Teachings:       The Sixteen Precepts       The Six Perfections        Great Heart of Wisdom

                              Hsin Hsin Ming        Versions of the Heart Sutra

When the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
was coursing in the deep Prajnaparamita,
he perceived that all five skandhas are empty,
thereby transcending all sufferings.
Sariputra, form is not other than emptiness
and emptiness not other than form.
Form is precisely emptiness and emptiness precisely form.
So also are sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness.
Sariputra, this voidness of all dharmas
is not born, not destroyed,
not impure, not pure, does not increase or decrease.
In voidness there is no form,
and no sensation, perception, volition or consciousness;
no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind;
no sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, thought;
there is no realm of the eye
all the way up to no realm of mental cognition.
There is no ignorance and there is no ending of ignorance
through to no aging and death and no ending of aging and death.
There is no suffering, no cause of suffering,
no cessation of suffering, and no path.
There is no wisdom or any attainment.
With nothing to attain, Bodhisattvas relying on Prajnaparamita
have no obstructions in their minds.
Having no obstructions, there is no fear
and departing far from confusion and imaginings,
they reach Ultimate Nirvana.
All past, present and future Buddhas,
relying on Prajnaparamita, attain Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi.
Therefore, know that Prajnaparamita
is the great mantra of power,
the great mantra of wisdom, the supreme mantra,
the unequalled mantra,
which is able to remove all sufferings.
It is real and not false.
Therefore recite the mantra of Prajnaparamita:
Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha.

from Yacov

Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, while moving in the deep course of perfect understanding, clearly saw that all five skandhas are empty and, with this penetration, attained deliverance from all suffering.

“O Shariputra, form does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from form -- that which is form is emptiness, that which is emptiness is form. Feeling does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from feeling -- that which is feeling is emptiness, that which is emptiness is feeling. Perception does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from perception -- that which is perception is emptiness, that which is emptiness is perception. Mental formations do not differ from emptiness,emptiness does not differ from mental formations -- those which are mental formations are emptiness, those which are emptiness are mental formations. Consciousness does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from consciousness -- that which is consciousness is emptiness, that which is emptiness is consciousness.

Here, Shariputra, all dharmas are fundamentally empty, they do not arise or cease, are not tainted or pure, do not increase or decrease. Therefore, in emptiness there is: No form, no feeling, no perception, no mental formations, no consciousness. No eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind. No sight, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no idea or emotion. No eye consciousness, no ear consciousness, no nose consciousness, no tongue consciousness, no body consciousness, no mind consciousness. No ignorance and no end of ignorance, no mental formations and no end of mental formations, no consciousness and no end of consciousness, no mind and matter and no end of mind and matter, no six senses and no end of six senses, no contact and no end of contact, no feeling and no end of feeling, no craving and no end of craving, no clinging and no end of clinging, no becoming and no end of becoming, no birth and no end of birth, no aging & death and no end of aging & death; No suffering, no cause of suffering, no end of suffering, no path; No wisdom, no attainment, nothing to be attained. With nothing to attain, bodhisattvas, grounded in perfect understanding, have no obstacles in their minds. With no obstacles, there is no fear. Far from erroneous views -- the ultimate, nirvana.

The buddhas of the past, present and future, thanks to perfect understanding, attain supreme, full, genuine awakening. Therefore, know that perfect understanding is the wondrous mantra, the radiant mantra, the unsurpassed mantra, the supreme mantra. It is able to relieve all suffering and is truthful, without deceit. So, proclaim the prajna paramita, saying: ‘Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate! Bodhi! Svaha!’" [Gone, gone, gone to the other shore, gone completely beyond! Awakening! Ah!]

from Zen Mountain Monastery

Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, doing deep Prajna Paramita
Clearly saw emptiness of all the five conditions
Thus completely relieving misfortune and pain
Oh Shariputra, form is no other than emptiness
Emptiness no other than form
Form is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly form
sensation, conception, discrimination, awareness
Are likewise like this
Oh Shariputra, all dharmas are forms of emptiness
Not born, not destroyed, not stained, not pure
Without loss, without gain
So in emptiness there is no form
No sensation, conception, discrimination, awareness
No eye, ear, tongue, body, mind
No color, sound, smell, taste, touch, phenomena
No realm of sight, no realm of consciousness
No ignorance and no end to ignorance
No old age and death and no end to old age and death
No suffering, no cause of suffering
No extinguishing, no path
No wisdom and no gain
No gain and thus the Bodhisattva lives Prajna Paramita
With no hindrance in the mind
No hindrance therefore no fear
Far beyond deluded thoughts, this is Nirvana
All past, present, and future Buddhas live Prajna Paramita
And therefore attain anuttara-samyaksambodhi
Therefore know Prajna Paramita is the great mantra
The vivid mantra, the best mantra
The unsurpassable mantra
It completely clears all pain; this is the truth not a lie
So set forth the Prajna Paramita mantra
Set forth this mantra and say
Gate! Gate! Paragate!
Parasamgate! Bodhi Svaha!
Prajna Heart Sutra.