ABSTRACT
The last part of the fourth paragraph of the Heart Stūra reads: "Because there is nothing to be attained, a Bodhisattva relying on Prañjāpāramitā has no obstructions in his mind. Because there is no obstruction he has no fear, and he passes far beyond all confusions and imaginations and [finally] reaches the ultimate Nirvāṇa." The message here is that if a Mahāyāna practitioner, a Bodhisattva, can rely on the teaching of Absolute Emptiness, all obstructions in his mind, such as greediness, enmity, passion-desires and, above all, the innate clinging of Selfhood, will all be dissolved into naught. With the realization of Emptiness, he conquers the root of ego; with the eradication of ego, he in turn conquers all fears and confusions and reaches the ultimate liberation of Nirvāṇa. Here we see that Śūnyatā should never be treated as merely a philosophical idea, for it also has great religious significance and implications. Because there is no almighty God, salvation (or liberation in Buddhism) is only attainable by one's own efforts through the realization of Emptiness. Śūnyatā is, therefore, not only an ontological reality but in a certain sense also a "soteriological" instrument. This is why Prajñāpāramitā is also called "The Mother of All Buddhas," symbolized in the form of Mother Tārā in Tantric Buddhism: Beyond thinking and all words, The Perfection of Wisdom Arises not nor ceases, Like the void space. Those with direct insight Alone can behold Her. To the Mother of all Buddhas, In the past, present, and future, I make sincerest obeisance.
