Year: 2010
Mineral on Canvas
25 x 25 cm
The Prajñāpāramitā Sutras were composed over a long period. The initial material on the sutras appeared from 100 B.C.E. to 100 C.E. The Buddha in his second Dharma Cakra Pravartana gave the sermon on Prajñāpāramitā on Griddakuta Parbata and from then over various time periods there was the formation of short sutras. The oldest text is considered Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā. The literature that consists of the condensed essence of voluminous “perfection of wisdom” literature is the Prajñāpāramitā Hṛidaya Sutra or the Heart Sutra. Avalokiteśvara, the compassionate Bodhisattva, and Śariputra, one of the Buddha’s most prominent students, have a conversation in the Heart Sutra. Avalokiteśvara states in the text that the five aggregates, which comprise our sense of self and the world, are ultimately empty of inherent existence. He continues by saying that all phenomena are marked by interdependent origination or the fact that they arise and exist dependent on other causes and conditions.
The Heart Sutra concludes with a powerful mantra or chant: “Gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā,” This can be translated as “Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond. O what an awakening, all hail!” This brief but potent instruction on emptiness is contained in the Heart Sutra, and it is meant to aid Buddhists in developing a more nuanced knowledge of the nature of reality and in overcoming the difficulties that stand in the way of their obtaining freedom from suffering. It is one of the most revered books in the Prajñāpāramitā canon, and its recitation and study are commonplace in Mahāyana Buddhist communities.
The Heart Sutra is often chanted or recited in Buddhist practice and is considered a powerful means of cultivating wisdom and insight. The sutra’s concise and poetic language, along with its profound teachings on emptiness, have made it a beloved and influential text in Buddhist philosophy and meditation.
