The Heart Sutra – Wisdom as an End to Suffering

Regardless of one’s religious affiliation or lack thereof, it is natural to scrutinize the world around us and ponder its shortcomings. Some traditions focus on improving this world or preparing for the next. Buddhism on the other hand approaches the conundrum with new insight, wisdom which is best exemplified in the Heart Sutra, one of the religion’s most sacred and well-known texts.

The sutra is so important because it condenses and demonstrates Buddhism’s core principles in a format which is short and not too challenging on the surface level, but which when analyzed more deeply offers a wealth of spiritual insight.

A testament to the sutra’s gravity and complexity lies in the fact that there have been numerous attempts, both from practitioners all over Asia and westerners who wished to better understand its significance, to illuminate its contents and make it more accessible to a wider audience through commentary. It turns out that there are almost as many viewpoints to its meaning as there are commentators, which makes delving deep into the subject even more interesting.

It speaks of Avalokitesvara, a Buddha who shares his knowledge of the ultimate truth with his brightest disciple, Sanputra. This makes him a Bodhisattva, one who has reached enlightenment, but instead of breaking his own circle of rebirth, he chose to stay in the material realm and aid others in their search for truth. He realized that by desperately holding onto the various desires and cravings of the body and mind that keep us tethered to this world we are only perpetuating the cycle of suffering.

Avalokitesvara’s answer to this might seem incomprehensible and hard to accept –all of our conceptions and experiences, ranging from the elementary things we believe are true, such as objects possessing form, through our reliance on sensory organs and the objects they perceive, all the way to grander concepts ofconsciousness and volition are, in fact, empty.

If one can accept that physical touch, our various mental states, and even the fundamental realitieseveryone takes for granted like life and death are in fact void, then there’s nothing left to be attained. This isn’t a prospect that should worry or frighten us. On the contrary, by accepting the voidness of all of these things, one arrives to the conclusion that the anguish, fear and suffering which govern our lives are in fact illusory, and can be abandoned to gain the ultimate understanding and liberation which we should strive for.

Achieving such a state of enlightenment takes a lifetime of study and dedication, but this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t take advantage of the guidance found within the words and principles of the Heart Sutra. Realizing that letting go of at least some of our preconceptions and worries can only serve to make us more balanced, healthier and at ease within ourselves is surely a step in the right direction. Without as many cravings, misconceptions and wants to cling to, one just might find that this life is not as challenging to go through.

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