ATOP VULTURE PEAK MOUNTAIN in Northern India, we find the Buddha assembled with countless earthly and celestial followers. The purpose of this gathering?
The Heart Sutra!
An essential distillation of the profound Prajnaparamita teachings, the opening of the sutra draws us into this ancient scenario. The Buddha exudes the energy of wakefulness and compassion, described in the sutra as profound illumination. Although he sits in silence throughout most of the teaching, there is not a single atom of his body or moment of his awareness that is not imbued with living, breathing wisdom. His silence signifies that wakefulness cannot be captured in words, that the true nature of all things bursts from the seams of our ideas. The Heart Sutra enables us to contemplate and ultimately understand the vastness of the Buddha’s mind.
From within the embrace of the Buddha’s profound silence, the venerable monk Shariputra boldly asks a question:
How should a son or daughter of noble family train, who wishes to practice the profound Prajnaparamita?
Shariputra’s question ignites a compassionate response from the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, also present at this sacred gathering. Avalokitesvara’s reply illuminates the power of words, by conveying vital information beings require to awaken.
Language is an apparition. By stringing together arbitrary sounds we have created words. The words become names to designate objects or feelings or experiences. It may surprise us that this apparition serves a function, but things don’t have to be real to function.
WHAT WORDS CAN DO
When we use words with thoughtful precision, they express so