The Heart Sutra: Prajnaparamita-Hridaya-Sutra
Commentary and translation of Text by Harischandra Kaviratna
This scripture has always been held in the greatest veneration in Mahayana countries.
In China and Japan there are at least twenty-eight different recensions of this
sacred bible of the Buddhist schools. ThePrajnaparamita-Sutra is regarded as
the holy mother that feeds the bodhisattva with the amrita (nectar) ofprajna
(transcendental wisdom), and guides him to paramita (the other shore). It is
the "utmost great perfection" which gives full enlightenment to the
bodhisattva after he has successfully completed the other five paramitas: dana
(charity), sila (morality), ksanti (patience, forbearance), virya (energy),
and dhyana(concentration).
Linguists who had only an etymological mastery of Sanskrit without even a rudimentary
understanding of Buddhist thought have done much harm to the dissemination of
esoteric Buddhism in Europe and America. During the last decade of the nineteenth
century, Samuel Beal published the first English rendition of thePrajnaparamita
in his Catena of Buddhist Scriptures. Next appeared the English translation
by Max Muller in the Sacred Books of the East series, Vol. XLIX. In the eighteenth
century, although there already existed several Japanese renditions based on
Chinese texts, Hion Shon translated it into Japanese direct from the Sanskrit.
Tibetan Buddhists believe Boom or Bum (Prajnaparamita) to be the most infallible
text to arouse them from the illusion of samsara (round of births and deaths).
Various French and German translations are also in circulation, based on partial
Chinese versions or on fragmentary Sanskrit texts.
Prajnaparamita-Hridayam (hridaya means heart) -- the most condensed recension
of the Sutra -- was rendered into Chinese in the year 400 AD by the famous Indian
scholar and Buddhist missionary, the Venerable Kumarajiva, and even today is
used as a protective spell or charm by all Buddhists of Tibet, China, and Japan,
monks and laymen alike. It was translated into English by D. T. Suzuki of Japan
in 1934, by Edward Conze of England in 1958, and in America by Dwight Goddard
in 1969. My verbatim translation, which follows, is made directly from the original
Sanskrit.
The complete text of the Large Sutra of Prajnaparamita was ruthlessly destroyed
by Muslim incendiaries in the conflagration of the Buddhist University of Nalanda.
Millions of Buddhist and Hindu manuscripts were burnt in this great fire along
with the monks and artifacts. Because the original Prajnaparamita is reputed
to have consisted of a hundred thousand stanzas it was called Satasahasrika
Prajna-paramita. It is primarily intended for memorizing, and is believed to
protect the aspirant who knows it by heart.
The Heart Sutra: Prajnaparamita-Hridaya-Sutra
Om namo bhagavatyai arya-prajnaparamitayai!
Om! Salutation to the blessed and noble one! (who has reached the other shore
of the most excellent transcendental wisdom).
(In this invocation the perfection of transcendental wisdom is personified as
the compassionate mother of bodhi -- wisdom -- who bestows enlightenment upon
the bodhisattvas who had vigilantly followed the course prescribed for the aspirant
to full enlightenment -- samyak sambodhi.)
Verse 1
arya-avalokitesvaro bodhisattvo gambhiram prajnaparamitacaryam caramano vyavalokayati
sma: panca-skandhas tams ca svabhavasunyan pasyati sma.
The noble bodhisattva, Avalokitesvara, being engaged in practicing the deep
transcendental wisdom-discipline, looked down from above upon the five skandhas
(aggregates), and saw that in their svabhava(self-being) they are devoid of
substance.
Verse 2
iha sariputra rupam sunyata sunyataiva rupam, rupan na prithak sunyata sunyataya
na prithag rupam, yad rupam sa sunyata ya sunyata tad rupam; evam eva vedana-samjna-samskara-vijnanam.
Here, O Sariputra, bodily-form is voidness; verily, voidness is bodily-form.
Apart from bodily-form there is no voidness; so apart from voidness there is
no bodily-form. That which is voidness is bodily-form; that which is bodily-form
is voidness. Likewise (the four aggregates) feeling, perception, mental imaging,
and consciousness (are devoid of substance).
Verse 3
iha sariputra sarva-dharmah sunyata-laksala, anutpanna aniruddha, amala avimala,
anuna aparipurnah.
Here, O Sariputra, all phenomena of existence are characterized by voidness:
neither born nor annihilated, neither blemished nor immaculate, neither deficient
nor overfilled.
Verse 4
tasmac chariputra sunyatayam na rupam na vedana na samjna na samskarah na vijnanam.
na caksuh-srotra-ghrana-jihva-kaya-manamsi. na rupa-sabda-gandha-rasa-sprastavya-dharmah.
na caksur-dhatur yavan na manovijnana-dhatuh. na-avidya na-avidya-ksayo yavan
na jaramaranam na jara-marana-ksayo. na duhkha-samudaya-nirodha-marga. na jnanam,
na praptir na-apraptih.
Therefore, O Sariputra, in voidness there is no bodily-form, no feeling, no
mental imaging, no consciousness; no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind;
no sense objects of bodily-form, sound, smell, taste, or touchable states; no
visual element, and so forth, until one comes to no mind-cognition element.
There is no ignorance, nor extinction of ignorance, until we come to: no aging
and death, nor extinction of aging and death. There is no suffering, no origination,
no cessation, no path; there is no higher knowledge, no attainment (of nirvana),
no nonattainment.
Verse 5
tasmac chariputra apraptitvad bodhisattvasya prajnaparamitam asritya vibaraty
acittavaranah. cittavarana-nastitvad atrasto viparyasa-ati-kranto nistha-nirvana-praptah.
Therefore, O Sariputra, by reason of his nonattainment (of nirvana), the bodhisattva,
having resorted toprajnaparamita (transcendental wisdom), dwells serenely with
perfect mental freedom. By his non-possession of mental impediments (the bodhisattva)
without fear, having surpassed all perversions, attains the unattainable (bliss
of) nirvana.
Verse 6
tryadhva-vyavasthitah sarva-buddhah prajnaparamitam asritya-anut-taram samyaksambodhim
abhisambuddhah.
All Buddhas, self-appointed to appear in the three periods of time (past, present,
and future), having resorted to the incomparable prajnaparamita, have become
fully awake to samyak sambodhi (absolute perfect enlightenment).
Verse 7
tasmaj jnatavyam: prajnaparamita maha-mantro mahavidya-mantro 'nuttara-mantro
samasama-mantrah, sarva-duhkha-prasamanah, satyam amithyatvat. prajnaparamitayam
ukto mantrah. tadyatha: gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha. iti prajnaparamita-hridayam
sa-maptam.
Therefore prajnaparamita should be recognized as the great mantra, the mantra
of great wisdom, the most sublime mantra, the incomparable mantra and the alleviator
of all suffering; it is truth by reason of its being nonfalsehood. This is the
mantra proclaimed in prajnaparamita. It is:
gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!
Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond (to the other shore)! O enlightenment!
Be it so! Hail!
This concludes Prajnaparamita-Hridaya-Sutra.
(From Sunrise magazine, December 1996/January 1997. Copyright © 1997 by
Theosophical University Press.)