The Practice of Contemplating the Five Aggregates as Empty

If you understand the Heart Sutra, you be more at ease 自在。 Heart Sutra reminds me that the five aggregates namely,  form, feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness are empty. Like it or not, everyday we are growing older. This physical body that we are residing in are not permanent. 

This identities of who you are is temporary based on the body you reside now. It is not the real you. The real you is unchanging and bright. So why be unhappy with things that are also impermanent? Just let go. There are times when I feel sad, but after some time, just let go of the sadness and be happy. 

From Master Sheng Yen who explained the Heart Sutra.

“Perception” means notions, reflections and thoughts. It changes over time and space. Therefore, there is no need to be attached to it.    

The five skandhas, namely form, feelings, perceptions, volitions and consciousness continually provide five occasions for craving and clinging. Two types of craving and clinging characterize the human mind: 1) Craving and clinging to form and 2) Craving and clinging to mind. Clinging to form is the domain of the form skandha; the remaining four skandhas constitute the domain of the mind and the clinging to mind is generated in those four realms. All our grasping, manifested in our attachments and aversions, is generated and developed due to the activity of these four skandhas. Craving and clinging emerge at birth, and the Buddhadharma aims to sever them.

 “O Sariputra! Form does not differ from the void, and the void does not differ from the form. Form is the void, and the void is form. 

The same is true for feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness. O Sariputra, the characteristics of the void is not created, not annihilated, not impure, not pure, not increasing, not decreasing. 

 Therefore, in the void there are no forms and no feelings, perceptions, impulses and no consciousness: there is no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body or mind; there is no form, sound, smell, taste, touch or idea; no eye elements, until we come to no elements of consciousness; no ignorance and also no ending of ignorance, until we come to no old age and death; and no ending of old age and death. 

Also, there is no truth of suffering, of the cause of suffering, of the cessation of suffering or of the path. There is no wisdom, and there is no attainment whatsoever. Because there is nothing to be attained, a Bodhisattva relying on Prajnaparamita has no obstruction in his heart. Because there is no obstruction he has no fear, and he passes far beyond all confused imagination and reaches Ultimate Nirvana. 

All Buddhas in the past, present and future have attained Supreme Enlightenment by relying on the Prajnaparamita. Therefore we know that the Prajnaparamita is the great magic Mantra, the great Mantra of illumination, it is the supreme Mantra, the unequaled Mantra which can truly wipe out all suffering without fail.” 

 Therefore, he uttered the Prajnaparamita mantra, by saying: “Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasemgate Bodhi-svaha!” 

观自在菩萨，行深般若波罗蜜多时。照见五蕴皆空，渡一切苦厄。舍利子，色不异空，空不异色，色即是空，空即是色，受想行识，亦复如是。舍利子，是诸法空相，不生不灭，不垢不净，不增不减。是故空中无色，无受想行识，无眼耳鼻舌身意，无色声香味触法，无眼界，乃至无意识界。无无明，亦无无明尽，乃至无老死，亦无老死尽。无苦集灭道，无智亦无得。以无所得故，菩提萨埵，依般若波罗蜜多故，心无罣礙，无罣礙故，无有恐怖，远离顚倒梦想，究竟涅槃。三世诸佛，依般若波罗蜜多故，得阿耨多罗三藐三菩提。故知般若波罗蜜多，是大神呪，是大明呪，是无上呪，是无等等呪，能除一切苦，眞实不虚。故说般若波罗蜜多呪，卽说呪曰：揭谛揭谛，波罗揭谛，波罗僧揭谛，菩提萨婆诃。