Religion and Theology

The Prajpramit Hridaya Sutra, known commonly as the Heart Sutra, and the Vajracchedik Prajpramit Sktra, known commonly as the Diamond Sutra, embody the very essence of the wisdom school of Mahayana Buddhism. They are based on the concept of Prajpramit, or Perfection of Wisdom. Both of them are widely popular and constitute the most chanted sutras in Zen. They are indispensable for gaining an understanding of Zen philosophy.

The Heart Sutra presents the deepest teaching of Buddhism in a very cryptic form. The whole of it is just about half a page in length. It is sermon given by Bodhisattva Avalokiteswara to Subhuti on the concept of Shunyata or emptiness. The meaning of the Heart Sutra is summed up in the legendary first line of the sermon Here, O Sariputra, form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form (Buddhism.org). The rest of the sutra is mostly an extension and elaboration of this line. If one understands this line, one understands the whole of Heart Sutra and has grasped the central truth of Buddhism. In the sentences that follow, the author of the Heart Sutra replaces various things in the place of form, such as, perceptions, senses, impulses, and mind. The import of this is that things are empty and the world is illusory. When one has attained to nothingness, one has achieved nirvana.

The Diamond Sutra is somewhat less esoteric than the Heart Sutra. The sutra is a record of a dialogue between the Buddha and Subhuti, as are many other sutras of the original Pali canon. Its essence is presented in its concluding verse (free translation)

Thus shall you think of this fleeting world
A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.
(Ming Qi)

This, as we can see, is again the same teaching  the world is illusory  but here the emphasis is more on impermanence.

Tabular comparison between the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra
Heart SutraDiamond SutraPreceptor

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshwara (but later confirmed by the Buddha)The BuddhaForm

MonologueDialogueLength

Short, easier to learn by heart.Long (six times longer), and difficult to learn by heart.Level of difficulty

Very difficultEasierCentral Teaching

Everything is emptyEverything is impermanent, things do not have self-natureMoral VirtuesNilCharity, unselfishness, patience, resolution etc.Concept of Enlightenment

Sudden, no gradual growth is achieved by removal of thought obstructions.Sudden, no gradual growth is achieved by removal of thought obstructions.Basis of practice

Non-attachmentNon-attachmentNature of the text

RadicalSemi-radical, and paradoxical because of combining the conventional and the esoteric dimensions

Comparison between Buddhist and Christian teachings on salvation
According to both Christianity and Buddhism, man is in a state of suffering, but there is a way out of this suffering. In Christian belief, suffering exists because man has sinned, to be more specific, man is born in sin because the first man has sinned in disobeying the explicit injunction of the Lord who created him. In Buddhism, there is no such myth and theology, there is only an existential analysis. Man is suffering because of his ignorance and illusions. The Buddha says that the world is full of suffering, but the implication here is that the world as seen from our ignorant perception is full of suffering.

Once the perception is clarified, we achieve the state of Nirvana, or release from suffering. However, as both the Heart and Diamond sutras emphasize, there is nothing to be achieved, the implication being that the state of Nirvana is pre-existent, it does not have to cultivated or created, it is the fundamental substrate of existence. In Christianity, God out of his compassion has sent a savior, his own Son, unto the earth, and the way out of suffering for humankind is to believe in Him. Here, the status of all those people who existed prior to the advent of the Son, as well as of those who existed after but could never hear about Him though thorough no fault of their own, is not clear. Also, one does not have to really follow the teachings of Jesus Christ or lead a virtuous life or even pray to God, one simply has to believe wholeheartedly (or simplemindedly) in the theological doctrine of Christianity and ones place in heaven is secured. Salvation means being able to reach heaven, and avoid the eternal fires of hell after death.

In Buddhism salvation has to be attained through ones own effort. Appo dipo bhava were the last words of the Buddha  Be a light unto yourself. Buddha also admonished, Work diligently (on your path to Nirvana). Salvation simply means freedom from the illusory concept of the self. When one is freed from the self, what is is. Buddha does not speak of the nature of this isness of existence, because our words would sound to be trivial labels for the immensity of Nothingness. The word Nothingness does not mean vacuum, it simply means it is nothing like we know of or can conceive of, so Buddha chose not to speak about it in positive terms. In other related Eastern traditions such as Hinduism, we gather that it is a state of endless bliss and vastness.

In Christianity, there is only chance, one life-time, to reach salvation. If we miss this opportunity, our fate is sealed forever. In Buddhism, we have endless chances and endless life-times, we keep on being reborn until we achieve nirvana, or realize our own Buddha-nature.

Personal reflection  the meaning of religious belief

To me, religion is not a question of a belief, belief has a role only in religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which are based on certain mythological and theological concepts that go completely against reason and hence ought to believed in a childish manner, keeping mind and thinking aside. In contrast to Judeo-Christian tradition, Eastern religions do not demand any kind of belief, they emphasize on theoretical understanding, practice  but only in so far as understanding is lacking, because when clear understanding exists, there is absolutely no need for any practice  and developing insightfulness. In Buddhism, one has to keep all indoctrinated belief systems aside and has to approach reality with an open mind.

The Buddha said that the world is full of suffering, but I see so much joy and beauty in the world, so naturally I do not agree with the Buddha, but my not agreeing with or not believing in the Buddha does not affect my spiritual practice in the context of Buddhism itself. The Heart sutra says, Form is nothing, nothingness is form. Though I have an inkling what this assertion means, I do not really feel it to be true in my own experience. However, a belief is not demanded, just like nobody believes in Einsteins equation EMC2 , either one understands it or does not understand it, one can prove it or disprove it. In religion, though, true understanding always paves the way for realization. One has to seeJLNVz,