The Holy Heart Sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom

(Arya Bhagavati Prajnaparamita Hrdaya Sutram)

I - (Homage to the Holy Perfection of Wisdom!)
Thus have I heard. At one time
The Lord was staying 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.

II - At that time also, the noble Lord Avalokiteshvara,
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 elder Sariputra said to the noble Lord
Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva,
"How should any son of good family train who wishes
to engage in the practice of the profound Perfection of Wisdom?"
And the noble Lord Avalokiteshvara,
the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva,
spoke to the elder 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.

III - "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form
Emptiness does not differ from form,
and form does not differ from emptiness.
Likewise, feelings, recognition, volitions
and consciousnesses are empty.

IV - "So, Sariputra, all dharmas are emptiness,
lacking differentiating marks;
they are not produced nor stopped,
not defiled and not immaculate,
not deficient and not complete.

V - "Therefore, Sariputra, in emptiness there is no form,
no feeling, no recognition, no volition, 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, etc., up to no mind-element,
and no mental-consciousness element;
no ignorance and no extinction of ignorance, etc.,
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 no
non-attainment.

VI - "Therefore, Sariputra,
because there is no attainment,
Bodhisattvas abide relying on the Perfection of Wisdom,
without obscuration of thought, and so are unafraid.
Transcending perverted views,
they attain the end, Nirvana.

VII - "All Buddhas existing in the three times,
relying on the Perfection of Wisdom,
fully awaken to the highest, perfect Enlightenment.

VIII - "Therefore, one should know that the mantra of the
Prajnaparamita is the mantra of great knowledge,
the highest mantra, the unequalled mantra,
the mantra which allays all suffering,
the Truth, since it has nothing wrong.
The mantra of the Prajnaparamita is proclaimed:

tayata om gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi soha

IX - "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 Avalokiteshvara,
the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva, saying
"Well done, well done, oh son of good family!
So it is, oh son of good family, so it is.
Just as you have taught, should the profound
Perfection of Wisdom be practiced and
all the Tathagatas will rejoice."

When the Lord had uttered this, the elder Sariputra,
the noble Lord Avalokiteshvara,
the Bodhisattva and Mahasattva, and
all the people present, including the devas,
human beings, asuras and gandharvas were delighted
and applauded the Lord's speech.

(This completes the Arya Bhagavati Prajnaparamita Hrdaya Sutram.)

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