“The Heart Sutra”: This Essential Power Tool!

The Heart Sutra and Me

By the time I reached my late twenties and had finally begun to taste the bitterness of the world—whether I wanted to or not—I found myself thinking how much easier life would be if I had something I could truly believe in.

It’s not about believing that my assets will double in five years, or that I’ll have passed the bar exam and be working full steam ahead in three years, or simply believing in a bright future (though having hope is very important). The issue is this: if there were something—in every single moment of the continuous “now”—that could always reassure me that “this is okay,” and if I could believe in that, internalize it, and live my life guided by it, I thought how much easier life would be.

Something worthy of belief. That must be the truth. And the truth is like a flawless, polished crystal ball; just as there cannot be two moons in the night sky, there cannot be two truths—and that is precisely why it is worthy of belief.

When it comes to truth, the topic inevitably leads into the realm of religion. However, I came to believe that since all religions that have existed throughout history must be teaching the same single truth, they must all be trustworthy.





So, while it could have been Christianity or Islam, since my family has held Buddhist funerals for generations and we are technically considered a Buddhist, I was personally familiar with Buddhism and wanted to learn about the teachings of the Buddha.

An excellent book explaining the Heart Sutra

Generally speaking, the teachings of the Buddhas, including Shakyamuni, are referred to as “sutras.” Among the countless sutras, I understand that the Heart Sutra is one of the earliest in Buddhism, so I decided to start by reading it.





That said, since it’s impossible to understand the original text without commentary, I tried reading several commentaries, and the one I found most accessible was a book titled “The Second Meaning Commentary on the Heart Sutra”(般若心経第二義注) by Koda Rohan(幸田露伴).

The famous saying, “Form is emptiness; emptiness is form.”





To put it somewhat dramatically, I thought that perhaps everything the Buddha wanted to convey could be summed up in this single phrase.





“Form is emptiness”.





I can sort of grasp the meaning of this. In other words, it means that there is absolutely nothing in this world worth clinging to. My own life is certainly included in this, but even though I understand this intellectually, I have not yet attained true enlightenment. Every day, as I reflect on myself, I feel a sense of shame and wonder how much easier life would be if I could actually live by this principle.

And, “Emptiness is form.”





This phrase really resonated with me.





In the “The Second Meaning Commentary on the Heart Sutra”(般若心経第二義注) mentioned above, Koda Rohan explains this using examples.





First, let’s consider the rainbow. From the perspective of “form is emptiness,” the rainbow does not exist. In other words, it is “emptiness.” However, viewing it as “existing” is the perspective of “emptiness is form.” While a cynical, jaded person might stubbornly insist that “the rainbow does not exist,” from the perspective of “emptiness is form,” one sees it as “existing.”





Koda Rohan also cites the act of bathing—washing away grime, stepping out of the bath, and returning to daily life—as an example of “emptiness is form.” He argues that while washing away grime is a good thing, a person who remains immersed in the bath (merely knowing that “form is emptiness”) and becomes giddy-headed is even worse than someone who is unwashed and covered in grime.





In other words, it is only by realizing that “emptiness is form” that a truly fulfilled person is formed, and it is precisely such people who are of service to society.

For this reason, while I was deeply moved by the phrase “Emptiness is form” from the saying “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form,” I believe that the Heart Sutra serves as a guide for navigating the harsh realities of this world—a “sharp sword” or “precious sword” that cuts through and casts aside evil, enabling us to live our lives with a positive, energetic, and vibrant spirit.

I would like to become a strong person who is not afraid of death someday.

Lab Deep in Kamakura　Juei Masuda