Form is emptiness. This is our wisdom. But when you say, “Emptiness is form,” it is an expression of our compassion. This is practical, living logic. It may seem like wisdom and compassion occur at different times, but wisdom is the process of returning to compassion. They happen at the same time, so this sutra is called the “Wisdom Sutra.”
“Form does not differ from emptiness…” is a paradox in an ontological, metaphysical way, but in an epistemological sense it is about the relativity of existence. For example, I can be a husband because my wife exists. Without a wife, to be a husband is an impossible thing, and without children I cannot be called a father. If I drop the idea of wife, the existence of a woman who is not separate from me, then I can say there is no husband. But that doesn’t say this man doesn’t exist.
“Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. That which is form is emptiness, that which is emptiness is form… the same is true of feelings, perceptions, impulses, consciousness…” The very analytical way of expression in this sutra lists “form” and emptiness, “feelings” and emptiness, “perceptions” and emptiness, “impulses” and emptiness, “consciousness” and emptiness. It is not enough just to understand “form and emptiness.” Also, “consciousness” does not differ from emptiness, and emptiness does not differ from “consciousness.” There are many dynamics that open. This form and emptiness, feelings and emptiness, perceptions and emptiness, impulses and emptiness, consciousness and emptiness, we have to work on each possibility.
For instance, anger doesn’t differ from emptiness, emptiness is anger. Anger, seen from emptiness, becomes wisdom. Same anger. Anger, as it is usually seen, is nothing. Or it can also be a way to express strong love. Our vow of not expressing anger is not to act in ways that cause anger of other people toward you. More deeply speaking, there is no such anger. It is a relative word, so when you express anger, anger drops from you. You are not anger, itself, so it drops from you and yet you feel the result of it. In another example, when we look at the character, “three,” if it is just “three,” no one can tell it is truly “three.” If is “minus three” or “plus three” that “minus” or “plus” is how you express “three.” Instead of saying “thank you” to whatever comes to you, when negative things happen you say, “damn it” instead of “thank you,” but the same “three” can be expressing “minus” or “plus.” If a difficult thing happens, very deep wisdom has to appear in you, and a very positive situation needs great effort, too. In a difficult situation there is pleasure if you perceive reality. This is how emptiness penetrates to everything.
Sometimes we see unfamiliar situations in society and feel anger, a very strong concern of what to do. Sometimes you can easily deal with them before you feel anger. Sometimes we have no power to solve a situation, but the situation is asking us to deal with it. Those are feelings of separation. Anger is anger. It expresses how you are and how everything surrounding you is. But a very secret point is that there is no such separation in emptiness.
We say that forms in the phenomenal world have no substance. In other words, I exist, but “I” don’t exist. Everything exists, but there is not such a particular “I.” This is a very important point in understanding what emptiness means. And yet, the most important thing is that only when form exists is emptiness realized. It means that without form there is no way to realize that emptiness exists. Without form, there wouldn’t be emptiness. It’s not like a vacuum, or mere voidness.
Your individual body, the continuing experience of being an individual, remains a very, very important thing. Your physical body and how you live is the only chance you’ve got to express the truth. Our zazen becomes a very important thing when we come to this understanding. The body is very important, but sometimes you can feel it is a slow, heavy thing to take care of. If I want to feel heavy, at any time I can feel like a heavy stone, expanding my sensitivity and becoming very heavy, like a rock. Even the air feels painful. Fortunately, I usually don’t feel the air is either light or heavy. We are living in just exactly the right world! I used to put a lot of importance on the mental and spiritual element in zazen, but more recently I feel that exactly the same weight of importance is in my live body. If there is perfect awakening, it is not just for mind, it is for body, too. At that time, the body cannot be something slow or dull. The whole body is one intuition. It’s a very fast thing. You cannot catch it, or grab it.
For this reason, practice contains all. The practice time contains realization in it. If, realizing, you forget that you’re practicing, you don’t feel that you’re striving. You feel this is a natural thing. As well as seeing and listening, which we call “mind,” through various organs, the body is a very intuitive existence. To put this body and mind in some physically stable place and keep this position maybe 20 minutes, 40 minutes, three hours, when you keep it still, then a marvelous thing happens, you realize that is a very important posture. When you are moving, you perceive things which your mind cannot contain, but when your body stops, then you know how you can begin to accept things as they wish to be with you. When we are moving with others, unless we move with exactly the same speed, it is very difficult to know each other. So completely you offer your mind and body for the time of zazen, and let you be like that, and let things be as they go. What will happen is not promised!