Below
text is a brief practice around one of the most profound sutras: the Heart Sutra.
'THE
GREAT MOTHER'
TAKING REFUGE AND GENERATING BODHICITTA
Until we achieve enlightenment,
I and all sentient beings,
Go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Trough the virtues I collect by giving and the other perfections,
May
I become a Buddha for the benefit of all. (3X)
PRELIMINARIES
NAMO -
Guru, Teacher, Blessed One and the Great Mother Prajnaparamita, surrounded by
your Sons, the Buddhas of the ten directions and all Bodhisattvas; I prostrate
to this assembly, make offerings and go for refuge, please empower me with your
blessings.
THE SUTRA OF THE HEART OF THE PERFECTION OF WISDOM
Arya-Bhagavati-prajnaparamita-hrdaya-sutram
(Homage to the holy Perfection of Wisdom!)
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 Sariputra said to the Superior Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva,
the Great Being; "How should a son of 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 Sariputra as follows;
"Sariputra, 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
emptiness; 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 compostional 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, upto no mind element, and
also upto no element of mental consciousness. There is no ignorance and no exhaustion
of ignorance, and so forth, upto no ageing and death and no exhaustion of ageing
and death. Likewise, there is no suffering, origin, cessation or path; no exalted
wisdom, no attainment and also no non-attainment.
Therefore, Shariputra, because
there is no attainment, all 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:
TAYATHA: OM GATE GATE PARAGATE
PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAAHAA
Sariputra, a Bodhisattva, a Great Being, should
train in the profound perfection of wisdom like this."
Then the Blessd
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 had said this, the venerable
Shariputra, the Superior Avalokiteshvara, the Great Being, that entire assembly
of disciples, as well as the worldly beings - gods, humans, demi-gods and spirits
-, were delighted and highly praised what had been spoken by the Blessed One.
RECITING THE MANTRA
TAYATHA OM GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI
SOHA
REQUESTS TO OVERCOME HINDRANCES
Great Mother, Prajnaparamita, and
all the Buddhas ans Bodhisattvas of the ten directions, through the power of your
blessings may these true words of mine be achieved. Just as before, when by contemplating
the profound meaning of the perfection of wisdom and reciting its words, Indra
overcame all the harm of maras, non-humans and so forth, in the same way, by my
contemplating the profound meaning of the perfection of wisdom and reciting its
words:
May all the harm of maras, non-humans and so forth be overcome.(clap)
May they become non-existent. (clap)
May they be pacified.(clap)
May
they be thoroughly pacified.(clap)
DEDICATION PRAYER
May all kinds
of interferences, diseases and possessing spirits be pacified,
May we be separated
from unfavourable conditions,
And may we achieve favourable conditions and
everything excellent.
Through this fortune may there now be happiness and
health.