The Sutra of My Heart：Sending You a Song for Crossing the River

The Heart Sutra, in just 260 words, it is full of the ultimate wisdom of life. People of different eras, facing different changes, chaos, and sufferings, can find relief and peace from the Heart Sutra. This is the reason why the Heart Sutra transcends religions and regions and is widely recited by people from all walks of life. "The Sutra of My Heart-Sending you a Song for Crossing the River" is Master Hung Chi-Sung's interpretation from a never-seen-before perspective, and gives a fresh presentation of the Heart Sutra in the form of prose. Furthermore, he also provides a beautiful English translation of the classic Heart Sutra. This book combines text and painting. The paintings painted by the author in meditation are like the scenery along the river of life. All phenomena are constantly changing. They can be aggregated or decomposed. There is no "beginning" and no "ending". If we awaken to the emptiness of all existences, and are not controlled by the inertia of life, it is like waking up from a dream, filled with the joy of freedom. Let life reach the true, free, other shore! The shore of enlightenment is in this life, and is not the ending; it is the beginning.
《心經》，短短二百六十個字，飽含著究竟的生命智慧。 不同時代的人，面對不同的變化、混亂、苦難，都能從《心經》裡找到解脫與平靜。這正是《心經》超越宗教與地域，廣為各方人所誦讀的原因。 《The Sutra of My Heart-Sending you a Song for Crossing the River》，是洪啟嵩禪師以前所未見的角度來詮釋、解讀，並且以散文的形式重新呈現《心經》，同時作者也為經典《心經》作出精彩的英文翻譯。 本書結合文字與繪畫，一幅幅作者於禪定中所繪的畫作，宛如生命之河沿途的風景，所有現象不斷地在變化，可以聚合亦可以分解，沒有「生起」，也沒有「消滅」。當我們體會宇宙萬象的空性，不被生命慣性所制約，就如同從夢中醒來，充滿自在的喜悅。 讓生命抵達最真實、最自在、最圓滿的「彼岸」吧！「彼岸」就在今生，不是終點，而是起點。
"The Wisdom-seeking process is like trying to cap a bottle in the dark. We try to fin

Ven. Master Hung Chi-Sung

 

International Zen Master

Committee Director of General of Academic of Chinese Buddhist Association

Distinguished Professor of Chung Hua University.

Artist of "Great Buddha", Guinness World Record's

World's Largest Painting.

Ven. Master Hung Chi Sung is an internationally acclaimed Zen Master, Zen artist, and bestselling author renowned for his profound impact on Zen practice, art, and literature. With a prolific literary output of more than 300 books, he is frequently hailed as the "Michelangelo of the 21st century" and esteemed as the "contemporary Kukai". He currently holds key positions, including Director-General of the Academic Committee of the Chinese Buddhist Association, Distinguished Professor at Chung Hua University, and Chief Advisor of the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute.

Master Hung was invited to Taiwan, America, China, and Europe to lead retreats and give lectures in both Chinese and English, including Harvard University, MIT, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing University, and Fudan University in China, and Taiwan University, and so on.

In 2018, Master Hung finished the largest painting of Buddha in the world (168mX72.5m). The painting is twice the height of the Grand Hotel in Taipei. This painting received the Guinness World Record for the largest painting in the world on June 21, 2019.

Notable Honors:

2009: Certificate of Honor by City of San Francisco for contribution to Zen meditation

2010: Certificate of Honor by the Kingdom of Bhutan for Bodhisattva economics

2019: World’s largest painting certified by The Guinness World Records

Foreword

—LyonpoDr.KinzangDorji（FormerPrimeMinisterofBhutan）

 

IrememberfrommychildhooddayswhenlaymonkswouldbeinvitedtoourhousetoreciteSherabNyingpoortheHeartSutrawheneveradvisedbyLamsorastrologerstoovercomedifficulttimessuchassicknessinthefamily.ThispracticecontinuestothisdaynotonlyinmyhouseholdbutinalmosteveryBhutanesehousehold.ButIwastounderstandtheoriginandrealmeaningoftheSutraonlymuchlaterinmylife.Itwasin2010onapilgrimagewithmyfamilytoBuddhistholysitesinIndiawhenIwasabletovisittheVulture’sPeakorVultureFlockMountaininRajagriha,nowknownasRajgir,wherethisSutraofSutrasortheessenceofallofBuddha’steachingswasfirstdelivered.RajgirisalsoconsideredasoneoftheeightholiestBuddhistsitessinceitwashereBuddhadeliveredhissecondsermonorthesecondturningofthewheelofDharmatookplace.ItwasanexperienceofextraordinaryfeelingbeingabletosharethisexclusivespacewithpilgrimsfrommanycountriessuchasKorea,Thailand,JapanandIndiaandrecitetheHeartSutrawhichwasbornonthisveryholysite.

 

MasterHungChi-Sungenjoystremendousrespectasawriter,painter,andinternationallyrenownedscholarofBuddhismandmeditation.Amongsthisfollower-studentsinTaiwanareseasonedpoliticiansfromacrosspartylines,topbusinesstycoons,academicsandbureaucrats.So,IwholeheartedlywelcomeMasterHung’sinitiativetogethisbook,“TheSutraofMyHeart”publishedinBhutan,thelastMahayanaBuddhistKingdom,whereHisMajestyJigmeSingyeWangchuck,theextraordinary4thKingofBhutan,gavebirthtothewiseandprofoundphilosophyofGrossNationalHappinesswhichisnowtheguidingprincipleandobjectiveforBhutan’sdevelopmentpathtoitsfuture.MasterHung’sbookcannotonlyhelpustounderstandthetrueessenceofourstatereligion,Buddhism,betterbutitcanalsohelpustoattainouroverarchingnationalgoalofGrossNationalHappiness.IrecommendthisbooktoeveryBhutaneseandwisheveryoneahappyreading.

 

Author’sPreface

Wehumanscarryallkindsofphysicalandpsychologicalpressure,fromoutsideandinside.Inourmodernage,especiallyinthetwenty-firstcentury,however,ourburdensandmiseryhaveintensified.Alltoomanyfactors,alltoomanyconcernslikeair,water,sunshine,food,education,theeconomy,andsoon—alltheseworriesmakeitdifficulttobreathe.

Themorewetrythroughvariouswaystothrowofftheseburdensandcastawaythismisery,themoretangledupwefeel.Wepossessmoreandmoreinformation,butthisjustleadsustoconfusethetruewiththefalse.Wegetallmuddledup,unabletojudgeorchoose,and,inturn,weneedevenmoreinformation;aviciouscycle.

Simplyput,information,knowledgeandwisdomarenotthesame.Iftheminddoesnothaveinnerpeace,whateverinformationwereceivewillnotbecomeusefulknowledgeorgrowintowisdom.Worseyet,itwillleadtoinformationanxiety.Thesourceofthisdilemmaliesintheturmoilofourminds:thespaceinourheartsandmindshasbecometoosmall,evennon-existent.

TheHeartSutra,themostpopularandwell-knownsutrainChina,enteredcommonlorelongagoandbecamefamiliartoall.Withonly260charactersintheChinesetext,thesutraisextremelycondensedandeasytorecitebyheart.Thoughshort,theHeartSutraistheessenceofthevast,systematicwisdomofthePrajñaSutras.

TheHeartSutra’sfulltitleisthePrajñāPāramitā-HrdayaSūtra,whichmeans“thesutrawithintheheartoftheperfectwisdom”.Inotherwords,thesutraservestohelpusgraspthespiritoftheimmensePrajña.WeusethewisdomintheHeartSutratoovercomeallsufferingandtoarrivesuccessfullyattheothershore.SotheHeartSutracanbecalledtheEssentialCorewithintheWayoftheMind.Easytorememberandeasytorecite,thesutraisasuperbguideforpractice,whetherforordinarypeopleorpractitionersofBuddhism.

TheHeartSutrahelpsusbecomea“Freeness-of-VisionBodhisattva”.ThesutraisakeythathelpsusbecomecompletelyenlightenedlikeBuddha.

OrdinaryfolksoftenseeBuddhaasasuperiorbeing,beyondtheirreach,orelseasanobjectofworship.WorshipingBuddhatakestheplaceoflearningfromBuddha.LearningfromBuddhameansfollowingthecorrectpathtobecomeenlightened,tobecomeBuddha.WorshipingBuddhacanstartthislearningprocess,butwemustafterwardsstrivetounderstandBuddhaandBuddha'sheart,toexperiencethemandtoputtheminpractice,justlikeBuddha.IfweonlybelieveinBuddhablindly,assomeonetorelyon,thenBuddhismisnodifferentfromanyotherreligion.

Letusstepbackandthink:WhydidSakyamunisaythathismethodofintuitionandpracticecanbelearnedbyanyone,anytime,anywhere?BecausetheessenceofBuddhism,theinnertruthofBuddhism,doesnotchange,becauseitliesbeyondlanguage,beyondconsciousstructuresofthought;neithertime,space,nationality,norevenintelligence,limitsitsreach.

WhatmattersmostinBuddhismisnothowmuchBuddhistjargonyouhavelearnedorhowmanysutrasyouhaveread,buthowwellyouhaveputwhatyouhaveunderstoodandexperiencedintopracticeandintoactionineverydaylife.ThenwemergenaturallyintolivingthewayofBuddha.WeshouldnottreatBuddhismasmerelysomesortofintellectualpursuitorasrulesofbehavior.Tostudyandlearnbroadlyiscertainlyusefuland,withthehelpofsutras,wewillfurtherourpracticeofBuddhism.ThefingerpointsattheMoon,butthefingerisnottheMoon.

Toclearawayourworries,wemustlettheheartandmindtakecharge.Wemustbeguidedbyouroriginalheart;notbyourworriesortroubles.Oncetheheartandmindholdsway,oursixsenseorgans—theeye,theear,thenose,thetongue,thebody,andawareness—willhaveproperguidance.Allsensationsandinformationcanthenenterfromtheoutside,andoursixsenseorganswilltaketheirrightfulplaceandfulfilltheirproperroles,naturallyandeffortlessly.Buddhismallowsustoexpandthespaceoftheheart;asthespaceoftheheartexpands,webecomeevermorefree.Problemswefacewillbeovercomewitheaseinsteadofgettingstuckinarut.

Whatismore,theheartrelaxes,breathingrelaxes,andthenthebodyrelaxes.Ourbodyandmind’swell-beingmustsurelyimprove;webecomegentleandinharmonywitheverythingoutsideofus.Fromthenon,livingbecomesavirtuouscycleandtransformsthesurroundingenvironment.

ThepaintingsinthisbookweredonewhenIwascarefreeandrelaxed,whichismynaturalcondition.Thisismyfirstworkwithpaintingasthemaintheme.Ihaveoccasionally,inthepast,pickedupabrushandwrittensomecalligraphynaturally,butIhaveneverstudiedcalligraphynorhaveIundergoneformaltraining.Ionlywroteafewcharacters,followingmyheart.

Becausemybodyandmindhavelongbeenrelaxed,Isensedthegrowingsupplenessofthebrushinmyhand.Itfeltasthoughthebrushmergedwithmyhand,mergedwithmyheart:everythingwasunitedandone.Eventheinkandthepaperfeltatonewithmybody.Myhand,myheart,mycalligraphy,mypaintings—everythingbecameone.Ihadgreatjoywhenpaintinganddoingcalligraphy.

Atthebeginning,paintingsimplyfeltcomfortable;itmademehappy,carefree,atease.WhenIsawsomething,Iwouldpaintit.

FirstIpaintedimagesofBuddhasandBodhisattvas.IdonotrememberclearlywhenIbeganpaintingotherthings,soitmusthavebeenanaturalprogression.WhenIpaintedinmyleisurelyway,Ionlywantedtoportraythemanifestationofutmosttruthandbeautyinthisworld:IpaintedBuddhasandBodhisattvasthiswayandIpaintedeverythingelsethisway.

WheneverIsawachild,IwouldpaintthechildasalittleBuddha.Evenflowersandanimals,IwantedtoportrayasBuddhas,asexpressionsofthecompleteperfectlife.Paintinglikethisalwaysgavemeaprofoundsenseofjoy.

ImadepostersofmybabyBuddhas.Luckilytheywerelaminatedbecause,asIlaterdiscovered,alotofchildrenwouldtouchthemandkissthem,andtheybecamewetfromtheirkisses.Iwasastonished.Ithought,“Wow,thechildrenactuallylikemypaintingsthismuch!”Knowingthatthechildrenlovedthepicturesandthatthepicturescouldspeaktothepureinnocenceoftheirheartsmademeveryhappy:IfeltIhadaccomplishedagreatthing.

Somyheartandmyhandbecamefreer;evenmorecarefree.SinceIcouldspeaktothechildren,Icouldspeaktothemountains,rivers,theground,flowers,grass,dogsandcats.Icouldconversewiththem.Icouldseetheiroriginalhearts,theirpureinnocence.Theyshowthesenaturally.

Moreandmorerelaxed,Isaweverythingasachild.Itislikewaterbubblingupoutoftheground.Thismademejoyful.AndsoIalwayscarriedapen,abrush,orapencil.Ievendrewwithaneyebrowpencil.Iwouldtakeholdofanythingatallanddrawonitwhatevercamenaturally.MybookLoveCatch22waspaintedlikethis.

Wordscanexplainmoreclearlythedeepermeaningbeneaththesurfaceofatextandlayouttheideasinanorderlymanner;wordsallowustounderstandthesystemofthought.Modernpeoplehavehadtraininginlogic.Sometimesthistrainingisabarriertounderstanding.Notsowithapainting.

Letmegiveyouanexample.In2004,IlecturedonRelaxationZenatHarvardUniversityforthefirsttime.AtthattimeIspokeinChinesewhichwassimultaneouslytranslatedintoEnglishforthebenefitoftheaudience.TheinterpreterdidnotreallyunderstandwhatIsaid.Afterwardssomeofmystudentshadtoexplainthecontentsofmytalk.AmongthosepresentwasanelderlyHarvardprofessorwhoseremarksmadeadeepimpressiononme.Hesaidthathehadunderstood.Hehadnotneededwords;hesawmybody,mymovements,howIcarriedmyself,andunderstoodtheessence.

Sometimestherearethingsthatcannotbefullyexplained,howevermanycomplicatedwordsareused.Butwithabrush-stroke,withapainting,everythingbecomesclear.

Once,anAmericanentrepreneurfromSiliconValleyhappenedtoseemy15-foot-highcalligraphyconsistingoftheChinesecharacterwhichmeansBuddha.Hewasdeeplytouched.HetoldmehedidnotonlyseethecharacterforBuddha,buthealsosawhisownbodyrelaxed.Atthatmoment,hisbodywaswarmandhisbodyandmindwererefreshed.

Itdoesnotmatterhowmuchweexplainrelease,relaxation,emptiness;thepeoplelisteningmightnotalwaysunderstand.Butwhenwelookatapainting,whenweseethelinesandcolors,wefeellife'srelaxationandharmony.Wemightgetsomethingoutofthat.

Apaintingcanhelpyourbreathingrelaxandadjust.Andwhenyourhearthasrelaxed,youseethingsmoreclearlyandspiritually.Actuallyallofmypaintingsareconnecteddirectlywithmyheart.Paintingsmightnotseemtosayanythinginparticularwhencomparedtowords,andyettheyarefeltmoredirectlyandthusexpressmore;theytouchtheinnerheartallthemoredeeply.

SowhatistherelationshipbetweentheHeartSutraandthisstateofbodyandheartrelaxation?

TheHeartSutrastartswith:

TheFreeness-of-VisionBodhisattvaenlightensallandsawthroughthefiveskandhas,whichwereempty,whilelivingincompletetranscendentalwisdom,and,so,isbeyondallsuffering.

Whenwe“enlightenallandseethroughthefiveskandhas”,ourbodiesandmindswillnaturallyreleaseandrelaxwithoutattachingtoanything,andwewillbeabletobe“beyondallsuffering”andfreefromallourworries.“Seethroughthefiveskandhas,whichwereempty”istoseethatthefiveskandhas(ourbodies,feelings,thoughts,desires,andawarenesses)arethingsthatcannotbeattachedto.Theyareempty.Doingthatwillcreateanunobstructedwisdomthathelpsusbebeyondallsufferingandhardship.

ThebasictheoryofRelaxationZen,whichIcreated,isthewisdomofemptinessintheHeartSutra.

Wheneverwepractice,weletthesixsenseorgans—theeyes,theears,thenose,thetongue,thebody,andawareness—releaseandrelax.Wealwayskeepourbodyandmindaware.Wemustnotattachtotheenvironment.Ourheartswillnotchaseaftersomethingthatlooksgood,tastesgoodorsoundsgood.Ifoursixsenseorgans,andheartsdonotfollowtheenvironment,ifwealwaysseeitwithourawareness,thenwewillbecomeaFreeness-of-VisionBodhisattva.

TheSutraofMyHeartgreetstheworldwithanewfacefortheHeartSutra.IhopeallofusinthemodernagewillfreelytakeandabsorbfromthewonderfulsourceofwisespringwateroftheHeartSutra.

Whetherinthepast,inthepresent,orinthefuture,thewisdomoftheHeartSutrawillhelpourlivesmovetowardsabrighthappiness.

InNovember2008,IwasinvitedtoteachRelaxationZenattheMassachusettsGeneralHospital.TheMassachusettsGeneralHospitalisoneofthemostfamoushospitalsintheUnitedStates.

Manyofthescientiststhere,afterhearingaboutRelaxationZen,believeditmayverywellbeagoodwaytomaintainthephysicalandmentalhealthofpeople.

Eversince2009,IhavebeencollaboratingwithresearchersattheMassachusettsGeneralHospital/HarvardMedicalSchoolonthestudyofmeditationusingfunctionalneuroimaging.TheMassachusettsGeneralHospitalisoneofthebesthospitalsintheworld,manyofthescientiststherebelievethatmeditationisagoodwaytomaintainthephysicalandmentalhealthofpeople.

Humanityisfastdivingintothespaceage.LifeonplanetEarthwillonedayreachlifeonotherplanetsintheuniverse.Willthefuturebeaneraof“StarWars”oranageofuniversalwell-being?Wemustmaketherightchoicesnow.

Mygreatestwishinlifeistohelpeverybeingopenupthelightofawareness.This,Ibelieve,isalsothegreatestmeaningoflife.Ipraythateveryonebecomesan“EarthZenPerson”and,usingtheEarthasthecenter,letsthebrightlightofwisdomgotothefurthestreachesoftheuniverse,inamessageofpeace.MaytheEarth'swellnessspiritbeofferedtotheuniverse.MaythisSutraofMyHeartbecomethemostbeautifulsongintheuniverseandbesungforever!