般若波羅蜜多心經

THUS HAVE I HEARD:

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling on Vulture Peak near the great city of Rajagriha, together with a great assembly of bhiksus and great bodhisattvas.

At that time, the Blessed One entered the Profound Illumination Samadhi, an exceedingly wondrous Dharma gate.

Also at that time, while Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara was practicing the profound prajnaparamita, he contemplated and clearly saw that the essential nature of all five skandhas is empty.

Then the Venerable Shariputra, relying upon the Buddha's spiritual power, addressed the noble Great Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, saying:

"Noble One! If a good man wishes to practice the profound prajnaparamita, how should he train?"

After he had spoken these words, Great Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara said to the Venerable Shariputra:

"If any good man or good woman wishes to practice the profound prajnaparamita, they should contemplate the essential nature of the five skandhas as entirely empty, in this way:

Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. Form is not different from emptiness; emptiness is not different from form. In the same way, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are also all empty.

Therefore, Shariputra, the nature of all dharmas is empty and without characteristics: neither arising nor ceasing, neither pure nor defiled, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Shariputra! Therefore, within emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no perception, no formations, and no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, and no mind; no form, no sound, no fragrance, no taste, no touch, and no dharmas; no eye-consciousness, up to and including no mind-consciousness; no ignorance and also no ending of ignorance, up to and including no aging and death and also no ending of aging and death. There is no suffering, origin, cessation, or path; no wisdom, no attainment, and also no non-attainment.

Therefore, Shariputra! Because there is nothing to attain, the bodhisattva relies upon prajnaparamita, and the mind is without obstruction. Being without obstruction, there is no fear; transcending all delusion, the bodhisattva reaches ultimate nirvana.

All Buddhas of the three times also rely upon prajnaparamita and thereby attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

Shariputra! Therefore, know that prajnaparamita is the great secret mantra, the great illuminating mantra, the unsurpassed mantra, the unequalled mantra. It is the mantra capable of dispelling all suffering, true and not false.

Know that prajnaparamita is the secret mantra.

The mantra of prajnaparamita is proclaimed thus:

|| yết đế, yết đế, ba ra yết đế, ba ra tăng yết đế, bồ đề, tát bà ha. ||

|| gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā ||

Shariputra! A great bodhisattva should train in the profound prajnaparamita in this way."

Then the Blessed One arose from that samadhi and praised the noble Great Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, saying:

"Excellent, excellent, good man! It is so, it is so! It is exactly as you have said. They should train in prajnaparamita in this way, and all the Tathagatas will rejoice accordingly."

When the Blessed One had spoken these words, the Venerable Shariputra, the noble Great Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, and all the devas, humans, asuras, and gandharvas in the world, having heard the Buddha's teaching, were filled with great joy, faithfully accepted it, and reverently practiced it.

The Heart Sutra of Prajnaparamita