The Heart
Sutra
---o0o---
Thus have I heard. Once the Blessed One
was dwelling in Rajagriha at Vulture Peak mountain, together with a great gathering of the
sangha of monks and a great gathering of the sangha of bodhisattvas. At that time the
Blessed One entered the samadhi that expresses the dharma called "profound
illumination," and at the same time noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva
mahasattva, while practicing the profound prajnaparamita, saw in this way: he saw the five
skandhas to be empty of nature.
Then, through the power of the Buddha,
venerable Shariputra said to noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, "How
should a son or daughter of noble family train, who wishes to practice the profound
prajnaparamita?"
Addressed in this way, noble
Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasttva, said to venerable Shariputra, "O
Shariputra, a son or daughter of noble family who wishes to practice the profound
prajnaparamita should see in this way: seeing the five skandhas to be empty of nature.
Form is emptiness; emptiness also is form. Emptiness is no other than form; form is no
other than emptiness. In the same way, feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness
are emptiness. Thus, Shariputra, all dharmas are emptiness. There are no characteristics.
There is no birth and no cessation. There is no impurity and no purity. There is no
decrease and no increase. Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness, there is no form, no
feeling, no perception, no formation, no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no
tongue, no body, no mind; no appearance, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no
dharmas, no eye dhatu up to no mind dhatu, no dhatu of dharmas, no mind consciousness
dhatu; no ignorance, no end of ignorance up to no old age and death, no end of old age and
death; no suffering, no origin of suffering, no cessation of suffering, no path, no
wisdom, no attainment, and no non-attainment. Therefore, Shariputra, since the
bodhisattvas have no attainment, they abide by means of prajnaparamita.
Since there is no obscuration of mind,
there is no fear. They transcend falsity and attain complete nirvana. All the buddhas of
the three times, by means of prajnaparamita, fully awaken to unsurpassable, true, complete
enlightenment. Therefore, the great mantra of prajnaparamita, the mantra of great insight,
the unsurpassed mantra, the unequaled mantra, the mantra that calms all suffering, should
be known as truth, since there is no deception. The prajnaparamita mantra is said in this
way:
OM GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI
SVAHA
Thus, Shariputra, the bodhisattva
mahasattva should train in the profound prajnaparamita.
Then the Blessed One arose from that
samadhi and praised noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, saying, "Good,
good, O son of noble family; thus it is, O son of noble family, thus it is. One should
practice the profound prajnaparamita just as you have taught and all the tathagatas will
rejoice."
When the Blessed One had said this,
venerable Shariputra and noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, that whole
assembly and the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised
the words of the Blessed One.
---o0o---
Update: 01-12-2001
