HEART SUTRA
Thus
have I heard at one time.
The Lord was dwelling at Rajagriha, on Vulture-peak
mountain,
together with a great host of monks and a great host of Bodhisattvas.
At that time the Lord was composed in the concentration on the
course of dharmas
called 'Profound Illumination.'
At that time also the noble Lord Avalokita,
the Bodhisattva and
Mahasattva, in the practice of the profound Perfection
of Wisdom,
looked down; he beheld but five skandhas and that in their own-being
they were empty.
Then, through the inspiration of the Buddha, the Venerable
Sariputra
said to the noble Lord Avalokita, the Bodhisattva and
Mahasattva: "How
should any child of good family train, who wishes to
engage in the practice
of the profound Perfection of Wisdom?"
And the noble Lord Avalokita,
the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva, spoke
to the venerable Sariputra as follows.
"Sariputra, any son or daughter of good family who wishes to engage
in
the practice of the profound Perfection of Wisdom should look upon
it thus:
he or she beholds but five skandhas and that in their own-being they are empty.
Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is form.
Emptiness does not differ from form,
and form does not differ from Emptiness.
Likewise feelings, recognitions,
volitions and consciousnesses are empty.
So, Sariputra, all dharmas are Emptyness,
without differentiating
marks; they are not produced or stopped, not defiled
and not immaculate,
not deficient and not complete.
Therefore, Sariputra,
in Emptyness there is no form, no feeling,
no recognition, no volitions, no
consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose,
no tongue, no body, no mind; no visible
form, no sound, no smell,
no taste, no tangible, no mental object; no eye-element,
and so forth, up
to no mind-element and no mental-consciousness-element; no
ignorance
and no extinction of ignorance, and so forth, up to no aging and
death
and no extinction of aging and death; likewise there is no Suffering,
Origin,
Cessation or Path, no wisdom-knowledge, no attainment and non-attainment.
Therefore Sariputra, because there is no attainment, Bodhisattvas
abide relying
on the Perfection of Wisdom, without obscurations of
thought, and so are unafraid.
Transcending perverted views, they attain the end, Nirvana.
All Buddhas existing
in the three times, relying on the Perfection
of Wisdom, fully awaken to the
highest, perfect Enlightenment.
Therefore one should know that the mantra
of the Perfection of
Wisdom is the mantra of great knowledge, the highest mantra,
the
unequalled mantra, the mantra that allays all suffering, the Truth,
since
it has nothing wrong.
The mantra of the Perfection of Wisdom is proclaimed:
TAD-YATHA; GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA!
In this way,
Sariputra, should a Bodhisattva and Mahasattva train
in the profound Perfection
of Wisdom."
Then the Lord rose from that concentration and commended
the noble
Lord Avalokita, the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva, saying: "Well
said,
well said, O son of good family!
So it is, O son of good family,
so it is.
Just as you have taught should the profound Perfection of Wisdom
be
practiced, and the Tathagatas will rejoice.
Thus spake the Lord.
The Venerable Sariputra, the noble Lord Avalokita, the Bodhisattva
and
Mahasattva, and the whole world, that assembly with devas, human
beings, asuras
and gandharvas, were delighted and applauded the Lord's
speech.