Heart Sutra, Part Five

With palms together,
Good Morning All,

Heart Sutra, Part Five.



Indeed, there is nothing to be attained; the Bodhisattvas live this deepest wisdom with no hindrance in the mind. No hindrance, therefore no fear. Far beyond delusive thinking, they finally awaken to complete nirvana. All Buddhas, Bodhisattvas of past, present, and future, live this deepest wisdom and therefore reach the most supreme enlightenment.


Once we “arrive” at a place where we realize ourselves fully and see deeply our true nature, we recognize immediately there is, indeed, nothing to be attained. When we live our lives in this way, with this understanding, there are no hindrances. A stone is in our path; we simply step around it. A problem at work; we engage in the process of solving it. Our children are injured, we take the time and offer the love to nurture and heal them. When we are in the present moment, fully, with nothing added, then what could possibly be a hindrance?

It is when we want to be somewhere else, someone else, that we are dissatisfied with our present moment. This “want” is something we add to the moment taking us away from what is there right in front of us. Our lives are more projections than reality and as a result, dispair, and suffering.

When we live in the present moment, fully there, there can be no fear. Moment to moment we live. We breathe, laugh, feel, enjoy. We know from our practice that these moments are not permanent. Each will come and go. We accept this as the way things are, yet continue to live as fully as possible. Fear arises from grasping, a desire not to lose what we think we should have or what we think we cannot live without. In truth, we can live without most things really. We can live, that is what we do. As we appreciate the present moment as the entire universe, it is quite enough.

Living in this way is living nirvana. Living this way is to be a living buddha, the same as all buddhas of all time because all time and all places are here right now in this wonderful moment before us. Experiencing this is experiencing complete, unexcelled awakening.