The Heart Sutra
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008We are happy to present to you the Heart Sutra as it is presented in our prayer books.
The Heart Sutra
Thus I have 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 Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, while practicing the profound prajñaparamita, saw in this way: he saw the five skandhas to be empty of nature.
Then, through the power of the Buddha, venerable Sariputra said to noble Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, “How should a son or daughter of noble family train, who wishes to practice the profound prajñaparamita?”
Addressed in this way, noble Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, said to venerable Sariputra, “O Sariputra, a son or daughter of noble family who wishes to practice the profound prajñaparamita should see in this way: seeing the five skandhas to be empty of nature.
“Form is empty; emptiness is also form. Emptiness is no other than form; form is no other than emptiness.
“In the same way, feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness are empty.
“Thus, Sariputra, 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, Sariputra, 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 and 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 nonattainment.
“Therefore, Sariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no attainment, they abide by means of prajñaparamita. 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 prajñaparamita, fully awaken to unsurpassable, true, complete enlightenment.
“Therefore, the great mantra of prajñaparamita, the mantra of great insight, the unsurpassed mantra, the unequalled mantra, the mantra that calms all suffering should be known as truth, since there is no deception. The prajñaparamita mantra is said in this way:
“Tadya ta, ga-te ga-te, para ga-te,
para sang ga-te, bodhi so ha.
“Thus, Sariputra, the bodhisattva mahasattva should train in the profound prajñaparamita.”
Then the Blessed One arose from that samadhi and praised noble Avalokitesvara, 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 prajñaparamita just as you have taught and all the tathagatas will rejoice.”
When the Blessed One had said this, venerable Sariputra and noble Avalokitesvara, 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.
