A Commentary on Heart Sūtra Part 3

Commentary:

Ignorance (avidyā無明) is a mental phenomenon (nāmadharma心法). It is negated because it does not exist as a discrete or separate entity (獨存個體). It is negated or deconstructed like any other phenomenon to denote that  it has no sign, mark, characteristic (nirnimitta無相) . Correspondingly, it is to reveal that  it has no permanent, immutable self-nature (svabhāva自性) nor self-identity or individuality. The objective of negation or deconstruction is to unveil that  Ignorance like any other phenomena does not exist in the ultimate sense. This connotes that Ignorance has no self-identity, sign or self-nature from the perspective of the Ultimate Truth (Paramārtha Satya勝義諦). If the  self-identity or self-nature  of Ignorance does not exist, it follows that the ‘Negation of ignorance’ also does not exist. When A does not exist, it is obvious that negation of A does not exist too. The repeated exertion of negation in the Heart Sūtra emphasizes that all phenomena do not have their respective self-identities or self-natures. The reiteration of  negation is a serious emphasis and reminder that every phenomenon, both physical and mental, is empty of inherent existence.  In other words , the Heart Sūtra negates the existence of all phenomena to drive home the ultimate Truth that all phenomena are signless, markless, characteristicless or empty of inherent existence. Succintly put, the diverge differentiations of the multiplicity of the empirical world are illusive like dreams, magics, echoes, mirages, reflected moons in the water and so forth . This  principle of negation or deconstruction of all phenomena  is universally applied to all phenomena to emphasize that the world is actually empty of individual myriad beings. It is not that these myriad beings or individuals do not exit. They do exist but not in the perspective by which the ordinary worldlings perceive them. Only the Enlightened Ones called Bodhisattvas perceive them in the right perspective. In actuality, all phenomena do not exist as independent or discrete entities in the ultimate sense. They exist holistically and dependently with one another forming a micro unity. A human personality itself is micro-unity. All the micro-unities merge to form the  macro-unity of the infinite cosmos. Their individualities disappear as they have merged with the universal unity of the infinite cosmos. It is just like the metaphor of different rivers  from different continents or islands of the world which have flown into and have merged with the ocean. Having merged with the ocean, their individual identities have vanished. This macro-unity is metaphorically known as the Ocean of Unity. From the Buddhist perspective, this is called the Dharma Realm of Unity or Dharmadhātu-pratītyasamutpāda. From the Islamic  or Sufi vision, it is known as  Waḥdat al-Wujūd, Tawḥīd  or al-wāḥidīya. From the Hindu view, it is designated as the  Ātman-Brahman equation. Basically the ignorant worldlings perceive multiplicity and the  enlightend ones  or the wise perceive cosmic Unity or Oneness of cosmos.

For instance, the six sense faculties of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind do not exist independently. They exist interdependently to merge with the micro unity of the entire human personality. Each individual human personality lives interdependently with all other immediate human personalities. All these human personalties exist interdependently with all other living and non-living things of the human environment. Therefore, all human beings and non-human beings  in the environment  merge into the macro-unity of the infinite cosmos. Therefore, the infinite cosmos is constituted from the conglomeration or dependent co-arising of  the infinite network of all phenomena interwoven into a  cosmic unity (Dharmadhātu pratītyasamutpāda法界緣起). In fact,  all esoteric religions,  such as Zoroastrianism, Vedānta, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam or Sufism instruct all their genuine adherents to perceive this cosmic unity in order to redeem themselves in order to make internal return to the Centre of the human Heart. Self-redemption (回皈本性) is the esoteric return to the innate highest good of Man - the Buddhahood or Godhood.  Whoever perceives this cosmic unity and the  illusion of the multiplicity perceives the one and only Truth dissimilarly designated as Brahman, Kṛṣṇa, Tao, Buddha, God and Allah. Such intuitive discernment (通達) is  logically followed by the intuitive apprehension of the universal brotherhood of humanity which  con-exist holistically  with all phenomena or beings in their environment. Such apprehension makes all human beings  friendly and harmonious  towards their  environment. The environment consists of either living and non-living things. Consequently, religious saints, messengers, prophets declare that we ought to love our neighours who are either friends or enemies. Buddhism, like any other major  esoteric religions, unveils that all beings or phenomena live on the same infinite boat known as the cosmic unity of the infinite cosmos. Such view of universal unity helps construct world unity and harmony. It is a sheer spiritual ignorance (無明) and resultant perversion (顛倒) that religions are erroneously or selfishly capitalized to divide mankind today. Majority of the modern men and women  are ignorant of the eternal Truth of cosmic Unity. In actuality, everyone of us, Buddhist or non-Buddhist  is part of this cosmic unity or Dharm realm of Unity (法界一相;一真法界). In terms of Truth, Buddha is synonymous with God – the Dharma Realm of Unity or the Spirit of the Truth.

Editor’s note:

God is actually the  absolute Truth of cosmic Unity. It can be designated dissimilarly as Brahman, Tao, Buddha, or Allah. In the ultimate analysis, they refer to the one and only Truth popularly called the ‘Ocean of Unity’ or the ‘Dharma Realm of Unity’. Religious discriminations, frictions, conflicts, tensions, strifes or wars are the foolish products of ignorance and perversion.The studies of theosophy or comparative esoteric religious studies help unite the people of world severely divided by erroneous interpretations and mispresentations of their own religions and those of others.  

Now, we return to Buddhist way of perceiving cosmic Unity unveiled by the Heart Sūtra. It is important to perceive the purpose of negation or deconstruction of all   phenomena.The purpose of negation or deconstruction is to prevent from or to relinquish object reification (見相perception of false self-identity or self-nature ). Abandonment of object reification (離相) leads to the appeasement of object (draṣṭavyopa’sama). Object appeasement leads  to the appeasement of mental obsessions  or false conceptualizations or imaginations (prapañcopa’sama 滅戲論). The cessation of  object reification results in the complete mental appeasement called Nirvāṇa(涅盤) as mental obsessions cease.

 ‘Ignorance’ is only the first item of the 12-fold conditions of the Dependent Origination or Genesis. As expected, we perceive that the Heart Sūtra continues to negate or deconstruct  the remaining eleven conditions of the 12-fold chain of the Law of Dependent Origination or Genesis. All phenomena are to be negated or deconstructed  without any exception.

Commentary:

The principle of negation or deconstruction expounded  in the  Heart Sūtra is applied here too as I have asserted that  it is to be applied universally. After the  negation or deconstruction of  Ignorance, the other remaining eleven causal factors of 12-link chains or factors of the Dependent Origination (pratītyasamutpāda 十二因緣)  are similarly negated or deconstructed   to reveal the Ultimate Truth of the absence of self-identities or self-natures of all phenomena or the Absolute Truth of cosmic Unity. This helps in the appeasement of object or the cessation of object reification (離相). The 12-link factors of Dependent Origination comprise Ignorance(無明), Volitions(行), Consciousness(識), Name and Form(名色), Six sense faculties (六入), Contact (融), Feelings or Sensations(受), Attachment or Aversion(取/舍),  Becoming(有), Birth (生),and  Old Age and Decay(老死). When one ceases reifying these 12 conditions, one is liberated.

Commentary:

Similarly, the Four Noble Truths(四聖諦) are  negated or deconstructed to reveal the Dharma realm of Unity . Conventionally, the Four Noble Truths (Cattāri Ariya Saccāni) can not be denied as they are the expedient devices (upāyas方便法門) by which   a serious cultivator utilizes to develop the Perfection of Wisdom(般若波羅蜜多). The Four Noble Truths like any other phenomena are to be negated or deconstructed  to purify the mind (淨心) through non-reification of object. The negation or deconstruction  of phenomena is the prequisite to self-enlightenment or self-awakening(自覺) to the Dharma realm of Unity. Having achieved self-awakening and developed the Perfection of Wisdom, there is no obstruction whatsoever between the principle and phenomena (理事無礙). In other words, theory and practice can be unified. It then followed by the enlightenment experience of  non-obstruction between phenomena and phenomena (事事無礙). In other words, the Enlightened One are able to dwell at all places in all times without grasping or upon anything in the world either internally or externally. Succintly put, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness are perfectly established informally without undertaking any sitting meditation. This is actualized by relinquishing the four signs of Self, Person, Sentient Beings and Life Span.

 The aforementioned Principle refers to  the Ultimate Truth (Paramārtha Satya世俗諦) whilst the Phenomena refers to  the conventional Truth (Saṃvṛ̣ti Satya世俗諦). The former is secular or worldly while the latter is spiritual.  The secularity and spirituality do not collide as far as  an Enlightened One (Bodhisattva菩薩) is concerned. They interpenetrate and co-exist.  In Buddhism, wisdom and compassion are parallel development and mutually inclusive.

Commentary:

Likewise, wisdom or attainment is acknowledged at the conventional level. But at the ultimate level of Truth, they are negated to avoid object reification and to purify the mind. Without mental purity, the Perfection of Wisdom does not arise. Object reification involves Iness or the knower(我)   or mineness or the known (我所). Non-object reification annihilates Self (ātman) or Ego (ahaṃkāra) and eliminates dualism between the subject and object . The negation or deconstruction of everything, including the notion of Emptiness,  is to totally destroy the illusive self-identity or ego-centredness (我執). Attachment (取) or aversion (舍) is motivated by the illusive notion of Self or Ego which does not exist in the first place. It is superimposed by Ignorance of the perverse ordinary worldlings  who regard Self or Ego as part and parcel of intrinsic nature of Man. In actuality, nothing, whether physical or mental phenomenon,  has a permanent, immutable self-nature. This is precisely the reason why everything is negated or deconstructed  in the Heart Sūtra because a wordling is obsessed with the intrinsic nature or sign  of everything. It is stressed again that what is negated or deconstructed  is only the self-nature, self-identity or individual sign of every phenomenon but not the phenomenon itself. A phenomenon does exist but not its individual  identity, sign or intrinsic nature. It is said to be empty of  self-identity, sign or intrinsic nature . It is  empty because it is dependently co-arisen from a cause and conditions devoid of any permanent substance. The cause and conditions are impermanent and mutable because there is no whatsoever any underlying permanent substance.  Therefore, Śākyamuni Buddha  stresses again and again that every  phenomenon is empty of inherent existence. In other words, every phenomenon, either mental or physical is signless, markless or characteristicless. It is empty of intrinsic nature.

 A phenomenon should rightly be viewed as a continuous changing process without a permanent substance underlying it. It is like the metaphor of an  incessant flow of the stream of water. It is also akin to the metaphor of a finiancial balance sheet which does not reflect the actual or absolute finiancial position of a private or public business organization. The balance sheet merely consists of the static finiancial data of the assets and liabilities of the business organization  throughout days and nights. But in actuality,  the finiancial data are dynamic, mutable  but not static and immutable.  Therefore, a printed report of a static balance sheet does not  mirror the actual finiancial position of a dynamic working or an existing or operative business organization. A balanced sheet is a just static information of finiancial data certified by a public  Accountant. But, in actuality,the finiancial data is changing continuously throughout the days and nights especially it is a multinational company. The company is continuously dynamic. But the Balance Sheet is static. How can a static report mirrors the accurate position of the dynamic business transactions.? Therefore,  the Accountants themselves admit that the Balanced Sheet does not mirror the actual finiancial position of a company concerned. The  Accountant is wise when he or she  certifies in the document that the Balanced Sheet reflects only  a fair finiancial position of the audited company but not its absolute finiancial position. The absolute finiancial  position of a company  does not exist at any point of time as it is continuously dynamic concern. It is just like the metaphor of  the incessant flow of the stream of water. No one can step on the same spot of a following stream of river twice. Wow !  the Accountant is wise to apprehend  the impermanence of the Balanced Sheet. In Chan tradition, Sudden Enlightenment can occur from such perception of  the  impermanence of the Balanced Sheet.

Auto-commentary:

Reification of object (perception of self-identity) means the objectification of whatever perceived. It is the perception of object as independent, separate or discrete entity. The wisdom of Heart Sūtra can even be practised while reading this commentary of the Heart Sūtra. Just read this commentary without reifying yourself, without reifying the commentary, without reifying the writer, without reifying the computer, without reifying the time …… without reifying anything in your immediate environment. You would experience an absolute inner peace (Śama) of your mind. This inner peace transforms you into a nobody of Self or Ego  and yet you have become somebody called the Dharmabody (Dharmakāya). Dharmabody is the spirit of eternal Truth sought by all major esoteric religions.

The innate treasure of all human species and the secret of the entire cosmos are to be sought esoterically or inwardly thus to consummate one’s spiritual life. Having consummated this interior life of spirituality, the reader, the commentary, the writer,  the computer, the time and everything around you do not vanish. They are still there at your disposal or  for your conventional utilities. But spiritually, you are now an entire newly born person looking at the old things with a transformed worldview of self-awakening. The summit of self-actualization is reached as your False self has been substituted with a  True self – the Buddha mind. This True self is known as  the true man without rank from the vision of Chan or Zen  tradition. It is the Dharmbody – Body of Truth- the Dharma Realm of Unity. Heart Sūtra or the Buddha negates or deconstruct all phenomena to remove the illusive Self or ego superimposed by our ignorance.

The soteriological goal of self-enlightenment is self-realized  when the Dharma realm of Unity or the cosmic Unity is discerned intuitively. The intuitive apprehension of the Dharma realm of Unity or simply,  cosmic Unity of infinity  relinquishes the grasping upon of the five aggregates. Relinquishing of the grasping upon the five aggregates is synonymous with  the annihilation of self or ego which does not exist originally. Self or Ego is superimposed by ordinary worldlings.