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Heart Sutra Text

Perceived that all Five Skandhas are empty

Paraphrase
as a result of that practice, he had a fundamental insight... the essential insight of the Prajna Paramita sutras.

Commentary (underlined words are defined below)

This is the key sentence of the Heart Sutra. By the light of the prajna of contemplation, he realized that the Five Skandhas are empty. We can see matter, yet it is fundamentally empty. Matter's own nature is emptiness. In Buddhism, all matter is formed by Four Great Elements (i.e. earth, water, fire, and wind) under certain causes and conditions. Just like our body, the Four Great Elements unite to become a body, and when they separate the body is destroyed. Each of the four elements restores its original state, which is emptiness. Most people are attached to the body as "me", which is one of the greatest ignorances of people.

Hung Po said "It is an existence which is no existence, a non-existence which is nevertheless existence"

The Five Skandhas

Skandhas

the aggregates (heaps or groups) that together form one interdependent unit which we perceive as the self. The 5 Skandhas are Form, Feeling, Perception, Impulses (mental volition) and Consciousness.

Skandha [i.e. aggregates, heaps, or groups]: has the meaning of accumulation and grouping together of similar physical and mental phenomena.

The file aggregates [i.e. matter, sensation, recognition, volition, and consciousness] come together to form one interdependent unit. This combined unit is unstable and transient, but we attach to this interdependent unit and/or the five aggregates as the self.

The first skandha represents physical elements, and the remaining four represent the mental activities of a person.

Matter (rupa Skandha): refers to physical things. These physical things do not exist independently. Their existence depends on the coming together of the four classical elements. (i.e. earth [solid], water [liquid], air [gas] and heat [energy]). Although, matter takes up space, it is empty of self-nature: it arises and comes to be, and it fades away and ceases to be.

Sensation (vedanna Skandha): is the acquiring of data through sensory organs (including the mind) and the interpreting of such sensations as pleasant, unpleasant, or indifferent.

Recognition (sanjna Skandha): has the function of conceptualizing and recognizing sensory data and mental phenomena. The mind then identifies them and turns them into concepts. This conceptualizing process generates notions and, hence establishes names and words.

Volition (samskara Skandha): implies intention and mental action. These mental activities lead to karmic results. When we perceive an image, the mind analyzes and formulates a decision accordingly. These decisions initiate mental, verbal and/or physical actions which will produce karma. Some examples of volitional actions include: attention, will, determination, confidence, concentration, wisdom, energy, desire, hatred, ignorance, conceit, idea of self, etc.

Consciousness (vijnana Skandha): is the ability to be conscious of the differences and to be aware of the existence of mental and physical phenomena, i.e. the awareness of the previous four skandhas.