I said on Twitter, my books are my escape (reading and writing) sometimes to a better place. Sometimes into a dark void. But always seeking truth in amongst all the noise...
Thanks for connecting. And keep up the great "written" work!