A Heart Sutra Journey | Part Six

"...thus completely relieving misfortune and pain.
O Shariputra, ..."

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva looked upon the Five Skandhas and saw emptiness. We spoke yesterday about emptiness - and how one practices or looks upon it. This is a lifelong practice - as the mind is constantly clinging to form and consciousness. In a real way, we create our own hell through our discriminating thoughts, then create our limited sense of self and banish that created self to live in the dystopia we have wrought. Avalokitesvara blazes a path out by highlighting that the Five Skandhas are void and empty. We now pivot to a closer examination of emptiness and the landscape of the phenomenological and material universe.

It is interesting to note that the passage "thus completely relieving misfortune and pain" is only present in a few early Chinese translations of the Heart Sutra, and is often presumed to be an addition. This is possible, but based on the concept of The Four Reliances we discussed on day two, likely irrelevant. The assertion is repeated later in the Sutra and is a clear consequence of the practice of emptiness. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this - please comment below...

As this passage closes, a new actor comes on the stage: Shariputra. The son of a Brahman priest, Shariputra was known in his youth for a firm grasp of the scriptures and his keen ability to debate their finer nuances. He resolved early in life to find deliverance from samsara and sat at the foot of the Buddha. Avalokitesvara opens her instruction to him with the Sandskrit iha - translated "O" in our rendition of the Heart Sutra. This emphatic "O" is possibly better rendered "Here." Avalokitesvara is calling Shariputra to attention - the target of the awakened.

It is with this clarion call Avalokitesvara begins her exposition of emptiness. I look forward to examining it with you in the days to come...

See the full text of the Heart Sutra at: https://oneriverzen.org/heart-sutra