All Dharmas are None

Question: The Prajna Sutra of the Heart of prajna reads everything is nothing. What does it mean?

Answer:  Currently many Buddhists misunderstand the\r\nword "None". The word "None" in Buddhism is different from\r\nthe word "None" in real life. The word "None" in real life\r\nmeans “nothing”. For example, holding the microphone means “existence”. If the\r\nmicrophone is put down, our hand has nothing. Particularly the word\r\n"none" in Buddhism does not mean that. It means the place where it\r\nhas existing things does not have real unit, just many items are combined\r\ntogether to form.

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Also, if finding a true microphone, we cannot see it,\r\nbecause it is made from many components assembled together and temporarily\r\nassigned to be called a microphone. Or a lotus flower with full body, wings,\r\npistils, nuts, ect, but none is the only thing to form a lotus flower which\r\nmingles so many categories to form. Not only these ones, but it also depends on\r\nother factors such as soil, water, sunlight ... to survive and develop.

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Therefore, the word "none" in Buddhism means\r\nunreal, nothing is the core. Because nothing is the core, when its attraction\r\nis ended it disintegrates immediately. It will return to where it forms,\r\nand it does not exist in one form or in certain state forever. Our body also\r\ndoes not have unique part to form it. Eyes are your body, ears are your body,\r\nnose is your body or legs are your body? Heart? Kidney? Lung? spleen? Etc, are\r\nnot body, but when combined together they form the body. Buddhism says the body\r\nis not a homogeneous or a complete mass, but many things are combined together\r\norderly. The body, by itself, constantly has to borrow stuff like breathing,\r\nrice, water, air, ect, to subsist. If an organ cannot work out, we must\r\nimmediately seek a doctor to treat or it is even so damaged that the body no\r\nlonger works anymore. Because being unable to comprehend it, we wrongly think\r\nthat we are a homogeneous durable mass and raise a false idea that we do not\r\nneed anyone and if anyone touches us, we immediately resist. It is the\r\nignorance, and we do not realize the truth!

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The inner mind and body and the surrounding circumstance are\r\nnot fixed, on unity and there is no genuine nature. We can simply say: “It is\r\n‘unreal’, but it does not mean ‘it does not have anything’. The Prajna\r\nSutra of the Heart has a saying: "There is no eye, no ear, no nose, no\r\ntongue, no body and no mind. No color, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch\r\nand no Dharma. If we understand that the world does not have everything around,\r\nwhy can life exist? Once upon a time, when a monk read this paragraph,\r\nimmediately he showed suspicion because he does not understand why he obviously\r\nhad eyes, ears, nose, tongue, ect, but The Prajna Sutra of the Heart\r\nsays:”none”! He submitted this question to the Venerable. The Venerable knew\r\nthat the monk was very wise and would achieve great accomplishments later. He\r\ndirected him to the south to study with superior Venerable. Over a\r\nlong-range of study, he mastered magical Dharmas and later he became China\r\nZen Buddhism Patriarch.

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Everything is not true, but we persistently think that it is\r\ntrue, so the Buddha says "none" to break that mind. In the deepest\r\nconcepts, we always think that such a body, house, money, cars and positions,\r\nect, that belong to us that when they are gone, we suffer immensely. Because of\r\nthat persistent mind, we have to suffer and create countless crimes. When we\r\ncome to pagoda for chanting The Prajna Sutra of the Heart, we see all\r\nthings are "none" but when we work in real life, we see all things\r\nare “existence”, so we have to suffer eternally.  The roots of the\r\npractice means that we must clearly empathise all Dharmas are not\r\nreal.

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The Prajna Sutra of the Heart also has a paragraph:\r\n"Looking the five kinds of kandha (senses) with the mind on\r\nunreality, we can overcome all the pain. Recognizing "none"\r\nmeans the winner, but appreciate "Existence" means the loser. If\r\ncleverly bringing the wisdom of The Prajna Sutra of the Heart to\r\napply to everyday life, certainly people will live freely and happily. That is\r\nthe truth of The Prajna Sutra of the Heart.

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Translated into English by Cao Thanh Tuyen.