Epilogue 

“In this way, Shariputra, should a Bodhisattva and Mahasattva train in the profound Perfection of Wisdom.” Then the Lord rose from his concentration and commended the noble Lord Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva, saying “Well done, well done, O son of good family! So it is, O son of good family, so it is. Just as you have taught, should the profound Perfection of Wisdom be practiced and all the Tathagatas will rejoice.” 

When the Lord had uttered this, the elder Shariputra, the noble Lord Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva, and all the beings present, including the devas, humans, nāgas, asuras and gandharvas were delighted and applauded the Lord’s speech.

Upon Avalokiteśvara’s concluding elucidation to Shariputra, The Lord Buddha rises from his Deep Samadhis and highly commends his efforts. He speaks not only for himself but for all Tathagatas—united as they are in One Spirit of Undivided Bodhi. In point of Realization, all of the assembly present during the hearing of this Sutra have been invited to preview the Bodhi-Mind through the Lord’s Samadhis That has unfolded the Sambhogakayic-backdrop for this Noble Play of Undivided Self-Realization; one that has effectively sealed Mind’s Liberation—even above and beyond the four Noble Truths, thus bringing them to fulfillment. Having ascended above the confines of all defiled aggregated existence, the Nirvanic-Mind now awakens in the fullness of IT’s own Luminous Actuosity—a Triumphant recognition of complete Nirvana in the Dharmakaya Itself.

The salient point concerning both the Prologue and Epilogue of the Heart Sutra, is that the Lord Buddha’s Presence is an assurance that what has transpired has the “full-authority” of the Tathagatas to back it up. In this vein the Sutra reflects the very Noble Truth emanating from the very Heart of the Tathagatas—and that is the heart of the message: whoever hears and discerns this teaching has, through their own noble-cultivated effort and time well-spent in Deep Samadhis, earned the Transcendent Ticket empowering them to ride on Tathatic-wings towards the further shore on the sacred-journey towards Tathagatahood.

Tags: Bodhisattva, Lord Avalokiteshvara, nirvana, Nirvanic-Mind, Shariputra, Tathagatahood, Tathagatas

“Therefore, Shariputra, because there is no attainment, Bodhisattvas abide relying on the Perfection of Wisdom, without obscuration of thought, and so they are unafraid. Transcending perverted views, they attain the end, Nirvana.”

“All Buddhas existing in the three times, relying on the Perfection of Wisdom, fully awaken to the highest, perfect Enlightenment.” “Therefore, one should know that the mantra of the Prajnaparamita is the mantra of great knowledge, the highest mantra, the unequalled mantra, the mantra that ends all suffering, the Truth, since it has nothing wrong. The mantra of the Prajnaparamita is proclaimed:

Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi, Svaha

The secret key to the Heart Sutra: Nothing grasped, nothing attained. When united with the Bodhi-Mind there is no-thing to perceive or conceive; this is known as being placed in the sacred sanctuary of the Bodhimandala, thus the Heart Sutra’s Supreme and Unequalled Prajñāpāramitā-Mantra. The beauty of its secret-import is that it perfectly serves both mundane supplications and the transcendent Self-Realization of Noble Wisdom. Chanted daily by millions of supplicants its salvific-power does not differentiate nor discriminate. When attuned to with a pure-heart and mind one is protected from legions of Mara’s best and empowers one to overcome all obstacles. It is best explained thus:

“It is the mantra that completely pacifies all sufferings because reciting the perfection of wisdom, bearing it in mind properly, and explaining it to others destroys all diseases and brings one under the protection of Buddhas, deities, and nāgas, and practicing the perfection of wisdom overturns the bad realms and the entire ocean of samsara.” (Donald Lopez Jr, ibid, pg.110)

Like the Lankavatara Sutra, the Heart Sutra’s Dhāranī rests side by side those few Sutras that contain such protective evocations. The mantra essentially translates as, “Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond, enlightenment.” What is its salient meaning? Vajarpāni commentates:

“Gate, gate, “gone, gone” [means] all mindfulness has gone [to be) like illusions. Pāragate, "gone beyond," [means] that beyond mindfulness, one goes beyond to emptiness. Pārasamgate, “gone completely beyond,” [means] that beyond the illusion-like and emptiness, one goes beyond to signlessness. Bodhi svāhā, “become enlightened,” [means] that having purified the afflictions and all objects of knowledge, one transcends awareness.” (ibid, pg.112)

It’s as if blessed Avalokiteśvara is saying, “Proceed, proceed, proceed beyond, proceed completely beyond, BE AS ONE with the Bodhi-Mind.” All phenomenal vexations are thus extinguished. It’s as if one is transported high-above the samsaric realms of Māra’s influence. Even Māra himself is held spellbound by the Sacred Dhāranī; in effect, he is forced to uphold the Blessed Prajñāpāramitā Itself. Traditionally this is illustrated in the following manner (notice how he’s holding-up the Prajñāpāramitā as symbolically represented by the sacred-nāga protecting the Mani-Pearl of Noble Wisdom):

As mentioned previously, I have discerned that chanting the Sacred Bodhi-Mantra is best just before retiring for the evening. It’s “Cosmic” in scope…as all formal-dimensions fade-way into the imageless domain of the Tathagatas.

Tags: Bodhisattvas, dharani, Heart Sutra Manta, Noble Wisdom, Sacred Protection, suffering, Truth, Wisdom

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form 

“Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Emptiness does not differ from form, and form does not differ from emptiness. Likewise, feelings, recognitions, volitions, and consciousnesses are empty.” “So, Shariputra, all dharmas are empty, lacking differentiating marks; they are not produced nor stopped, not defiled and not immaculate, not deficient and not complete.” 

“Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no recognition, no volition, no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no visible form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no mental object; no eye-element, and so forth, up to no mind-element; and no mental- consciousness element; no ignorance and no extinction of ignorance, and so on, up to no aging and death and no extinction of aging and death; likewise there is no Suffering, Origin, Cessation or Path, no wisdom knowledge, no attainment and no non-attainment.”

The classic mini-koan, “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form”, has left many perplexed throughout the millennium. All too often, particularly these days in Materialistic-Buddhism/Zen, emptiness is simply equated with phenomena: Phenomena is emptiness, emptiness IS (=) Phenomena. This is equivalent to saying that emptiness is dependent upon form. All this does is to castrate the Buddhadharma rendering it merely as an adherent of phenomenal relativism. There are three viewpoints that orbit around emptiness: the views of the “herd-mentality” (puthujjana); the heretical views of those who adhere to lesser-teachings (historically known as the sravakas and pratyekabuddhas); and the Absolute vantage-point of the Bodhisattvas and Tathagatas. It is the latter category alone that discerns the aggregates as being empty of the Substance O’ the Source and are not stand-alone self-existent. The former categories could also be described as bearing the mark of the Icchantikas: those who remain unaware and even stifle the growth of the gotra, or the inner-bodhi-seed (Buddha-nature) bearing the potential of Bodhisattvahood and, in further cultivation, Tathagatahood Itself.

Avalokiteśvara states that the five aggregates (or skandhas) are empty of the Absolute Markless-Mark O’ the Source as well as being inadequate (empty) vehicles in which to nurture the potential-seed of all Buddhas. Another way of expressing this is that the Unborn Face of the Sugata does not recognize Itself in the mirror of phenomena. By the same token, as viewed from the Perfection of Noble Wisdom, emptiness does not negate form’s conventionality; to do so would breed duality—as if formal conventions exist apart from the prior originating and animating Principle. Form is a self-expression of emptiness and emptiness is self-manifested as form.

The commentator Śrīmahājana says:

“Form is emptiness; emptiness is form” is the brief teaching. “Emptiness is not other than form; form is not other than emptiness” is the extensive explanation. Regarding that, some assert that emptiness is the destructionof form. The answer to that is that form is emptiness. It is said that emptiness is not other than form because dependent natures (paratantrasvabhāva), which are wrongly imagined [to be independent], are empty of the nature of duality that is imputed [by ignorance]. The nature of form is the emptiness of duality in the manner of an affirming negative (paryudāsaprati$edha). Some say that form and so forth turn into the nature of the dharmadhātu, like an illusion. In response to that it is said that only emptiness is form. “Form is not other than emptiness” [means] that dependent forms are only emptiness, that is, they have the nature of the dharmadhātu” ….(pg.59, The Heart Sutra Explained, Donald Lopez Jr., editor).

Śrīmahājana’s insight is deeply profound; in a sense he is saying that the Face of Emptiness bears no nose, no ear, no taste, no movement, ect…but is in reality the Absolute Nature of the Dharmadhātu that bears no distinguishing marks in Itself, but is also the animating source from which all manifested forms are dependent on. The following video segment, from Tozen’s Dharmakaya Sutra, succinctly expresses this as the emptiness which cannot be grasped but the form which can be shattered:

Tags: attainment, Dharmakaya Sutra, Emptiness, form, Shariputra, Śrīmahājana

Once a great Zen Master stopped by a money changers shop and asked for a good deal on some foreign coins. The money changer eager to make a fast profit by acts of deceit, regretted his first impulse and bowed deeply. He asked;

“Master, I know I serve the lowliest of trades, one that most probably will send me to the unbearable hells of hungry ghosts, but please, I ask you, what do you see in this wretched soul, that in its heart, desires to find the path you walk so effortlessly?”

The master looked first above his head and then at his chest area and uttered; “I see vast ignorance at play. The path muddled by the glimmering enchantment of form and value; kindled by a constant hunger as you so aptly put it. You are indeed already a mere ghost, one wandering among its equals seeking the food of satisfaction where there is none. How can such a beast expect to sit on the golden throne of nirvana? That is simply not possible.”

“But if I left my sinful trade and immersed myself in the dharma by your words, and studied the sutras I have gathered in the past, would that ease the entrance?

“No, not a chance!”, was the laughing answer from the master, as he turned and disappeared into the crowd of people.

A nearby monk having caught ear of the conversation, approached the saddened merchant and remarked; ” I see the great sage is generous today. Never did I dream him to treat your kind with such kindness. You must indeed be blessed with vast amounts of good merit from previous lives.”

best regards,

Tozen

Tags: merit, money changer, parable, sage, seeking, Tozen

THE NOBLE AVALOKITEŚHVARA BODHISATTVA

At that time also the noble Lord Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva, in the practice of the profound Perfection of Wisdom looked down; he beheld but five skandhas and that in their own being they were empty. Then, through the inspiration of the Buddha, the elder Shariputra said to the noble Lord Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva, “How should any son of good family train who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound Perfection of Wisdom?” And the noble Lord Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva, spoke to the elder Shariputra as follows, “Shariputra, any son or daughter of good family who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound Perfection of Wisdom should look upon it thus: he (or she) beholds but five skandhas and that in their own-being they are empty.”

Red Pine in his commentary on the Heart Sutra breaks-down “Bodhisattva” as follows:

“The term bodhisattva is usually explained as “a being (sattva) of enlightenment (bodhi).” Bodhisattva also means something akin to “warrior,” and a number of scholars have suggested the original meaning of bodhisattva was tantamount to “champion of enlightenment.” In either case, the main advantage in using the term bodhisattva was that it represented a change in the focus of practice from nirvana, which was the goal of shravakas, to enlightenment. Thus, it eventually became the standard form of reference for the paragons of Mahayana practice, as opposed to the shravakas of the Hinayana” (Red Pine, The Heart Sutra, p.42-43)

The “Noble” Bodhisattva who expounds the Buddhadharma in this sutra is no ordinary one. Avalokiteśvara is a Bodhisattva of the tenth stage (bhūmi), and as such, is an Ariyan—one of distinguished Spiritual-Stature whose inner-teachings radiate with the Unborn Light of Noble-Wisdom Itself. Avalokiteśvara is also a true Warrior of this Liberating Light—destroying all forms of ignorance (avidya) that stand in the way of those who aspire towards Bodhisattvahood; in so doing Avalokiteśvara is also a Heroic-Being (sattva) contemplating the Undivided Light of the Bodhi-Mind.

Red Pine also elucidates upon the name Avalokiteśvara:

“The name Avalokiteshvara is compounded of four parts: the verbal prefix ava, which means “down”; the verb lok, which means “to look”; the suffix ita, which changes the verb avalok (to look down) into a noun (one who looks down); and finally ishvara, which means “lord” or “master.” In accordance with the rules of sound combination, ishvara becomes eshvara, and the four parts together mean “Master of Looking Down” or “Lord Who Looks Down.” Also, the short a at the end of ishvara indicates that the name is masculine. If it were feminine, ishvara would become ishvari.” (ibid, pg.44)

Of course over the millennium Avalokiteśvara has taken-on both masculine and feminine characteristics, in either case the name strongly suggests “”He/She Who Looks Down Upon the Sounds (Cries) of the World.” (ibid, pg.44). In light of the Heart Sutra, Avalokiteśvara is the brave-Noble Light-Warrior who looks-down upon those who are entrapped within Māra’s domain, (skandhamāra) as exemplified in the five-skandhas. Soon he will fully expound on the only way to break free from Māra’s spell.

Shariputra: like in most Mahayana Sutras, Shariputra represents the wisest of the Buddha’s Hinayana disciples; yet he must always have the sublime teachings of the Mahayana expounded to him, oftentimes ad infinitum—like in the Vimalakirti Sutra wherein he comes across as a fool. One shouldn’t be too harsh on him, though, as the Buddha once prophesized in the Lotus Sutra that Shariputra will eventually become a Buddha named Padmaprabha. But here in the Heart Sutra although his present-wisdom is advanced, he still lacks the greatest crown-jewel of them all—the Perfection of Noble Wisdom.

When both Avalokiteśvara and Shariputra mention, “a son or daughter of a good family”, they are not referring to some human lineage. Rather, they are alluding to the “Family of Buddhas.” Yea, it is only after ascending through the ten-fold path to Bodhisattvahood that one can even begin to consider the Perfection of Noble Wisdom. This perfection is only self-realized after the gotra (the seed of the Buddhas) reaches fruition in the garbha (womb) of the Tathagatas; it is only then that the gateless-gate to Deathless Suchness is opened thus permitting entrance into the Sublime Unborn Family of All Buddhas. If one aspires to enter through this imageless-portal, then one must first overcome the five evil guardians (Skandhas) that bar the way; one begins by discerning that they are Empty of the Substance that constitutes the Right Stuff of Bodhisattvahood and Tathagatahood.

Tags: Bodhisattva, Light Warrior, Lord Avalokiteshvara, Noble Wisdom, Shariputra, Wisdom

Heart of the Perfection of Noble Wisdom

Ārya Prajñāpāramitā Hŗdaya 

Prologue

Homage to the Holy Perfection of Wisdom! 

Thus have I heard. At one time The Lord was staying at Rajagriha on Vulture Peak Mountain together with a great host of monks and a great host of Bodhisattvas. At that time, the Lord was composed in the exalted concentration of Deepest Samadhis called Profound Illumination.

I have chosen the “long” version of the Heart Sutra; long in the sense that a prologue and epilogue are added which attests to the Transcendent Presence of the Tathagata. Usually it is the Lord Buddha who delivers the Dharma-teaching, but this time the Lord’s presence, while never undermined, is a secondary motif. The blessed Maha-Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara takes center stage in this sutra, and the shorter and more popular version begins with his introduction, signaling that he is to be the sutras leading propagator and spiritual guide. Vulture Peak Mountain is a common location wherein the Tathagata usually expounds the Buddhadharma, but this time the Lord Buddha is to be a spectator—though not a common one.

The Buddha’s Samadhis is like no other. It penetrates into the very Heart of Suchness and reveals the equipoise of emptiness. Essentially, the Lord’s Samadhis is the spiritual platform from which the Heart Sutra emanates—and this occurs within the Great Sambhogakayic Continuum, the very Visionary Spiritual Realm wherein the gathered monks and Bodhisattvas and Maha-Bodhisattvas are in mystic-union (through the Lord’s own one-pointedness of Mind) with the Profound Samadhis of the Tathagatas. In this sense they share in the Lord’s own Sambhogakayic Revelation. This is why I prefer this longer version of the Heart Sutra; without this singular-prologue the full import of the sutra is lost. Avalokitesvara just doesn’t appear as if out of nowhere to expound the Buddhadharma of Noble Wisdom, no he is part and parcel of the Blessed One’s own Sambhogakayic Vision. The entry into Noble Wisdom and its Exposition on the altar of inconceivable Sacred Emptiness would be a self-empty affair indeed, if not originating from the Absorption of Illuminative Dharmakayic Unborn Light within the Dharma-womb of the *Tathagatakaya* Itself.

*The perfected embodied supra-mindfulness of the Tathagatas

Tags: Ārya Prajñāpāramitā Hŗdaya, Profound Samadhis

More than any other sutra, the Heart Sutra is aptly named because it represents the very Heart of Noble Wisdom Itself. It is the essential-core of the Prajñāpāramitā teachings from which all other sutras focusing on Noble Wisdom acquire their classical impetus. It is the very deposit of Āryajnana. Māra fears this sutra most of all since It completely dismantles his four-fold stranglehold on sentient beings: the Māra of the five aggregates (skandhamāra), the Māra of the afflictions (kleśamāra), the Māra of death (maranamāra), and also that which prevents one from transcending the other three—his own deity-nature (devaputramāra). The Heart Sutras’ Mantra is the sacred-formula that is the antidote to Māra’s determination to prevent one from awakening on the Other Shore of Deathless Suchness, the awakening to one’s own Nirvanic-Kingdom of Self—the Dharmakaya.

As we shall discover in this Heart Sutra series, the three-pillars of Tathagatagarbha Zen are also inter-enveloped within Its Transcendent Structure: the Buddhagnosis as conveyed by Avalokiteśvara; the primordial Source that gives rise to his teaching—the Blessed One’s own “shared” Deep Samādhis; and the Bodhiprajñā (the Undivided Awakened Noble Wisdom from the Other Shore of Deathless Suchness) that is won when the adept faithfully takes refuge in the Sutras mystical and mantric import.

My primary resources for this series are Red Pine’s commentary of The Heart Sutra and Donald S. Lopez, Jr’s excellent dharma-study—The Heart Sutra Explained. I have also discovered that the best time to chant the Heart Sutra’s mantra—Gate, gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi, svaha—is late in the evening before retiring for sleep. The close of the day (nocturnal epilogue) best transmits the energies of the Cosmic Transformative Buddha—Vairocana—as all form-based sub-realities fade-away into the rapture of Dharmakayic Ecstasy.

Tags: Heart Sutra

If you focus on what is Mind Only, eg. Mind Unborn, no one can teach you anything of value outside the complete preview of this Mind.

Thus, your ability to awaken into the true reality of this Mind, which is perfectly unborn, is determined by the undivided power [bodhi] of your focus [Samadhi] on its pure self-nature [svabhava].

When all conditions, arisen since time immemorial, for perfect awakening [into its true uncreated essence] are met, the smallest ripple in the changing continuum of samsara, although beyond your minds eye, will be sufficient to trigger the instant entrance into your own deathless body the Buddhas deemed as Nirvana and as such, beyond any reproach by the realms of Mara.

Tags: undivided bodhi-power

Over the course of living the Lankavatarian eremitical lifestyle, I have been discerning the value of developing a type of monastic-rhythm to the day. A good rule of thumb is to pay homage to the Five Dhyani Buddhas. Their transforming energies, in particular through counteracting the five skandhas, are most helpful in generating the Bodhi Recollective Resolve. This also strengthens one’s Sambodhic-link with the Tathagatas thus continually energizing bodhicitta. I’ve discovered that being mindful of their radiating “juice” over the course of the day helps to alleviate the toxic and ill-effects of samsara. It’s almost like transporting oneself to their serene and tranquil Buddha-fields. What follows is the regimen of my day:

The pre-dawn hours: (Akshobhya)

Rising early with Akshobhya (bowing and facing East), the “Immovable One”, creates a peaceful and ethereal ambience that gently envelops you like a warm and comforting blue blanket. His healing mantra (intoned below) seems to form a protective-shield that prohibits any negative-energies from gaining a foothold over you before your day begins. In a very real sense, his energies (as depicted with his sacred mudra—touching the ground), help to center you as his sacred Vajra unites heaven with earth. (As above, so Below)

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Sunrise and Morning: (Amoghasiddhi)

As the sun rises one turns to Amoghasiddhi (bowing and facing North). As the eastern light expands from the Sacred tips of Akshobhya’s Vajra, it peels over into the northern skyline as the fullness of Amoghasiddhi’s Green-filled-hue overflows—permeating and encompassing all living things, like great waves of effervescent and rejuvenating energy. Resting in his palm, the Double-Vajra is a welcoming sign that mystically unites all polar opposites. I am strengthened by his presence that radiates an assurance that all will unfold as it should over the course of the day; his Intercessory-action will always be near to counteract any negative encounters, like a protective-shield (his mudra of the raised hand) that dispels all distress and needless anxiety. The following mantra is quite-catchy and self-energizing.

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High Noon and Afternoon: (Ratnasambhava)

As morning dissolves-away into the bright splendor of High Noon, one turns to Ratnasambhava (bowing and facing South). This rising is a sign that All will forever be well as his inner-bodhi pearl is a living flame of love that is never extinguished. Ratnasambhava’s Light is a strengthening-hue that radiates equanimity. All can and will be accomplished under the direct tutelage of the Tathagatas. Placing one’s hands on the Sugata-garbha Chakra (above the navel) is a further empowerment of Ratnasambhava’s sign that his is a peaceful resolve emanating from the very womb of the Sugata. All is expanding within the All and thus all former Skandhic-sensations are whittled-down to just One Transcendent Satisfaction in the One and Unborn. The following Ratnasambhava mantra is quite elegant in its simplicity.

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Late Afternoon, Early Evening: (Amitabha)

As the lengthening shadows of the dying day subside and early evening unfolds like a dark and gentle cloak, one turns to Amitabha (bowing and facing West). Perhaps more than the other Dhyani Buddhas, Amitabha reflects a most consoling spirit. The following mantra reflects this deep consolation. One feels free to just dissolve-away all the events of day and just rest peacefully in Amitabha’s sweet and tender embrace. No-thing matters now but just a restful resolve to surrender any troubling vexations into his purifying Western Pure Land Province. Namu Amida Butsu.

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Evening hours to the Pre-Dawn (Vairocana)

Vairocana is cosmic. His energies are a composite of the other four Dhyani Buddhas. All that came before, all manner of form-based reality simply dissolves away into Vairocana’s Imageless-Actuosity. All is now One As the One and Unborn. Quite wonderful late-night meditations as you, too, fade-away into Vairocana’s All-encompassing majestic splendor. Form is now emptiness, emptiness is now form; truly, a wonderful manner to enter into a deep and restful night’s sleep.

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May the Dhyani Buddhas refresh your own Spirit of Recollection…

Gate, gate,
Paragate,
Parasamgate,
Bodhi, svaha!

Tags: Akshobhya, Amitabha, Amoghasiddhi, Dhyani Buddhas, Eremitical, Ratnasambhava, Vairocana