First Storey

On the rear wall of the Universal Wisdom Hall, behind the Cintamanicakra Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva image, are three beautiful panels of hand embroidery. The central panel shows the Heart Sutra (Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya) in Sanskrit characters, whilst the 2 side panels display lotuses swaying in the wind.

The central panel behind Cintamanichakra Avalokiteshvara is a rendition of the Heart Sutra in Sanskrit using Siddhaṃ script characters. The text is spelt out in dark purple characters comprising of twenty-five vertical columns with a preface and colophon.

The Sanskrit language is significant in Buddhism because it is one of the earliest languages in which Buddha's teachings were first transcribed into its written form. Its rendition here urges us to remember the immense kindness of the early Buddhist scholars in their efforts to preserve the Dharma in writing so that future generations might benefit. Indirectly it compels us to practise the meaning of the Heart Sutra so that their endeavour will not be in vain.

The colophon (above), also written in vertical Traditional Chinese Li Shu characters, dates the embroidery to an auspicious time and day in the year 2550 of the Buddhist Era (2007 CE). The Chinese text is as follows:

The Heart Sūtra is a member of the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajñāpāramitā) group of Mahāyāna Buddhist literature, and along with the Diamond Sūtra, is perhaps the most prominent representative of the genre.

The Perfection of Wisdom sutras expound the Buddha's view of the Mahayana paths and contain explicitly or implicitly instructions for the entire Bodhisattva's path to enlightenment. In the Tibetan canon, there are three main Prajñāpāramitā texts: the longest with 100,000 stanzas, the middling with 25,000 stanzas and the short with only 8000 stanzas. Others such as the Diamond Sutra are also considered to belong to the same group.

The Heart Sutra is so named because it contains all the essential meanings of the longer Perfection of Wisdom sutras.

The most common version of the Heart Sūtra which was translated by Xuanzang (c. 602–664) into Chinese is made up of 14 shlokas in Sanskrit (a shloka is composed of 32 syllables). In Chinese, it has 260 Chinese characters, while in English it is composed of sixteen sentences. This makes it one of the shortest of the Perfection of Wisdom texts, which exist in various lengths up to 100,000 shlokas.

There is a longer version of the Heart Sutra in twenty-five lines found in extant Sanskrit and Tibetan texts, and the Chinese Buddhist canon. The Tibetan canon uses this longer version exclusively wherein a prologue was given pertaining to the time and place where the sutra was expounded and the role of the Buddha in inspiring Shariputra and Avalokiteshvara, and an epilogue stating His purported approval of the answers given by Avalokiteshvara.

The sutra was expounded in Rājagṛha (in present-day Nalanda district in Bihar) at a mountain called Vulture's Peak to a large audience of monks and Bodhisattvas. At that time, Buddha Shakyamuni was absorbed in the concentration called 'Profound Illumination'. At that time also, the Superior Avalokiteshvara was looking perfectly at the profound Perfection of Wisdom and the emptiness of the five aggregates. Through the power of Buddha's blessings, Shariputra was inspired to ask Avalokiteshvara how should a person of the Mahayana lineage (i.e., someone who was motivated to follow the Bodhisattva path) train in the Perfection of Wisdom. Avalokiteshvara then proceeded to give His famed answers (consisting primarily of negations) and a mantra. In the end, Buddha arose from His samadhi and gave His approval to the answers.

Avalokiteshvara’s profound answers can be sub-divided into the following sections in sequence:

1. The Four Profundities ("Form is empty … Likewise, feelings, discrimination, compositional factors and consciousness are empty.")
2. The Eight Profundities ("Therefore Shariputra, all phenomena are merely empty, having no characteristics … they have no increase and no decrease.")
3. Emptinesses of all phenomena (through stating their negations): the five aggregates, the twelve sources, the eighteen elements, the twelve dependent-related links, the four Noble Truths, Ominiscient Wisdom and, attainment and non-attainment ("Therefore Shariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, … no attainment and also no non-attainment.")
4. Proclamation that Bodhisattvas rely solely on the Perfection of Wisdom to attain Buddhahood ("Therefore Shariputra, because there is no attainment … in the state of unsurpassed, perfect, and complete enlightenment.")
5. The Mantra ("Therefore the mantra of the perfection of wisdom … TAYATHA OM GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SÖHA")

Indian commentators such as Kamalasila (fl. 713–763 CE), Atisha (980–1054 CE), and Mahajana (or Srimahajana; late 11^th or early 12^th Centuries), and other Tibetan scholars have explained Avalokiteshvara's answers as succinct instructional advice given to practitioners in accordance with the five Mahayana paths of accumulation, preparation, seeing, meditation and no-more-learning. Specifically, the Bodhisattva is recommended to meditate on emptiness using negations as specified on the different paths according to their level of accomplishment. Each instruction is also the prescribed method for progression towards the next higher level.

The mantra given towards the end, retained in its original Sanskrit form, is intended for those of sharper mental faculties who can understand the entire content of Avalokiteshvara’s answers merely by reciting it. The first two 'GATE' refers to the first two paths of accumulation and preparation. 'PARAGATE' and 'PARASAMGATE' refers to the paths of seeing and meditation respectively. 'BODHI' refers to path of no-more-learning or Buddhahood. 'SÖHA' means 'build the foundation' and is an advice for the Bodhisattva to progress along the five paths one at a time. If one is not a Bodhisttava yet, the advice is for him or her to build the foundation of the Mahayana teachings and enter into the first path, the path of accumulation.

The two panels have a balanced composition which adds to the overall beauty of the Universal Wisdom Hall without overpowering the central Avalokiteshvara statue. The rendition of each verdant detail is tight and precise. Each herbaceous shape is faithfully illustrated with strong command of botany: the petals of the lotus flowers and buds are bright white with reddish pink tips, and their seed pods are brown with dots and strips of gold representing stigmas and stamens. The foliage in turn sports dazzling hues such as emerald, jade and viridian greens.

All the elements together create a peaceful and calm atmosphere for one to reflect and pray for the power of compassion.

Nelumbo nucifera (Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus, Bean of India, or simply Lotus), is a plant in the monotypic family Nelumbonaceae. This plant is an aquatic perennial. Under favourable circumstances its seeds may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded lotus germination being from that of seeds 1,300 years old recovered from a dry lakebed in north-eastern China.

Most deities of Asian religions are depicted as seated on a lotus flower. In Buddhist symbolism, the lotus represents purity of the body, speech, and mind as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. In Buddhism, when Gautama Buddha was born, lotus flowers bloomed where he stepped.

The lotus is a potent symbol of our path to full enlightenment: just like the muddy waters that the lotus plant grows in, our minds are currently quagmired in the mental poisons of desirous attachment, anger and self-grasping ignorance, and their imprints. Through following paths that Buddha Himself traversed and subsequently explained, we can 'emerge' from the cesspool of our delusions and attain complete purity, symbolised by the untainted beauty of the lotus flower.

Ashtamangala or Zhaxi Daggyai (Tibetan: བཀྲ་ཤིས་རྟགས་བརྒྱད།, Wylie: bkra-shis rtags-brgyad, ZYPY: Zhaxi Dag'gyä; Chinese: 吉祥八宝, 扎西达杰) are a sacred suite of Eight Auspicious Signs. In Buddhism, these eight symbols of good fortune represent the offerings made by the gods to Shakyamuni Buddha immediately after He gained Enlightenment. The lotus flower (Sanskrit: Padma; Tibetan: པད་མེ, Wylie: pad me), representing "primordial purity" (Tibetan: ཀ་དག, Wylie: ka dag) of body, speech, and mind, floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire; represents the full blossoming of wholesome deeds in blissful liberation.

The Lotus Sūtra (Sanskrit: Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra) is one of the most popular and influential Mahāyāna sūtras, and the basis on which the Tiantai and Nichiren schools of Buddhism were established.

We visited numerous embroidery companies in Beijing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Fuzhou, over several trips, to seek out the best embroiders and evaluate their workmanship. None could provide the standard required.

The original design of the embroidery pieces was:

The completed pieces were shipped to Singapore and mounted on the wall.