The Buddha Dharma

"The Buddha Dharma" number 48 of 200 from Robert Aitken's book Miniatures of a Zen Master.

I find today's miniature by Robert Aitken to be a simple and descriptive. A simple event is described. Two monks meet and recite the Heart Sutra. At first it seemed obvious and I had a sense of so simple why even write about it. Yet as I look closer, slowly the flavor of the this miniature becomes intimate.

Two monks, Roshi's really, meet. Although they are both Asian, they can't speak a common language. Eventually they find the Heart Sutra and both begin reciting it together. Even now I can reach out into the moment and recite it with them. Paraphrasing, word by word 'we' chant, ending triumphantly together. This is the Dharma of the Buddha's.

MAKA HANNYA HARAMITA SHIN GYO

KAN JI ZAI BO SA GYO- JIN HAN-NYA HA RA MI TA JI
SHO- KEN GO ON KAI KU- DO IS-SAI KU YAKU.
SHA RI SHI SHIKI FU I KU- KU- FU I SHIKI
SHIKI SOKU ZE KU- KU- SOKU ZE SHIKI
JU SO- GYO- SHIKI YAKU BU NYO ZE
SHA RI SHI ZE SHO HO- KU- SO- FU SHO- FU METSU
FU KU FU JO- FU ZO- FU GEN
ZE KO KU- CHU- MU SHIKI MU JU SO- GYO- SHIKI
MU GEN-NI BI ZES-SHIN I
MU SHIKI SHO- KO- MI SOKU HO-
MU GEN KAI NAI SHI MU I SHIKI KAI
MU MU MYO- YAKU MU MU MYO- JIN
NAI SHI MU RO- SHI YAKU MU RO- SHI JIN
MU KU SHU METSU DO-Y
MU CHI YAKU MU TOKU I MU SHO TOK'KO
BO DAI SAT-TA E HAN-NYA HA RA MI TA KO
SHIM-MU KEI GE MU KEI GE KO MU U KU FU
ON RI IS-SAI TEN DO- MU SO- KU GYO- NE HAN
SAN ZE SHO BUTSU E HAN-NYA HA RA MI TA KO
TOKU A NOKU TA RA SAM-MYAKU SAM-BO DAI
KO CHI HAN-NYA HA RA MI TA
ZE DAI JIN SHU ZE DAI MYO- SHU
ZE MU JO- SHU ZE MU TO- TO- SHU
NO- JO IS-SAI KU SHIN JITSU FU KO
KO SETSU HAN-MYA HA RA MI TA SHU
SOKU SETSU SHU WATSU
GYA TEI GYA TEI HA RA GYA TEI HARA SO- GYA TEI
BO JI SOWA KA HAN-NYA SHIN GYO

The Great Prajna-Paramita Heart Sutra

Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, practicing deep Prajna Paramita,
clearly saw that all five skandhas are empty,
transforming anguish and distress.
Shariputra, form is no other than emptiness,
emptiness no other than form;
form is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly form;
sensation, perception, mental reaction,
consciousness are also like this.
Sha-riputra, all things are essentially empty--
not born, not destroyed;
not stained, not pure; without loss, without gain.
Therefore in emptiness there is no form, no sensation,
perception, mental reaction, consciousness;
no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind,
no color, sound, smell, taste, touch, object of thought;
no seeing and so on to no thinking;
no ignorance and also no ending of ignorance,
and so on to no old age and death,
and also no ending of old age and death;
no anguish, cause of anguish, cessation, path;
no wisdom and no attainment. Since there is nothing to attain,
the Bodhisattva lives by Prajna Paramita,
with no hindrance in the mind; no hindrance and therefore no fear;
far beyond delusive thinking, right here is Nirvana.
All Buddhas of past, present, and future live by Prajna Paramita
attaining Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Therefore know that Prajna Paramita
is the great sacred mantra, the great vivid mantra,
the unsurpassed mantra, the supreme mantra,
which completely removes all anguish.
This is truth not mere formality.
Therefore set forth the Prajna Paramita mantra,
set forth this mantra and proclaim:
Gate gate paragate parasamgate Bodhi sva-ha-!