Heart Sutra

The Heart of Transcendent Wisdom Sutra:
Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra

Thus have I heard. Once the Blessed One was dwelling in Rajagriha at Vulture
Peak mountain, together with a great gathering of the sangha of monks and a
great gathering of the sangha of bodhisattvas. At that time the Blessed One entered the samadhi that expresses the dharma called "profound illumination,"
and at the same time noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, while
practicing the profound prajnaparamita, saw in this way: he saw the five
skandhas to be empty of nature.


Then, through the power of the Buddha, venerable Shariputra said to noble
Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, "How should a son or daughter of
noble family train, who wishes to practice the profound prajnaparamita?"


Addressed in this way, noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, said
to venerable Shariputra, "O Shariputra, a son or daughter of noble family who
wishes to practice the profound prajnaparamita should see in this way: seeing
the five skandhas to be empty of nature. Form is emptiness; emptiness also is
form. Emptiness is no other than form; form is no other than emptiness. In the
same way, feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness are emptiness. Thus,
Shariputra, all dharmas are emptiness. There are no characteristics. There is
no birth and no cessation. There is no impurity and no purity. There is no
decrease and no increase. Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness, there is no form,
no feeling, no perception, no formation, no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no
nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no appearance, no sound, no smell, no taste,
no touch, no dharmas, no eye dhatu up to no mind dhatu, no dhatu of dharmas, no
mind consciousness dhatu; no ignorance, no end of ignorance up to no old age
and death, no end of old age and death; no suffering, no origin of suffering, no
cessation of suffering, no path, no wisdom, no attainment, and no
non-attainment. Therefore, Shariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no
attainment, they abide by means of prajnaparamita.


Since there is no obscuration of mind, there is no fear. They transcend falsity
and attain complete nirvana. All the buddhas of the three times, by means of
prajnaparamita, fully awaken to unsurpassable, true, complete enlightenment.
Therefore, the great mantra of prajnaparamita, the mantra of great insight, the
unsurpassed mantra, the unequaled mantra, the mantra that calms all suffering,

should be known as truth, since there is no deception. The prajnaparamita
mantra is said in this way:


OM GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA


Thus, Shariputra, the bodhisattva mahasattva should train in the profound
prajnaparamita.


Then the Blessed One arose from that samadhi and praised noble Avalokiteshvara,
the bodhisattva mahasattva, saying, "Good, good, O son of noble family; thus it
is, O son of noble family, thus it is. One should practice the profound
prajnaparamita just as you have taught and all the tathagatas will rejoice."


When the Blessed One had said this, venerable Shariputra and noble
Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, that whole assembly and the world
with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised the words of
the Blessed One.