The heart sutra, a Buddhist text full of wisdom

The heart sutra is a text that is very popular and was born from a Buddhist school. It is considered the most studied and researched of all Buddhist texts.. It attracts many followers of this philosophy because of its brevity and because it is seen as a compendium of wisdom.

It is very interesting that such a short text has been so researched by Buddhists and that it is identified as one of the teachings that requires a lifetime to understand. The heart sutra has only 14 verses, originally written in Sanskrit. Likewise, it ends with a mantra which is classified as very powerful.

The Heart Sutra is believed to date back to the 1st century, although some think it could be older.. He talks about several of the central concepts of Buddhism, such as emptiness, detachment, compassion, form, will, and consciousness.

The Void and the Heart Sutra

Almost the entire heart sutra It focuses on the concept of emptiness, but this has a different meaning than “nothing” as we Westerners understand it..

Emptiness is not absence, or lack, because The emptiness of what is not there or who is not there is filled with that absence. The same thing happens with lack: it is not empty, but full of that imaginary presence of what is missing.

When Buddhists talk about emptiness, they mean that nothing that exists has an intrinsic reality. It means that everything is changing and is always mutating, that is, being and ceasing to be.. What we perceive with our senses is only the appearance of things; That is why it seems to us that all reality is “full”, but it is not like that.

The void has to do with the constant mutability of everything that exists. Nothing ceases or is completely differentiated from the rest, nor is it pure, nor is it impure, nor is it complete or deficient.

What there are are mental formations that lead us to see reality as we perceive it.. However, these mental formations are not reality, since the latter is independent and is changing at all times, without us realizing it.

The enigmatic mantra

Unlike what some think, the mantras They are not magic words to attract good luck or achieve certain goals.. In Buddhism, these are a path to achieving certain levels of meditation. Its function is to contribute to awakening consciousness.

The mantra with which the heart sutra ends is the following: Gate gate Pāragate Pārasaṃgate’ Bodhi svāhā.

It is in Sanskrit and its translation would be the following: “Depart depart Depart to the highest Depart to the highest Awaken . So be it”. There are also those who have translated it as follows: “He has gone, he has gone, he has gone beyond. Completely exposed, stripped. Awake. Salvation!”.

Experts on the subject point out that the sanskrit word Gate It refers precisely to emptiness, but on a personal level. Equivalent to the concept of “no-self”. What leaves or leaves is the self.

The mantra is then a call to let go of the self, which is considered a source of misunderstandings and suffering. The self, in this case, would be a synonym for “ego”. What is sought is for the ego to dissipate so that emptiness emerges.

The Teaching of the Heart Sutra

Although the Heart Sutra is a highly complex text, deep down What it shows is the path to achieve “awakening” or “salvation” and this consists of abandoning the ego. to remain empty and thus access the deep perception and understanding of reality.

In other words, He who is guided by his eyes, his ears, his hands, etc., as well as his mind, is destined not to know or understand reality.. Likewise, whoever manages to free themselves from the senses and the dynamics of their mind, manages to merge with reality and understand it, not as an intellectual act, but in terms of a transcendental experience.

Awakening is precisely that state in which we stop perceiving the world through limited means such as the senses and our own mind. Enlightenment equals full understandingwhich, in turn, brings with it two great virtues for Buddhists: detachment and compassion.

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