A Commentary on the Heart Sūtra Final Part

By Wong Weng Hon

能除一切苦, 真實不虛.

It eliminates all suffering. This is true and not an empty lie.

The perfection of wisdom generates the mind of supreme enlightenment called the nirvāṇic Mind. The nirvāṇic mind is the mind of absolute appeasement as the illusive self or ego has been obliterated.The mind of nirvāṇ̣a is the complete psychological cessation of vexation or suffering.This is a true experience of cessation of vexation or suffering (斷煩惱或滅苦). It is very real and is not a fabricated lie. It can empirically be experienced directly in the present mundane life. It can be empirically verified by every ardent and genuine practitioner of the authentic teaching of Śākyamuni Buddha.

The Buddha is a logical positivist or a Dharma empiricist. He welcomes us to verify his Dhamma exposition through our direct sense or empirical experiences. The truth and the real experience of nirvāṇa can be tasted and witnessed by any accomplished practitioner before one’s death. Nirvāṇa is the experience of the complete silence of the chatter of the human mind while one is engaged actively in his daily, business and social life. In Theravāda tradition, the complete stilling of the mind is known as the pure and unmanifestative consciousness of an Arahant. In Mahāyāna tradition, this complete silence of the mind is called chan or zen (mind of perfection of wisdom) manifested without any formal posture of  sitting meditation. Chan or zen is the entrance into the door of non-duality. Lay Buddhist Bodhisattva Vimalakīrti pinpointed this treasure of wisdom to the Arahants in the Virmalakīrti Sūtra. This message of True Self or universal Self is reiterated emphatically in the Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāna Sūtra.

 A logical positivist is one like an investigative scientist who verifies the validity or the truth of a phenomenon by undertaking an actual experiment to testify the validity of the Truth. Buddhist faith is not blind but pure faith (淨信) supported by direct empirical experience of wisdom (Prajñā)

故說般若波羅蜜多咒. 即說咒曰. 揭諦,揭諦, 波羅揭諦, 波羅僧揭諦. 菩提薩婆訶.

Therefore, it said that this mantra of perfection of wisdom is thus : Gone, gone, gone completely beyond, together gone beyond from this shore to other shore.

The Sanskrit version of the mantra of perfection of wisdom reads thus : Gate gate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā. The mantra summarizes or encapsulates the teaching of Śākyamuni Buddha of traversing from this shore(此岸) of illusion to the other shore(彼岸)of enlightenment after self-actualization of intuitive discernment. The intuitive discernment is the experience of penetrative insight into the eternal ultimate Truth of Unity or Non-duality. Such penetrative discernment constitutes Buddhist intuition or gnosis – the direct experience of self-enlightenment or nirvāṇa (涅盤) which is the True Self. It is the experience of complete emancipation (解脫) from vexation or suffering. The sentient being is thus liberated completely from the slave of self or ego.

Such supreme spiritual experience is described as traversing from this shore to the shore beyond. This shore denotes illusion(迷) and other shore denotes enlightenment(悟). This shore also connotes saṃ̣sāra (生死) and the other shore connotes Nirvāṇa(涅盤). This shore also represents suffering (苦) and the other shore beyond represents happiness (樂) or cessation of suffering(衣滅苦). This shore also implies false self (假我) and the other shore beyond implies True Self (真我). Succintly put, it means deliverance or liberation (vimutti). The Dharma believer is completely saved. He thus becomes the Perfect Man known as Bodhisattva.

The perfection of wisdom of a Bodhisattva makes him or her a seer of the eternal Truth beyond all religions. It is the perfect discernment of the emptiness of emptiness – relinquishing all views. ‘Relinquishing all views’ is not abandonment of all views. It is only the elimination of the ontological commitment to all views (views of substantialists or metaphysicians). In other words, he does not grasp upon any conceived view as his mind is not directed by self-centred ego anymore. His mind is directed by his Original Self – the Buddha-mind (Buddhadhātu). He perceives as the Buddha perceives. His mind acts like a Buddha-mind. The Buddha-mind is no mind. No-mind connotes cessation of the ordinary consciousness empowered by self-centred ego. The Buddha’s consciousness is the pure, luminous and infinite mind. Such mind is unlimited like the infinite space embodying myriad beings without being defiled.

Conclusion

Heart Sūtra is recited daily by countless Mahāyāna Buddhists throughout the globe particularly in Asia. But it is indeed embarassing to reveal the reality that a large portion of the reciters still do not comprehend the esoteric or interior message embodied in the Heart Sūtra. This is also true in other esoteric religions in which the esoteric or inward dimension of their religions ais not understood. The main reason is universal : Most religious believers adopt the exoteric or outward approach towards their religions emphasizing only the external cultural practices of ritualism.

 To derive the maximum benefit from religious studies and practices, a serious religious believer must approach his or her religion exoterically or externally and  completes the spiritual quest by esoteric discernment in order to be saved.

 Heart Sūtra is strictly esoteric as it pertains to the knowledge of perfection of wisdom – the ultimate Truth of Emptiness of inherent existence in terms of Unity or Non-duality. Both the mind and heart must come together. This is genuine religious life in order to derive maximum benefit. Secularity or phenomena and spirituality or religious Principle are not separate. The life of layman Bodhisattva, Vimalakīrti is a supermodel for all Buddhists especially the lay Buddhists. One can live a normal mundane life with the perfection of wisdom or chan or zen. He realizes two victories, namely private victory and public victory. In short, he benefits himself as well as he benefits others. This is the summit of Buddhist spirituality and soteriology.

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The most frequent word used expressing the Heart Sūtra ‘ No’ or ‘Negation of’ in the negation of all phenomena. The ‘No’ or ‘Negation of’ should not misinterpreted as ‘Nothingness’. It should be interpreted as ‘Emptiness of ‘. ‘Emptiness’ connotes that

1. All phenomena are empty of permanent self-natures
2. All phenomena are signless, markless or characteristicless
3. All phenomena are dependently co-arisen into Unity and the multiplicity is mere cosmic illusion
4. All phenomena are non-dualistic or discriminative
5. The absolute Truth is Middle View which is neither absolute existence nor non-existence.
6. Most importantly, Emptiness connotes the eternal Truth of Unity or Non-duality.

Discernment of Heart Sūtra redeems one’s Perfection of Wisdom manifesting innate human supreme virtue – the intrinsic supremacy of Man.

The comparative study of religions is intentionally incorporated in the exegesis with motive of promoting and fostering the universal brotherhood of mankind. It is aimed at diffusing the one and only Truth of the Essence of Unity or Non-duality veiled by multiplicity or discrimination to foster more alliances of civilizations in the modern world imperilled by increasing clashes of civilizations locally, nationally and internationally.