Version 1
: Received: 18 September 2024 / Approved: 18 September 2024 / Online: 19 September 2024 (07:38:08 CEST)
How to cite:
Sinha, S. Prajna-Paramita-Hridaya/the Heart Sutra: Bhagavati, the Heart of Transcendental Knowledge. Preprints2024, 2024091410. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1410.v1
Sinha, S. Prajna-Paramita-Hridaya/the Heart Sutra: Bhagavati, the Heart of Transcendental Knowledge. Preprints 2024, 2024091410. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1410.v1
Sinha, S. Prajna-Paramita-Hridaya/the Heart Sutra: Bhagavati, the Heart of Transcendental Knowledge. Preprints2024, 2024091410. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1410.v1
APA Style
Sinha, S. (2024). Prajna-Paramita-Hridaya/the Heart Sutra: Bhagavati, the Heart of Transcendental Knowledge. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1410.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Sinha, S. 2024 "Prajna-Paramita-Hridaya/the Heart Sutra: Bhagavati, the Heart of Transcendental Knowledge" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1410.v1
Abstract
The essence of the sutta that is often stated as the heart sutta or the prajna-paramita, is the wisdom related to the absolute truth or the paramartha, that is experienced in the heart. It is referred to as the foundation stone of the Mahayana Buddhist teachings but in a grander aspect of the nature, truth can neither be labeled as buddhist or hindu or islamic or christian or sikh or tao or zen or parsi or quantum or social etc. When one meditates the identifications dissolve. It would be wrong for anyone to say that she/he would be a buddhist when her/his individuality is lost in emptiness during meditation. What remains is awareness and in awareness, all grasping and feverishness is lost. This knowledge which makes one transcend into the realms of Buddhahood or completely liberated state is revered as goddess also and given a name Bhagavati. So the mother of all Buddhas or the completely liberated ones is nothing but the absolute truth that is encased in the prajna-paramita-sutta. One is raising the female aspect of nature on a higher citadel and terming it as the mother of all Buddhas. Experiencing the absolute truth in heart takes time but it is packed into a verbalized contorted form of a few words. The sutta tries to capture the un-captured absolute and gives a way to explore the deeper realms of the truth at an experiential level. Note that both the former Buddha and the bodhisattva-mahasattva enter into emptiness, experience the knowledge in their entire mind-body complex and after the experience Siddhartha raises Avalokiteshvara to a higher platform and asks him to impart the experienced knowledge in a few words. After the teaching finishes, the Buddha puts a seal on what the bodhisattva has taught by saying "Well done! This is how it should be taught." One has experienced knowledge but one needs a seal of confirmation. The relevance of this knowledge is inexplicable given the magnanimity of conflicts and clashes that happen in the mind body complex pertaining to the spiritual journey one takes. The knowledge is of immense value to those who have experienced deep conflicting issues in their hearts, that have perturbed them regarding the subtle aspects of a spiritual journey. Prajna-paramita-sutta aims to assuage the deeper issues that troubles the heart of a spiritual seeker and makes the path easy enough to reach the goal. The Heart sutra contains the Mahasattipatthan sutra.
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