Thus I have heard: at one time, the Blessed One
was dwelling in Rajagriha on Massed Vultures Mountain together in one method
with a great assembly of monks and a great assembly of Bodhisattvas. At that
time, the Blessed One was absorbed in the concentration of the countless aspects
of phenomena called Profound Illumination.
At that time also Superior Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva, the great being,
was looking perfectly at the practice of the profound perfection of wisdom,
perfectly looking at the emptiness of inherent existence of the five aggregates
also.
Then, through the power of Buddha, the Venerable Shariputra said to the Superior
Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva, the great being, "How should a son the
lineage train who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound perfection
of wisdom?"
Thus he spoke, and the Superior Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva, the great
being, replied to the Venerable Shariputra as follows:
"Shariputra, whatever son or daughter of the lineage wishes to engage in
the practice of the profound perfection of wisdom should look perfectly like
this: subsequently looking perfectly and correctly at the emptiness of inherent
existence of the five aggregates also".
"Form is empty; emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form; form
also is not other than emptiness. Likewise, feeling, discrimination, compositional
factors and consciousness are empty"
"Shariputra, like this all phenomena are merely empty, having no characteristics.
They are not produced and do not cease. They have no defilement and no separation
from defilement. They have no decrease and no increase".
"Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no discrimination,
no compositional factors, no consciousness. There is no eye, no ear, no nose,
no tongue, no body, no mind; no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no tactile
object, no phenomenon. There is no eye element and so forth up to no mind element
and also up to no element of mental consciousness. There is no ignorance and
no exhaustion of ignorance, and so forth up to no aging and death and no exhaustion
of aging and death. Likewise, there is no suffering, origin, cessation or path;
no exalted wisdom, no attainment and no non-attainment".
"Therefore Shariputra, because there is no attainment, Bodhisattvas rely
on and abide in the perfection of wisdom; their minds have no obstructions and
no fear. Passing utterly beyond perversity, they attain the final state beyond
sorrow. Also, all the Buddhas who perfectly reside in the three times, relying
upon the perfection of wisdom, become manifest and complete Buddhas in the state
of unsurpassed, perfect and complete enlightenment".
"Therefore, the mantra of the perfection of wisdom, the mantra of great
knowledge, the unsurpassed mantra, the equal-to-the-unequalled mantra, the mantra
that thoroughly pacifies all suffering, since it is not false, should be known
as the truth. The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is proclaimed:
TAYATA GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SOHA
(Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond, awakened, so be it!)
"Shariputra, a Bodhisattva, a great being, should train in the profound
perfection of wisdom like this".
Then the Blessed One arose from that concentration and said to the Superior
Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva, the great being, that he had spoken well.
"Good, good, O son of the lineage. It is like that. Since it is like that,
just as you have revealed, the profound perfection of wisdom should be practiced
in that way, and the Tathagatas will also rejoice".
When the Blessed One has said this, the Venerable Shariputra, the Superior Avalokiteshvara,
the Bodhisattva, the great being, and that entire assembly of disciples as well
as the worldly beings - gods, humans, demi-gods and spirits - were delighted
and highly praised what has been spoken by the Blessed One.
(The noble "Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra" is complete).
Acknowledgements: Ven. Thubten Chodron and the sponsors of Pearl of Wisdom, Buddhist Prayers and Practices, book-1.