Prajnaparamita: Saying "Emptiness" Before Having "Existence" – The Double-Edged Sword of Practice

Have you ever heard someone declare, "Life is a dream, family is empty, money is empty," yet they live carelessly and have stopped practicing? They use the words of Bodhisattvas to justify their drift. But do Bodhisattvas truly teach this way? The Heart Sutra opens a deadly trap for those who misunderstand it, and also opens a door of great wisdom for those who understand correctly. Let us listen to Venerable Thich Chan Quang explain this passage in his fifth dharma talk on the Heart Sutra.

Saying "Emptiness" Requires a Standpoint

When Bodhisattvas see the five aggregates as empty, it is not because they deny existence, but because they have realized a "Existence" that is infinitely vast. Venerable Chan Quang uses a very clear image: for a poor person, twenty thousand dong is their entire life, but for a billionaire, dropping twenty thousand dong means nothing because his time is more valuable. He said, "Bodhisattvas realize a state of mind that is absolutely boundless and immense. Therefore, these five aggregates are truly meaningless to them."

He continued, "It is like the billionaire looking at twenty thousand dong. We must understand that to see something as empty, we must have something else. That other thing has a value ten thousand times, a million times, or even billions of times greater. Only then can we rightly say this thing is empty."

If you do not yet possess that greatness, do not rush to say "empty." A person who only has twenty thousand dong calling it empty is speaking like a straw hero. If you snatch it away, they will cry immediately. Similarly, when we still cling to this body and this mind, if someone breaks our leg or we lose our memory, we suffer immensely. Studying Prajnaparamita is studying the realm of Bodhisattvas, not to speak defiantly, but to aspire and walk the right path.

Three Types of People Who See "Emptiness" – A Turning Point Between Life and Death

Venerable Chan Quang repeatedly reminds us of three types of people who perceive "emptiness" to keep us vigilant. The first type is non-Buddhist practitioners: they see the Three Jewels as empty, the scriptures as empty, reject cause and effect (karmic law), and live recklessly. These people open their mouths to say "empty" and destroy the Dharma; upon death, they fall into hell realms. The second type understands according to Hinayana: they believe there are no sentient beings to love, no goal of liberation, and no Buddha-work to be done. They lose merit, and when merit is exhausted, they fall into animal realms. The third type understands according to Mahayana: they say "empty" while implicitly pointing to a greater "Existence."

"The emptiness of Mahayana is this: saying this is empty to secretly point to another thing that exists."

For example, when saying "this self is empty," it does not mean nothing remains. It implies that behind it lies infinite compassion for all sentient beings. A person who says "I am empty" but lives dryly, coldly, and does nothing has misunderstood. But a person who says "I am empty" while loving everyone and sacrificing their life for the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) speaks correctly.

Life Is a Dream: What Do We Realize?

The teacher told the story of a poor student who asked to cook a pot of millet porridge. He fell asleep and dreamed he took exams, became an official, was sent to war, lost, fled, and returned to bang on the door of the man who had lent him the pot. He woke up with a start, and the millet was not yet cooked. Life is indeed a dream. But if we stop there, we understand according to Hinayana, becoming discouraged and losing the desire to strive. What makes Mahayana different is this:

"Life is a dream, but everything within that dream changes according to the law of cause and effect (karmic law). This is the Mahayana view."

Rich or poor, noble or humble, entering the temple, falling leaves, rising moon, falling rain—all are dreams, yet they operate within cause and effect (karmic law). Therefore, even within the dream, we must create good causes and cultivate wholesome fruits.

Empty Forms: Beautiful But Useless

The teacher explained that "empty forms" are things with an outer shell but no practical use. For example, a fake gold necklace looks beautiful but cannot be sold. Or a beautiful girl with a terrible soul, who cannot cook properly and speaks harshly, becomes frightening after three days. Or a large, beautiful temple with no practitioners, no Buddha-work, and no moral discipline—it is a big but hollow temple. Bodhisattvas see all phenomena like these forms: they exist, but lack substantial utility. However, for ordinary beings, everything has a function. Rice when hungry, comforting words when sad, summer rain, warm clothes in winter, even fertilizer producing fragrant flowers. Why do Bodhisattvas see them as useless? Because they possess a greater "Existence" that transcends all worldly values.

Practicing Prajnaparamita Correctly: Humility and Compassion

The final reminder of the lecture is this: study Prajnaparamita to admire the saints, not to imitate their defiant speech. The path of practice is the Noble Eightfold Path, humbly taking one step at a time. When we truly realize, we will see as Bodhisattvas do. Until then, let your mind open with boundless love, seeing all sentient beings as kin. Only when you have that "Existence" will your words of "emptiness" become genuine.

Prajnaparamita is a double-edged sword. Please do not rush to pick it up to cut through everything. Study, understand, and practice. Each day, let go of a little bit of "ego," give a little more compassion, so that nirvana gently arrives with every breath.