Teaching on the Heart Sutra, Part 5
The Original Dhāraṇī and the Tibetan Ritual Practice Manual
The original text of the Heart Sutra is "The Original Dhāraṇī of the Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sutra Spoken by Buddha, the Holy Mother." The practice manual we're about to use for the Heart Sutra Obstacle-Clearing ritual follows the ancient original dhāraṇī, using the Tibetan mode of chanting and practice.Looking at its contents, it is the same as the original version.There are two versions: one is the revised, simplified Heart Sutra — the simplified version we normally chant.This Heart Sutra is the condensation of the Heart Sutra, the original condensed into this version — currently used for practice, memorization, placed in the heart for spiritual cultivation.
The difference between the simplified and the original: in the original narrative, discussion of people, events, matters, places, and things is all included.What's narrated in this current Heart Sutra manual is the original version, done in Tibetan chanting mode as a liturgy.It is the same as the original we'll hand out — the original of the Heart Sutra Obstacle-Clearing ritual.
The original begins: "Thus have I heard.Once the World-Honored One was in Rājagṛha at Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, with twelve hundred and fifty great monks, and all the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, surrounding him..."
The simplified version everyone should memorize — the condensed Heart Sutra: "Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, while coursing deep in Prajñāpāramitā, illuminated the five aggregates as all empty, and crossed over all suffering and calamity.Śāriputra, form is not other than emptiness, emptiness is not other than form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form; feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are also like this.Śāriputra, all dharmas have the characteristic of emptiness — not arising, not ceasing, not stained, not pure, not increasing, not decreasing.Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness; no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, dharma; no eye-element, up to no mind-consciousness element; no ignorance and no end of ignorance, up to no old age and death and no end of old age and death; no suffering, origin, cessation, path; no wisdom and no attainment.Because of nothing to attain, bodhisattvas, relying on Prajñāpāramitā, have minds without obstruction; because without obstruction, no fear.Far from inverted delusions, they reach ultimate nirvāṇa.All Buddhas of the three times, relying on Prajñāpāramitā, attain anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.Therefore know that Prajñāpāramitā is the great spiritual mantra, the great bright mantra, the unsurpassed mantra, the unequaled mantra, which can remove all suffering — true and not false.Therefore, I speak the Prajñāpāramitā mantra: gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā." Memorize this.
Later, when meditating and contemplating, use this as the blueprint.Then use Master's teaching as the guide to your soul, a deeper guide:
"Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva" — I am now entering deep meditation.I look at my inner self, and within I seek the meaning of my life and the wisdom of my life."Avalokita" — contemplating at ease — is reflecting on myself.This contemplation must turn around.When you practice the Heart Sutra, you don't look outward; you look inward.Inward, teaching yourself.Can you hear this?The Heart Sutra is a dharma of inner cultivation, of contemplative practice.Why can the Heart Sutra remove obstacles?The front of this ritual manual explains: when I chant the state of the Heart Sutra, on one hand I do internal education and potential development, and on the other hand I teach all surrounding sentient beings — two layers of meaning.Why can it remove obstacles?
Where do all obstacles come from?The heart-demon.So the Heart Sutra first releases the heart-demon's obstacle.Where does the heart-demon come from?From eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; form, sound, smell, taste, touch, dharma.And what's produced?The eight sufferings.Tracing to the root, all suffering, all obstacles are produced by the heart.All cognition, all wisdom is produced by the heart.As Master said before in the Purple Star course: all choices, right or wrong, are decided by the heart.When the heart is covered, your choice will choose wrong.When the heart is clear — "illuminating the heart, seeing the nature" — you see cause and effect, and your choice will be correct.So who is the ultimate culprit?The heart.The Heart Sutra is chanted for your heart to hear.
I no longer make wrong choices.I no longer have greed, anger, delusion, pride, doubt.When Heart Sutra practice reaches the end, it can awaken the Five Buddhas, because the Heart Sutra can dissolve greed, anger, delusion, pride, doubt — can transform the ordinary person's awareness of these into the wisdom of the Five Buddhas.Starting from eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind — the whole heart extends out as eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; all feelings are form, sound, smell, taste, touch, dharma.A chain reaction.So when my heart is correct, everything my six faculties see, hear, feel, contact, is correct and wise.No misjudgment, no "right becoming wrong" or "wrong becoming right," because only your heart is clearest.Asking others, asking others for the answer, isn't "correct." Only after your heart wakes up — through the heart's contemplation and insight — is everything you see real.What others say is good may not be good for you; only what your heart deems good is good in your world.Everything begins with inner awakening.
Inner awakening — every one of us has a heart.Why can't it awaken?Because we're confounded by too many external realms, our thinking and our unwise behavior cover it.The realms my heart sees are very shallow.The world my eyes see is very shallow.The world my ears hear is very shallow.The words my mouth speaks are very shallow.My thinking is very shallow.Why?We're only parrots.What are young people saying today?They mimic TV, idol dramas, commercials.Almost no language of their own — all imitation patched together.Since there's no real power in their expression, there's no real meaning of their own, no wisdom of their own.Our wisdom is molded.Young people today are often conceited, because TV plays it this way, so it should be done this way.They think themselves smart, know a lot — but actually that's the least smart.They think themselves smart, but they've been mold-cast.We often get mold-cast, shaped into one behavior, one thought, one view without noticing.
When your Heart Sutra practice reaches the deep layer, you find that what you've done, said, heard, and seen in the past isn't real.The Heart Sutra tells you: before you did inner practice, what you heard, saw, thought, did was unbearably vulgar — animal behavior.Not divine behavior, not bodhisattva behavior, not spiritual behavior, not buddha behavior.Only animal behavior.Then you'll gradually elevate, finding: oh, it's not like this.My thinking isn't only this.My thinking has 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 dimensions.And my insight?Surely bigger — not the tiny spot we used to see.When practicing the Heart Sutra, you can look at a thing all-dimensionally, in 3D or more.The broader your world, the more opportunities, the wider your insight — then your wisdom extends infinitely, right?If we look at the sky with the naked eye, you see stars — the fleshly eye's realm.With a telescope, you see even more stars — things you've never seen.Have the stars changed?No.Just the way you look at the stars has changed, so you see more.With a higher telescope, you even see the moon's surface.You never believed the moon's surface looked like that.Through higher thinking and higher tools, the world you see is different.
Life has lots of space to develop, lots of opportunities, lots of thinking to expand.It's just that first, we're closed off, and second, we haven't opened up this awareness.The Heart Sutra urges our inner self to produce potential, raise wisdom.When wisdom and potential arise, all obstacles turn out not to be obstacles.All problems aren't problems — because you've grown up.As a kid, you couldn't lift a 10-kilo stone — you thought it hard.Grown up, you lift it easily.Why?You've grown, you have strength.Insight raised, ability raised.
So when we face problems we can't solve and can't think through, it means we haven't grown.If those problems are simple for you, no problem, you've grown.Wisdom has grown, ability has grown.Countless growths, countless wisdom raisings — then all problems around you gradually dissolve, gradually vanish.When disturbing factors and problems vanish, you'll find a new self.This is the Heart Sutra's power — finding the real self from within.
When we chant or do Heart Sutra obstacle-clearing, chanting admonishes inner awareness, educates it, and also educates outer awareness.We chant for our own soul to hear, and for sentient beings outside to hear.Sentient beings hearing the realms of the Heart Sutra you've spoken — sentient beings are sometimes smarter than you — hearing it once, they enlighten: so clinging and entangling you is useless.That was only past greed, anger, delusion, pride, doubt and attachment.Let it go.With the Heart Sutra's meaning, one can reach the shore of happiness.
Master just spoke of Jumen and Tiantong (Purple Star stars).Jumen coming in affects Tiantong's happiness.If Jumen is external, it's karmic debtors affecting your happiness.If internal, it's internal factors self-created that make you unhappy.The Heart Sutra can raise wisdom, develop potential, remove obstacles — and relieve what?Depression.It can calm manic-depression.These are all pressure, created by equality-view, comparison, loss, gain.So all eight sufferings must use the Heart Sutra for relief.That's why Master takes the Heart Sutra as an important process in our meditative cultivation.One is hearing dharma, one is practicing dharma, concurrent.The third — entering deep Heart Sutra practice — opens potential abilities we never noticed.This is our way of practicing the Heart Sutra.
The Heart Sutra, because some words are deep and many codes are hidden within, requires deciphering.First, preconceived notions won't be accepted; second, you can't resonate with your body's inner layer; third, you yourself don't understand — how then to persuade sentient beings around you?You must digest and dissolve it into yourself.Meditate, realize, understand.Once understood, your soul awakens.Second, sentient beings around you also understand.Karmic debtors — you yourself don't understand first, that's why they stick, lock onto you.One day you understand.Because karmic debtors are tied to you all the time, if you understand, this message transmits to them, letting them understand too.Then the obstacle is cleared, gone.The problem no longer exists.
Master will explain the Heart Sutra's realm in this liturgy.The Heart Sutra is the essence of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra — condensed from it, convenient for memorization during practice.Second, once you understand the Heart Sutra's realm, go back and look at the Diamond Sutra — then you'll understand the Diamond Sutra.Chanting the Heart Sutra can repel demons and ward off evil.What's our greatest demon?The heart-demon.Sometimes suspicion of ghosts, sometimes too much pressure, confusing oneself and producing incorrect thought — that's the heart-demon.All demons are easy to handle; the heart-demon is hardest, because you create it yourself.So the Heart Sutra can clear obstacles — of course the greatest heart-demon vanishes, so of course it clears obstacles.
Originally the Heart Sutra wasn't used in Tibet for obstacle-clearing, but every school and sect in Tibet, every religion, uses the Heart Sutra for obstacle-clearing.In the Tang dynasty, the biography of Master Xuanzang records: Master Xuanzang left Tang central plains to go to Tianzhu — India — to fetch scriptures.This is told clearly in Journey to the West.Walking the desert, "fierce boars and starving ghosts," when many demons and spirits disturbed him, he began chanting the Heart Sutra.All evils fled; all demons scattered.This historical fact is recorded in the Cien Monastery Tripiṭaka Master's Biography, in the Great Treasury (vol.50, pp.222–224): "In the Mohe Yuan plain, 810 li, in the ancient sandy river — above no flying birds, below no running beasts, no water or grass." That desert.When Xuanzang went for scriptures, he passed a desert — the old sandy river with no water or grass, not even flying birds or running beasts, so he saw only his own shadow by the sun.But chanting Avalokiteśvara and the Heart Sutra, all dharmas were present.He saw a sick man with sores — stinking, clothes tattered, hobbling.He gave him clothing and food.The sick person, grateful, taught the master to chant the Heart Sutra.Because of the suicide at the river, red boars and evil ghosts, strange beings surrounded him.Though he chanted Avalokiteśvara, they wouldn't leave.He chanted this sutra aloud and clapped, and the disasters were dispelled.The Great Treasury describes it: at that time he met a stinking, sore-ridden man.Master Xuanzang's compassionate heart led him to take the man to a Buddhist temple, give him clothing, food, cure his illness.To thank him, the man said: "You're going west for scriptures — the road is very perilous, demons and spirits.I'll teach you to chant this Heart Sutra.Chanting it, when these evil demons appear, they'll leave as soon as you chant." In the desert — like Journey to the West — Xuanzang's 108 ordeals, many obstacles.He chanted Avalokiteśvara; Avalokiteśvara is compassionate, so those demons didn't disappear.He remembered the sick man told him to chant the Heart Sutra.Chanting the Heart Sutra once, many ghosts left.
The meaning tells us: as long as our heart, first, has no self-grasping — not clinging to "me" — then any problem isn't a problem for me.Remember this sentence.If there's no me, then no problem is a problem.Because I care too much about this matter, this problem arises.If not caring about this matter, this problem doesn't exist, no anguish.As the Chinese saying goes: "Without desire, one is firm." Our Chinese history often admonishes: without desire, firm.If you have no desires, you are strong.When you care about a problem, you consider many things, can't firmly execute.Because we care about pros and cons, gains and losses, our problems proliferate.So the Heart Sutra's realm tells you: you need a third person, viewing everything in the world as a third person — not me, not you, not him, but another above looking down.If you possess "me," "you," "him," that's discrimination, producing stakes and conflicts between interests — not good versus bad.If these are all gone, you appear as a referee, jumping out of yourself, jumping out of his history, looking down from the fourth person — called "the kibitzer" — looking at your own behavior and the problems you face.Then everything will resolve, will clearly emerge.When chanting the Heart Sutra, we educate your inner being in the third person, and educate the sentient beings around you.So as long as you chant the Heart Sutra and understand its realm, your own problems will become fewer and fewer.
Tibetan Buddhism uses this for exorcism and obstacle-clearing.The difference is: in the Tibetan texts, refuge and bodhichitta are added at the front, and after the text more visualization and prayer.When chanting the Heart Sutra, during obstacle-clearing there's a visualization section.Now I'll teach you visualization.In the future, with time, after finishing Heart Sutra obstacle-clearing we start meditation.Doing what?Purifying each chakra, using the Heart Sutra's conception and mantra to purify five chakras:
1.I use the Heart Sutra to admonish the karmic debtors hiding in my "mystic gate" (upper head): don't let my head hurt, don't let there be pressure, don't obstruct my thinking, don't let me choose wrong.
2.In the Heart Sutra, purify my throat chakra — Amitābha Buddha's position.May all that comes from my mouth be dharma words, lotus flowers.Once I enter the voice-production here at the throat, I can clearly hear all animal sounds, all human sounds.Second, I won't create karmic hindrances through speech karma.To purify my throat chakra.
3.Purify my heart chakra at the chest.May everything my heart thinks be good deeds, good knowledge.Because my heart leads only good things, because my heart thinks only Buddha, Bodhisattva, bodhi, sentient beings, great love with no selfishness — then my heart chakra awakens.
4.The Heart Sutra purifies my navel chakra — Ratnasambhava Buddha.In the realm of Ratnasambhava I purify my navel chakra.Once purified, I have Ratnasambhava's ability.This connects with greed, anger, delusion, pride, doubt.
5.Purify my root chakra.The root chakra arises from jealousy.Once purified, I won't envy others and others won't envy me.My Amoghasiddhi Buddha will awaken, and I'll have his ability — the Business Department, execution.Everything I do will be very successful.
Once the five chakras are purified, you obtain the potential, superpowers, and five wisdoms of the five chakras.Using the Heart Sutra to purify them is the standard, the best, step by step.
Later, after Heart Sutra obstacle-clearing ends, we use half an hour to meditate.Prepare — be familiar with the Heart Sutra.First recite to purify chakras one, two, and three.Then add the mantra.Today we purify the head.Next time we purify heart, throat, then navel, then root.After five chakras are purified, the path of changing fortune begins.Obstacles gradually vanish.Wisdom gradually arises.This is a great dharma.Everyone, study it earnestly.
So the preface of this whole liturgy tells you: the Heart Sutra, from Master Xuanzang's translation, and how much merit this scripture has for us.One by one, explain slowly, practice slowly.Later we'll explain and practice together, then meditate too, then purify the five chakras — gradually obtaining the blessings and wisdom of the Five Buddhas.Understand?
Speaking of Śāriputra — when we contemplate, in the future, with time, next week we first teach the Heart Sutra, then chant it, then practice its liturgy, then do obstacle-clearing, then contemplate, purify the five chakras.Then moving toward raising wisdom development, changing fortune — everyone will become smarter and smarter, wiser and wiser, with more and more superpowers, souls more and more awakened.Later, cultivating other dharmas will be more effective.Why does dharma practice often fail to be effective?Because greed, anger, delusion, pride, doubt lock the five chakras.When bodhisattvas want to bless you, the blessing power can't go in.Because your anger is too heavy, not clean.Your delusion is too heavy, too foolish — blessing has no response.Jealousy too heavy — blessing can't enter.Once our five chakras are purified, the things bodhisattvas give you can enter.People can't be smug.When smug, you don't listen.Same principle.You don't know how serious greed, anger, delusion, pride, doubt are.Everyone doesn't admit theirs, so blessing can't enter.This is the root-defect of self-grasping being too heavy; bodhisattvas can't bless you.So those with no special response in dharma blessings should examine themselves: am I too greedy, angry, deluded, proud, doubtful?Is self-grasping too heavy?Not humble to accept?
Empty your bottle, empty your plate, and only then can you put in the best food, the best nectar.Hear me?Purification is a very important subject.Master chooses the Heart Sutra to clear the heart-demon, remove obstacles, and purify the five chakras — purify heart, throat, head, subconscious, everything.Then buddhas and bodhisattvas bless, and dharma practice quickly becomes pure, quickly feels the blessing from the bodhisattvas or from Master.
If self-grasping is too heavy, too stuck on the five poisons, nobody's giving can work.Master said before: for medicine to work, detox first.For medicine to work, metabolism must complete.You can't just keep taking medicine.Metabolism is the meaning of purification.We use the Heart Sutra as the precondition.
As for the Chinese version — below the Chinese is the translation.The translation is this piece I handed you — the piece I'm teaching from is the original.The Chinese below the liturgy is the original from Master.We chant one round in Tibetan, then one round in Chinese — this way it fits, and it's clear.
Master will finish teaching the entire Heart Sutra one by one.This relates to meditation; we'll use Master's meditation method to enter the subconscious.
Excerpted from a teaching by the Venerable Master Urgyen Topden Rinpoche, 2020.10.17.