An Interpretive Clarification of the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra
by Andrew Shugyo Daijo Bonnici, Ph.D.
International Copyright All Rights Reserved 2007 — Andrew Shugyo Daijo Bonnici, Ph.D.
The Heart Teaching of Perfect Wisdom, which in the original Sanskrit is called the "Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra", is the shortest and most revered scripture in all of Buddhism. Chanted daily in the Buddhist Monasteries of China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, and in the West, the Heart Sutra is regarded as the ultimate summation of the embodied wisdom of the historical Buddha.
Less than a page in length, the Heart Sutra encourages human beings to be self-embodied within and beyond their unique differences of color, race, language, sex, creed, and nationality. The Heart Sutra shows us the possibility of this bright vision by encouraging us to experience our true self as a 'wisdoming emptiness' that penetrates our only moment body and all matter throughout the vastness of time and space.
The embodiment of our true nature as a 'wisdoming emptiness' or 'intelligencing wholeness' is exactly "our pristine self." It is our 'pristine embodiment of self' because it is the natural or original way of being in our body as a human being. This original Way of being self-embodied is a deeper experiential reality than passing thoughts, mental categories, personal preferences, religious views, ideological postures, racial identifications, historical contexts, and culturally conditioned perceptions.
As such, the simple yet profound embodiment of self as 'pristine wisdoming emptiness' allows one to practice life and relationships with mental clarity, bodily ease, integrity of being, playful spontaneity, bright wisdoming, compassionate insight, and childlike wonderment.
The teachings of the Heart Sutra are believed to have originated in Southern India about 100 B.C. No one knows who is responsible for its brief expression and its profound composition. Its earliest historical appearance was in the form of a Chinese translation somewhere between 200 AD and 250 AD — containing about 260 Chinese characters — written by a Buddhist monk known as Chih ch'ien. Since then, the Heart Sutra has become a primary teaching in Zen Buddhism and is considered to contain the "wisdom essence" of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition of embodied life meditation.
Over the last 32 years, the interpretations and commentaries of many Buddhist monks and teachers have inspired and guided my own embodied practice, understanding, and formal teaching of the Heart Sutra. I am indebted to the Zen Buddhist priest, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, for living and transmitting the true body of the Heart Sutra to the United States. I also wish to express my deep appreciation to my original Dharma teacher, Jaksho Kwong Roshi, for introducing me to the precious study of the Heart Sutra and for demonstrating its teachings through his sincere practice of embodied emptiness.
As a Zen Roshi and a Humanistic Psychologist, it is with the felt confidence of my embodied experience, along with a deep sense of my limitations as a human being, that I offer beginners and veteran practitioners of meditation "my own finger pointing to the Moon." The Heart Sutra is like a Precious Diamond that has many elusive refractions of bright meaning — any verbal description can never approach the felt understanding derived from experiential immediacy. Only the embodied empathic feeling aroused at the sight of the full Moon can elicit an immediate experiential insight into the timeless and ageless Wisdom Being that the Moon truly is.
with blessings and one bow,
Dr. Bonnici
Chanted worldwide in Zen centers, Buddhist temples and monasteries
When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva* was practicing the deep perfection of embodied wisdom, he clearly saw that all five conditions of being** are empty, thus he was relieved from all suffering and pain.
*Avalokiteshvara is an enlightened being of great compassion
**Five conditions are form, sensation, perception, discrimination & awareness
Oh Shariputra*, form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form. Form is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly form. Sensation, perception, discrimination, awareness are likewise like this.
*Shariputra was a disciple of the Buddha. As the sutra is addressed to Shariputra, it is also addressed to you.
Oh Shariputra, all dharmas* are forms of emptiness, not born, not destroyed; not tainted, not pure; without gain, without loss; so in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, perception, discrimination, awareness. No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; no color, sound, smell, taste, touch, phenomena; No realm of sight and so forth until no realm of consciousness.
*All dharmas makes reference to all beings and things.
No ignorance and no extinction of it and so forth until no old age and death and extinction of them. No suffering, no cause of suffering, no extinguishing, no path, no wisdom and no gain with nothing to attain;
Kanzeon Bodhisattva lives the perfection of wisdom, with no hindrance in the mind, no hindrance, therefore no fear exists. Far beyond deluded thoughts, this is Nirvana. All past, present, and future Buddhas live this perfection of wisdom and therefore attain complete and perfect enlightenment.
Therefore know that Perfect Wisdom is a great mantra, is a great bright mantra; is a supreme mantra; an unsurpassable mantra. It is capable of relieving all suffering. This is true, not false. So proclaim the perfection of wisdom mantra, proclaim this mantra and say:
Gone, Gone, Gone Beyond, Gone forever Beyond,
All Hail Living Enlightenment!
International Copyright All Rights Reserved April 1, 2005 — Andrew Shugyo Daijo Bonnici, Ph.D.
Honored One, as you sit in meditation and wakefully rest in the rhythmic breath of your life, you will sense that the life of your moment body is a wisdoming intelligence that is happening below the endless passage of self thoughts and thinking mind. You will clearly see that all concepts of self, beings, events, and things are fundamentally empty within the wisdoming of your only moment body. Just then, your mental sufferings, emotional pains, and bodily tensions will naturally soften and ease before your conscious will, intention, or effort.
Honored One, know that concepts of self, world views, and religious beliefs are no other than emptiness, and emptiness is no other than your self, beliefs, and world views. All thoughts, ideas, and concepts are exactly this emptiness, and this emptiness is exactly all ideas, concepts, and thoughts. Your self-owned sensations, perceptions, discriminations, and ego-awareness are likewise like this.
Honored One, resting in the deep silence and stillness of seated meditation, know that the Infinite Universe is One Vast Wisdoming Emptiness — not born, not destroyed; not tainted, not pure, without gain, without loss, without life, without death; Just so, Vast Wisdoming Emptiness is beyond both life and death and is exactly all of life and death.
Honored One, know that Emptiness is exactly an Infinite Wisdoming that penetrates all forms, all sensations, perceptions, discriminations, and awareness. In Vast Wisdoming Emptiness there is no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; no color, sound, smell, taste, touch, or phenomena; Although Vast Wisdoming Emptiness is beyond the realms of self-consciousness and thinking mind, It is exactly your Only Moment Body wisdoming Just as IT IS.
Honored One, know that, in Vast Wisdoming Emptiness, there is no ignorance or extinction of it; no old age and death and extinction of them. Vast Wisdoming Emptiness is beyond the human experience of birth and death as separate realities. In Vast Wisdoming Emptiness, there is no suffering to escape and no cause of suffering; no path to follow, no wisdom to attain, and no gain or loss with nothing to attain.
Honored One, resting in the Vast Wisdoming Emptiness of your only moment body, you will naturally live the perfection of wisdoming, with no hindrance in your heartmind and no hindrance in your body; therefore, no fear of death exists. Far beyond your self-owned thoughts and deluded perceptions is the Wisdoming Emptiness that we call living enlightenment. This is exactly your Only Moment Body of Pristine Wisdoming.
All of the Ancient Buddhas of past, present and future live the Vast Wisdoming Emptiness of this Only Moment Body and therefore actualize the complete and perfect embodiment of living enlightenment, just as IT IS.
Therefore know that the Way of living this Vast Wisdoming Emptiness is a Great Way, is a Great Bright Way; is a Supreme Way; an Unsurpassable Way of being in our Only Moment Body. This Vast Wisdoming Emptiness is capable of relieving all suffering. This is true, not false.
So proclaim this Vast Wisdoming Emptiness of your Only Moment Body and say:
Just This! Just This! Just This Only Moment Body!
Just This Only Moment Body wisdoming just as IT is!
All Hail the Living Enlightenment of Just This Only Moment Body!
The Heart Sutra speaks to all human beings — regardless of religious tradition, cultural background, or personal belief. Its teaching of wisdoming emptiness does not require you to become Buddhist or to abandon the faith you already hold. It invites you only to rest, breathe, and listen deeply to the Only Moment Body you already are.
Dr. Bonnici offers worldwide video counseling — bringing these teachings into the intimacy of your daily life and relationships.