Ekayana Zen

Homage to the Omniscient Perfectly-Awakened One

In the past, I have personally given a teaching on the  Prajñāpāramitā-Hṛdayam, widely known as the Heart Sūtra or the Prajñā-Heart Sūtra (Viet. Tâm Kinh or Bát Nhã Tâm Kinh). The version that I previously used to teach was translated from Sanskrit into Chinese and then from Chinese into Vietnamese; however, it contained various segments that did not genuinely bring to light the aspect of the “Perfect All-Transcendent Wisdom in the vivid presence.” After I finished giving a series of discourses on the Prajñā-Heart Sūtra, a book of this teaching was assembled, and I have requested an aspired disciple and translator, Milam Sudhana, to render it into English. 

Nevertheless, and quite unexpectedly, our translator discovered that there were a number of places in the earlier Chinese-Vietnamese  versions that were not in congruent with the Sanskrit root text and the different English translation counterparts. Thus, she spent some time doing research, collecting variegated versions in Sanskrit and English, and, finally, decided to work with the oldest available Sanskrit version in the world, the Hōryū-ji version, that was written on two palm leaves which we Vietnamese usually call lá bối. It arrived in Japan, supposedly in the 7thor 8th century, which means that it has been there for over one thousand and five hundred years. It is currently being housed and revered at the National Museum of Japan in Tokyo. 

Before we begin to study the content of the Prajñā literature based on this new translation, I would like to make a few suggestions though. That is, if we want to comprehend this Prajñā scripture in a most felicitous way, we should temporarily set aside any knowledge that we have previously acquired on this Sūtra. We should try our best to let the classic literary language of the older version of the Prajñā-Heart Sūtra quietly settle in our mind, and only then would we be able to fully embrace the quintessence of the new rendition of this scripture. If we are still being mentally bounded, then we know that we are still trapped. If we are still being caught up in the old, then we cannot possibly see with clarity that which is ever fresh.

Prajñāpāramitā, the Perfect All-Transcendent Wisdom, is the liberating wisdom that does not belong to, or is attached to, any specific culture or religious tradition per se. When we ourselves find our way back to its root, this root is something that is fully emancipating, beyond all bondage, free and unhindered, utterly transcendental! Therefore, before we  begin to study this new rendition, we should try to set aside the older version of the Prajñā-Heart Sūtra altogether. Please leave it completely aside for the time being! 

This specific Vietnamese translation version of Prajñāpāramitā has been enhanced based on simple linguistic expressions. It is well articulated, even though, unlike the classic work, it uses simple, originative and non-sophisticated word usage. Since it follows the “translation beyond translation” or “transcendental translation” approach,”  it can luminously reveal the very core “nature” of Prajñā using specific word choices and expressions. When we proceed more deeply into the content of the scripture, I will further explain about them, so that you can see the deep-seated meaning of those words and expressions as adopted in this translation. 

During the editing process, I recommended various word choices to our translator, Milam Sudhana, although in the beginning she herself suspected that some of them would not be compatible. Yet later on, we both realized that, from the insightful, transcendental translation approach, they ended up concurring with the profound, quintessential meaning of the original. It is indeed quite a good fortune. Finally, we were able to conceive a distinctive Vietnamese rendition of the Essence of Prajñāpāramitā which we now aspire to share widely with the world. 

From an age-old traditional perspective of Sūtra interpretation, some may see this new rendition as controversial and diverted, but rather, we can conclude with confidence that it is capable of pointing out the momentness of direct, unmeditated metaphysical realization of emptiness, or the direct experience of being one with Voidness, that an accomplished practitioner has gone through, as depicted in the Sūtra. 

There are many researchers, scholars, and practitioners of Mahāyāna Buddhism in India, Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet and Mongolia who have long had possession of the Prajñā scripture. Those from Japan, Korean and Vietnam have subsequently rendered their own translations, but they could not possibly escape the influence of the Chinese Buddhist forelearners, especially that of the highly revered, illustrious Great Tripakaya Buddhist Master, Xuan Zang. 

Historically, Vietnam, more than any other Mahāyāna Buddhist country, had spent close to a thousand years under the imperialist domination of the Chinese politics, religion, language and culture, and thus, generation after generation, the Vietnamese Buddhists continued to rely on the classic Chinese version of the Prajñā-Heart Sūtra. Nevertheless, given our recent and surprising discovery, the older rendition does not seem to bring to light the complete teaching and profundity of Prajñāpāramitāto the fullest. 

In the past, what was usually taught about the Heart Sūtra was often more philosophical, hypothetical than experiential. We do not know whether we are setting a well-marked milestone in the history of the Prajñā literature or not; however, we can seriously say that the language used in this new rendition seems to be much more liberating if compared to the older translations based on the Chinese version in Mahāyāna Buddhism. It is because the new rendition can bring out the “fundamental nature” of Prajñā, as it is something that is existing right in the very momentness of pristine presence that which is beyond time, space or physicality. 

But we also cannot label this vivid pristine momentness of presence as “here and now.” Even “in the now” or “nowness” will not be able to convey this perfect reality!  It is because this presence is ever-fluid. It is too swift, too fresh, too dynamic for it to be labeled as such, because such pristine presentness is not even slightly before or after, let alone being now, in the now or nowness! There is no past, no present, no future in the very vivid mental presence, because the practitioner already penetrates the inseparability of the three times! When one merges non-dually with the present freshness of reality, one cuts through the illusion of time, space and materialism, and that is what we call the True Existence. Nevertheless, one cannot possibly reach this “fundamental nature” through conventional understanding, practice exertion, experience or conceptual knowledge about emptiness per se. Thus, a transcendental translationis needed to bring out the unique and quintessential attribute of the original text itself. 

Simply put, we want to show to the world that there is another plausible approach to the entire content of Essence of Prajñāpāramitā to view it as a concise description of the precise momentness when the realized practitioner fully penetrates the wisdom beyond wisdom, reaching the enlightened and true state of being Void and existing as the realm of phenomenal truth.  It faithfully describes a practitioner's experiential moment when he is single-pointedly absorbed and is completely immersed in the awakening state, being in the momentness of reality, of true existence, the momentness of vivid, lucid presence. At that precise moment, the practitioner dissolves completely into the Prajñā Wisdom Mind, and his five aggregates – form, feeling, perception, karmic formation and consciousness – all become Void. At that moment, the practitioner manifests all the enlightened attributes of a Tathāgata, neither coming nor going yet perfectly whole and complete. 

I believe that there is none among Mahāyāna and Vajrayana Buddhist learners, including those who have some depths of insight, those who have practiced meditation, or those who have at all engaged in any kind of practice and training, who does not adore or highly revere the Prajñā scripture. We even feel that Prajñā is, indeed, our own genuine spiritual life force.  

However, if we have not yet thoroughly and directly fathom this Prajñā, then it seems that we have not come into terms with the truth! This lack of thoroughness makes us incapable of living in harmony with the sacred words and transcending the bondage of suffering. Thus, if we want to transcend suffering, then we must be the ones who can deeply “immerse in” and “dissolve as” Prajñā. 

 
The Prajñā scripture is crucial, concisely clear and illuminating. If we can study it in a serious and mature way, then I believe that we could possibly “immerse as” Prajñā  the same moment we are learning it! It is because Prajñā is being revealed at all times and in plain sight, but we are too encumbered by our confusion-delusion to even notice it. Yet, there is no need for us to concentrate or to focalize. There is no need to add or to deduct anything. We can let everything occur in a way that is simple, spontaneous, natural, bare, empty, immaculate and ever existing, and then we can actually be Prajñā! It is not to realize it, to mergeinto it, to understand it, or to cognize it, but we will simply be Prajñā! 

Thus, the essential language in the Prajñā scripture needs to actually shake up all of our roots of clinging attachment and all of our karmic tendencies which we have built-up for infinite lives. They need to dissipate and disappear in the lucid presence of Prajñā. 

In 2019, after we finished editing the Vietnamese translation of the Essence of Prajñāpāramitā scripture, I told everyone that I felt truly content, because I was able to complete this sacred Buddhist work in this lifetime. My aspiration was for the Essence of Prajñāpāramitā to have a translation beyond translation in the Vietnamese language that does not rely on the Chinese classic work, and something that is spiritually genuine based on the scripture’s quintessence. This aspiration has been fulfilled and we are now ready to share our work with the world. 

In the history of Buddhism, and for more than one thousand five hundred years, as far as the rhetoric of the Essence of Prajñāpāramitā is concerned, the Essence of Prajñāpāramitā  has remained dependent on the mental reasoning of the conscious mind, and lost its true essence. However, it now metamorphoses! All of that has now been transformed. For example, instead of saying, "to pratice deeply the profound Prajñāpāramitā, and to illumine and see all five aggregates as Emptiness, one transcends all sufferings,” we would say, "in this very vivid presence, the moment the Noble Awakened Being deeply immersed in Prajñāpāramitā, he thoroughly penetrated all five aggregates, and had a lucid, direct knowing of their essence as being Void." With the new transformative translation approach, it is no longer our consciousness mind’s projection or contemplation, because projecting, contemplating, examining, illumining and seeing are simply the kind of language and understanding that only operate at the discriminative consciousness’ level!

On the contrary, translating the above words as “in this very vivid presence, the moment the Noble Awakened Being deeply immersed in Prajñāpāramitā, he thoroughly penetrated all five aggregates, and had a lucid, direct knowing of their essence as being Void" means that we have been emancipated from the very first sentence! As such, the content of the Prajñāpāramitā text is now describing something very transcendental at the wisdom level of an expert, realized practitioner. The contextual meaning has been brought to a highly special-ized level in Buddhism, and is no longer simply a theory of the mind as it has always been depicted in the past.

Therefore, after we finished editing this rendition in 2019 according to our aspiration, I said that since I was very content with this Buddhist work, and had I passed away right then, I would still feel perfectly complete, because in this lifetime, I was able to contribute such a rendition of this marvelous scripture to the world of Buddhism. 

How I pray that we can vividly manifest as the expanse of Prajñā  so that we can absorb each word and each line of the teaching, and so that we can assimilate the way the Buddha spoke about this realm of perfect liberation. How I aspire that all of us will have enough competence to inherit this great calling.

How I aspire that all those who have the karmic connection to learn from this text will have the capability to fully dissolve their body and mind as Prajñā. The all-pervasive dharmadhāatu in the very vivid presence is Prajñā! All of the true reality is Prajñā, and all that ever exists is also Prajñā! Each passing miniscule mental interval in this vast dharmadhātu is Prajñā, transcending aggregates, time and space. That is actually the quintessence that the Perfect All-Transcendent Wisdom scripturewants to tell us!   

O! How overjoyed for those who have come upon this truth, because Prajñā is, indeed, being vividly present in the instantaneous momentness – the pristine presence. Prajñā is all there is; it is the superlative, the highest veneration, the unexcelled, the perfectly pure, the absolute and ultimate liberation. In essence, all Buddhas and all of us have come from the same origin and have been born from the same Mother, this Perfect All-Transcendent Wisdom, who has nurtured, protected, instructed and loved us all ever since multitudes of hundreds of thousands of lives ago. All of us here have been merrily roaming in the matrix of pristine wisdom, yet we have never recognized it! Only today have we finally come upon this truth! Actually, it is not that we “exist in” this Prajñā wisdom, but we are, indeed, this primordial transcendental wisdom itself! 

Homage to the Sublime Prajñā Assembly of Peerless Buddhas and Great Bodhisattvas!

THÍCH TUỆ HẢI (VÔ TRỤ THIỀN SƯ)
In the Tranquil Dwelling Season of 2019
Long Hương Temple, Vietnam

Excerpted from the commentary book by Zen Master Thích Tuệ Hải " ESSENCE OF PRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀ: IHA ŚĀRIPUTRA!" (A Transcendental Translation of the Core Essence of the Perfect All-Transcendent Wisdom). English translation: Milam Sudhana. Edited by Oliver K. Luu

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