As Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva went deep into prajña-paramita, he saw
in his illumination the emptiness of the five aggregates, [the realization of]
which delivers one from all suffering and tribulations.
“Sariputra, because form is empty, it does not have the appearance of
decay. Because sensory reception is empty, it does not have the appearance of
sensory experience. Because perception is empty, it does not have the appearance
of cognition. Because mental processing is empty, it does not have the appearance
of formation. Because consciousness is empty, it does not have the appearance
of awareness.
“Why? Sariputra, form is no different from emptiness; emptiness is no
different from form. Form is in effect emptiness; emptiness is in effect form.
The same is true for sensory reception, perception, mental processing, and consciousness.
Sariputra, dharmas, with empty appearances, have neither birth nor death, neither
impurity nor purity, neither increase nor decrease. Emptiness, the true reality,
is not of the past, present, or future.
“Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, nor sensory reception, perception,
mental processing, or consciousness; no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mental
faculty, nor sights, sounds, scents, flavors, tactile sensations, or mental
objects; no spheres, from eye sphere to mental consciousness sphere. There is
neither ignorance nor ending of ignorance, neither old age and death nor ending
of old age and death. There is no suffering, accumulation of afflictions, eradication
of afflictions, or the path. There is neither wisdom-knowledge nor attainment
because there is nothing to attain.
“Bodhisattvas, because they rely on prajña-paramita, have no hindrances
in their minds. Without hindrance, they have no fear. Staying far from inverted
dreaming and thinking, they will ultimately attain nirva?a. Buddhas of the past,
present, and future, because they rely on prajña-paramita, all attain
anuttara-samyak-sa?bodhi.
“Hence, we know that the Prajña-Paramita [Mantra] is the great
illumination mantra, the unsurpassed illumination mantra, the unequaled illumination
mantra, which can remove all suffering. It is true, not false. Hence the Prajña-Paramita
Mantra is pronounced. Then the mantra goes:
gate gate paragate para-sa?gate bodhi svaha”
—Sutra of the Great Illumination Mantra of Maha-Prajña-Paramita
Translated from the Chinese Canon.