Heart Sutra The shortest of 40 texts comprising the Prajnaparamitra-sutra, important to Mahayana and Zen Buddhism and recited by monks and nuns throughout China, Japan and beyond. The Heart Sutra contains the famous assertion, often cited in New Age circles and taught in most every undergraduate Oriental philosophy course: “emptiness is form, form is emptiness.” This is relevant to recent discoveries in sub-atomic physics where matter and energy appear as two different forms of one mysterious underlying reality. But this idea cannot account for spiritual experiences and possible realms that extend beyond and above that somewhat basic level of cosmic - not heavenly – mystery. In contrast to Jewish, Islamic and Christian heavens, Buddhist heavens are not regarded as everlasting abodes. Buddhist heavens are just so many stops on a road towards the ‘nothingness/fullness’ of Nirvana. And the oft-overlooked question remains: Are all heavens alluded to in different world traditions of the same character and quality? Some find this simple question troubling, preferring to focus on commonalities among world religions. While this is an admirable approach one arguably shouldn’t turn a blind eye to religious differences. Meanwhile others tend to parrot politically correct beliefs about religious homogeneity rather than think analytically about religion. Additionally, we have those who conflate national pride with absolute truth. The semiologist Roland Barthes asked several decades ago, for instance, whether the ‘Holy Spirit’ and the ‘American Spirit’ connote the same thing. Along these lines history reveals that personal imaginings, political correctness and zeal for one’s nation rarely make good bedfellows with the sincere pursuit of truth, not only in religion but in just about any discipline.
Add to this, report errors, suggest edits or voice your opinion by posting a comment
