A num ber of the comm entators provide outlines of the sutra. Jftenamitra and Prasastrasena divide the sutra according to subject matter, providing sevenfold and tenfold divisions, respectively. Kamalasila, AtiSa, and Srimahajana undertake the more difficult task of aligning the structure of the sutra with the structure of the five paths.
JftSnamitra’s Structure
The Introduction
This did I hear at one time. The T ranscendent Victor was sitting on Vulture M o u ntain in Rajagrha together with a great assembly of m o n k s an d a great assembly o f Bodhisattvas.
7he Entry into Wisdom
At that time the Transcendent Victor was absorbed in a samSdhi on the enum erations o f p h en o m e n a called "perception o f the p ro fo u n d .” Also at that time, the Bodhisattva, the M a hasa ttv a, the Superior Avalokitesvara was contem plating the meaning of the profound perfection o f wisdom and he saw that those five aggregates also are em pty of inherent existence. Then, by the power of the Buddha, the venerable Sariputra said this to the Bodhisattva, the Mahasattva, the Superior Avalokitesvara, " H o w should a son of good lineage train who wishes to practice the profound perfection of w isdom ?”
said this to the venerable Sariputra: "Sarip utra, a son o f good lineage or a d au g h ter o f good lineage who wishes lo practice the profound perfection of wisdom should view [things] in this way: They should correctly view those five aggregates also as em pty o f inherent existence.
The Definition o f Emptiness
F o rm is emptiness: emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form; form is not other than emptiness. In the same way, feeling, discrimination, compositional factors, an d consciousnesses are empty. Sariputra, in that way, all p h en o m en a are empty, that is. without characteristic, u np ro du ced , unceased, stainless, not stainless, undim in ished, unfilled. Therefore, Sariputra, in emptiness, there is no form, no feeling, no discrimination, no compositional factors, no conscious ness, no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no form, no sound, no odor, no tas>te, no object o f touch, no phenomenon. There is no eye constituent, no mental constituent, up to and including no mental consciousness constituent. There is no ignorance, no extinction o f ignorance, up to an d including no aging and death and no extinction of aging and death. Similarly, there are no sufferings, no origins, no cessations, no paths, no exalted wisdom, no attainm ent, and also no non-attainment.
The Sphere o f Wisdom
Therefore, Sariputra, because Bodhisattvas have no attainment, they depend on an d abide in the perfection of wisdom and their minds arc without obstructions and without fear.
The Qualities o f Wisdom
Having completely passed beyond all e rror they go to the completion o f nirv£t?a.
The Fruition o f Wisdom
into unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenm ent thro u gh relying on the perfection o f wisdom.
The Dharini o f Wisdom
Therefore, the m an tra o f the perfection of wisdom is the m an tra of great knowledge, the unsurpassed m a n tra , the m a n tra equal to the unequalled, the m antra that thoroughly pacifies all suffering. Bccause it is not false, it should be kno w n to be true. The m an tra o f the perfection o f wisdom is stated:
tadyatha orp gate gate paragate pSrasarpgate bodhi svaha
Sariputra, Bodhisattva MahSsattvas should train in the profound perfection o f wisdom in that way.
Prasastrasena’s Structure
7he Name o f Wisdom
The Heart of the Transcendent and Victorious Perfection of Wisdom SQtra
The Prologue
This did I hear at one time. The Transcendent Victor was sitting on Vulture M o u ntain in Rajagrha together with a great assembly o f monks and a great assembly o f Bodhisattvas.
The Absorption
At that time the Transcendent Victor was absorbed in a sam adhi on the en um eratio ns of p h en o m en a called “ perception o f the p ro fo u n d .”
The Transition1
Also at that time, the Bodhisattva, the M ahasattva. the Superior Avalokitesvara was contemplating the meaning of the profound perfection o f wisdom an d he saw th at those five aggregates also are em p ty of inherent existence.
The Entry into Wisdom
Then by the power o f the Buddha, the venerable Sariputra said this to the Bodhisattva. the M ahasattva, the Superior Avalokitesvara, “ How should a son of good lineage train who wishes to practice the profo u nd perfection of wisdom?”
The Definition o f Wisdom
The Bodhisattva. the M ahasattva, the Sup erio r Avalokitesvara said this to the venerable Sariputra: “Sariputra, a son o f good lineage or a d aug h ter o f good lineage who wishes to practice the profound perfection of wisdom should view [things] in this way: They should correctly view those five aggregates also as em pty o f inherent existence. F o rm is emptiness; emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form; form is not other than emptiness. In the same way, feeling, discrimination, compositional factors, and consciousnesses are empty.
The Sphere o f Wisdom
Sariputra. in that way. all p h en o m en a arc empty, that is, without characteristic, unproduced, unceased, stainless, not stainless, u nd im in ished, unfilled. Therefore, Sariputra, in emptiness, there is no form, no feeling, no discrimination, no compositional factors, no conscious ness, no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no form, no sound, no odor, no taste, no object o f touch, no phenomenon. There is no eye constituent, no mental constituent, up to and including no mental consciousness constituent. There is no ignorance, no extinction o f ignorance, up to an d including no aging an d death and no extinction o f aging and death. Similarly, there are no sufferings, no origins, no cessations, no paths, no exalted wisdom, no attainment, and also no non-attainment.
V ie Qualities o f Wisdom
Therefore, Sariputra, because Bodhisattvas have no attain m en t, they depend on and abide in the perfection of wisdom an d their minds are w ithout obstructions and without fear. Having completely passed beyond all erro r they go to the completion of nirvana.
The Fruition o f Wisdom
All the B uddhas w ho abide in the three times have been fully awakened into unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment thro u gh relying on the perfection of wisdom.
The Dhdrani o f Wisdom
Therefore, the m a n tra o f the perfection of wisdom is the m an tra of great k n o w ledge, the unsurpassed m an tra, the m a n tra equal to the unequalled, the m an tra that thoroughly pacifies all suffering. Because it is not false, it should be known to be true. The m an tra o f the perfection o f wisdom is stated:
tadyatha om gate gate paragate parasaipgatc bodhi svaha
Sariputra. Bodhisattva MahSsattvas should train in the profound perfection of wisdom in that way.
Beginning in the G upta period, the Perfection of Wisdom sutras were mined for a delineation of the Bodhisattva path as well as for their proclamation of the doctrine of emptiness. The structure of the path, which was said to be the implicit or hidden teaching of the Perfection of W isdom sQtras was made explicit in M aitreya’s AbhisamayQlatpk&ra,
which schematized the path to Buddhahood in terms of eight categories and seventy topics. Attempts to expand upon M aitreya’s often cryptic work and to identify its topics with actual statements in the longer Perfection of Wisdom sutras resulted in scores of commentaries to the Abhisam ayalawkara, twenty-one of which remain ex tan t. 2
AtiSa notes in his com m entary to the Heart Sutra that all the topics
of the Perfection of Wisdom sQtras can be condensed into two: topics of realization (abhtsamaya) and topics of the essence, by which he
presumably means emptiness. The realizations that occur on the path are set forth primarily in the Perfection of Wisdom sutras in 100,000,
25,000, and 8000 stanzas, which teach the topic of the essence only implicitly. The shorter Perfection of Wisdom sutras, such as that in 700 stanzas, primarily teach the essence, although implying the realiza tions that occur on the p a th. 3
Kamalasila, AtiSa, and Srimahajana attempt to delineate the structure of the path that is implicit in the Heart Sutra, with Kamalasila
providing the briefest exposition and Srimahajana the most extensive. They all describe the process of enlightenment in terms of the five paths: those of accumulation, preparation, seeing, meditation, and no more learning. The path of accumulation begins with the creation of the aspiration to become enlightened (bodhkittotpada) for the sake of all
sentient beings. A person becomes a Bodhisattva with the commencement of the path of accumulation. Over the course of this path, the Bodhisattva gains a conceptual understanding of emptiness and cultivates a level of concentration called calm abiding (samatha), whereby the mind can
be placed one-pointedly on its object effortlessly for long periods of time. The Bodhisattva also accumulates merit over this period through the practice of the perfections.
The path of preparation commences with the acquisition of special insight (vipaiyana), a conceptual understanding of emptiness with
the strength of calm abiding. The path of preparation is divided into four parts: heat, peak, forbearance, and supreme mundane quality. The path of preparation is the time of refining the understanding of emptiness until it finally becomes non-conceptual. The initial direct, non-conceptual vision of emptiness, marks the beginning of the path of seeing. This state of equipoise (sam ahita) has two parts: an uninter
rupted path, the period when afflictions are actually abandoned, and a path of release, the subsequent state of having abandoned the afflictions on that particular level of the path. From this point on the path, all subsequent progress will occur in states of meditative equipoise, each of which will have an uninterrupted path and a path o f release. The attainment of the path of seeing marks achievement of the first of the ten Bodhisattva stages (bhumi).
The path of meditation comprises the second through tenth Bodhisattva stages and marks a long period of repeated entry into direct realization of emptiness alternating with the practice of the perfections in states subsequent to meditative equipoise (pr$fa/abdha).
The final uninterrupted path of the path of meditation, called the diamond-like samadhi (vajropamasamddhi), destroys the last of the
obstructions to the achievement of Buddhahood, and with the attain ment of the path of release in the next moment, the Bodhisattva is a Buddha. The state of Buddhahood is the fifth path, the path of no more
learning, sometimes called the eleventh stage. A Buddha is endowed with a Truth Body (dharm akaya) and a Form Body (rupakaya), with
the Form Body being of two types: the Complete Enjoyment Body
(satphhogakaya), which appears only to advanced Bodhisattvas, and
the Emanation Body {nirmanakaya), which is the Buddha that appears
in the world. 4
With this background, the divisions of the sutra by Kamalasila, Ati$a, and Srimahajana can be considered. Kamalasila simply states the correspondence and provides no explanation for dividing the sutra as he does.
Kamalasila's Structure
The Paths o f Accum ulation and Preparation
The Bodhisattva, the M a hasattv a, the Su p erio r Avalokitesvara said this to the venerable Sariputra: “ Sariputra, a son of good lineage or a d aug h ter o f good lineage who wishes to practice the profound perfection o f wisdom should view [things] in this way: They should correctly view those five aggregates also as em p ty o f inherent existence. Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form; form is not other than emptiness. In the same way, feeling, discrimination, compositional factors, and consciousnesses are empty.
The Path o f Seeing
Sariputra, in that way. all p h en o m en a are em pty, that is, without characteristic, u nproduced, unceased, stainless, not stainless, undim in ished, unfilled.
The Path o f M editation
Therefore, Sariputra, in emptiness, there is no form, no feeling, no discrimination, no compositional factors, no consciousness, no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no form, no sou n d, no o do r, no taste, no object of touch, n o p hen o m en o n . There is no eye constituent, no mental constituent, up to and including no mental consciousness constituent. There is no ignorance, no extinction of
ignorance, up to and including no aging an d death and no extinction o f aging and death. Similarly, there arc no sufferings, no origins, no cessations, no paths, no exalted wisdom, no attainm ent, and also no non-attainment.
The Vajra-Iike Sam adhi
Therefore, Sariputra. because Bodhisattvas have no attainment, they depend on and abide in the perfection o f wisdom and their minds are without obstructions an d without fear.
The A ctual Path o f S o M ore te a m in g
Having completely passed beyond ali error they go to the completion of nirvana.
The Complete Enjoyment Body and Emanation Body
All the Buddhas who abide in the three times have been fully awakened into unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment through relying o n the perfection o f wisdom.
AtiSa divides the sutra into two major portions, the teaching for Bodhisattvas of dull faculties and the teaching for Bodhisattvas of sharp faculties. All the sutra up to the mantra is the former, the mantra is the latter. Thus, Bodhisattvas of sharp faculties are able to understand everything that was taught up to that point in the sutra simply by hearing the mantra. (Gung-thang explains specifically how the sutra is included in the mantra on pp. 183-184.)
AtiSa discusses the five paths in terms of the four objects of observation set forth in the eighth chapter of the Sarfidhinirmocanasutra
the non-conceptual reflection (nirvikalpakabim ba, m a m par m i rto g p a l gzugs bm yan), the conceptual reflection (savikalpakabimba. m am par rtog pa dang bcas pa'i gzugs brnyan), the limit of things (vastvanta. dngos p o ’i m th a '\ and the consummate purpose {krtyanu$fhana, dgos pa yongs su grub pa).* The sutra states that the first is calm abiding (samatha, zhignas)y the second is special insight (vipasyana, lhag mthong).
correspond to the path of accumulation, the path of preparation, the path of seeing, and the path of no more learning, respectively.
The observation with special insight, which is a conceptual reflection, is indicated by, “Sariputra, a son of good lineage or a daughter of good lineage who wishes to practice the profound perfection of wisdom should view [things] in this way.” According to AtUa, this statement sets forth the conceptual wisdom of suchness that occurs on the path of accumulation. Here emptiness is conceived to exist as something real am ong a variety of aspects, unlike on the path of seeing where such varieties are not seen, because there all objects are realized to be equal in emptiness. This wisdom on the path of accumulation lacks sam&dhi and thus is said to have a nature of mere calm abiding. It is also a mere reflection of the non-conceptual wisdom that occurs on the path of seeing.
The same sentence of the sQtra also implies the path of preparation and the observation with calm abiding which is a non-conceptual reflection. This wisdom is not actually non-conceptual but is not directed outward as are the wisdoms arisen from hearing and thinking nor does it conceive of a variety of objects; it considers one object and is directed inward.
The path of seeing is the observation of the limit of things. Things are such phenom ena as forms and their limit is their nature or their reality. This wisdom is indicated by the statement, “They should correctly view even those five aggregates as empty of inherent existence. ” 7 Atisa’s
correspondence of the observation of the limit of things to the path of seeing and the thoroughly established necessity with the path of no more learning is supported by the Sarpdhinirmocana, which says that
observations which are conceptual reflections and non-conceptual reflections occur before the path of seeing, that those two plus the observation of the limit of things occur on the paths of seeing and meditation, where signs and the assumption of bad states are destroyed, and that the observation of the consum m ate purpose is attained on the final Bodhisattva stage and in the state of B u dd h ah o o d. 8 From this,
A ttta’s structuring of the sQtra would seem to be as follows:
The Paths o f A ccum ulation and Preparation
T h e Bodhisattva, the M a hasattv a, the Sup erio r Avalokitesvara said this to the venerable Sariputra: “ S arip utra, a son o f good lineage or a d aug h ter of good lineage who wishes to practice the profo u nd perfec tion of wisdom should view [things] in this way:
The Path o f Seeing
They should correctly view those five aggregates also as em pty of inherent existence. Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form; form is not other than emptiness. In the same way, feeling, discrimination, compositional factors, and consciousnesses are empty.
Sariputra, in that way, all p h en o m en a are empty, that is, without characteristic, u np ro d u c ed , unceased, stainless, not stainless, undimin ished, unfilled. Therefore, Sariputra, in emptiness, there is no form, n o feeling, no discrimination, no compositional factors, no co n sciousness, no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no form, no sound, no odor, no taste, no object o f touch, no p h e n o m enon. There is no eye constituent, no mental constituent, up to and including no mental consciousness constituent. There is no ignorance, no extinction o f ignorance, up to and including no aging and death and no extinction o f aging and death. Similarly, there are no sufferings, no origins, no cessations, no paths, no exalted wisdom, no attainment, and also no non-attainment.
The Path o f M editation
Therefore, Sariputra, because Bodhisattvas have no attainment, they depend on and abide in the perfection of wisdom and their minds arc without obstructions and without fear. Having completely passed beyond all error they go to the completion of nirvaiia.
7he Vajra-like Sam adhi and the Path o f No More learning
All the Buddhas who abide in the three times have been fully awakened into unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment through relying on the perfection of wisdom.
T h e T ib etan c o m m e n t a t o r G u n g - t h a n g e l a b o r a t e s o n a n d p r o v i d e s a r a t i o n a l e f o r A t i s a ’s s t r u c t u r e . F o r e x a m p l e , he sa y s t h a t in t h e s e n tc n c c , “ A s o n o f g o o d lin eag e o r a d a u g h t e r o f g o o d l in e a g e w h o w is h e s to p r a c t i c e t h e p r o f o u n d p e r f e c t i o n o f w i s d o m s h o u l d v ie w t h i n g s in this w a y , " t h e p h r a s e “ w'ho w is h e s t o p r a c t i c e ” i n d i c a t e s t h e p a t h o f a c c u m u l a t i o n b e c a u s c it is o n th is p a t h t h a t th e B o d h i s a t t v a sets o u t t o b e c o m e a
Buddha out of compassion for others, while “should view things in this way” indicates the path of preparation, where the Bodhisattva develops a clear image of emptiness. It is on the path of seeing that the Bodhisattva directly realizes the emptiness of all phenom ena in the universe. Therefore, the long enumeration of the negations, “They should view correctly . . . and also no non-attainm ent.” suggests the path of seeing. “ It is on the path of meditation, which comprises the second through tenth stages, that the Bodhisattva abandons the afflictive obstructions and the obstructions to omniscience. This is indicated by “Therefore, §&riputra, because Bodhisattvas have no attainment they depend on and abide in the perfection of wisdom and their minds are without obstructions and without fear. Having completely passed beyond all error they go to the completion of nirvana." The sentence before the epithets of the mantra, “ All the Buddhas who abide