The Tree of Enlightenment

prominently in the Abhidharma, so he is a major figure in the
Perfection of Wisdom sutras.
Another important fact is that, although the dialogue
between Shariputra and Avalokiteshvara is said to take place
through the power of the Buddha, the Buddha is said at the
very outset to be seated all the time in deep absorption. It is only
at the end of the dialogue that the Buddha manifestly enters
the conversation to commend Avalokiteshvara on his exposition.
is is another indication of the inconceivable, extraordinary
power of the Buddha – a reflection of the Mahayana vision
of the transcendent nature of the Buddha that we considered in
our discussion of the Lotus Sutra in Chapter 15.
e Heart Sutra, like the other Perfection of Wisdom discourses,
sets out to accomplish one important task: to expound
and encourage the transformation of wisdom into the perfection
of wisdom. It sets out to complement analytical wisdom
(which belongs to wisdom per se) with relational wisdom (which
belongs to the perfection of wisdom). e analytical and relational
methods are used in the Abhidharma literature, in the
first and seventh books of the Abhidharma Pitaka, respectively.
We might illustrate the nature of these two methods by means of
an analogy: rough the analytical method, a chariot is seen not
to be a unitary and homogenous whole but, rather, to be composed
of individual parts. is comprehension of the composite
nature of the chariot is the result of analytical wisdom. rough
the relational method, however, even the individual parts of the
chariot are seen not to exist ultimately. In the light of the perfection
of wisdom, they are now seen to be dependent, conditioned,
relative.
171