The Heart Sutra, in Sanskirt Arya Bhagavati prajnaparamita hridaya sutra in Tibetan Sherab Nyingpo. The Heart Sutra is “the single most commonly recited, copied and studied scripture in East Asian Buddhism.
Table of Contents
The Heart Sutra Translation from Prayer and meditation manual of Tibet House
I prostrate to the Arya Triple Gem.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavan was dwelling on Mass of Vultures Mountain in Rajagriha together with a great community of monks and a great community of bodhisattvas. At that time, the Bhagavan was absorbed in the concentration on the categories of the phenomenon called ‘Profound Illumination’.
Also, at that time, the bodhisattva mahasattva Arya Avalokiteshvara looked upon the very practice of the profound illumination of wisdom and beheld those five aggregates also as empty of inherent nature.
Then, through the powers of Buddha, the venerable Shariputra said this to the bodhisattva mahasattva Arya Avalokiteshvara: “How should any child of the lineage train who wishes to practice the activity of the profound perfection of wisdom?”
He said that and the bodhisattva mahasattva Arya Avalokiteshvara said this to the venerable Sharadvatiputra: “Sharadvatiputra: “Shariputra any son of the lineage or daughter of the lineage who wishes to practise the activity of the profound perfection of wisdom should look it like this, correctly and repeatedly beholding those five aggregates also as empty of inherent nature.
Form is empty, (Pause for a while at this point to meditate on emptiness)
Emptiness is form.
Emptiness is not other than form.
Form is also not other than emptiness.
In the same way, feeling, discrimination, compositional factors, and consciousness are empty. Shariputra, likewise, all phenomena are emptiness, without characteristic, unproduced, unceased, stainless, not without stain, not deficient, not fulfilled. Shariputra, therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no discrimination, no compositional factors, no consciousness, no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no visual form, no sound, no odor, no taste, no object of touch and no phenomenon.
There is no eye element and so on up to and including no mind element and no mental consciousness element. There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance, and so on up to and including no aging and death and no extinction of aging and death. Similarly, there is no suffering, origination, cessation, and path, there is no exalted wisdom, no attainment, and also no non-attainment.
“Shariputra, therefore, because there is no attainment bodhisattvas rely on and dwell in the perfection of wisdom, the mind without obscuration, thus without fear. Having completely passed beyond error, they reach the end-point of nirvana. All the Buddhas who dwell in the three times also manifestly, completely awaken to unsurpassable, perfect, complete enlightenment in reliance on the perfection of wisdom.
Therefore, the mantra of the perfection of wisdom, the mantra of great knowledge, the unsurpassed mantra, the mantra equal to the unequaled, the mantra that thoroughly pacifies all suffering, should be known as truth since it is not false. The mantra of perfect wisdom is declared.
“Shariputra, the bodhisattva mahasattvva should train in the profound perfection of wisdom like that.”
Then the Bhagavan arose from the concentration and commended the bodhisattva mahasattva Arya Avalokiteshvara saying: “Well said, well said, son of the lineage, it is like that. It is like that, one should practise the profound perfection of wisdom just as you have indicated, even the Tathagatas rejoice.”
The Bhagavan having thus spoken, the venerable Sharadvatiputra, the bodhisattva mahasattva Arya Avalokiteshvara, those surrounding in their entirety along with the world of gods, humans, asuras, and Gandharvas were overjoyed and highly praised that spoken by the Bhagavan.
(This completes the Araya Bhagavati prajnaparamita hridaya sutra)
Byt the teaching of the three Supreme Jewels possessing the power of the truth.
May inner and outer hindrances be transformed,
May the be dispelled (clap hands once),
May they be non-existent (clap hands once),
May they be pacified (clap hands once).
May all negative forces opposed to Dharma be completely pacified,
May the host of eighty thousand obstacles be pacified,
May we be separated from adverse conditions to Dharma,
May all enjoyments be in accord with the Dharma,
May auspiciousness and perfect happiness pervade this place now,
The heart sutra teaching by His Holiness Dalai Lama
His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teaching on The Heart Sutra as part of a two-day Prayer Ceremony organized by the Taiwanese Tibetan Buddhist Prayer Committee online from his residence in Dharamsala, HP, India on May 1, 2021.
The heart sutra translation by Thich Nhat Hanh
Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, and founder of the Plum Village Tradition, historically recognized as the main inspiration for engaged Buddhism.
The insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore
Avalokiteshvara
While practicing deeply with
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore,
suddenly discovered that
all of the five Skandhas are equally empty,
and with this realization
he overcame all Ill-being.
“Listen Sariputra,
this Body itself is Emptiness
and Emptiness itself is this Body.
This Body is not other than Emptiness
and Emptiness is not other than this Body.
The same is true of Feelings,
Perceptions, Mental Formations,
and Consciousness.
“Listen Sariputra,
All phenomena bear the mark of Emptiness;
their true nature is the nature of
no Birth no Death,
no Being no Non-being,
no Defilement no Purity,
no Increasing no Decreasing.
“That is why in Emptiness,
Body, Feelings, Perceptions,
Mental Formations and Consciousness
are not separate self entities.
The Eighteen Realms of Phenomena
which are the six Sense Organs,
the six Sense Objects,
and the six Consciousnesses
are also not separate self entities.
The Twelve Links of Interdependent Arising
and their Extinction
are also not separate self entities.
Ill-being, the Causes of Ill-being,
the End of Ill-being, the Path,
insight and attainment,
are also not separate self entities.
Whoever can see this
no longer needs anything to attain.
Bodhisattvas who practice
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore
see no more obstacles in their mind,
and because there
are no more obstacles in their mind,
they can overcome all fear,
destroy all wrong perceptions
and realize Perfect Nirvana.
“All Buddhas in the past, present, and future by practicing
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore are all capable of attaining
Authentic and Perfect Enlightenment.
“Therefore Sariputra,
it should be known that
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore
is a Great Mantra,
the most illuminating mantra,
the highest mantra,
a mantra beyond compare,
the True Wisdom that has the power
to put an end to all kinds of suffering.
Therefore let us proclaim
a mantra to praise
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore:
Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!
Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!
Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!”
The heart sutra pdf
If you want to download The heart sutra pdf, you can download the English translation of The heart sutra by Thich Nhat Hanh.
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