The Prajñāpāramitā in One Letter
The Prajñāpāramitā in One Letter
When I was first studying Buddhism, I was enrolled in Comparative Religion at University, and also learning meditation from a 'self-awareness' style of training centre. At the time, one of my University texts was a book called 'Buddhism: An Outline of its Teachings and Schools' by Hans Wolfgang Schumann. There was something in that book that has always stayed with me - one of those kinds of teachings which arrived at just the right moment. It was the observation that the Prajñāpāramitā sutras were, in most cases, very long, with many thousands of lines of texts - in some cases 108,000 lines. However there was also one version of the Prajñāpāramitā Sutra which was 'the shortest scripture in the world'. It consisted of one letter, namely the Sanskrit letter 'a':
What is the significance of that letter, and how it could a single vowel comprise a Sutra?
What is the significance of that letter, and how it could a single vowel comprise a Sutra?
'Only practice with no gaining idea' ~ Suzuki Roshi
Re: The Prajñāpāramitā in One Letter
Two things. The "a" sound is part of every Sanskrit consonant letter, so it is sort of the "universal basis". The "a" is also a negating prefix, like "un-" in English. Therefore "a" is like emptiness that is both universal and negates substance.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?
2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.
3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.
4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.
1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?
2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.
3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.
4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.
1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
Re: The Prajñāpāramitā in One Letter
Fairly well sums it up.Astus wrote:Two things. The "a" sound is part of every Sanskrit consonant letter, so it is sort of the "universal basis". The "a" is also a negating prefix, like "un-" in English. Therefore "a" is like emptiness that is both universal and negates substance.
Or, "a" both is everything, and negates everything.
You can also check out the dharani methods with each syllable from the medium length Prajnaparamita, starting with "a", for "anutpada", "non-arising", as "all dharmas do not arise".
~~Huifeng
Re: The Prajñāpāramitā in One Letter
That sutra is not so bad, but I find it a little too long and garrulous.
Kåre A. Lie
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Re: The Prajñāpāramitā in One Letter
The one in zero letters is vastly superior, in my opinion.
There is not only nothingness because there is always, and always can manifest. - Thinley Norbu Rinpoche
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Re: The Prajñāpāramitā in One Letter
Thank you both. (Oh, and hi, Huifeng.)Huifeng wrote:Fairly well sums it up.Astus wrote:Two things. The "a" sound is part of every Sanskrit consonant letter, so it is sort of the "universal basis". The "a" is also a negating prefix, like "un-" in English. Therefore "a" is like emptiness that is both universal and negates substance.
Or, "a" both is everything, and negates everything.
You can also check out the dharani methods with each syllable from the medium length Prajnaparamita, starting with "a", for "anutpada", "non-arising", as "all dharmas do not arise".
~~Huifeng
Chris Seishi Amirault
"If you have realized it, speak quickly; words are wondrous & unspeakable." Chuanzi.
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"If you have realized it, speak quickly; words are wondrous & unspeakable." Chuanzi.
Benevolent Street Zen Facebook page
Boundless Way Temple website
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Re: The Prajñāpāramitā in One Letter
Prajnaparamita in a Single Letter
Gya-gar ke-du: Akakasharam Prajnaparamita Sarva Tathagata Ma Nama
Bod ke-du: De-zhin-sheg-pa Tham-che Kyi Yum Shey-rab kyi Pha-rol-tu-chin-pa Yi-ge Chig-ma Zhey-ja-wa Shuk-so
I prostrate to the Supreme Mother, Prajna-paramita!
Thus I have heard:
Once the Blessed One was dwelling in the royal domain of the Vulture Peak Mountain together with 83 monks and many tens of billions of Bodhisatvas who were all abiding together as one skillful expedient device. Furthermore, at that time, at that moment, the Blessed One spoke thus to the Venerable Ananda:
“Ananda, this is the Prajnaparamita in a single feminine letter. For the benefit and happiness of all sentient beings, you should hold it. It goes thus:
“AH.”
When the Blessed One had said this, that whole gathering and the world with its gods, men, asuras, and gandharvas, their hearts full of joy, praised the words of the Blessed One.
Thus the Prajnaparamita in a Single Femine Letter, the Mother of All Sugatas is complete.
Gya-gar ke-du: Akakasharam Prajnaparamita Sarva Tathagata Ma Nama
Bod ke-du: De-zhin-sheg-pa Tham-che Kyi Yum Shey-rab kyi Pha-rol-tu-chin-pa Yi-ge Chig-ma Zhey-ja-wa Shuk-so
I prostrate to the Supreme Mother, Prajna-paramita!
Thus I have heard:
Once the Blessed One was dwelling in the royal domain of the Vulture Peak Mountain together with 83 monks and many tens of billions of Bodhisatvas who were all abiding together as one skillful expedient device. Furthermore, at that time, at that moment, the Blessed One spoke thus to the Venerable Ananda:
“Ananda, this is the Prajnaparamita in a single feminine letter. For the benefit and happiness of all sentient beings, you should hold it. It goes thus:
“AH.”
When the Blessed One had said this, that whole gathering and the world with its gods, men, asuras, and gandharvas, their hearts full of joy, praised the words of the Blessed One.
Thus the Prajnaparamita in a Single Femine Letter, the Mother of All Sugatas is complete.
Pema Chophel པདྨ་ཆོས་འཕེལ
Re: The Prajñāpāramitā in One Letter
I prostrate to the Supreme Mother, Prajna-paramita!
Painting of Prajnaparamita personified. Sanskrit Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra manuscript written in the Ranjana script. Nalanda, Bihar, India. Circa 700-1100 CE.
'Only practice with no gaining idea' ~ Suzuki Roshi
Re: The Prajñāpāramitā in One Letter
The Terma Heart Sutra of the Single Letter Prajnaparamita
In the Indian Language (Sanskrit): Bhagaviti Prajanaparamita Hridaya
In the Tibetan Language: Sherab kyi Pharoltuchinpa’i Nyingpo
In the English Language: The Heart-Essence of the Far-Reaching Perfection of Discerning Wisdom, the Transcendent Conquering Goddess
HOMAGE TO THE TRANSCENDENT CONQUERING GODDESS, THE FAR-REACHING PERFECTION OF DISCERNING WISDOM!
“And so, thus:
AH
This is known as the Far-Reaching Perfection of Discerning Wisdom in a Single Letter.”
They all praised what had been spoken by the Blessed One.
THE SINGLE LETTER [THE HEART-ESSENCE OF THE FAR-REACHING PERFECTION OF DISCERNING WISDOM] IS COMPLETE.
Translated by Eric Tsiknopoulos (Sherab Zangpo)
Equanimity is the ground. Love is the moisture. Compassion is the seed. Bodhicitta is the result.
-Paraphrase of Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tsephel citing the Guhyasamaja Tantra
"All memories and thoughts are the union of emptiness and knowing, the Mind.
Without attachment, self-liberating, like a snake in a knot.
Through the qualities of meditating in that way,
Mental obscurations are purified and the dharmakaya is attained."
-Ra Lotsawa, All-pervading Melodious Drumbeats
-Paraphrase of Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tsephel citing the Guhyasamaja Tantra
"All memories and thoughts are the union of emptiness and knowing, the Mind.
Without attachment, self-liberating, like a snake in a knot.
Through the qualities of meditating in that way,
Mental obscurations are purified and the dharmakaya is attained."
-Ra Lotsawa, All-pervading Melodious Drumbeats
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Re: The Prajñāpāramitā in One Letter
"Men must want to do things out of their own innermost drives. People, not commercial organizations or chains of command, are what make great civilizations work. Every civilization depends upon the quality of the individuals it produces. If you over-organize humans, over-legalize them, suppress their urge to greatness - they cannot work and their civilization collapses."
- A letter to CHOAM, attributed to the Preacher
- A letter to CHOAM, attributed to the Preacher