Epilogue | There Is No Suffering

There are certain questions we ask, for which most of us have no answers: “Who are we really? Where did we come from? Where will we go when we die? Why is there suffering? What is the meaning of life?” The Heart Sutra speaks to these questions, and in so dings, presents the Mahayana understanding of Buddhadharma. It offers us a clear and concise framework for understanding reality and ourselves. It also provides contemplations that can help us on the path, and in our daily life. With the Heart Sutra as our guide, we can make more meaningful lives for ourselves, as well as for others.

Consciously or otherwise, there are many ways people cope with the harsh realities of life. Some acquire wealth, fame or power, or dive headlong into sensuality; others choose more spiritual paths, such as believing in an ultimate, omniscient rescuer who protects and watches over them. The Heart Sutra encourages us to use our own inherent prajna to see into the illusory nature of our afflictions, and to become our own deliverers. But we are complex beings whose attachments and fundamental ignorance run deep. With our every intention, thought, word, and action, we reinforce our delusory beliefs, creating new karma and perpetuating our existence in samsara.

For Buddhists life is karma. We constantly receive and respond to the karma of our previous actions. In so doing, we create new karma, ensuring that the process, ultimately, the cycle of birth and death, continues. In our present condition, not creating karma is impossible. Though it may seem to be all out of our hands, it isn’t. After all, we create the karma in the first place—by making choices, and responding to life. Freedom to choose is a great gift that comes with great responsibilities. It means we are responsible for our own actions and life situations. We are the designers of our lives. So, it is up to us whether we create good, bad, or neutral karma. One way to create good karma is to follow and cultivate the principles of Buddhadharma, and constantly ask, “What kind of karma am I creating?”

The best that we can do in this world of karma is to live each moment mindfully and clearly: mindful of the Dharma and the welfare of others, and clear in thought, word, and action. To live fully in the present is to know how precious every moment is, and how useful and powerful our lives can be—if only we make the Dharma our living experience. Thus, the Buddhist sutras speak of the preciousness of human life.

All of the teachings in the Heart Sutra address human concerns. They are forever timely and relevant, for they describe our condition. In following its principles, we learn what it is to be human, and as we do so, we also gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the Dharma; this helps us to further refine and cultivate ourselves. We learn to become more human by generating the bodhi-mind, and by studying and practicing the contemplations presented in the Heart Sutra: the five skandhas, the twelve links of conditioned arising, the eighteen realms, and the four noble truths. We thus cultivate wisdom. In generating the bodhi-mind, we keep compassion and loving-kindness in the forefront of our minds, living in accordance with the four noble truths and the eight-fold path.

The Heart Sutra teaches that suffering comes from ignorance, attachment to self, and confusion caused by afflictions; it also teaches us how to live with purpose, to ultimately fulfill the four great vows and to cultivate a non-abiding mind. But we are stubborn and refuse to give up our afflictions easily, for ignorance and self-attachment are at the roots our perceived existence. Nevertheless, it is through our will and our vows, the wellsprings of action, that we arouse the bodhi-mind , and begin the process of enlightenment. This willingness is crucial, because it is not easy to change our old ways, however destructive or comforting they may be. But the choice, as always, is ours. By following the bodhisattva path to its end, we will ultimately exhaust all ignorance, cross the ocean of suffering, and reach anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. This is the far-reaching and profound message of the Heart Sutra.

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