Monday, October 31, 2016

Emptiness and the Heart Sutra (2)

Please refer to my following blog on Oct. 9.
http://compassion5151.blogspot.jp/2016/10/emptiness-and-heart-sutra.html
I mentioned as follows:
Quote:
In the Heart Sutra, the following 4 lines are very famous.  

Form is no other than emptiness.
Emptiness is no other than form.
Form is namely emptiness.
Emptiness is namely form.

But I feel that the following 4 lines are missing before the above 4 lines. 

This is because that is.
Form is because space is.
Space is because form is.
Therefore,

So, it's better to replace emptiness with space as below to make it easier to understand.

Form is no other than space.
Space is no other than form.
Form is namely space.
Space is namely form.
:Unquote

The above is the ultimate truth in the phenomenal world, or the historical dimension. It has nothing to do with the noumenal world, or the ultimate dimension. Now I feel that the famous 4 lines in the Heart Sutra also explain the relation between the phenomenal world and the noumenal world as follows.


The phenomenal world is because the noumenal world is.
The noumenal world is because the phenomenal world is.
That's because the noumenal world unfolds into the phenomenal world (The phenomenal world is made of the noumenal world),
and the phenomenal world enfolds into the noumenal world (The noumenal world is made of the phenomenal world).

So, it's possible to replace form with the phenomenal world and to replace emptiness with the noumenal world in order to express the relation between the phenomenal world and the noumenal world as below.


The phenomenal world is no other than the noumenal world.
The noumenal world is no other than the phenomenal world.
The phenomenal world is namely the noumenal world.
The noumenal world is namely the phenomenal world.

The phenomenal world means this world, and the noumenal world means nirvana. So, finally the famous 4 lines in the Heart Sutra can be read as follows:


This world is no other than nirvana.
Nirvana is no other than this world.
This world is namely nirvana.
Nirvana is namely this world.

But there is "a big if" to be able to read the famous 4 lines in the Heart Sutra as above. Only if we revive awareness, or true self (non-separate self), we can really understand the true meaning of the famous 4 lines in the Heart Sutra. That's because only awareness can dwell in this world (the phenomenal world) and nirvana (the noumenal world) at the same time by transcending space and time. Those who are ego, or separate self can never understand the true meaning because they live only in the phenomenal world. Furthermore, the famous 4 lines in the Heart Sutra could be translated as follows:

Body is no other than alaya.
Alaya is no other than body.
Body is namely alaya.
Alaya is namely body.