The Heart Sutra

Form is emptiness: everything we perceive – form, feeling, perception, etc – has no inherent existence, because it only exists due to causes and conditions.

Emptiness is form: emptiness is not separate from the world; it is the very nature of how things exist. Without this emptiness, change and life would be impossible.

Form is none other than emptiness: there is no division between the physical appearance of an object and its empty nature; they are two sides of the same coin.

Emptiness is none other than form: we cannot find pure emptiness ‘somewhere else’; we find it directly within the objects of daily life.

Jesus knew:
“Under a stone, in a piece of wood you’ll find what I am.”

The Heart Sutra matters because it reduces attachment, suffering and confusion; when we realise that our problems, our opinions, our selves, and our emotions are not solid or fixed, we can stop clinging to them.

Emptiness encourages a life of empathetic compassion. Seeing that everything is interconnected removes the barrier between me and you.

The reality of what we are – pure consciousness – acts like a mirror. The mirror reflects images and forms, but the mirror itself remains empty of those images, merely allowing them to appear.

When we live life like this, anxiety floats away. 🙂