Form is void and void is form.Form is no different from void and void is no different from form.The same is for perception, mental conception,volition,and mind consciousness.
And once again,you see that this line is still referring to the five skandhas.Except that it's not discussing the relationships between the five skandhas and emptiness or void.
In other words,it's a discussion on the relationships between self and the truth.
Therefore this line also tells us that prajna is no different from form.In other words it's no different from the self.And that is why it's telling us that form is void and void is form and so on.And the same also goes to the five skandhas that they are no different from the truth or self.
Another way to explain the line where it tells us form is void and void is form.It tells us that every phenomenon in this world are no different from emptiness or void.
All phenomena are no different from the mind or our spiritual condition.Therefore the two are in fact one.
The truth is emptiness itself is not that easy to explain or elaborate.Because once you start describing what emptiness is, it no longer is emptiness.
And when we refer to emptiness,we do not mean the fact that nothing is there.Because when we talk about emptiness,it is still based on existence of something being there.
And if we were to study the character of emptiness,the Chinese character.It actually consists of two parts.The first part represents emptiness while the second part,represents existence.
Whether there is or whether there isn't existence,both of them still refer to emptiness.So once again when we talk about emptiness,it's not about nothing being there.
When we look at the house,or this building or human beings,and in fact everything,all of them are empty.Because in order for them to exist,they have to rely on set of causes and conditions which come together.And therefore the existence of all these things are based on emptiness.
Therefore emptiness is not based on the destruction of existence.In fact it exists,or emptiness is there,based on existence itself.
If this land which was empty or vacant,was never here. How can we construct these buildings?
And if there was no space for me in this world,how can I survive?
Therefore proper understanding of emptiness is vital to our understanding of the Heart Sutra as a whole.
And in my mind I think the easiest way to explain emptiness is with the digit zero,which means nothing.
When we hear of the word zero,we will think of the word nothing.
But if you place a zero behind digit one,then it becomes ten. Or if you place a zero behind the number one thousand and then it becomes ten thousand.Therefore while we may say that zero represents nothing,it also embodies an infinite number or quantity.
Or we can also look at x in mathematics.Although it does not represent any particular number.When you see it,you still recognize it as a form or representation of a certain number or amount.
That is why we can say that emptiness is the very foundation of all forms of existence and all dharmas.
In other case is that we also use Amitabha Buddha as a way to explain emptiness.And therefore emptiness means Amitabha Buddha.And Amitabha Buddha also means emptiness.
And to people or followers of Chinese Buddhism,Amitabha Buddha seems to have become a jingle or slogan to all of them.
If you hear of a friend who has gone bankrupt and lost everything,you feel his pain and sorrow.And as a way to express your sympathy,you would say"omitofo"or Amitabha Buddha.
Or when I see that your stocks have soared and then you're making a lot of money,therefore to share your joy,I would also say"omitofo."
Or if someone falls over or trips and then you would turn around and say"omitofo,"which means"oh,are you Ok?"
And in seeing how you got up quickly and you are not seriously hurt,I feel happy and then I will also say"omitofo", which means"oh,good for you."
When I see you,as a way of greeting,I will also say"omitofo",which means I haven't seen you for a long time.
And if you were leaving,as a way to say good bye,I will also say"omitofo."
And if you give me a gift,and as a way to say thank you,I will also say"omitofo."
And in return,as a sign of reply,if you don't know what to say,you can also say"omitofo"as a way of saying,"You're welcome."
So it seems like you use"omitofo"for everything.So what exactly does it mean?
In the sutras we have described it as a grand name with tremendous virtue.And the direct translation of Amitabha means infinite light and infinite life.
When we talk about infinite life,we refer to the boundlessness of time.
And when we talk about infinite light,we refer to the boundlessness of space.
And isn't boundless space and time another way of saying the truth of this universe?
Therefore we can say that emptiness or"omitofo"are in fact the truth.
Within the emptiness,we can say that there exists existence and non-existence.And let me describe it with the example of parents giving birth to their children.
The father is usually the more strict one.And therefore when the children try to ask for some money,before he actually gives you the money,he would try to teach you a lesson and even complain about why children always want so much money and so on.
But the mother is usually the kind or the nicer one.And she would usually say,"Oh,here,take it."
Therefore,the compassion of the mother is like what we call a nectar that nourishes everything.
Therefore the mother represents the emptiness,while the father is like the sun that gives warmth to all forms of lives to allow everything to grow.
Therefore with the compassion of a mother and the strictness of the father,the two of them come together and to make sure that their children grow up with a righteous character.
We can also refer to the four seasons,the warm breezes of spring and the rain of summer are two elements which allow life to grow.
And the coldness of autumn followed by the snow of winter also allow life to mature.
Therefore be it existence or non-existence,the two of them are still the key fact elements of the existence of every being.
Normally we would draw a very clear line between the existence and non-existence.It's either one or the other.But from the perspective of the truth,it's not entirely so.
And most of us would usually prefer existence.We would prefer to have something rather than nothing.
But some people maybe different.And they would find too much stuff to be troublesome.And they would rather go with as little stuff as possible.
And when some people find that there're too many things in their house,they will find this to be some kind of trouble.So they would choose to give them away.
Therefore when you have something,it does not guarantee you happiness.But at the same time when you have nothing,it doesn't mean that it would definitely bring you unhappiness either.
This disciple,a student of Confucius by the name of Yan Hui once said that"As I live in a narrow alley and as I take a small portion of food and a scoop of drink each day,I am blessed with endless happiness and no worries."
And in the Buddha's time there were three of his disciples who sat in the woods one day and started talking about how happy and joyful they were.The Buddha heard this and ask them,"What are you happy about?""What are you happy of?"
One of them used to be a prince before he became a monastic.Therefore he said to the Buddha,"After I became renounced,I found that I don't have to be burdened or trapped by anything.Therefore I feel very happy."
When I used to be in the palace,I am blessed with the best food and drink everyday yet I never feel satisfied.And at the same time I always have to be protected by a group of guards with weapons.But in fact that made me feel unsafe and at some kind of risk or danger.But after I became renounced,I eat whatever has be given to me when I go and beg for alms every day.Therefore eating becomes simple.And at the san'le time there's no longer the need for someone to protect me,which makes me feel at ease.And therefore that's why I feel very joyful and happy now.
Therefore there's no need for us to always strive for the top. Because the higher you get,the colder it gets and the harsher it gets.
When Buddhism tells us the truth of emptiness,it's not passively telling us.It's not telling us to passively give up everything or stop doing anything.In fact,in Buddhism,there is still the spirit of bodhisattvas who have the courage and aspiration to move forward in helping sentient beings.Therefore it is still a concept of activeness.
Once there was a Bhiksuni Upasena who got bitten by a snake and she was in danger of losing her life.
Therefore she went to Sariputra and said to him"I got bitten by a poisonous snake.Therefore I am very close to death.But before I die,there are still some unfulfilled wishes.Therefore I was wondering if you can fulfil my wishes after I die."
Sariputra said to her"With how carefree and easy you look, it doesn't look like you are going to die soon."
And then she replied"This is because I was contemplating on the truth of emptiness when I got bitten by the snake. Therefore the snake only bit my physical body,not the truth."
Once there was a Buddhist monk by the name of Dao Shu, who constructed a Buddhist temple next to a Taoist temple.
And this of course made his neighbours very unhappy. Because the Taoist did not want the Buddhist temple next to them.
And the Taoist priests also have some kind of spiritual practice themselves.Therefore they use their ability to summon rain and wind and all kinds of magic as an attempt to scare the Buddhist monks away.
But they only scared the young novice monks away.And the venerable Dao Shu still lived in the temple for more than twenty years.
Therefore some of his devotees asked him"Master,these Taoist priests used all kinds of magical powers to scare most of the people in your temple away.But you have remained behind all these time.And for in your way,you have won.But how did you manage to do so?"
And he replied"I do not have any particular abilities."But I have been able to stay behind based on the concept of emptiness."
When the Taoist priests use their magical powers,they have all these abilities.But because of the abilities they have,they do have limits.One day they are going to use up all their magic, while I,when I'm based on the concept of emptiness,this idea of emptiness is boundless.Therefore the way I respond to all kind of changes they enforced on me is to remain unchanged.
Therefore while nothing and something are different in levels of being,but at the same time,they are still the same in essence.
Once a man went to Zen Master Zhi Zang and asked him"Master,do heavenand hell really exist?"
"Of course they do."
"Are there really bodhisattvas and buddhas?"
"Of course there are."
"Do cause and effect really exist?"
"Of course they do."
No matter what the man asked,the Zen master always said"Yes,these things do exist."
And then the man said to him"Master,your answers seem rather different from those I have gotten from other Zen masters."
In what way are my answers different?
Well,at least the answers which I have gotten from Zen Master Jin Shan were quite different from yours.
When I asked him whether the heaven and hell exist,he said"No,there's nothing."
When I asked him do buddhas and the triple gem exist,he also said"No,there's nothing."
And he also said no or nothing to my question on whether cause and effect exist or not.
Therefore to me I think Zen Master Jin Shan's answers were more profound than yours.
Then Zen Master Zhi Zang said"Oh,I see."
Well,do you think Zen Master Jin Shan has a wife or children?
The man answered,"No."
Does Zen Master Jin Shan own any money or gold?
No,he has nothing.
Well,does Zen Master Jin Shan have the obligations of worldly positions or authorities?
The man also answered,"No."
Therefore I think that's why Zen Master Jin Shan's answers for you is nothing for everything.
Do you have a wife and children?
I do.
Do you have money and gold?
Do you have a position or status in society?
And the man answered yes I do.I have all of them.
And that is why my answers to all of your questions are yes, things are there or there is something for you.
Therefore those who never grasped the true meaning of emptiness will see nothing and something on the very extremes of the world.But once you get the gist of them,you will realize that something is in fact nothing and nothing is in fact something.
For I also heard that you will see nothing and something as one,and as a way to help you do this,let me give you the following examples.
I may have a piece of gold,but I can also make a ring or a bracelet or earrings out of this piece of gold,And therefore while the piece of gold disappears,you still have the rings or the bracelet or the earrings which are also parts of the gold.Therefore in fact the gold represents all of these.
And therefore we can say that the gold represents nothing, while the ring or the bracelet represents something.But these something or the phenomenon exists based on the very essence of emptiness,which is gold in this case.
And if you were to go to the ocean of the seaside,you will see that when the weather is windy,there will be raging waves. Nevertheless when the weather is cool and calm,the surface of the water would be smooth.So the difference between the waves and the smooth surface does not really exist because they are in fact one.Both of them still have the essence of the water.It's the physical changes that have made them appeared in different ways.
And therefore these are the combinations of the psychological and physical.And the two of them have to come together in order for phenomenon to exist.
Therefore we can say that emptiness is the very essence of everything.And so every phenomenon in this universe exists based on this emptiness.And just that the one form and their functions come together,a phenomenon is created.
On the first day we already talked about equality and discrimination.And based on equality we've talked about how the sunlight and water and air and earth all treat sentient beings equally.They are there for you and nourish your life no matter who you are.And so do the sages such as the Buddha,or even Jesus and Mohammed because their compassions for the human beings are impartial.They treated you the same no matter who you are.From this we can see that willing equality.While these sages or the elements maybe different,they are in fact all based on the spirit of equality.And therefore we can say that while differences exist among equality,there's also equality between things that may appear different on the surface.
And because there is space or hollowness within your body, for example your nostrils,your ears,your mouth or even your organs,you are able to stay alive and remain healthy.
Therefore we can say that emptiness is in fact a truly wondrous truth.
The emptiness of the space within this cup appears cylindrical.
And if you were to have a square box,then the emptiness of space inside,it will appear cubical.
And this auditorium appears in a multi-polygon shape, Therefore that's the shape which emptiness inside this auditorium takes.
And while emptiness does not have a certain form or shape, we have to still remember that in the Buddhist sutra,it has told us that while all phenomenon are illusory,in fact emptiness still has its own kind of characteristic.
Therefore there's no need to draw that very clear line between nothing and something or emptiness or existence.
Once there was a Zen Master by the name of Yao Shan. And one day he was reading the Buddhist sutras in the garden.
And then his disciple said to him"Master,in my mind,I believe we should advocate wealth because that way our disciples will become rich and live a comfortable life."
And then Zen Master Yao Shan pointed to the two trees in front of them.One had lush leaves and the other one only had branches.And he asked his disciple"Which of the two do you think is better."
The disciple answered"Of course the lush one is much better."
You are right.
And this made Dao Wu,his disciple very happy and then he walked away.
Then after awhile,there came another one of his disciple by the name of Wen Yan.He said to Zen Master Yao Shan"Master, in my mind,I do not advocate prosperity.Because prosperity will only cause men to become slaves of desire.Therefore I think the simpler the life is,the better."
And once again he asked his disciple the same question about the two trees,"Which of them is better to you?"
And this time Wen Yan answered,"In my mind,I think the wilted tree is much better because it has the spirit of persistence."
And once again the Zen master said"Oh,you are right."
And then the second disciple walked away.
And in response to his wonder,his master turned to him and said"Yes,you are right."
Both two disciples were only half right.And the one who's truly right was the Zen master.
Therefore we can not base our conclusion of the truth on the phenomenon in this world.
You are not right in the reasons which you present just because you are rich or powerful.Or it doesn't make it right just because for example when the judges say you are right.The truth itself is not based on all of these.
Once there was a man because he was so rich,he was able to afford labours or workers.
Although he was an arrogant man,he was still quite devoted and pious to the buddhas.
Since he was so rich,he was able to afford a golden statue of a bodhisattva instead of the normal wooden statues.
Among his workers,there were also Buddhists. So sometimes they would also go and pay respect to this golden statue.
But this made the rich man very unhappy,and he said,"How can you pay respect to my golden statue?"
You are not good enough to pay respect to my golden statue. Therefore you should be punished.
And this made that worker very sad and he thought,"Although I'm not rich,at least I should still have the right to pay respect to Buddha.
Therefore he went into the forests and found a piece of timber and made himself a wooden statue.
And then all of his friends and coworkers heard that he had a wooden statue.Therefore they all went over to his place to pay respect to this statue.
One day the wealthy man discovered that everybody all of the people go to his worker's place and he wondered why.
And someone told him that these people are there to pay respect to his statue.
What kind of statue is it?
Oh,it's a wooden statue of the Buddha that he had made himself.And he welcomes everybody to go and pay respect to it.
This is unbelievable.I have a golden statue but nobody comes to pay respect.And why is everybody going to his place?
Therefore he said to his worker"Let's have a competition between my golden statue and your wooden statue."
What kind of competition do you want to have?
Let's have a wrestling competition between the two statues. And the one that falls off the first loses.
And if my golden statue wins you have to work for me for the rest of your life with no pay.
The worker had no choice.Therefore he accepted.
The competition started.And at first the two statues seems to be on even turns.
But after a little while,the golden statue started to struggle.It started to get all sweaty and not long after that,it fell off.
This made the wealthy man very unhappy and he said to the golden statue"How useless are you?You can't even beat a wooden statue."
And the golden statue replied"You have hardly given me any incense or fruit offerings,causing me to suffer from malnutrition.Therefore I'm all weak.Yet the wooden statue gets all kinds of offering from different people.That's why he is all strong.So I can never beat him."
From this we can see that physical appearance or physical form itself is not enough.Sometimes it also needs to be supported by a psychological or spiritual matter.In order for it to be strong enough.
That is why the sutra says,"Form is no different from void and void is no different from form."In other words,the psychological and the physical have to come together.
And emptiness in this case means everything in this world and while,I mean form.Form in this case means everything,for example,nature and houses and everything which you see around you.Therefore it represents everything.But at the same time, emptiness.Although it means nothing,it also embodies everything.That is why we say that when we refer to form and emptiness,neither of them represents nothing or everything.
When we refer to a single grain of dust or a single flower, you would take it as unit of one,it's one grain of dust or one flower.Or you can say there is one human being or one house. Or one university.Or one city of Los Angeles.Or one American country.And one earth.The universe also comes in one.
Do you think one flower is insignificant?Or do you think the whole universe is significant?
The flower here also has to come from a seed which receives the energy from sunlight,water,air and fertilizer.And these are based on…The existence of these are based on the universe.Therefore we can also say that one flower comes from the whole universe.
That's why we say that a dust should not be considered small.Nor should the universe be considered big.
The number,one,should not be considered as a small number.Nor should the number of billions be considered a very large number.
That's where the profound philosophy of Hua Yan Buddhism or that of the Avatamsaka Sutra comes in. Because in this sutra it tells us that sometimes what appears true is not necessarily true.
And nothing is not necessarily nothing.Nor is everything necessarily everything.
What is filthy is not necessarily filthy.And what is clean and pure is not necessarily so either.
Sometimes we may think our house is clean and tidy.But if suddenly a friend or a very important person shows up,in his eyes he may see that your house is still messy and unclean.
And you may think your house is filthy because your dog has pooed everywhere.And even your baby has done so.But to the insects and the pests,they would see them as something every beautiful and they would enjoy the existence.
Sometimes you would see other people enjoying a plate of fish or prawns.And you know they would treat it as some kind of delicacy.But in the eyes of another person,he could see this person only eating the feces and all the filth within these creatures.And to them it would be very disgusting instead of delicious.
Therefore how exactly do you define what is dirty and what is clean?
As human being,as living beings,each one of our consciousnesses is different from another.Therefore the world that we see in our eyes will appear much more different.And we'll usually base our judgement on what we are used to or what has become our habit.
We can use an example of how a Buddhist philosopher will see,given the example of how water is seen in four different ways by four kinds of beings.
When I refer to a pond of water,you would know what I'm talking about.In the eyes of heavenly beings,the water would appear as crystals.And in the eyes of the fish and the prawns, the water would appear as their palace or the place where they are living.And in the eyes of human beings it's just water.
But in the eyes of hungry ghosts,the water would appear as blood and mucus or pus to them.
While water appears just as it is,it still looks different to different beings with different kinds of karmic retributions.
That is why there are all kinds of sentient beings in this world.Some of them are born by wound.Some are born by eggs.Some are born by moisture.And some are born by transformation.And these beings come out to be living beings with either one leg,two legs,many legs or even no legs.So there are all kinds of living beings in this world.
And there's no need to feel strange about this because no matter whether it's a flying creature or one that crawls on the ground or one that walks.They are all living beings of this world.
Whether they have one or two or even no legs,they can still travel and move forward.
Nevertheless you would see that most sentient beings would appear in the way that their bones are wrapped up with their flesh.
But as for hungry ghosts,it's actually their flesh wrapped up with bones.
All of these differences are based on different types of karmic retributions.Take today's science,technology as an example.With how advance they are,genetic alterations become possible.Therefore sciences has been able to create a lot of things,such as clone sheep or cows.From this we can see that anything will probably be possible in the future.And that's what science offers us.However in the eyes of Buddhist,we simply see it as different forms of karmic retribution.You get what you have because of the karma that you bear.
Those who live on the floor above me are above me.But there're still people who are above that floor.
Sometimes when you say you are the best,there are still some people who are better than you.So there's always something one level higher.
The way we look at things in this world is by comparing them to other things that we know.As a result,these things have different shapes,different meaning and different levels to all of us.Nevertheless,through the eyes of Prajna wisdom,all of these things are the same.Therefore in order for us to transcend this habit of comparing things,we will need the power or the strength of Prajna wisdom in order for the essence or nature of everything to return to the word,equality.
After saying all of these,I'm sure you would still be wondering:How exactly do we understand the theory or concept of emptiness?And where exactly does emptiness exist?
Emptiness is right here.It's right around us.
This happened in Japan where there was a man who was not a Buddhist.And he asked a Zen master"Where is emptiness?"
Zen master pointed to his heart and said"It's right here."
And the answer of course sounded right in one way but it sounded questionable in another.But once again you have to realize that once your heart or mind is empty,the truth will be there.But it's not that easy to empty your mind or heart. Because our mind continues to discriminate between everything in this world.
Therefore while it may seem right to say that emptiness exists right here.
And then the man picked up a sword,getting ready to stab the Zen master in the heart and said"Now show me what emptiness looks like."
And then the Zen master said,"Hold it.Why don't you go and take a look at the cherry blossoms first?And try and look for the heart of cherry blossoms."
And of course it is not cherry blossom season as yet. Therefore the trees would only have branches right now.
Well there's nothing right now.After a few month,you will see mountains and hills covered up with cherry blossoms.
As we look at the empty branches,we can think of the word.Form is emptiness.
But once you see the cherry blossoms in full bloom,you have to remind yourself of how emptiness is form.Do you all watch TV at home?
If you were to pick up your remote control and press a button and now all kinds of programs and images will show up in the box.Nevertheless without turning the TV on,there will be nothing.So this is also a demonstration of how emptiness is form and form is emptiness.
And say if you're half way through a program and somebody turns off the TV,then there will be nothing there.So this is also a demonstration of how form is emptiness.
Therefore no matter where you look or where you turn to in this world,you are always surrounded by this relationship between emptiness and form.
It was a very famous emperor during the Han dynasty that was basically the founding emperor of the East Han dynasty.His son was also the emperor of the era where Buddhism passed into China.
While the emperor Han Guan Wu was still a student,he studied at a school with a very excellent principal or head master. And at the time,both of them fell in love with the same woman by the name of Yin Li Hua.
And of course the less talented one was the one who ended up becoming the emperor.He was also supported by this principal.And his principal was the one who found all kinds of people to help him with fighting and everything.And in the end the woman whom both of them fell in love with became the mistress of this emperor.
And while his friend ended up with nothing,however after the emperor passed away,his friend came to his tomb.
He said to the emperor,In front of politics,you were a winner.Because you became the emperor.You were also a winner of love because the lady ended up marrying you. Therefore you ended up with everything.Nevertheless there's a fact that you have to realize which is no matter how excellent you are,upon the time of death,we would all have to end up inside this tomb.
So far I have tried my best to explain to you the relationship between form and emptiness.And now let's go on to the next line within the Heart Sutra where it tells us that the character of voidness is that all dharmas do not arise nor cease.They are not defiled nor pure.They do not increase nor decrease.
And therefore this character of emptiness is the very essence of everything in this world.It is based on this very essence that things exist.Therefore now we have wondered what emptiness looks like.
We can find this answer in these few words where it tells us that they do not arise nor cease;they are not defiled nor pure;they do not increase nor decrease.
Take this cup as an example,when we say that it has the character of emptiness within itself,we realize that when we hold it up as a cup,it looks like a cup.But if we drop it,when it shatters,it's no longer a cup.And we can never bring it back into its original shape.
With the water that flows from the cup,though we were to the pick up a cloth and wipe away all the water.After squeezing this piece of cloth,we will realize that all of the water is still there.
The same goes to human beings.Once the body dies and it simply dies.It cannot return to its original form.
But the flow of life on the other hand will continue.And this flow will bring the essence of our lives into next life within the six realms of rebirth.The realm of human beings or animals or heavenly beings and so on.
As a human being,we have a life.But as an ox or a horse or even as an ant or a bee,we still have a life.
Therefore we cannot describe the essence or our original appearance with words such as whether it's beautiful,whether it's big and so on.
When we say that the empty character of voidness does not arise or cease,it doesn't mean that nothing is there if we don't see it.And it also doesn't mean that things are there just because we can see it in front of us.
Nor does this character increase or decrease.
So in terms of quantity,it nether increases or decreases.But in terms of quality,it is neither defiled or pure.
In other words,there must not be any discrimination in front of the truth.Everything comes down into one single way of existence.
When we look at human beings,they maybe good or bad people.They could also be kind or evil people just as we have said before,no matter how good you are,we all end up inside this grave or tomb.
And you may say,"Oh,since it's all the same then what's the point of being a good person?"
But in this case it's still different.
As good or bad people,you will end up in different destinations.
If I was to ask you,"Is this fist good or bad,or is it evil or virtuous?"
And if you were to say that this fist means good,and I could punch you and end up getting sued by you.
And if you were to say it means bad,what if I use my fist to do a bit of massage to make you feel more comfortable,and you would probably wish that I would punch as harder.
There's no good or bad within this fist.They are only there when you use the fist for different purposes.
In the Chinese philosophy we have said that the character or nature of human being is meant to be virtuous.But in the eyes of Buddhism we would say that the nature of human being is either good or bad.Therefore that's why we say that our mind can bring us into or across the ten different realms which are the realms of the Buddha,heavenly beings,bodhisattvas,sravakas, Pratyeka-buddhas,and also that of auras,animals,hungry ghosts and so on.
And just because the mind manifests all ten dharma realms and in a lot of cases,our mind can take us to and from heaven and hell everyday.
When you wake up in the morning in a very good mood,as you have breakfast you may think about what you are going to do today.And since you are in such a good mood,you are probably planning to do something to help other people.In that case you would be in heaven.
And then suddenly you see a very horrible breakfast.It's disgusting and then you started complaining about this food, complaining about the person who made it,and then end up refusing to eat that food.Because of this unhappiness or anger, suddenly you are in hell.
When you go to heaven,it does not mean that your life has increased in any way.But when you fall in to hell,nor does it mean that your life has become any lesser.While we say that life is never different;it neither increases nor decreases;there's still a little difference between heaven and hell.
Once there was a Zen master.And he was practicing meditation.As he was so deep into the meditation,all of his body activities tend to become stopped,causing others from the temple to think that he was dead.Therefore they started getting ready to cremate his body.
And that's because the master was in deep Samadhi.But after he returned to the world from this deep samadhi,he couldn't find his body.
So he started wondering around asking,"Where is my house?Where is my house?"
So his consciousness continued to travel around the temple looking for his house.
This was a very serious problem.Even a law case cannot help solve it.
And then this problem went to the abbot of the temple.This master said to this consciousness,"Since you have already entered samadhi,you have transcended the differences between the rising and ceasing."
When a bunch of straws gather together,you can turn it into a shelter.But once they scatter,they return to their very nature.
You should understand.And you should already know about the impermanence of causes and conditions.Therefore why search for your house?
This helped the consciousness to realize that the essence of life itself never changes.It neither arises nor ceases.Therefore he stopped looking for his house.
When we try to describe things in this world,we would use the words or languages such as:What is pure or filthy?What is good and what is bad?
And what appears good and bad to us,causes us to discriminate between things.
Just like we have said before,when the feces of animals appear filthy to you,they appear very delicious and nice to the dogs.Or when certain people may enjoy eating fish and prawn, the others will find it disgusting.
While those who eat meat would enjoy the smell of fish and prawns,if it was for a vegetarian,then he will find the smell very unbearable.
As different of opinions and feelings exist and then everything is different to different people.
Once there was a female Zen practitioner.And just when she thought that she has been practicing quite well,a Chan master asked her"How well do you think you have practiced?"And she said"There's not a single of thread on me."And what she meant was that she's no longer carrying any kind of worries.And nothing would no longer bother her.
And she has let everything go and she's completely carefree.
After she turned away from the Zen master,the Zen master called out to her"Hey,your skirt is on the floor."
And this scared her and she turned around panicking.And she checked whether her skirt was really on the floor.
And then the Zen master started laughing and said,"Wow, I thought you said not even a single thread on you."
And what he meant was that while the female may think that she has done really well,she in fact still had a long way to go.
So when the phenomena or all dharmas do not arise or cease;when they are neither defiled or pure;or when they neither change,increase or decrease;we will see that this is in fact the very nature of all phenomena.
And today people talk about how the human population is continuing to grow and how science and technology is only making life better.
But in the eyes of someone who has understood the dharma, this number that represents the growth of the population is really nothing because in fact the eyes of the dharma would see many more lives.
Someone once said that look at all these people who had become monastics.And if everybody becomes monastics and don't get married,I think the human race will become extinct one day.
But my answer was:it's not going to be possible because you as the one who asked the question will still get married and bear children.
So there's a such question of what if everybody in the world becomes monastic.
And even if that happens,we will have Buddhas in the world and nothing else,and isn't that pretty good.
There's no such thing as what if.And there's no definite proportion of certain thing.
These are only different phenomena within a single entity.
There are all kinds of works shared by people in the world, They will take up different positions,So there's no such thing as what if everybody becomes teachers.Or what if everybody becomes teachers.Or what if there's only man in this world. There would not be such a thing.
In terms of the issue with the decrease or increase,there's a very interesting story from the Buddhist sutras.
Once there was a very beautiful lady.And one day she went to the river to wash her hair.And for some reason as she look into the water.She could not see her head in the reflection, causing her to go crazy.
She went around asking everyone she saw where her head was.
And everybody was probably thinking,"Your head is right there.What are you trying to look for?"
So they all treated her as a psycho.
And one day she came across a Buddhist monk.And therefore she asked him"Have you seen my head?Where's my head?"
And the Buddhist master took a step forward and slapped her in the face.
She was really angry.She said"What did you hit me for?"
I didn't hit you.
Well,you just slapped me on the head.
There you go,your head is right there.Stop asking for your head.
And then she realized her head was still there.
So whether she could or could not feel her head,her head was still there.Its quantity never decreased nor increased.
That is why we said that the Heart Sutra allows you to understand the empty character of everything.And while emptiness may not have a form,it in fact takes on all kinds of forms.
Therefore one means everything.
And everything means one.
Therefore if you understand what the Heart Sutra is trying to tell you,no matter where you are and no matter what the conditions you are under,you will always feel carefree.
While we are focusing on the topic of emptiness,we still have to be aware and be careful not to become attached to emptiness.
Because once you become attached to emptiness,there would no longer be emptiness.
And that's why in the sutra,it has told us that one would rather do with the thoughts of the existence.And these thoughts could be as much as a mountain rather than thoughts on emptiness as small as a seed.
Before gaining a proper and a very thorough understanding of emptiness,I would rather you still base your concepts on things being there.For example,it would still be ok when you think there are buddhas,and bodhisattvas.There are cause and effects and there are things around you.Because at least when you still have these thoughts,when you have the thoughts of cause and effect in your mind,we can still help you.And your thoughts can still be corrected.But if you have improper understanding on emptiness,then you would think that nothing is there.No rules are there;No cause and effects are there.And then you will get yourself in real trouble.
As people who study the Heart Sutra,our ultimate goal for studying the Heart Sutra is to find a balance between emptiness and existence.And it is also about trying to find a balance between others and the self.In other words,it's all about seeing the wonders and coexistence of everything in this universe.
That is why I keep stressing that only Prajna wisdom will be able to help us achieve world peace.