There Is No Suffering

A Commentary on the Heart Sutta by Chan (Zen) Master Sheng-Yen.

Just finished reading couple days back for the second time. Definitely a whole new experience all over again. Nothing like the first time.

How should i describe my first time reading the book? It most intellectually simulating and Master struck me as a most profoundly wise person with a very deep understanding of Zen. He is sharp, clear and concise in his commentary. A person more than worthy to be called a Master and a scholar of the Zen lineage.

Before i go on any further, let me relate what the Heart Sutta is and why it is one of the suttas held in the highest regards by practitioners around the world. Heart Sutta is just over a page long but it distills the teachings of the Buddha (where Zen has it roots stem from) to their purest form.

In Zen, one is encouraged to cultivate a beginner's mind. To constantly see things anew, with equanimity. This second read was definitely a whole new feeling. As i read the commentary, it felt as if it was the first time. The commentary opened up to me in a different light.

Saw it more than an intellectual read, it resonated with my daily affairs ~ how i think and act. It became something of a reflective and contemplation medium. To see things as they truly are, past our six senses, past our consciousness, the non-duality nature of all phenomena.

Four Noble Truths ~ "There is suffering, cause of suffering, cessation of suffering, path to cessation of suffering."

In the Heart Sutta ~ "There is no suffering, no cause of suffering, no cessation of suffering, and no path. There is no wisdom, there is no attainment."

Amazing isn't it? =)