Maka hannya haramitsu
Maka hannya haramitsu (
phenomena. As Dōgen argues in this chapter, prajñā is identical to the practice of zazen, not a way of thinking.[2]
Allusions to other works
Although Dōgen's writing usually references other Buddhist works with heavy frequency, Maka hannya haramitsu only references the Heart Sutra, the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, and a poem about a
Tiantong Rujing
. The poem is from Record of the Words of Master Rujing and is as follows:The whole body is like a mouth hanging in empty space.
Not questioning the winds from east, west, south, or north,
Equally all of them, speaking of prajñā:
Ding-dong-a-ling ding-dong.[2]
According to
Shohaku Okumura, the wind bell or hanging mouth represents ourselves while the winds represent all of the different circumstances that can face us. Regardless of what comes our way, we need not discriminate. When we view the world without discrimination, we express prajñā and see the reality of life. The last line is an onomatopoeia for the sound the bell makes, representing the expression of prajñā, wisdom of reality itself, as well as the interdependence of all things.[2]
Translations
- "Great Transcendent Wisdom", Shobogenzo: Zen Essays By Dogen, translated by ISBN 0-8248-1014-7
- Shobogenzo: The Eye and Treasury of the True Law, translated by Nishiyama, Kōsen; Stevens, John, Tokyo, Japan: Nakayama Shobo, 1975, ISBN 0-87040-363-X
- "Mahāprajñāpāramitā", Master Dogen's Shōbōgenzō, translated by ISBN 1-4196-3820-3
- "On the Great Wisdom That Is Beyond Discriminatory Thought", Shobogenzo, or The Treasure House of the Eye of the True Teachings, translated by Nearman, Hubert, Shasta Abbey Press, 1996, ISBN 0-930066-17-0
- "Manifestation of Great Prajna", Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Shōbōgenzō, translated by ISBN 978-1590304747
- "Practicing Deepest Wisdom", Deepest Practice, Deepest Wisdom: Three Fascicles from Shobogenzo with Commentary, translated by ISBN 978-1614293026
References
- ISBN 1-4196-3820-3
- ^ ISBN 9781614290100
