The Opening - The Buddha’s Wisdom (Hanya Shingyo)

The Buddha’s Wisdom is a prayer to cleanse this moment in space. 

It is a prayer for the present.

The resonance & vibrations of the chants are more important than the meaning, to synchronize the outside and internal frequencies to see things justly. 

The prayer recounts a conversation between Kanji Zai Bosatsu, an Apprentice, and his teacher Sharishi. Sharishi was a head disciple (monk) to the Buddha.  It is the Apprentice’s final initiation ceremony, a test administered by Sharishi to measure the apprentice’s knowledge of the teachings. We start with a confession by the Apprentice:

Oh Supreme Being who holds the profound true teachings. No matter how many times I am reincarnated, I have experienced a hundred million calamities.

Today I “zange,” to see and listen to your teachings. 

I ask for your truth. 

I have committed many bad things since ancient times, due to greed, anger, foolishness.

It was done by my body, words, and mind; and I repent to you in all ways.

The Apprentice recites the five elements

• perceived by the five organs, 

• the five senses (vision / hearing / smell/ taste/touch, and 

• the five elements measured by the five senses).

The Apprentice states that, as a result, he has been relieved from suffering.

Sharishi asks: how do the five points correlate?

Then the Apprentice recites:

Wisdom does not have form. But form can not exist without Wisdom. Wisdom is Emptiness.

Form is temporal.

What I see is not everything, but I see everything that is temporary.

All things and phenomena characterize Emptiness.

They do not appear or disappear. They are not dirty, nor clean. Nor do they increase or decrease. Emptiness is Wisdom Wisdom has no shape. There are no limits.

There are intangibles and tangibles that create results. There is no aging or death, and there are no limits to aging or death. There is no bitter truth that “this is suffering.” There is no truth to what is the cause for suffering. There is no truth that will destroy suffering. There is no path towards the destruction of suffering. There is nothing to know. There is nothing to gain. There has never been anything to gain.

We can’t see the future, nor the past.

The difference is whether we can see it or not.

We can see, taste, smell, touch and hear - through the five senses. 

If we can change our perceptions, we become more resilient.

Sharishi says, “If you understand this, then you pass.

But what did you see through your findings?”

The Apprentice answers: 

“What I understand now is not complete, so I can’t tell the conclusion.

I can’t tell the truth, because it changes.

What I understand is different than what others will understand.

Our bodies, minds, are the same as others.

Meaning can only be created for myself by myself.

Yet the Buddha’s teachings will reside within us.”

The Buddha’s Wisdom 

(translated from Kango / Chinese & Sanskrit)

The Apprentice recites the following prayer in Sanskrit, because he wanted others to figure out their own truths for themselves, to give space to others to create their own understandings.

GYATE GYATE HARA GYATE HARA SOU GYATE BOJI SOWAKA HANYA SHINGYO.

There are differing interpretations.

• To whom that goes, to whom that goes, to whom that walks enlightened. You say back to me, “receive this: this is the Buddha’s Wisdom.

• I finally crossed the river to the other side, I have become enlightened. But I realize that this is not enlightenment. The teaching is not outside of me.

If you understand the ‘Buddha’s Wisdom, you will cease to prejudice others with your own stories, and strive to understand the Other Perspective, always. Because the Enlightened do not hold preconceptions. The Enlightened do not distance themselves by viewing the World through created understandings.

Enlightenment is about finding balance between taking care of Self and the World at the same time. A Buddha is a person seeking truth, thru helping others.