Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘The Heart Sutra, the most compact version of the Wisdom Sutras, begins by claiming that those who wish “to practice the profound perfection of wisdom should view things in this way:” The implication of this passage and many others like it is that there is a certain way to “view” the world that leads to wisdom. This view is not itself wisdom, because holding it as an intellectual position or belief does not necessarily make you wise. But, they claim, this is the point of view that will get you there.

What is that view?

The view in question is sunyata, the Mahayana principle of “emptiness” to which we have alluded at every stage in our reflections on the six perfections. Wisdom is the capacity to envision and work with the “emptiness” of all things. Therefore, the sutras maintain that the bodhisattvas’ “home is deep thought on the meaning of emptiness.” “Emptiness” is a universal predicate in this Buddhist tradition, a claim about all claims, a view about all views, a position with respect to all positions you might hold. The bodhisattva dwells on the concept of emptiness, hoping eventually to embody its meaning at a more profound level than the conceptual.’ (The Six Perfections)

It really does all boil down to this.