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.
Lotsawa Bhikshu Rinchen De translated this
text into Tibetan with the Indian pandita Vimalamitra. It was edited by
the great editor-lotsawas Gelong Namkha and others. This Tibetan text was
copied from the fresco in Gegye Chemaling at the glorious Samye vihara. It
has been translated into English by the Nalanda Translation Committee,
with reference to several Sanskrit editions. Heart Sutra Home
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