The Heart Sutra (new translation)

The Heart of Perfect Wisdom Sutra, Dhr. Seven, Edward Conze (translators), Wisdom Quarterly

Amoghpasha Lokeshvara - Avalokiteśvara, traditional monasteries, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

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The HEART SUTRA (Dhr. Seven translation)

Sariputra, chief disciple, foremost in wisdom

Homage to the sublime, the noble perfection of wisdom!

Avalokitesvara, the noble being-bent-on-perfect-enlightenment, was moving in the deep course of transcendent wisdom that has gone beyond.

He looked down from on high and beheld nothing but these Five Aggregates clung to as self. And he saw that in and of themselves they were empty [impersonal, devoid of "self," without suchness or intrinsic identity].

Here, O [wise] Sariputra, form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form; emptiness does not differ from form, and form does not differ from emptiness. Whatever is form, that is emptiness, and whatever is emptiness, that is form. The same is true of [the other four aggregates:] feelings, perceptions, mental formations [such as volitions], and consciousness.

Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (Kwan Yin)

Here, O Sariputra, all phenomena (dharmas) bear this universal mark of emptiness [shunyata, anatta, "not-self"]. They are neither produced nor annihilated, neither defiled nor pure, neither deficient nor complete. [That is to say, there are no opposites, no duality.]

Therefore, O Sariputra, in emptiness there is no form, feeling, perception, formation, or consciousness. There is no [contact as a consequence of three things coming together that simply stated are called] eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind.

There are no [external] forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, or objects of mind [in that they are not real and permanent but illusory and transient].

There is no [sense-base consisting of] sight-organ element, and so forth...no mind-consciousness element. There is no ignorance, no cessation of ignorance, and so forth... There is no decay and death, no cessation of decay and death. There is no suffering, no origination, no cessation, no path. There is no knowing, no attaining, and no non-attaining.

Therefore, O Sariputra, it is because of his non-attainment-ness that a being-bent-on-perfect-enlightenment, through having relied on the perfection of wisdom [prajna-paramita], dwells without thought-conceptions [vitakka-vicara].

In the absence of thought-conceptions one does not tremble, having overcome what can upset, and in the end one abides in nirvana [the unconditioned element, the ultimate reality that is even beyond beyond].

The deva Avalokita became Kwan Yin.

All those who appear as perfectly-enlightened-beings in the past, present, and future fully awake to the utmost-enlightenment because they have relied on the perfection of wisdom [prajna-paramita].

Therefore, one should know the perfection of wisdom by this great mantra, the mantra of great wisdom, the utmost mantra, the unequalled mantra, the allayer of all suffering, in truth for how else could it be? By the perfection of wisdom is this mantra arrived at thus:

Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!

("Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond,

O what an awakening, so it is!")

• Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal: Heart Sutra
• Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom: Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya

OM MANI PADME HUM, the six syllable mantra of Avalokiteśvara

The HEART SUTRA (Edward Conze translation)

The Bodhisattva, "Buddha-to-be," Plaosan Bodhisattva, Java, Indonesia (Gunawan Kartapranata)

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Liao Dynasty Ekādaśamukha Avalokitesvara

Homage to the Perfection of Wisdom, the Lovely, the Holy!

Avalokita, the Holy Lord and Bodhisattva, was moving in the deep course of the Wisdom which has gone beyond. He looked down from on high, He beheld but five heaps, and he saw that in their own-being they were empty.

O, Sariputra, form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form; emptiness does not differ from form, form does not differ from emptiness; whatever is form, that is emptiness, whatever is emptiness, that is form, the same is true of feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness.

O, Sariputra, all dharmas are marked with emptiness; they are not produced or stopped, not defiled or immaculate, not deficient or complete.

Deva Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva: Kannon

Therefore, Sariputra, in emptiness there is no form, nor feeling, nor perception, nor impulse, nor consciousness; No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; No forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touchables or objects of mind; No sight-organ element, and so forth, until we come to: No mind-consciousness element; There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance, and so forth, until we come to: there is no decay and death, no extinction of decay and death. There is no suffering, no origination, no stopping, no path. There is no cognition, no attainment and non-attainment.

Therefore, Sariputra, it is because of his non-attainmentness that a Bodhisattva, through having relied on the Perfection of Wisdom, dwells without thought-coverings. In the absence of thought-coverings he has not been made to tremble, he has overcome what can upset, and in the end he attains to Nirvana.

All those who appear as Buddhas in the three periods of time fully awake to the utmost, right and perfect Enlightenment because they have relied on the Perfection of Wisdom.

Therefore one should know the prajnaparamita as the great spell, the spell of great knowledge, the utmost spell, the unequalled spell, allayer of all suffering, in truth -- for what could go wrong? By the prajnaparamita has this spell been delivered. It runs like this:

Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi swaha

("Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond, O what an awakening, all-hail!")