The Heart Sutra

Essay by crzzychic29University, Bachelor'sA+, March 2004

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The Heart Sutra is the most familiar of all the originall teachings of the Buddha. Buddhists recite it daily all over the world. The Heart Sutra contains Buddhism's most direct, most concise teaching about the true nature of our own being and of all reality. The Heart Sutra reveals the entire secret of truth of the universe and life.

The teachings in the sutra are based on the perfection of ultimate wisdom. Knowledge and wisdom can block our understanding of Buddhism. Meaning, if you cannot clear your mind, and your concepts of belief, then you can never understand the essence of Buddhism. Humans rationalize everything, and the sutra teaches that we should be open-minded to everyone's opinions.

The Heart Sutra is also based on emptiness. "Form is emptiness; emptiness also is form. Emptiness is no other than form; form is no other than emptiness." The five elements that comprise a human being are: form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness.

Of all the five elements not one can be by itself. Each of the five has to be made by another.

To the Buddhists, wisdom is not something we learn. They believe it is something that comes naturally, and out of our own mindfulness. We should be ready to observe things, and be ready to think, and we should accept things or people for what they are, and not impose our own thoughts and opinions. All people, no matter who they are, can attain the perfection of wisdom.

The Heart Sutra teaches to reduce attachment, and to be independent. Once we have realized the emptiness of things, we can have no attachment. To realize the truth is how to overcome suffering. If we did not follow what we always believed to be the truth, we would not have to experience...