View
If we were to observe a red flower that is so vivid, clear and
right in front us, the “redness” only appears to “belong” to the
flower, it is in actuality not so. Vision of red does not arise in
all animal species (dogs cannot perceive colours) nor is the
“redness” an inherent attribute of the mind. If given a “quantum
eyesight” to look into the atomic structure, there is similarly no
attribute “redness” anywhere found, only almost complete space/void
with no perceivable shapes and forms. Whatever appearances are
dependently arisen, and hence is empty of any inherent existence or
fixed attributes, shapes, form, or “redness” -- merely luminous yet
empty, mere appearances without inherent/objective existence.
Having the view of dependent origination and emptiness, plus
insights into Anatta (see A Zen Exploration of
the Bahiya Sutta), one will be able to penetrate deeply into
the essence of Emptiness.
Realization
When Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara 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.
Shariputra, form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness
does not differ from form. Form itself is emptiness; emptiness
itself is form. So too are feeling, cognition, formation, and
consciousness.
Investigating where a thought arises from, where a thought goes
to, where thought abides, it's realized that thought is just an
empty appearance without substance anywhere - a magical appearance
of dependent origination! Appearances, having nothing to do with a
substance, source, or an agent, arise via dependent origination -
all causes and conditions come together and magically a sensaiton,
an appearance arise.
From nowhere, going nowhere, nowhere abiding, a magical luminous
and empty appearance, empty yet appearing, appearing yet empty, a
true wonder. All thoughts, all sense perceptions, are just so! Like
a dream! Illusory! Yet no forms are denied. Form does not differ
from emptiness, and emptiness does not differ from form, for form
itself is emptiness and emptiness itself is form.
Path
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, and no Way, and no understanding and
no attaining.
Realizing the emptiness of all phenomena, your path becomes a
pathless path. If all things are illusory, there is no grasping, if
there is no grasping, there is also no letting go, and no path, no
extinction, etc. This is the pathless path of non-meditation and
self-liberation. All that appears upon its inception is
self-liberated through seeing with naked awareness.
It is important to understand that this pathless path of
self-liberation is not a path of dissociation, as dissociation
implies a subject and object duality: a self that could distant
itself from the object, therefore causing a split and subtle
dualistic attachment.
Because nothing is attained, the Bodhisattva 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 Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi through
reliance on Prajna Paramita. Therefore know that Prajna Paramita is
a Great Spiritual Mantra, a Great Bright Mantra, a Supreme 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:
Gaté Gaté Paragaté Parasamgaté Bodhi Svaha!
This part is one of the most crucial parts of Heart Sutra. It
talks about the practice of non-abiding. This non-abiding is to be
practised in everyday life. Yet it must not be misunderstood that
the View and Realization is less important, because without the
View and Realization, you will not come to true non-abiding. Due to
our attachment to false views, we cannot experience true
liberation.
Because of no-attaining (nothing to be grasped), seeing that
everything is like a dream, does the dream objects cause fear and
attachment? No! Free from dream-thinking, life is lived
fearlessly.
Every situation - No Fear! Every situation - No Impediment! No
dream-thinking! The qualities of self-liberation: fearlessness,
non-attachment, and non-duality. If you are able to abide in
non-abiding at all situations, every moment, every situation
becomes an aid to self-awareness, it becomes an aid in your path
because you will become more and more capable of sustaining the
state of contemplation and self-liberation. The bodhisattva does
not seek liberation by escaping the world, but sees that samsara
itself is nirvana when rightly seen.
Gone, gone, gone beyond to the other shore!