The Heart Sutra
Prajna Paramita Hrydaya Sutra

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The Heart Sutra

Preface #1

When four assemblies jointly invited the great master of Chan Sham to expound the Heart Sutra at the Buddhist Library of China, the great master made an all-out effort, although his lecture-series was to last nine gruelling days and even though he was already eighty-four years old; he enjoyed teaching Buddhadharma, and those who came to listen were delighted. During those nine days, there was standing room only every time he lectured, a clear sign of greatness of that Dharma assembly in this five-kasaya period of turbidity. The old master explained the sutra directly, eluding conventional restrictions. Though he used traditional divisions of the Buddha’s teaching into classes, on many occasions he dealt broadly with the general idea. Initially, his aim was to explain the Heart Sutra, but he commented likewise on the Lotus Sutra, and while discussing the doctrine, broached the topic of the world situation as well. Why? Because all dharmas are Buddhadharma, all sutras are one sutra.

Buddhadharma is never separated from the world. All phenomena are BuddhaDharma and whoever understands completely does not have a single mote of dust settle on him/her. All his/her words and all his/her thoughts are thereby freed from obstacles. Each of his/her statements, may it be harsh or delicate, is always exactly to the point. Sentient beings receptive to Dharma will have their wisdom eye open upon hearing this teaching, but those with distorted vision are bound to be bewildered and most likely will miss the whole point. Some individuals excel in knowledge of every rule and every convention and their words flow as in catharsis; they may have acquired mastery over the divisions and classifications of the Buddha’s teaching, but not understanding its meaning they cannot avoid getting entangled. Playing with words, turning them around they get bewitched, and much as their speech is systematic and orderly, they fail to understand the ultimate, and lose sight of the truth. According to one of the early Buddhist sages, the entire universe is one sutra of a sramana; the entire universe is the eye of a sramana. Although an enlightened person might spend a lot of time reading a sutra, he/she will not carry it around in his/her mind. One might say one is reading sutras not with one’s eyes, but with one’s wisdom – though reading all day long, there are no sutras to read.

My great old teacher explained the Heart Sutra by highlighting its salient points in a prologue: According to his explanation all is really Buddhadharma, every single form and each tiny bit of color is the Middle Way. Speaking naturally and freely, he received support from all sides, precisely because all is Buddhadharma. The great old teacher expounded the Heart Sutra every day for nine days, yet the Heart Sutra was never mentioned. This is truly the way to expound the Heart Sutra.

The master lectured in Mandarin and upasaka Wang Ka’i translated into Cantonese, making the Cantonese people very happy. Because of these lectures many of them now understand the Heart Sutra. Those who knew both dialects praised him for the integrity of his translation. Having read his notes he made while translating, I concluded in my turn that Upasaka Wang Wai made every effort to retain the original meaning: Every sentence, every word is exactly as it was used by the great old master – only the dialect is different. The translator’s descriptions convey even the sounds and the nuances to such a degree that reading them equals hearing them spoken.

Upasaka Wang stood outside the adamantine door and eventually made a breakthrough, using his superior knowledge and skills the way one would use an axe to break down any ordinary door. People entered and discovered what the Heart Sutra holds. I believe he understands what his treasury is, what are his virtues; wouldn’t you agree?

Disciple NIEN AN
The year of Wu Hsu, June.

Preface # 2

The BuddhaDharma is profound and wonderful, but to expound the unfathomable doctrine in all its depth is far from easy. Some people devote most of their energy and thought to Dharma, teaching or explaining sutras; deducing, searching for terms and supportive quotations, they have not yet reached the level of the Buddha’s mind. The one who has not climbed Mount Tai (Tai Shan) can only say “How majestic!” Someone who has not seen the Yellow River, yet describes how great, how vast it is, is not speaking from experience. If one’s view regarding Dharma is based on speculation, one’s understanding will not be clear and one is not going to be in a position to explain the Dharma successfully to others. When the teacher lacks understanding of the Dharma, it is hard on the students. They must study too hard to make up for the incomplete guidance; they might even become discouraged and give up, fearing failure, and that would be such a pity! When the great master expounded the Heart Sutra in the Buddhist Library of China, I translated his lectures from Mandarin into Cantonese. I had taken refuge in the Three Precious Ones from my master many years ago, and Le Kuo, another master, had taught me Buddhadharma. Obliging and kind, he did not abandon me although I was foolish. He guided me patiently to the right path. Bound by my fixed karma I am constantly in a hurry and do not devote enough time to the Tathagata’s teachings. It is difficult to reduce my ignorance and change my habits and my mind is as dull as it was before I started aspiring to Buddhadharma. The great master T’an Hsu’s practice of the Tao, of Bodhi is most serious. He thoroughly comprehends the unsurpassed Dharma in its implications and his Tao is of the highest integrity. His great reputation has been long established. My goal while learning Buddhadharma was to work with an all-out effort, to follow faithfully and to be authorized to translate. I feel, nevertheless, uneasy about my own limited knowledge. Prior to his systematic explanation of the sutra, the master presented in everyday language and with perfect freedom of expression the results of thorough and exhaustive study, bringing into play all the subtlety of the wondrous and profound Dharma. It seemed as easy as if he peeled a plantain or stripped a cocoon, using many carefully chosen examples along the way to make his discourse more relevant in terms of daily life. The audience was very impressed and deeply moved. If the great master did not climb Mount Tai, had not seen the Yellow River with his own eyes, how could he express himself so lucidly, so consistently?

During those nine days of his lectures the entire Dharma assembly experienced a deep sense of wellbeing, and at the conclusion of the series they all agreed to make a collection toward the publication of the master’s discourses, to be used as an offering to all mankind and to provide a Dharma condition in the future. I have accepted the responsibility for arranging and organizing my notes of the master’s discourses. Other commentaries I have read so far were brief and to the point, but that approach did not suit all readers. Consequently, I chose not to edit my record of those lectures and handed them over complete, integral with the great master’s teaching; I did not avoid or dodge any of the problems. I presented the minutes in a straight-forward manner, because people have been having difficulty at times with literary language. I did not take the liberty to emphasize, exaggerate or add anything for fear of losing the meaning and the expressions characteristic of the great master’s discourse. May I be forgiven for my awkward presentation.

WANG WAI,
Disciple of the Three Precious Ones
The year of Wu Hsu, April, Hong Kong.

Translator’s Introduction

Wonderful Prajna! Mother of all buddhas, the supreme guide and teacher of sages and saints. All that is comes from Prajna and returns to Prajna. Sentient beings experience birth and death in the wheel of life, their mind deeply affected by ignorance, bent by the five skandhas, confused and submerged in the ocean of suffering for long kalpas. How regrettable! Prajna is said to be the light in the darkness of a very long night. On the ebb and flow of the ocean of suffering, Prajna is a raft. To a house consumed by a blazing fire, Prajna is the rain. Without Prajna the universe is darkness, without Prajna the human mind is ignorant, without Prajna sentient beings suffer without respite. Cultivation of Prajnaparamita, the perfected virtue of knowing truth by intuitive insight, relieves us from our suffering and helps us to overcome, every kind of calamity. All buddhas of the past, present and future attain Prajna, all sages and saints have cultivated Prajna: Therefore, all of us need to cultivate the practice of Prajna.

The wonderful doctrine of Prajna is true and, therefore, real, perfect in all places, at all times and yet it is inconceivable. If one can understand that voidness is not void since the radiant existence exists within its mystery, then at this moment all is perceived as void. Sages and saints become accomplished by means of Prajna, the ultimate ground all sentient beings share. The uninformed majority fails to understand that all existing is produced by causes and conditions, and the self is a false self without any selfhood. Most grasp form and mistake it for the True Existence, enduring immeasurable suffering in the wheel of life. The practice of truth or reality of Prajna excepted, there is no release from suffering in the three realms, no hope of freedom from worldly worries.

It is said in the Maha Prajna Paramita Sutra that “all forms are unreal and illusory, and if they are seen as such, the Tathagata will be perceived” because, originally, the true Void is formless. The sutra says further: “The one who sees me by the form and seeks me by the sound cannot perceive the Tathagata because of deluded views.” It is to be understood as saying that the one who perceives the form (or body) and the sound or voice as the Buddha is grasping merely the form. Missing the true meaning of reality he/she is unable to perceive that all dharmas are voidness. Says the sutra further: “A bodhisattva that (still) clings to the false notion of an ego, a personality, a being and a life, is not a bodhisattva”. Bodhisattvas, same as the buddhas, establish themselves in Emptiness, apprehending their ego, personality, being and life as false views rooted in duality. “The one who hears this pure teaching with a clear and faithful mind can attain the really real, the reality that is formless; those freed from all forms are called buddhas” continues the sutra.

The Prajna Paramita Hrydaya Sutra is the core of the Maha Prajna Paramita in six hundred scrolls. Its teaching is the teaching of supramundane Void as the only true existence, the true Void being mysteriously concealed in the existing. Therefore one might say the substance of this sutra is the characteristic of Void of all dharmas; non-obtaining is the purpose. There is nothing to be obtained from the manifestation of dharmas, all dharmas being void, or empty. Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, coursing deeply in Prajna Paramita comprehended the substance of the Prajna reality: All dharmas, as well as all five skandhas are empty of self, completely free from thought. For this reason the Bodhisattva received the Chinese name “Guan Zi Zai Pu Sa”.

As the substance of all dharmas, Void confirms the true reality of form as non-form. The one who understands that buddha and sentient beings are not different can liberate all sentient beings from disease and calamity, end the cycle of birth and death and attain perfect, complete enlightenment and Nirvana.

The aggregate of form (rupa skandha) stands for all matter as produced by causes and conditions, with no permanent substance and no separate, lasting self. The remaining four skandhas are: Feelings, perceptions, volitions, and consciousness. They all belong to the Dharma of Mind, which is, likewise, void. But mind cannot find expression without form and form cannot manifest itself without mind. Without form, mind cannot be expressed, without mind, form cannot be made manifest. In other words, apart from form there is no mind, apart from mind there is no form. Although they are inseparable, they are not the same, as stated in the sutra: “Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is form.” Being neither form nor mind, all dharmas are empty here and now; this is the wonderful Dharma of Reality as Suchness, transcending all.

The uninformed view the perceptible world with all its beings and non-beings as real or true. Some of them know it to be an illusion produced by interaction of matter and mentality, that it is deceptive and impermanent and must return to the Void. That particular interpretation of void has not been especially created by buddhas and bodhisattvas in order to emphasize that all dharmas are rooted in emptiness, because all existence is originally devoid of self-hood and, therefore, empty. It is what they have been practicing for countless kalpas. All those who attain enlightenment attain understanding of the true substance of reality. They perceive that the five skandhas are empty, and thereby overcome all ills and suffering.

Ultimately, mind and form are not different. Likewise, the rest of the existing world has neither birth nor death, is neither pure nor impure, it neither increases nor decreases because it is originally void (of selfhood). In case one perceives birth as coming and death as going, or if one claims that clean is pure and dirty is defiled, holds “full” to be an increase and “less” a decrease, one is not yet empty of skandhas. These views represent obstacles which bind. Not being able to liberate oneself, how can one hope to liberate others? When one has finally reached the understanding that all existence is produced by causes and conditions and, therefore, empty of permanent self, then all reality equals stillness and the absence of diversified form. Then birth and death, pure, impure, increase and decrease all are void. Without defiled thought arising, suffering and calamity vanish. The entire range of artificial or contrived forms is the result of the six organs, six kinds of data and six kinds of consciousness. Reality, in truth, does not comprise any realm. When the five skandhas are empty, there is no diversity of form. Without ignorance there is no ending of ignorance and no ending of old age and death.

Supreme Prajna is stillness without form. When one is neither the resultant person, nor the dependent condition, one’s suffering ends. When delusory thoughts and views are severed it is the end of the cause of suffering. To relinquish the doctrine of unreality is to block the cessation of suffering. Without the three studies there is no path. If there is no subject of wisdom, that is called “Non-wisdom.” Without the object and its domain there is nothing to obtain. True mind is not empty, yet it is Emptiness. Although Bodhi is considered to be an attainment, there is nothing to attain. To perceive the ground of all buddhas is Suchness. There are adornments everywhere and ten-thousand merits manifest themselves. When Dharma-kaya becomes manifest, there is only true Emptiness. Mind established in true Emptiness completely encompasses the universe. There should be no seeking; no “inside” and “outside”. The universe is not attainable that way. As long as there is something to attain, there are obstacles; thought arises and, there is then an object. To have an object means duality, which means the loss of true reality. It cannot be called Prajnaparamita.

The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara practiced wonderful wisdom and attained enlightenment completely free of attachment. He entered Emptiness, unobstructed, through the gate of liberation. Since there is nothing but Emptiness, (including the body, the mind and all that exists), a bodhisattva is never moved by eulogy, ridicule, slander or fame. Even war, famine or the bubonic plague are dismissed by him/her as illusions taking hold through karma. Letting go of all that seemingly exists on its own, independently of the mind, sets forth brightness and the one experiencing it will no be intimidated. The Bodhisattva then entered the kind of liberation that is Nirvana. Similarly, the one who has been practicing over a long period of time achieves wonderful calmness which empowers when faced with disturbance. Water cannot submerge him/her nor fire burn. Because he/she attained liberation, he/she is fearless. Seeking Dharma “outside”, in what exists, apparently independent of mind, is proceeding backward, perpetuating a misunderstanding as to what is good and evil, dreaming of gain and holding the cycle of birth and death to be the opposite of Nirvana. It is essential to let go of distinctions such as dreaming versus thinking, right side up, and so on if one wants to enter the gate of liberation through non-action. Only when the name/form is dispatched and there is no mind object, can the original enlightenment become manifest and Nirvana, the perfect liberation in the Dharma-dhatu, obtained.

All the buddhas in the three periods depend on Prajnaparamita for the attainment of Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi. Because of superb causes, they attain the fruit of sainthood. Consequently, we know that Prajnaparamita can dispose of all kinds of demons. Independent of personality and Dharma, free at all times and in all places, the buddhas manifest or remain concealed depending on potential. The great mantra is beyond comprehension of the Saints and the worldly alike. Endowed with a power to sever ignorance, it radiates brilliance and stillness. This great, bright mantra emanates unadulterated wisdom, and its power to transcend the three realms and attain supreme Nirvana is beyond comparison. Illuminating the ten directions, it shines, like the sun, everywhere without discrimination. Such is the unequaled mantra.

The one who can receive and hold this sutra and mantra will liberate all sentient beings from obstacles, release them from suffering and attain complete enlightenment. This is true, and it is real; therefore the Prajnaparamita Mantra says: “Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha.” The great master T’an Hsu commented that “mantra belongs to the esoteric tradition and accordingly, belongs to the five kinds of texts deemed primal, untranslatable, and inconceivable; when they are translated and explained they will became conceivable dharma and their original meaning and merit will be lost.” In short, the primary purpose of the Prajna Paramita mantra is to liberate self and others, traverse the sea of suffering and, attaining complete enlightenment, reach the serenity and joy that is Nirvana.

Venerable Dharma Master Lok To
Young Men’s Buddhist Association of America
Bronx, New York.

Prologue by Grand Master T’an Hsu

The Hrdaya or Heart Sutra is presently the topic. According to the grand master Chih I of the T’ien T’ai sect, any speaker who endeavors to explain one of the Mahayana sutras should cover five points of the scripture’s profound meaning, or five profundities. What are they?

1. Explanation of terms and names.
2. Definition of the substance.
3. Clarification of the principles.
4. Discussion of its (sutra’s) application.
5. Discernment of the doctrine.

The five profundities regarding this sutra are as follows: The Dharma and the example stand for the name. All dharmas are empty (or void) of substance. “Nothing there to be attained” is the principle. Breaking off the three hindrances (greed, hatred and ignorance) is the application and the ripening of the fruit is the doctrine. The following details will provide further explanation:

By means of explaining its name, the sutra will be seen and distinguished within the context of all of the Buddha’s teaching. Altogether, there were seven reasons for naming a sutra according to seven categories as follows:

The first consists simply of the name of the speaker (of a particular sutra), for example Amitabha Sutra, Vimalakirti Sutra, etc. In the second category the name designates the teaching conveyed in that particular discourse, such as Nirvana Sutra or Prajnaparamita Sutra, to give two examples. In the third category, the sutras are named to elucidate the doctrine they teach by analogy. The title Brahmajala Sutra derives from the net of banners used for the adornment of the palace of Mahabrahman.

Each eye of the net is said to have contained a Mani-Pearl and their brightness reflected each other ad infinitum. Likewise, the BuddhaDharma is forever reflected through the brightness of the radiant minds of bodhisattvas. In the fourth category, the sutras are named after the person(s) seeking Dharma from the Buddha, i.e., the Sutra of Prajna for the Benevolent King spoken by the Buddha. In that sutra, the Buddha teaches sixteen benevolent kings. The Buddha and the kings are the persons and Prajna is the Dharma. The fifth category combines an example specific to each case and the Dharma. The name Prajnaparamita Hrdaya (heart) Sutra for example, consists of Prajnaparamita which is the Dharma, and Hrdaya or Heart which is the specific example. (More on the subject later.)

In the sixth category, the name of a sutra expresses the connection between a person or a being, and an object or event that is the clue to the Dharma. The name The Sutra of the Bodhisattva’s Necklace, to give an example, hints at the transcendental adornments of a highly accomplished spiritual being. The bodhisattva is the being, the necklace is the object, and their connection is the clue to the Dharma.

The combination of the teacher’s name and the name of the Dharma with an analog are included in the seventh category of titles. Consider, for instance, the title Buddhavatamsaka Mahavaipulya Sutra: The Buddha is the teacher, Mahavaipulya is the Dharma and Avatamsaka is the analog. The Buddha attained the fruit of buddhahood because he returned all the causes of all actions. Avatamsaka is the analog, the ground of buddhahood. Maha means great, suggesting that in this instance the doctrine is applied universally and accommodates all other doctrines. Vaipulya stands for the function of pure karma in all places. Because of the Buddha’s attainment of that stage, the mind encompasses the universe and all is buddha-sphere in the ten directions. Furthermore, each buddha-sphere encompasses a chilicosm: This is over the heads of most because people only know about this world, due to their narrow outlook.

The above seven categories of the titles relevant to Mahayana sutras are based either on individual(s); a particular Dharma; an analog; or any combination of these.

The title of The Prajnaparamita Heart (or Hrdaya) Sutra combines Dharma, i.e., Prajnaparamita, with a specific example — Heart or Hrdaya. The terms used are in Sanskrit: Prajna means wisdom, and Prajnaparamita stands for wisdom acquired experientially, by means of intuitive insight, and perfected through cultivation to the level of transcendental knowledge; it is the original wisdom of the mind, or the True Mind. Why, then, add words to it? Because that sutra is axiomatic to the entire collection of the Prajnaparamita scriptures. Just as we hold the heart to be the center, that sutra holds the essence of all the Prajnaparamita texts.

Originally, Prajna manifested itself as intuitive wisdom in all sentient beings since time immemorial. That is called former wisdom or wisdom of life; but people became confused through grasping, and the True Mind fogged over by perverted views manifested itself as obsessive thought-patterns. The cycle of birth and death never stops turning the wheel of life, and it is difficult to get out. Actually, the True Mind is never separate from us, not even for one moment. The Buddha spoke the Prajnaparamita Dharma for close to twenty-two years. Recorded and compiled, the resulting text consisted of six hundred scrolls, classified into eight groups.

The differences that existed were merely differences in expedient means, adjusted to suit a particular potential, and in every case the aim was to free those who listened from perverted views, abandon grasping, return to the original source and understand their True Mind. In other words, the Prajna teaching is aimed to remove confusion, bring about recognition of one’s own True Mind, and return to the truth. According to this doctrine the mind has three layers: First is the layer of the deluded mind; the second is the Prajna mind, and the third is the center, the heart, or the pivot of the Prajna mind, and such is also the relation of this sutra to the doctrine. The Heart Sutra is the axis of all the Prajnaparamita teachings. Taking further the example of the mind, one might call the Heart Sutra the center of the central sutras. If we compare the core of this sutra with the worldlings’ mind, the mind of Prajna is the true mind and the mind of worldlings is the deluded mind.

Again, the center of the mind’s center may be perceived as consisting of three layers, i.e., the mind of saints, the mind of bodhisattvas and that of buddhas. Minds of worldlings are immersed in suffering of many kinds. The mind of a saint, such as the accomplished individual of the two vehicles, is approaching buddhahood; next comes the mind of a bodhisattva with only one more rebirth to endure and at the center of mind’s center is buddha or the Ultimate or True Mind. The mind of Prajnaparamita Sutra is the True Mind, also referred to as the Essential Wisdom. Essential Wisdom we are speaking of is to be distinguished from an awareness of objects or environment and their use and value usually characterized as “knowledge” by worldlings.

The term “Paramita” is in Sanskrit and it means reaching the other shore. Prajnaparamita or the Wonderful Wisdom, coursing like a boat, transports all sentient beings across the sea of defilement to the other shore that is Nirvana. The word Nirvana, also from Sanskrit, means transcending birth and death, or simply liberation. Prajnaparamita is, therefore, the Essential Wisdom and the center of all kinds of prajna. Most every sutra functions at two levels simultaneously: One level is general, the other, specific, but the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra is just specific: Although its title includes the word sutra due to usage, the text does not function at the general level.

“Sutra” in Sanskrit originally meant to uphold, and when applied to principles, it upholds the principles of all buddhas moving upward, downward upholding sentient beings according to their potential. If the one who understands BuddhaDharma upholds the principles of all the past buddhas, he/she can liberate sentient beings. Whoever can understand the theory behind the flawless, accomplished Buddha, can understand also how to uphold the potential of sentient beings. Sutra means a shortcut, and a well frequented. path. It means the way to complete enlightenment.

The second profundity is the definition of substance. What is the substance of the Heart Sutra? Starting with “Oh, Sariputra, the characteristic of the voidness of all dharmas is non-arising” until “there is no wisdom, and there is no attainment whatsoever” is the definition of the substance. Consequently, the characteristic of the voidness of all dharmas” is the substance of this sutra.

The third profundity is focused on the clarification of the purpose of the sutra. As we already understand the meaning of this sutra’s name as well as the meaning of its substance, we should have no difficulty understanding the sutra’s principle or purpose. We should understand its principle according to the sentence “There is nothing to be attained.” When there is nothing to attain, one is able to discern the characteristic of Emptiness.

As to the discussion of the application of this sutra – it being the fifth profundity – it is to break off the three obstacles. What are these? They are 1) passions; 2) deeds (past karma); and 3) retribution. Problems, worries and suffering all are related directly to the three obstacles.

There are two kinds of retribution: 1. Being the resultant person, 2. Being in the dependent condition(s). Being the resultant person means being what we are physically, our body. Some are strong, in good health and others respect them for it. Some are unsightly, unwholesome and others dislike them. The strong, the weak, the long-lived and the short-lived, the beautiful, the ugly, the wise as well as the foolish, all have varied causes in their previous lives, and accordingly receive diverse effects in their present existence. Those who have produced good causes in their previous existence enjoy good health, longevity, beauty and wisdom in this life. Those who generated evil causes in their past lives have various deficiencies and shortcomings in the present. That is what being resultant person means.

Being in the dependent condition(s) means one’s circumstances, including clothing, sustenance and shelter. Obviously, those who have all their needs satisfied live happily; favorable events occur, yet they do not have to exert themselves, because of good causes in their previous lives. A resultant person relies on dependent conditions for survival and the conditions, in turn, have their causes in the past existence. Good karma, practice and deeds that benefit others at present will produce favorable effects in future existence.

The connection between cause and effect must not be doubted. The obstacles resulting from past deeds come into existence because we live in this world. It really does not make any difference who is a lay person and who is a monk or a nun. Most are involved in interactions inevitably connected with existence within society, which frequently produce circumstances generating obstacles through karma. Karma is of three kinds: Good, bad and unmovable.

The obstacle of passion arises because of retribution for deeds done in the past. The circumstances produced then are favorable or adverse according to karma. Strife to achieve one’s goal combines with the confusion that usually accompanies it, produces numerous defilements and the result is suffering. That is the obstacle of passion.

The original defilements count six in number: Greed, hatred, ignorance, aggregates, doubt and heterodox views.

All three obstacles are severed naturally when the meaning of the sutra is thoroughly understood because the application of this sutra is breaking off the three obstacles. To get rid of the three obstructions is to be released from many kinds of suffering. The suffering is all-pervasive and even devas must endure it, though to a much lesser degree than humans.

Therefore the purpose of all Buddhadharma is to depart from suffering and dwell in happiness.
Discernment of the doctrine: Since we have already reached some understanding as to the meaning of the sutra in terms of the four profundities, i.e., its name, substance, principles and application, we are in position to proceed to the last one – the discernment of doctrine. The entire body of the Buddha’s teaching can be divided into five phases and the example of five ways milk is used to provide nourishment can be applied to situate the phase of the Heart Sutra in the context of the entire body of the Buddha’s teachings.

While teaching, the Buddha frequently referred to the example of the white cow of Snow Mountains. On the slopes of the Snow Mountains grow many varieties of grass that make the cow healthy and strong. The milk is wholesome and rich in nutrients and helps those who drink it better to survive. Similarly, the Buddhadharma can nourish our wisdom, and therefore the example of five uses of milk appropriately illustrates the five stages of the Buddha’s teaching.

Initially, the Buddha spoke the essence of the Avatamsaka Sutra (Hwa Yen in Chinese), it being the first phase of his teaching. It was the teaching as formulated in the Mahayana sutras, and those with obstructions could not rise to its level. It was like offering fresh, raw milk to a baby; those with obstructions could not rise to its level.

The second phase is represented by the Agamas, comparable to thin, sour milk. The Buddha spoke the Avatamsaka first so that the eyes of Mahayana bodhisattvas would open to the view of the buddhas. At that time many of shallow root could not and would not accept these highest teachings; though they had eyes they could not see; though they had ears, they could not hear. Though they had mouths, they could not ask. It was as if they were deaf and mute. The Buddha continued teaching the Avatamsaka for three weeks to convert all those with bodhisattva potential. Many who could not listen later formulated the Theravada tradition. In the Deer Park, the Buddha chose to teach the Agamas thereby making his teaching comparatively easier to understand. Five of his friends attained deep understanding and became his first monks (bhiksus) and that marked the beginning of what later became the Theravada tradition. The Buddha taught Agamas for close to twelve years. Those who could not follow the teachings during the Avatamsaka phase can be compared to babies, unable to digest fresh milk, but can take it thinned down or after the milk was allowed to turn. The teaching of Agamas is comparable to milk that was thus made easier to digest.

The third phase is Vaipulya, interpreted as containing doctrines of equal relevance. That phase is comparable to milk of full strength that was allowed to turn in order to be easily digestible. During that time the Buddha spoke four kinds of teachings, and the division into Theravada and Mahayana was not marked. The phase is said to have lasted for approximately eight years.

The fourth phase, that of Prajna, is believed to have lasted for twenty-two years; it can be compared to the ripened curd. The nourishment it provides is concentrated as well as digestible.

The fifth phase relates to the Saddharma Pundarika and to the Nirvana Sutras. Returning to the milk simile, it has the quality of clarified butter. During that period the Buddha is said to have taught Mahayana Dharma, the unimpeded teaching pointing directly at the mind.

To summarize, the Buddha taught Dharma in five stages and each of these displays two facets: Expedience and reality. Expedience means following the causes and conditions (such as the sentiment and potential of sentient beings in a given situation); Reality equals Truth or the absence of falsehood. The Buddha spoke truth of his unsurpassed wisdom directly.

1) The earliest stage is that of the Avatamsaka Mahavaipulya Sutra. The Avatamsaka is said to consist of expedience and reality (or truth) in equal proportion. Expedience means promoting the understanding of reality. The Teaching Of Reality makes the entry into the wisdom of buddhas possible: The first stage includes both ‘expedience and reality.

2) The stage of the Agamas is focused on expedience. The Buddha adapted his teachings to the potential of sentient beings, specifically of those in the world; consequently, he did not discuss the superb Dharma at that time. Agama is a Sanskrit term, meaning incomparable. The name “Incomparable Dharma” is intended to convey the conviction that nothing can be compared with the Agamas.

3) In that stage, the proportion between expedience and reality is about three parts to one, expedience being predominant. What are the expedient teachings? The first was later developed into the sutra section of the Tripitaka. It deals with the two vehicles of Sravaka and Pratyeka Buddha in relation to their ending the cycle of birth and death of allotment only, but not the cycle of mortal changes. The two vehicles have, nevertheless, birth and death. The second expedient characteristic of the third stage is the earliest formulation of Mahayana: The Dharma of the attainment of non-birth. The third expedient is the teaching of differentiation. The fourth expedient belonging to this stage is the Dharma of Reality. It manifests progressively the doctrine of perfect teachings. During the third stage the Buddha is said to have taught these four different approaches.

4) The stage of Prajna, or the fourth stage, is reflected in the Prajna scriptures. It is said to be composed of two parts expedience and one part reality, i.e. the Mahayana teaching, or the great vehicle.

5) The fifth is that of the Saddharma Pundarika and Nirvana Sutras, is the stage of the Dharma of Reality or Truth without concern regarding expedience. At that stage the Buddha had little time left and could not afford to spend it worrying about the potential of the assembly. Following his delivery of the Bequeathed Teaching which lasted one day and one night, the Buddha entered his final Nirvana.

The Heart Sutra, the topic of the detailed commentary below, belongs to the fourth stage according to the above scheme. It is said to consist of two parts expedient and one part Reality, and it is comparable to well ripened curd.