View
If we were to observe a red flower that is so vivid, clear and right in front us, the “redness” only appears to “belong” to the flower, it is in actuality not so. Vision of red does not arise in all animal species (dogs cannot perceive colours) nor is the “redness” an inherent attribute of the mind. If given a “quantum eyesight” to look into the atomic structure, there is similarly no attribute “redness” anywhere found, only almost complete space/void with no perceivable shapes and forms. Whatever appearances are dependently arisen, and hence is empty of any inherent existence or fixed attributes, shapes, form, or “redness” -- merely luminous yet empty, mere appearances without inherent/objective existence.
Having the view of dependent origination and emptiness, plus insights into Anatta (see A Zen Exploration of the Bahiya Sutta), one will be able to penetrate deeply into the essence of Emptiness.
Realization
When Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara was practicing the profound Prajna Paramita, he illuminated the Five Skandhas and saw that they are all empty, and he crossed beyond all suffering and difficulty.
Shariputra, form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does not differ from form. Form itself is emptiness; emptiness itself is form. So too are feeling, cognition, formation, and consciousness.
Investigating where a thought arises from, where a thought goes to, where thought abides, it's realized that thought is just an empty appearance without substance anywhere - a magical appearance of dependent origination! Appearances, having nothing to do with a substance, source, or an agent, arise via dependent origination - all causes and conditions come together and magically a sensaiton, an appearance arise.
From nowhere, going nowhere, nowhere abiding, a magical luminous and empty appearance, empty yet appearing, appearing yet empty, a true wonder. All thoughts, all sense perceptions, are just so! Like a dream! Illusory! Yet no forms are denied. Form does not differ from emptiness, and emptiness does not differ from form, for form itself is emptiness and emptiness itself is form.
Path
Shariputra, all Dharmas are empty of characteristics. They are not produced, not destroyed, not defiled, not pure; and they neither increase nor diminish. Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, feeling, cognition, formation, or consciousness; no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no sights, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, or Dharmas; no field of the eyes up to and including no field of mind consciousness; and no ignorance or ending of ignorance, up to and including no old age and death or ending of old age and death. There is no suffering, no accumulating, no extinction, and no Way, and no understanding and no attaining.
Realizing the emptiness of all phenomena, your path becomes a pathless path. If all things are illusory, there is no grasping, if there is no grasping, there is also no letting go, and no path, no extinction, etc. This is the pathless path of non-meditation and self-liberation. All that appears upon its inception is self-liberated through seeing with naked awareness.
It is important to understand that this pathless path of self-liberation is not a path of dissociation, as dissociation implies a subject and object duality: a self that could distant itself from the object, therefore causing a split and subtle dualistic attachment.
Because nothing is attained, the Bodhisattva through reliance on Prajna Paramita is unimpeded in his mind. Because there is no impediment, he is not afraid, and he leaves distorted dream-thinking far behind. Ultimately Nirvana! All Buddhas of the three periods of time attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi through reliance on Prajna Paramita. Therefore know that Prajna Paramita is a Great Spiritual Mantra, a Great Bright Mantra, a Supreme Mantra, an Unequalled Mantra. It can remove all suffering; it is genuine and not false. That is why the Mantra of Prajna Paramita was spoken. Recite it like this:
Gaté Gaté Paragaté Parasamgaté Bodhi Svaha!
This part is one of the most crucial parts of Heart Sutra. It talks about the practice of non-abiding. This non-abiding is to be practised in everyday life. Yet it must not be misunderstood that the View and Realization is less important, because without the View and Realization, you will not come to true non-abiding. Due to our attachment to false views, we cannot experience true liberation.
Because of no-attaining (nothing to be grasped), seeing that everything is like a dream, does the dream objects cause fear and attachment? No! Free from dream-thinking, life is lived fearlessly.
Every situation - No Fear! Every situation - No Impediment! No dream-thinking! The qualities of self-liberation: fearlessness, non-attachment, and non-duality. If you are able to abide in non-abiding at all situations, every moment, every situation becomes an aid to self-awareness, it becomes an aid in your path because you will become more and more capable of sustaining the state of contemplation and self-liberation. The bodhisattva does not seek liberation by escaping the world, but sees that samsara itself is nirvana when rightly seen.
Gone, gone, gone beyond to the other shore!