Heart Sutra
Prajna Paramita Hrdaya Sutra
Japanese tea ceremony
Shariputra, in that way all phenomena are empty – without characteristics, not produced, not ceasing, not defiled, not separated from defilements, not decreasing, not increasing. Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness there are no forms, no feeling, no discriminations, no compositional factors, no consciousness, no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no forms, no sound, no odors, no tastes, no tangible objects, no [other] phenomena. In emptiness, there is no eye constituent through to no mental constituent and through to no mental consciousness constituent. In emptiness there is no ignorance and no extinguishment of ignorance through to no extinguishment of aging and death. Similarly, in emptiness there are no sufferings, sources, cessations, and paths, no exalted wisdom, no attainment, and also no non attainment.
Therefore, Shariputra, since Bodhisattvas, the great being, have no attainment, they rely on and reside in this profound perfection of wisdom. Their minds are without obstruction and without fear, having thoroughly passed beyond error, they go to the finality of nirvana. Even all the Buddhas in the past, present, and future become manifestly and completely awakened into unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment in reliance on this profound perfection of wisdom.
Therefore, the mantra of the perfection of wisdom is the mantra of great knowledge, the unsurpassed mantra, the mantra equal to the unequalled, the mantra thoroughly pacifying all suffering. It should be known that since it is not false, it is true. To state the mantra of the perfection of wisdom:
Heart Sutra
Teachings
of
Buddha
TAYATA GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA
[it is thus: Proceed, proceed, proceed beyond, thoroughly proceed beyond, be founded in enlightenment]
In that way, Shariputra, Bodhisattva great being should train in the profound perfection of wisdom.
Then, the Supramundane Victor rose from that concentrated meditation and said to the Bodhisattva great being, the Superior Avalokiteshvara:
Good, good, good. Child of good lineage, it is so. It is so. In just the way that you have indicated, the profound perfection of wisdom should be practiced. Even the Ones Gone Thus [Tathagatha, Sanskrit] admire this.
The Supramundane Victor having pronounced this, the venerable Shariputra, the Bodhisattva great being Avalokiteshvara, all those in the surrounding retinue, and the worldly beings – including gods, humans, demigods, and aroma-eaters – admired this and praised what the Supramundane victor said.
[This Buddha teachings, the Heart Sutra, on the doctrine of emptiness were excerpted from “How to Practice – The Way to a Meaningful Life” by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, translated by Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D]
