The Heart Sutra as I understand it

Boddhisattva Kuan Yin
(chinese female version)

The Prajna Paramita Hrdaya Sutra (aka Heart Sutra) is one of the most prominent sutra together with the Diamond Sutra in Mahayana Buddhism especially for those who follow the Boddhisattva Kuan Yin (aka Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara). I had that urge to take a look at it... a look only... coz I'm no expert...and see what it could possibly mean in general spiritual terms. 


The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia:

The Heart Sūtra (Sanskrit: प्रज्ञापारमिताहृदय Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya; Chinese: 般若波羅蜜多心經; pinyin: Bōrěbōluómìduō Xīnjīng) is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. Its Sanskrit name Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya literally translates to "Heart of the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom." The Heart Sūtra is often cited as the best known and most popular of all Buddhist scriptures.

Below is the Heart Sutra translated (I don't know if it is accurate) to english by Master Hua:

When Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound prajna paramita, he illuminated the five skandhas and saw that they are all empty, and he crossed beyond all suffering and difficulty. 

The Heart Sutra

Shariputra, form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does not differ rom form, Form itself is emptiness; emptiness itself is form. So, too, are feeling, cognition, formation, and consciousness. 

Shariputra, all dharmas are empty of characteristics. They are not produced. Not destroyed, not defiled, not pure, and they neither increase nor diminish. Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, feeling, cognition, formation, or consciousness; no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no sights, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, or dharmas; no field of the eyes, up to and including no field of mind-consciousness; and no ignorance or ending of ignorance, up to and including no old age and death or ending of old age and death. There is no suffering, no accumulating, no extinction, no Way, and no understanding and no attaining. 

Because nothing is attained, the Boddhisattva, through reliance on prajna paramita, is unimpeded in his mind. Because there is no impediment, he is not afraid, and he leaves distorted dream-thinking far behind. Ultimately Nirvana! 

All Buddhas of the three periods of time attain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi through reliance on prajna paramita. Therefore, know that prajna paramita is a great spiritual mantra, an unequalled mantra. It can remove all suffering; it is genuine and not false. That is why the mantra of prajna paramita was spoken. Recite it like this: 

gate gate par agate parasamgate bodhi svaha!

Whew... that was a mouthful. Like I said, I'm no expert. But I do believe the Buddha and the Boddhisattvas were attempting to explain certain truths to the people of their time. And I do believe that all origins of religions are somewhat from the same source albeit misconstrued and/or abused over time by human beings. And the east (India, China etc) definitely treated their prophets/Avatar/Messiahs better compared to the west (middle east and westward) where they either send them to the cross or create wars against other religions.

Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara
(male version)

Anyway, we do know now, through science, that we are actually energy (or empty space if you want to be blunt about it). Many people will dispute this but that's their problem if they want to deny their own existence and true nature. Take our body and break it down to the smallest part, we get cells. When we break the cells down, we get atoms and molecules. Go further in, and we get nothingness or just energy. So essentially we are energy or emptiness if you prefer. This explains the first 3 paragraphs already. we are essentially space and therefore all physical, emotional aspects etc are all non-existence in a certain way. God force is pure energy with consciousness (and yet without consciousness). 




And once we realize this, or to put it in a better way, enlightened to our true nature or what we really are i.e. God force (or universal consciousness or etc etc whatever you want to call it), then we must also realize that all the things that we get hooked up with is actually nothing... It's like, "What the hell man, stuff are stuff and its no big a deal". This then explains the 4th paragraph.


The 5th paragraph may be baffling. In fact, most buddhist scriptures like to talk about Buddhas of 3 periods of time: past, present and future. Well, like I said, I'm no expert but in spirituality, time is a concept that we "invented" in the physical realm. In the spiritual world, the concept of time does not exist. All instances are already played out to perfection. So it could be that that paragraph is trying to tell us that it is by knowing what this sutra attempts to tell us that we can be enlightened (or come to realization) to our true nature irregardless of time... that's my guess.


But why then is it called Heart Sutra? Why Heart? Well we know that The One Source is all compassion and love. So, could it be that the sutra is telling us that once we know our true nature which is the God force (for we are created in HIS likeness), we can only be Love and Compassion because that's God force, and hence that's why the sutra is called the "Heart" Sutra?. How else to explain love and compassion other than to point to our heart for the people at that time in history.


Well.. That's my 2 cents on the Heart Sutra...


Somewhat related post:

1. Boddhisattva - what is a boddhisattva?
2. The Diamond Sutra