Picture heart sutra

 for those who cant read kanji

Hanzi and Kanji

the-heart-sutra-a-comprehensive-guide-to-the-classic-of-mahayana-buddhism in many languages

https://www.fgsitc.org/chanting-texts/

the-heart-sutra-the-zen-universe in circle form.

romaji

theartofcalligraphy.com/heart-sutra-in-japanese 270 kanji

decoder from a book

Columns 1–4: The Introduction

These columns introduce Avalokiteshvara (Kannon) and the initial realization that the Five Skandhas (the components of a person) are empty.

Sound (JP)	Picture (Rebus)	Sanskrit	Kanji	Pinyin	Korean	Meaning
Kan	Metal Basin (Kan)	Avalokita	観	Guān	관	Observe
Ji	Temple (Ji)	-	自	Zì	자	Self
Zai	Mop/Monk	-iśvara	在	Zài	재	Present/Existing
Bo	Tray (Bon)	Bodhi-	菩	Pú	보	(Enlightenment)
Satsu	Scroll/Note	-sattva	薩	Sà	살	(Being)
Gyō	Cooking Pot	caryāṃ	行	Xíng	행	Practice
Jin	Water Well	gambhīrāṃ	深	Shēn	심	Deep
Han-nya	Hannya Mask	prajñā-	般若	Bō-rě	반야	Wisdom
Ha-ra	Leaf + Silk	pāramitā	波羅	Bō-luó	바라	(Perfection)
Mi-ta	3 Lines + Paddy	-	蜜多	mì-duō	밀다	(Perfection)
Ji	Temple	kāle	時	Shí	시	Time
Shō	Ginger/Bell	vyavalokayati	照	Zhào	조	Illumine/See
Ken	Sword (Ken)	-	見	Jiàn	견	Perceive
Go	Number 5	pañca	五	Wǔ	오	Five
On	Man on Back	skandhās	蘊	Yùn	온	Aggregates
Kai	Shellfish	-	皆	Jiē	개	All
Kū	Number 9	śūnyān	空	Kōng	공	Empty
Do	Gate/Door	-	度	Dù	도	Cross over
Is-sai	Chair + Rhino	sarva	一切	Yī-qiè	일체	All
Ku	Hoe (Kuwa)	duḥkha	苦	Kǔ	고	Suffering
Yaku	A Bow	-	厄	È	액	Adversity

Columns 5–7: Form and Emptiness

The Buddha addresses Shariputra and explains the identity of Form and Emptiness.

Sound (JP)	Picture (Rebus)	Sanskrit	Kanji	Pinyin	Korean	Meaning
Sha	Sieve/Ladle	Śāri-	舎	Shè	사	(Name)
Ri	Pear	-putra	利	Lì	리	(Name)
Shi	Deer	-	子	Zǐ	자	(Name)
Shiki	Stone	rūpaṃ	色	Sè	색	Form
Fu	Basket	na	不	Bù	불	Not
I	Boar	pṛthag	異	Yì	이	Different
Kū	Number 9	śūnyatā	空	Kōng	공	Emptiness
Soku	Firewood	eva	即	Jí	즉	Is Exactly
Ze	Human Back	-	是	Shì	시	This is
Ju	Number 10	vedanā	受	Shòu	수	Feeling
Sō	Mop/Brush	saṃjñā	想	Xiǎng	상	Thought
Gyō	Cooking Pot	saṃskāra	行	Xíng	행	Formations
Shiki	Stone	vijñāna	識	Shí	식	Consciousnes

Columns 8–10: The Nature of Reality

Describing that all things are without birth, death, or stain.

Sound (JP)	Picture (Rebus)	Sanskrit	Kanji	Pinyin	Korean	Meaning
Sho	Ginger	sarva	諸	Zhū	제	All
Hō	Cheek	dharmāḥ	法	Fǎ	법	Dharmas/Laws
Kū	Number 9	śūnyatā	空	Kōng	공	Empty
Sō	Mop/Brush	lakṣaṇā	相	Xiàng	상	Marks/Signs
Fu	Basket	na	不	Bù	불	Not
Shō	Ginger/Bell	-jātā	生	Shēng	생	Born
Metsu	Eye + Pipe	-niruddhā	滅	Miè	멸	Extinguished
Ku	Hoe	amalā	垢	Gòu	구	Tainted
Jō	Measuring Cup	vimalā	浄	Jìng	정	Pure
Zō	Elephant	na	増	Zēng	증	Increase
Gen	Fish	-vṛddhi	減	Jiǎn	감	Decrease

Columns 11–13: Negating the Senses

The "Mu" (Six-sided Die) section begins, stripping away the senses and objects of perception.

Sound (JP)	Picture (Rebus)	Sanskrit	Kanji	Pinyin	Korean	Meaning
Mu	Die (Mu)	na	無	Wú	무	No
Gen	Eye	chakṣur	眼	Yǎn	안	Eye
Ni	Ear	śrotra	耳	Ěr	이	Ear
Bi	Nose	ghrāṇa	鼻	Bí	비	Nose
Ze	Tongue	jihvā	舌	Shé	설	Tongue
Shin	Body	kāya	身	Shēn	신	Body
I	Boar	manaḥ	意	Yì	의	Mind
Shiki	Stone	rūpa	色	Sè	색	Sight
Shō	Bell	śabda	声	Shēng	성	Sound
Kō	Incense	gandha	香	Xiāng	향	Smell
Mi	3 Lines	rasa	味	Wèi	미	Taste
Soku	Firewood	spraṣṭavya	触	Chù	촉	Touch
Hō	Cheek	dharma	法	Fǎ	법	Mental Object

Columns 14–18: No Ignorance to No Obstacles

Moving through the cycle of life and the cessation of suffering to the freedom of the Bodhisattva.

Sound (JP)	Picture (Rebus)	Sanskrit	Kanji	Pinyin	Korean	Meaning
Kai	Shellfish	dhātu	界	Jiè	계	Realm
Nai	Knife	yāvan	乃	Nǎi	내	Even
Shi	Deer	-	至	Zhì	지	Unto
Myō	Name Tag	vidyā	明	Míng	명	Ignorance/Light
Jin	Well	-kṣayo	尽	Jìn	진	Exhaustion
Rō	Candle	jarā	老	Lǎo	노	Old Age
Shi	Deer	maraṇa	死	Sǐ	사	Death
Ku	Hoe	duḥkha	苦	Kǔ	고	Suffering
Shū	Nest	samudaya	集	Jí	집	Origin
Dō	Gate	mārga	道	Dào	도	Path
Chi	Breasts	jñāna	智	Zhì	지	Wisdom
Toku	Mortar	prāpti	得	Dé	득	Attainment
Shin	Needle/Heart	citta	心	Xīn	심	Mind/Heart
Ke	Hair	-āvaraṇa	罣	Guà	괘	(Obstacle)
Ge	Roof Tile	-	礙	Ài	애	(Obstacle)

Column 19: Freedom from Fear

This section uses the Rabbit (a zodiac animal) to represent the concept of "having" or "existence."

Sound (JP)	Picture (Rebus)	Sanskrit	Chinese (Kanji)	Chinese (Pinyin)	Japanese (Hiragana)	Korean (Hangul)	Meaning
Mu	Six-sided Die	na	無	Wú	む	무	No
Ke	Hair (Ke)	-āvaraṇatvād	圭	Guī	け	규	(Part of Obstacle)
Ge	Roof Tile (Ge)	-	礙	Ài	げ	애	Obstacle
Ko	Child (Ko)	-	故	Gù	こ	고	Therefore
Mu	Six-sided Die	na	無	Wú	む	무	No
U	Rabbit (U)	-	有	Yǒu	う	유	Existence / Have
Ku	Number 9 (Ku)	-atrastvam	恐	Kǒng	く	공	Fear
Fu	Basket (Fu)	-	怖	Bù	ふ	포	Terror/Awe
On	Man on Back	vi-	遠	Yuǎn	おん	원	Distant / Leave
Ri	Pear (Ri)	-paryāsa	離	Lí	り	리	Depart from

Column 20: Overcoming Delusion

This column describes the clearing of the mind’s distortions.

Sound (JP)	Picture (Rebus)	Sanskrit	Chinese (Kanji)	Chinese (Pinyin)	Japanese (Hiragana)	Korean (Hangul)	Meaning
Is	Chair (Isu)	-	一	Yī	いっ	일	One / All
Sai	Rhino (Sai)	sarva-	切	Qiè	さい	절	All / Cut
Ten	Hand (Te)	-	顛	Diān	てん	전	Overturn
Dō	Gate (To/Dō)	viparyāsa	倒	Dǎo	どう	도	Upside-down
Mu	Six-sided Die	na	夢	Mèng	む	몽	Dream
Sō	Mop/Brush	-ati-	想	Xiǎng	そう	상	Thought/View
Ku	Number 9	-krānta	究	Jiū	く	구	Ultimate
Kyō	Mirror (Kyō)	-	竟	Jìng	きょう	경	Finally
Ne	Mouse (Ne)	nir-	涅	Niè	ね	열	(Nirvana)
Han	Stamp/Seal	-vāṇaḥ	槃	Pán	はん	반	(Nirvana)

Columns 21–23: The Buddhas and the Result

This section explains that all Buddhas of the past, present, and future attain enlightenment by relying on this Wisdom.

Sound (JP)	Picture (Rebus)	Chinese (Kanji)	Chinese (Pinyin)	Japanese (Hiragana)	Korean (Hangul)	Meaning
San	Number 3	三	Sān	さん	삼	Three
Ze	Back (Se)	世	Shì	ぜ	세	Worlds/Times
Sho	Ginger (Shō)	諸	Zhū	しょ	제	All
Butsu	Whisk/Brush	仏	Fó	ぶつ	불	Buddhas
E	Picture (E)	依	Yī	え	의	Relying on
Han-nya	Hannya Mask	般若	Bō-rě	はんにゃ	반야	Wisdom
Ha-ra...	Leaf/Silk/3/Paddy	波羅蜜多	Bō-luó-mì-duō	はらみた	바라밀다	(Paramita)
Ko	Child (Ko)	故	Gù	こ	고	Therefore
Toku	Mortar (Toku)	得	Dé	とく	득	Attained
A	Foot (Ashi/A)	阿	Ā	あ	아	(Unexcelled)
Noku	Saw (Noko)	耨	Nòu	のく	녹	(Unexcelled)
Ta	Rice Paddy	多	Duō	た	다	(Unexcelled)
Ra	Silk/Spiral	羅	Luó	ら	라	(Unexcelled)
San	Number 3	三	Sān	さん	삼	(Perfect)
Myaku	Pulse/Wrist	藐	Miǎo	みゃく	막	(Perfect)
San	Number 3	三	Sān	さん	삼	(Enlightenment)
Bo	Tray (Bon)	菩	Pú	ぼ	보	(Enlightenment)
Dai	Daikon Radish	提	Tí	だい	제	(Enlightenment)

Columns 24–25: The Great Mantra

Here, the sutra praises the Wisdom as a "Great Mantra" that is unsurpassed and true.

Sound (JP)	Picture (Rebus)	Chinese (Kanji)	Chinese (Pinyin)	Japanese (Hiragana)	Korean (Hangul)	Meaning
Ko	Child	故	Gù	こ	고	Therefore
Chi	Breasts (Chi)	知	Zhī	ち	지	Know that
Han-nya	Hannya Mask	般若	Bō-rě	はんにゃ	반야	Wisdom
Ha-ra...	Leaf/Silk/3/Paddy	波羅蜜多	Bō-luó-mì-duō	はらみた	바라밀다	(Paramita)
Ze	Back	是	Shì	ぜ	시	Is the
Dai	Daikon/Big	大	Dà	だい	대	Great
Jin	Well (Jin)	神	Shén	じん	신	Spiritual
Shu	Nest (Su/Shu)	呪	Zhòu	しゅ	주	Mantra
Ze	Back	是	Shì	ぜ	시	Is the
Dai	Daikon/Big	大	Dà	だい	대	Great
Myō	Name Tag	明	Míng	みょう	명	Bright
Shu	Nest	呪	Zhòu	しゅ	주	Mantra

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Columns 26–27: The Conclusion and the Chant

The sutra concludes by stating this truth is real and not false, then gives the final incantation (Mantra).

Sound (JP)	Picture (Rebus)	Chinese (Kanji)	Chinese (Pinyin)	Japanese (Hiragana)	Korean (Hangul)	Meaning
Ze	Back	是	Shì	ぜ	시	Is the
Mu	Die	無	Wú	む	무	Un-
Jō	Measuring Cup	上	Shàng	じょう	상	Surpassed
Shu	Nest	呪	Zhòu	しゅ	주	Mantra
Nō	Brain/Head	能	Néng	のう	능	Able to
Jo	Woman (Jo)	除	Chú	じょ	제	Remove
Is-sai	Chair + Rhino	一切	Yī-qiè	いっさい	일체	All
Ku	Hoe (Kuwa)	苦	Kǔ	く	고	Suffering
Shin	Needle/Heart	真	Zhēn	しん	진	True
Jitsu	Chestnut (Kuri/Jitsu)	実	Shí	じつ	실	Real
Fu	Basket	不	Bù	ふ	불	Not
Ko	Child	虚	Xū	こ	허	False

The Final Column: Gate Gate Pāragate

The sutra ends with the Sanskrit mantra written in Chinese characters (transliterated sounds).

• Gya-te (揭諦): Often shown as a Scallop (Ka-te or Gya-te).

• Ha-ra (波羅): The Leaf (Ha) and Silk (Ra).

• Sowaka (薩婆訶): Usually a Monk (practitioner) or a Broom (Sō-ji) for Sowa.

Sound (JP)	Picture (Rebus)	Sanskrit	Kanji	Pinyin	Meaning
Gya-te	Scallop/Shell	Gate	掲諦	Jiē-dì	Gone
Gya-te	Scallop/Shell	Gate	掲諦	Jiē-dì	Gone
Ha-ra	Leaf + Silk	Pāra-	波羅	Bō-luó	Gone beyond
Gya-te	Scallop/Shell	-gate	掲諦	Jiē-dì	Gone beyond
Hara-sō	Leaf + Silk + Monk	Pārasaṃ-	波羅僧	Bō-luó-sēng	Gone altogether beyond
Gya-te	Scallop/Shell	-gate	掲諦	Jiē-dì	(Part of mantra)
Bo-ji	Tray + Temple	Bodhi	菩提	Pú-tí	Enlightenment
Sowaka	Broom/Monk	Svāhā	薩婆訶	Sà-pó-hē	So be it!

Imagination

Igneous Petrology - the overflowing lava rushing down with the head of a snake. What is the right form of head for each animal? Are there visions while making these? 

Game

 poker course

poker for wall street

Mind map of learning Japanese

 mind-map-levels-1-5

Today I thought of using Harada template for grouping words to gether. eg

looking at this Shohei Ohtani high school Harada map

wesleycrobertson's jlpt-n4-kanji-book.pdf

Many words for the same concept

 I was wondering if we have many words for the same concept, so that our brain can prevent itself from tuning out, by listening to new words. Language kind of catering to brain limitations. It is like fixing hardware problems with software.

Google ad says stop hunting ... takes us back to the evolution instinct.

friend chatgpt to rescue ---

🧠 Why do languages have many words for the same concept?

There are a few major reasons:

1. Avoiding repetition keeps people engaged

Humans do tune out when they hear the exact same phrasing repeatedly. Varying words helps:

• keep attention

• maintain interest

• emphasize new shades of meaning

• prevent the mind from “glazing over”

This is well-studied in psychology and rhetoric.

Relevant theory: Habituation

If we encounter the same stimulus repeatedly, our response decreases.
Applying this to language: repeated wording becomes “background noise,” so variation keeps attention.

---

2. Synonyms aren’t truly identical — they carry different shades of meaning

Words accumulate:

• emotional tone

• politeness level

• cultural connotations

• levels of formality

• poetic effects

• context-specific nuance

Example: ask, question, interrogate, grill, inquire — all mean roughly “ask,” but they feel different.

Theory: Semantic differentiation

Even when words overlap in literal meaning, they drift into different niches of use.

---

3. Languages evolve through contact, borrowing, and history

English has synonyms because it absorbed vocabulary from:

• Old English (Germanic)

• Norman French

• Latin

• Greek

• Many other languages

So we end up with triple synonym sets like:

• kingly (Germanic)

• royal (French)

• regal (Latin)

This isn’t about attention — it’s about historical layering.

Theory: Lexical borrowing / etymological layering

---

4. Novel phrasing signals importance or emphasis

Writers and speakers often vary wording intentionally to highlight or reframe ideas.

Example:

“The economy is slowing… in fact, growth is stalling.”

Two words for the same concept, but the shift adds emphasis.

Theory: Rhetorical variation / stylistic variation

---

5. Our brains like novelty — and process repeated language less deeply

This is connected to your intuition.

• Repetition → lower neural response (habituation)

• New wording → slightly “surprising”, activates attention systems

• Variation → helps encode information in memory, since each phrasing creates a new association

Relevant theory:

The “novelty effect” in cognitive psychology.

---

📚 So what’s the name for the idea that “varying words keeps people from tuning out”?

There isn’t a single official label, but it sits at the intersection of:

• Habituation (psychology)

People respond less to repeated stimuli, including repeated words.

• Novelty effect (attention psychology)

New stimuli get more attention, including new phrasing.

• Rhetorical variation / lexical variation (linguistics & rhetoric)

Effective communication often involves purposeful word-change to keep listeners engaged.

• Synonymy and semantic drift (linguistics)

Languages naturally produce multiple words that overlap but differ in nuance.

If you want one simple phrase that describes the phenomenon:

👉 “linguistic novelty for attention”

or

👉 “avoidance of habituation in language use.”

Those are the clearest descriptions of the core idea.

---

If you'd like, I can also explain:

• why English has more synonyms than most languages

• how writers use lexical variation strategically

• or what brain imaging says about novelty and repeated words

Chapter 16

 The beasts in the Marukami's walls book - the word itself shows the generalization of them and not domesticated or treated as differenct species but clubbed together, and no shadow.

"We walked down hill for a time, and the clear-cut road peterd out, replaced by an indistinct, overgrown footpath" reminds me of a hiking starting point here. 

"Even on the slopes that rendered me breathless, you walked on casually, your steps calm and even, with your healthy young legs and heart, and it was all I could do to keep up" reminds me of a place that is a  steep mountain and a good cardio workout.

When do you know a language, when you read something in it and it takes you elsewhere like this? 

The narrator's curiosity about the city - is it only because of the connection to her? about its rules/town hall and who made the rules? not as a cartogrpaher wanting to know its boundaries/population.?

pg 83 - there was a time when there was no wall

I am able to go to the Japanese book and find the sentences I like.

That pool is the sea no? Questioning the earth as a city?

what happens if the beasts are not burnt? they have to deal with it, bcause the city dwellers cant go out of the city? question our origin stories like the town's with contradictions.

pg 88

Theme park - back from sea world.

We derive hope from nature, continuing on in the face of adversity. 

loneliness longing and love

yet to come across this line-- “The wall is there to protect you from the world. But who will protect you from the wall?”

Telugu poetry translation

 Hibiscus on the Lake

Oriental Mythology (The Masks of God, Volume 2)

 page 1 - "There is therefore, nothing to be gained either for the universe or for man, through individual originality and effort".

The push towards community reminds me of God's Debris.

Make a Myth

 Japan writers conference 2025

Charles Kowalski
How to Make a Myth

This made me look up how to make a myth. I am reading The city with its Uncertain walls by Murakami. Initially the dream reader's eyes are weakened (I do not know what happens in the future). My take on why?

As I leave the building in the winter dark in the evening, a giant construction with connected columns is in front of me. In the daylight, I only see cars but now with the empty space and the lighting, it looks like a new building.

The light shows what the lightkeeper wants you to see. The dream reader needs to look at dreams differently as they are cryptic, to understand them. The dream reader has no need of light in a place where shadow chases light. In such a place, a shadow is not needed. No entry to shadows and light.

kaalame chikati la kallalo chorabadina from c naryan reddy ghazal 22

కాలమే చీకటిలా కన్నల్లో చోరబడిన

when time enters yours eyes forcefully like darkness

sea dragons difficult to classify. At the SanDiego Zoo, the bus tour guide told us about a bird species that needed to be DNAed to finf the gender. Why does the city evase? Why does the city shape shift? A city's shape is its borders. The wall a fortifier. 

Zuijitsu

 Zuihitsu

Sea world

 Having been to sea world recently, I wodnred about any sea world in Japan Interesting to see the orca understand the play of sharing food when asked for

I heard a mom teaching a toddler, in Chinese the words 

Tiger 老虎 Lǎohǔ

Lion 狮子 Shīzǐ

at the zoo store.

That sounds like a great idea to learn like kids.