Heart (of Wisdom) Sutra

Dharmachari Seven


Materiality, "form," is empty, that is, utterly "devoid of self." (Photo: vox.com)

Gate, gate

Paragate

Parasamgate

Bodhi, svaha!*

All hail the perfection of wisdom!

Avalokiteśvara the bodhisattva was coursing through the wisdom that is gone and is going beyond. Looking down from on high, he beheld but Five Aggregates. And he perceived that in their own nature they were empty, without a being.

Herein, 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 (without self). Whatever is emptiness, that is form. The same is true of sensation, perception, will-formation, and consciousness.

O Sariptura, herein, all phenomena are marked by emptiness. They are neither produced nor stopped, neither defiled nor pure, neither wanting nor satisfying.

Therefore, O Sariputra, in emptiness there is no form, nor sensation, nor perception, nor will-formation, nor consciousness. There is no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body. There are no sights, sounds, fragrances, tastes, tangibles, nor mind-objects. There is no sight-organ element...no mind-consciousness element. There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance...no decay and death, no extinction of decay and death. There is neither suffering, nor origination, no stopping, nor path. There is no cognition, no attainment, and no non-attainment.

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O Sariputra, it is because of one's non-struggling that a bodhisattva, having relied on the perfection of wisdom, abides without discursive conceptualizations, in the absence of which one ceases to tremble, having overcome all that can upset, and so attains nirvana.

All those awakening as fully enlightened beings in the past, present, and future come to this ultimate knowledge, perfectly realized, having relied on the perfection of wisdom.

Therefore, the Perfection of Wisdom Mantra should be recognized as the great sacred sound, the mantra of great knowledge, the ultimate mantra, the unparalleled mantra, the allayer of all suffering. By the perfection of wisdom has this mantra been realized:

*Gone-and-going, gone and going

Gone-and-going beyond

Gone-and-going altogether beyond

O what an awakening, so be it!