The Heart Sūtra
Prajñāpāramitā-hṛdaya-sūtra

Commentary by Wong Weng Hon

Introduction

The Heart Sūtra is the most celebrated Mahāyāna Sūtra among all the Mahāyāna Sūtras as it is the quintessence of the Scriptures of Perfection of Wisdom (Prajñāpāramitā-sūtras) believed to be discovered and first expounded by the celebrated Buddhist philosopher, Nāgārjuna between 1st century B.C.E and 1st century C.E in southern India. With the prior consent of Śākyamuni Buddha, Avalokiteśvara expounded the Heart Sūtra to the foremost and immediate disciple of Śākyamuni Buddha, Sariputra and other noble audience comprising a large number of Bhikkhus, Bhikkhunis and Bodhisattvas.

The entire Heart Sūtra is expounded in terms of seven key ideas in the following sequential order enumerated as follows:

1. Enlightenment experience of a Bodhisattva
2. Relationship between emptiness and phenomena
3. Definitions of Emptiness
4. Negations of all phenomena
5. Perfection of Wisdom as the mother of Buddhahood
6. Greatest mantra of all mantras
7. Invitation to gain enlightenment

Enlightenment Experience

Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva elucidated her experience of enlightenment –the intuitive apprehension or discernment of the ultimate truth of Emptiness in terms of Dependent Co-arising (pratītyasamutpāda ). A Bodhisattva (an enlightened or wisdom being), having coursed profoundly in the Six Perfections (pāramitā-s) perceives that the five aggregates, conglomerating the human personality, are empty of any permanent substance, such as self, soul or intrinsic nature. Succinctly put, the five aggregates are insubstantial, selfless or soulless. The Six Perfections comprise Perfection of Generous Giving, Perfection of Precepts, Perfection of Endurance, Perfection of Energy or Diligence, Perfection of Meditation and Perfection of Wisdom. Having perceived the emptiness of the five aggregates of form, feelings, perceptions, volitional activities or dispositions and consciousness, the illusive selfish or egoistic self superimposed by ignorance and or perversion of the ordinary worldlings is annihilated. The wise then ceases grasping upon the five aggregates as This is I; This is Mine; This belongs to me. With the annihilation of the illusive self, the true self replaces the false self. The true self is manifested in the form of Buddha-mind - the pure consciousness of an enlightened one. It is the undefiled mind of dwelling in everywhere at all places without grasping or clinging upon anything in the world both internally and externally. It is non-discriminative mind which has entered the door of non-duality between the perceiver and the perceived. The mind is absolutely appeased or nirvāṇic as all forms of mental obsessions have been eliminated. The mental obsessions cease because the volitional activities or dispositions have been appeased by the Perfection of Wisdom of perceiving emptiness or signlessness of all phenomena . Equanimity of neither attachment nor aversion is fruit of the perfection of Wisdom. The Perfection of Wisdom is thus an end-maker of suffering or anguish as the Buddha-nature is revealed.

Emptiness and Phenomena

The Heart Sūtra next elucidates the true nature or suchness of all phenomena: Form does not differ from emptiness and emptiness does not from form. The expression connotes that form is identical with emptiness and emptiness is identical with form. This can be explained briefly thus. The true nature of sign of form is signless; emptiness is also signlessness. Therefore, form and emptiness are identical. In other words, form is insubstantial in the ultimate sense as it is dependently co-arisen. Emptiness is synonymous with insubstantiality or Dependent Co-arising. The same truth or suchness is equally applied to the other four remaining aggregates, namely, feelings, perceptions, volitional activities and consciousness. In fact, the same truth is equally applied to all diverge phenomena of the multiplicity of the empirical world. In other words, all phenomena cannot be discriminated in the ultimate sense as they are signless or empty. All phenomena are conglomerated in the form of borderless totality. In the conventional sense, discriminations between diverge phenomena do exist. But they are manifest illusively like dreams, magics, mirages, echoes, children of a barren woman or the hairs of tortoise.

Definitions of Emptiness

Emptiness is synonymous with Dependent Co-arising or signlesslessness. In the sense of emptiness or signlessness, all phenomena are, in the ultimate sense, neither arising nor ceasing; neither impure nor pure; neither increasing nor decreasing. As there is no self-identity in the ultimate sense, the phenomena of arising and ceasing, impurity and purity and increase and decrease are merely false views or illusions. All these all merely ontological commitment to concepts erroneously constructed by the false imaginations of the ordinary worldlings.

Negation of all Phenomena

As all phenomena are empty, singles or dependently co-arising without any permanent, unalterable self-nature or intrinsic nature , the Heart Sūtra negates the following phenomena which are very intimate with us:

1. Five aggregates are negated
2. Six sense faculties are negated
3. Six sense bases are negated
4. Six sense consciousness are negated
5. 12 linked chains of Dependent Origination are negated
6. Negations of the 12-linke chains of Dependent Origination are negated
7. Four Noble Truths are negated
8. Negation of wisdom is negated
9. Non-attainment is negated

In fact, all phenomena are negated because all phenomena are intrinsically empty of self-natures. At this juncture, it must be carefully noted, all the phenomena of the empirical world are negated or deconstructed to reveal the ultimate truth of all phenomena. But in the conventional sense, the illusive signs, marks or characteristics are not denied and reconstructed to preserve their pragmatic value for social intercourse, interaction or intercommunication. Otherwise, it advocates nihilism which is equally incorrigible.

In order to attain absolute mental purification, even the negation of all phenomena is negated. This is known as the negation of negation culminating in the absolute emptiness called emptiness of emptiness by which the mind is completely purified. The purpose of deconstruction by the utility of emptiness as an expedient device or skill means is to realize absolute equanimity of neither attachment nor aversion. The Buddha-mind is thus revealed and manifest.

Mother of Buddhahood

With the absolute purity of the mind brought about by the perfection of Wisdom of emptiness or signlessness, the wise is absolutely emancipated from suffering or vexation. The enlightened one is then a true Bodhisattva. His or her mind is absolutely appeased and there is no whatsoever fear in him or her. All forms of perversions and illusions vanish consequently. the soteriological goal of Nirvāṇa is thus gained. Contigent upon the Perfection of Wisdom of Emptiness or Signlessness, all Buddha-s of tri-temporal existences actualize the unsurpassed or supreme self-enlightenment.

The Greatest Mantra

Mantra is generally utilized by human beings to drive away all evil forces and to eliminate suffering. The Perfection of Wisdom of Emptiness or signlessness is the greatest mantra of all mantras because it helps the liberated person eliminate all forms of suffering or vexation by destruction of grasping upon the five aggregates. The enlightened one is a liberated person who has annihilated the notion of I-ness or Mine-ness. He has transcended the three worlds: the world of sensual desire, the world of form and the formless world. There is neither the notion of I , the notion of mine nor any world to disturb or entangle the liberated one . Hence, the Perfection of Wisdom is the most powerful mantra of all mantras known to men. Therefore, the Perfection of Wisdom acts as a form of powerful mantra which totally eradicate all forms of suffering or vexation.

Conclusion

Finally, the Heart Sūtra welcome all sentient beings to learn, reflect and cultivate the perfection of Wisdom to obtain a complete release from suffering as all sentient beings are potentially endowed with the perfection of Wisdom.

Śākyamuni also arose from his profound meditation and praised Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva for a discourse excellently expounded. The Exalted One immediately recommended the audience present to practise or cultivate the Dharma as it was well expounded. All the audience present rejoiced profusely at the discourse.