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The
Heart Sutra
"HE PERCEIVED THAT ALL FIVE SKANDHAS ARE
EMPTY"
During
his practice of contemplation and illumination the Bodhisattva
Avalokitesvara attained Truth. By means of his minutely subtle Dharma
practice he penetrated the five skandhas, perceiving them as empty.
The
five skandhas, namely form, feelings, perceptions, volitions and
consciousness continually provide five occasions for craving and
clinging. Two types of craving and clinging characterize the human
mind: 1) Craving and clinging to form and 2) Craving and clinging to
mind. Clinging to form is the domain of the form skandha; the remaining
four skandhas constitute the domain of the mind and the clinging to
mind is generated in those four realms. All our grasping, manifested in
our attachments and aversions, is generated and developed due to the
activity of these four skandhas. Craving and clinging emerge at birth,
and the Buddhadharma aims to sever them.
The
initial clinging is ego bound. Ego is the anchor of our volition to
grasp and to possess, the root of our attachments and aversions, and
via these, the root of our suffering. Clinging to the body as the true
self begins to manifest in the early childhood: Normally, the six
organs produce six types of data, six kinds of consciousness and the
four skandhas along with them; jointly these constitute the delusory
ego. Craving and clinging is spontaneous at birth; at that time, ego is
formulated simultaneously with the form skandha. The rest of our
existence is built up by our countless ego-affirming acts involving all
the skandhas, but most prominently the skandha of feeling; its domain
contains pleasant, unpleasant and neutral or indifferent types of
feelings.
The
body depends on the mind to be provided with pleasant occasions and
protected from discomfort. There must be thinking, i.e., perceptions,
followed by action, and action means volition. They, in turn, require
established bases of knowledge, and that is the role of the
consciousness skandha. Children are sent to school to learn, to acquire
knowledge that prepares them for the future. When there is sufficient
knowledge, there is action, invariably preceded by thinking as
planning, imagining, remembering and so on. The body then receives the
support it needs. There is ego--grasping, and confusion is generated by
the five skandhas as the ego-notion imposes itself on the process of
experience.
Once
it has become clear beyond any doubt that this present body is not the
self, that one can only say "mine", or "my body", all delusion
regarding the five skandhas is broken off, and ignorance along with it.
What a pity that worldlings get so deeply confused and completely fail
to understand this brilliant doctrine; grasping the skandhas and the
ego-notion, they twist the data to fit their own picture as to how
reality should be. Actually, the body is not the self; it is like a
house that I might call mine all right, but to consider it to be myself
would be a ridiculous error. In the same way, I can't say "this body is
myself' but I can say "this body is mine."
What
is the real self? Our Original Nature is our real self. It depends on
the body temporarily; the body is not different from a house. A house
is completed and then gradually deteriorates; similarly, the body has
birth and death and the part in between. Our True Nature (real self),
on the other hand, has neither birth nor death. It is enduring and
unchanging. The teaching of Real Self and of illusory ego is basic to
all Buddhadharma. When it is understood, clinging is easily broken off.
The
teaching related to the five skandhas is referred to as the Dharma of
Assemblage. Skandha is a Sanskrit term used by the Buddha in reference
to the five components of human so-called entity. A skandha is a
constituent of personality and it also means accumulation in the sense
that we constantly accumulate good and bad in our mind. The Dharma of
Five Skandhas is comparable to five kinds of material. The mountains,
rivers and the entire universe, the buddhas and bodhisattvas in the
three periods, even the six realms of existence and the four kinds of
worthies-all are produced solely by the five skandhas.
Who
are the four worthies? 1. The Arhat of Theravada, 2. The Middle Vehicle
of Prayeka buddha, 3. The Mahayana Bodhisattva, 4. the Buddha, the
ultimate fruit of the path. What are the six realms of existence? Three
are good and three are evil. Devas, humans, and asuras inhabit the
three good realms; animals, hungry ghosts and hell-dwellers belong to
the three evil realms. It does not make any difference whether mundane
or supramundane; they are all produced and completed by the five
skandhas. By taking the right path, (the ultimate path) one may become
an Arhat, Pratyeka-buddha, Bodhisattva, or Buddha.
A
good action can be good in three different ways; likewise, an evil
action can be so in three ways. Worldlings, confused because of not
knowing or knowing wrongly get carried away and lose control over their
actions; evil in the world increases, giving rise to five turbidities.
There is the turbidity of kalpa in decay, turbidity of views, turbidity
of passions, turbidity of living beings and turbidity of life (the
result of turbidity of human beings). Turbidity means turmoil. The
turmoil of kalpa in decay is the product of the form skandha; Sentient
beings in the Saha world grasp form or material (body), misconstrue
that as their True Self, not realizing that all dharmas are produced by
the mind, and give rise to the skandha of feeling. The egocentric bias
goes hand in hand with craving for gratification of the senses or body
and the result,is turbidity of view. Turbidity of passions is generated
by the perception skandha. Seeking gratification of the senses brings
greed in its wake, manifesting as desire for wealth and subsequent
strife for personal gain. Sooner or later, sound ethics are abandoned
and volition to grasp and to possess is given free rein. At this point
the worldlings become totally engulfed in self-delusion, generating
unspeakable amount of defilements.
Turbidity
of passions comprises family defilements, societal defilements,
national defilements, world-defilements. While they are alive, human
beings are the victims of turbidity in the realm of volition. The
egocentric bias engenders the cyclic pattern of existence and
perpetuates itself until the end of time. However, tirne is moving on;
no matter how much of it we might have, still, we will die in the end.
The confusion of worldlings as regards the real or True Self is the
turbidity of living beings. Turbidity of life is caused by the
consciousness skandha. The turbidity of living beings will eventually
produce a decrease in the life span as well as in size of each
individual body. The Agamas speak of a certain stage in the history of
mankind, when the life span was eighty-four thousand years and the
individual height was one-hundred-sixty feet. There was a gradual
decrease in both the life span and the height. Presently, to live
seventy or eighty years is considered long life, and the average height
is five to six feet. Somewhere in the very distant future, claims the
ancient text, the life span of humans will last ten years and the
average height will be close to three feet. It will be the time of
upheavals and disasters of all kinds.
Actions
considered sound today may be viewed as unskillfal, even unethical
tomorrow as a result of the ego inserting itself into the field of
perception. Countless defilements develop when skillful or beneficial
actions are re-evaluated, come to be viewed as lacking in expedience,
and Buddhadharma is dismissed as irrelevant. Confusion resulting from
ignorance is conducive to a lifestyle that has a detrimental effect on
both the life span and the condition of the body. Turbidity first
corrupts, then sooner or later takes over. Worldlings need to generate
compassion for this declining world, resolve to uphold at least the
basic code of ethics and, perhaps, study the BuddhaDharma; furthermore,
they should refrain from taking the life of any living being and be
mindful of their actions. These should be skillful and cause no harm to
others. If that is accomplished, there may still be time to save this
world.
In a
few words, the five turbidities are completely within the realm of the
five skandhas. The skandhas combined constitute the basis of all
dharmas, of all sentient beings in the ten directions and of all worlds
in all the universes. The skandhas are, furthermore, the substance of
the incandescent True Existence, being at the same time the
transcendental Void or Emptiness. (The relation of true existence to
transcendental Emptiness will be discussed later). Avalokitesvara
Bodhisattva, relying on his luminous wisdom, "perceived that all five
skandhas are empty." The Bodhisattva practiced deep Prajnaparamita,
i.e., the root of Ultimate Reality, and attained the supreme Tao,
realizing that skandhas are empty of self. To arrive at that stage is
enlightenment, the state completely clear of turbidity. From then on,
all dharmas are understood as one's True Nature. When that level is
attained, the mind comprehends the universe as the Self, and the Self,
as the universe; the grand view is boundless. In short, Void or
Emptiness means the absence of duality, of accepting and rejecting.
There are five categories of void: the obstinate void; the annihilation
void; the void of analysis; the void of global comprehension; the void
of true supramundane existence.
What
is obstinate void? Clinging to the space in front of us. What is
annihilation void? It is the kind grasped by those on the heterodox or
outer path; the views that abounded in India, as well as the assorted
philosophical positions based on cognitive patterns which neglect the
Buddhist axiom stating that all is generated by the mind; claims to the
effect that there is existence beyond one's cognitive realm and that is
where the dharmas are. Heading full speed into large-scale confusion,
the supporters of such views choose to grasp that void, positing it as
the prevalent characteristic of existence.
The
remaining three kinds of void are introspectively oriented Buddhadharma
and constitute the Dharma of Void or Emptiness as the true nature of
the mind, in contrast with the teaching of the Small Vehicle that
focuses on form (rupa skandha). The supramundane path of the Small
Vehicle (Theravada) and that of Sravaka and bodhisattva of the Great
Vehicle (Mahayana) are rooted in the last three kinds of void just
mentioned. They are neither the obstinate void of worldlings nor the
annihilating void of the outer or heterodox path. The concept or the
doctrine of the void is sometimes called the nature of the void or the
theory of nature: The meaning is the same.
I
shall discuss presently the four subdivisions of Buddhadharma according
to T'ien T'ai, and the three kinds of void relevant to Buddhadharma as
they are understood and applied in each of the four subdivisions, to
wit: 1. Tsang Jiao (Theravada teachings based on the Tripitaka), 2.
Tung Jiao (Theravada and Mahayana interrelated), 3. Bie Jiao
(particular or distinctive Mahayana, characterized as the bodhisattva
path), 4. Yuan Jiao (original or complete Mahayana).
The
mundane path of Theravada does not accommodate the radiant Truth at its
fullest, although in some cases a Mahayana teaching may be perceived as
Theravadin by a practitioner of the Small Vehicle. The mundane path is
grounded in minute analysis of form (rupa) Dharma and mind (nama)
Dharma, and how their interaction contributes to the illusion of a
separate ego. The term dharma may be interpreted as meaning things,
method, formula or standard; form is distinguished through shape and
color, mind through its function of knowing. Our body is composed of
four elements, i.e., earth, water, fire and wind; these have the
character of solidity, viscosity, temperature and vibration,
respectively.
The
body is a mass of material and does not possess the faculty of knowing
an object; matter changes under physical conditions and because of this
feature it is called form. The element of earth is like the body,
complete with skin, flesh, tendons, bones in terms of weight, softness
and hardness. The element of water includes all bodily liquids, all
that relates to fluidity and viscosity. The element of fire covers
temperature in terms of warmth in varying degrees of intensity up to
the absence of warmth. The element of air manifests as vibration in
terms of movement. The body manifests the three characteristics of
existence, i.e., impermanence, unsatisfactory condition and the absence
of selfhood. Illness and death are caused by an imbalance of the
elements, their scarcity or absence according to the Theravada
teaching. Birth and death are the natural result of body being
compounded from these four elements.
What
is mind? Mind is knowing without form. What is form? Form is shape
without the capacity for knowing. Uninstructed worldlings view their
physical body (form), actually a collection of elements, as their self
or ego and therefore cannot leave the ocean of birth and death. Deeply
confused about truth, they feel oppressed because of wrong views. The
only correct way to put it is to say "this body is my body; the mind is
my real self." The knowing consciousness is the master; the body, only
a slave. Let us consider, for example, someone who, though interested
in attending this lecture, initially did not want to make the effort
because of feeling tired. But then he/she had the following thought:
"Hearing the commentary on that sutra will increase my wisdom and
reduce my defilement; I must go and listen to the Dharma." Having
persuaded him/herself, he/she got on the bus and came here to hear this
Dharma. Where did the initiative originate? Clearly, it originated in
the mind; the mind is the master and the body is the slave.
Unfortunately,
a person of mundane concerns is very confused, mistaking the slave for
the master, and consequently there is birth and death., To perceive the
brilliant Dharma is to enlighten the mind to itself; originally the
mind had neither birth nor death. Although the body dies and vanishes,
the mind is imperishable and indestructible: Understanding this
experientially marks the end of the cyclic pattern of existence, the
exit from the ocean of suffering.
Mind
is seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and knowing. The six
natures or capacities for seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching
and knowing are the nature of the mind. The Buddha spoke Dharma on
numberless occasions for forty-nine years. All of his teachings were
expedient means, and all his explanations and discourses were delivered
for the purpose of helping sentient beings to be freed from attachment
and delusion and to return to the Truth. He dealt predominantly with
two dharmas: Form and mind. According to the teaching later formulated
as the Small Vehicle, form and mind are two. The practitioner should
know the mind while not abandoning the form (body). Where does mind
dwell? According to physiology the heart is also the mind (the organ)
but efforts to prove it have been inconclusive so far.
According
to some religions, the mind resides in the brain; however, all attempts
to find some proof to support such theory proved, again, negative.
Whenever people tried to find the very source, to pinpoint the exact
site where the mind is, the results were nil in each case. Since mind
is neither form nor name, in the context of BuddhaDharma it is
expediently termed "Emptiness" or "Void" (Sunyata in Sanskrit).
On
that particular day, represented for us by the eighth of December,
while he was absorbed in deep samadhi, the Buddha attained complete
enlightenment. Noticing the bright morning star in the eastern sky, he
observed that the nature of seeing can be a kind of connecting: He
realized his own nature of seeing is boundless, and his first statement
following his enlightenment was: "Wonderful, wonderful! All sentient
beings have the same wisdom and virtue as the Tathagata, but because of
the obstacle of illusion and grasping they cannot attain."
The
expression "sentient beings" means produced by, composed of many, not
being just a separate "one". The human body, for example, appears to be
of one piece, yet it is composed of many concealed parts, such as the
heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, the lungs, the pores, even some
parasites. This means that a person, even though being an entity, is
also sentient beings. To reiterate, the Buddha's view was that all
sentient beings have the same virtue and the same wisdom as the
Tathagata - the pure, luminous virtue of Dharma-dhatu. However, the
sentient beings are confused, do not return to their Original Nature
and do not purify the Dharma-kaya and therefore they are called
sentient beings, or different from buddhas.
The
Buddha saw a star in the eastern sky following his enlightenment, and
the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara practiced the three kinds of wisdom of
the instructed ones, meditated on sound and attained the stage of
Bodhi. When all conditions are generated by one's own mind, that is the
Original Mind. The ordinary person of mundane concerns looks at an
object and considers that seeing, and from that moment on adheres to
the view that a table is a table, a person is a person; taking the
object of seeing he/she fails to realize its subject. The view prevents
him/her from being able to abandon both subject and object (meaning
duality); how can he/she ever understand original seeing? He/she twists
the process of experience to fit his/her own concept of reality,
intensifying the delusion. To perceive one's Original Nature as
shapeless and formless is to perceive the true Void. People's
potentials are dissimilar. Whoever can understand his/her Original
Nature is clear-eyed; the one who takes the object of seeing and grasps
the form is caught in turbidity.
Practitioners
of the method promulgated by the Small Vehicle perceive mind as mind,
form as form, and conceive them as distinct and different. That method
focuses on observing the observer. The connection with one's own nature
is apparently not taken into consideration.
Seeing
is the nature of the eye; hearing is the nature of the ear organ;
smelling is the nature of the nose organ, tasting is the nature of the
tongue organ; touching is the nature of the body and knowing is the
nature of the mind. If the practice is based on this point of view,
only partial Void can be attained, although it can also be termed
"enlightenment" according to Buddhist understanding. Followers of
Theravada hold that clothing, nourishment and lodging are deemed to
result from conditioning causes and are not the concern of full-time
practitioners. These have surpassed the worldlings and therefore are
viewed as holy by the devotees sharing the same tradition.
The
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva attained enlightenment by perceiving his
Original Nature; he abandoned the duality inherent in subject and
object, whereupon he attained the Middle Way perfectly and completely.
That is the pure, radiant Dharma-kaya, quite different from the
accomplishments in the tradition of the Small Vehicle. At one point in
history one thousand two hundred and fifty-five disciples of the Buddha
became Arhats: Nonetheless, their attainment was not exhaustive
regarding the Ultimate Truth, but merely the end of the birth and death
allotment. The study and practice of the bodhisattva Path was their
opportunity for expanding their practice by following the example of
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
Comprehension
of the immaterial substance of Reality marks the intermediate level of
the bodhisattva career, sometimes referred to as the first gate of
Mahayana and of the Middle Vehicle. It is considered to be a higher
doctrinal accomplishment than that of the Small Vehicle. In the
intermediate level the Void of the five skandhas is attained and,
accordingly, obstinate view is abandoned.
The
immaterial substance of Reality is perceived, but the perception of
five skandhas as the superb existence is still lacking. It is not
actually necessary to abandon the body after the attainment of the
Void. Everyone has form (body) and knowing; having attained the Void
does not mean one has to endeavor to abandon the body. Void means
simply the absence of grasping.
True
existence is Emptiness not of this world. The complete, perfect meaning
of true existence is Void not of this world; containing neither partial
existence nor partial Void, it is the Middle Way, also known as the
Ultimate Reality. In short, a mind that does not discriminate by means
of craving and clinging is the mind that understands the meaning of
"not of this world"; though non-existent, it is the True Existence.
There is no void, yet it is the supramundane, recondite Emptiness. The
Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, in his great wisdom, does not allow his
mind to discriminate: Seeing is seeing, hearing is bearing, smelling is
smelling, tasting is tasting, knowing is knowing, understanding is
understanding; the six organs do not dwell on the six types of data.
Enlightened by means of perceiving the sound of the tide, he
comprehended the nature of hearing as non-abiding; mind freed of
grasping attains the wonderful Dharma of the Inconceivable: That is the
"True Existence in the supramundane Void."
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