The Heart Sutra ( 心經 )

The Heart Sutra is a key text in Mahayana Buddhism that delves into the nature of reality and the importance of cultivating wisdom and compassion to overcome delusion and suffering. Its central theme is the concept of emptiness, which challenges the notion of inherent existence and points to the impermanence and interconnectedness of all things. The Heart Sutra emphasizes the importance of understanding emptiness as a means of achieving spiritual liberation and reaching the ultimate goal of enlightenment.

般若波羅蜜多心經

觀自在菩薩  行深般若波羅蜜多時  照見五蘊皆空  度一切苦厄    舍利子 色不異空 空不異色 色即是空 空即是色 受想行識 亦復如是 舍利子 是諸法空相 不生不滅 不垢不净 不增不減 是故空中無色 無受想行識 無眼耳鼻舌身意 無色聲香味觸法 無眼界 乃至無意識界 無無明 亦無無明盡 乃至無老死 亦無老死盡 無苦集滅道 無智亦無得 以無所得故 菩提薩埵 依般若波羅蜜多故 心無罣礙 無罣礙故 無有恐怖 遠離顛倒夢想 究竟涅槃 三世諸佛 依般若波羅蜜多故 得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提 故知般若波羅蜜多 是大神咒 是大明咒 是無上咒 是無等等咒 能除一切苦 真實不虛 故說般若波羅蜜多咒 即說咒曰

揭諦揭諦　波羅揭諦　波羅僧揭諦　菩提薩婆訶

For the pronounciation (hanyu pinyin), please click on this link here.

The Heart Sutra (english version)

Translated by Red Pine (Bill Porter)

The noble Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, while practising the deep practice of Prajnaparamita looked upon the Five Skandhas and seeing they were empty of self-existence, said "Here, Shariputra, form is emptiness, emptiness is form; emptiness is not separate from form, form is not separate from emptiness; whatever is emptiness is form. The same holds for sensation and perception, memory and consciousness.

Here, Shariputra, all dharma are defined by emptiness, not birth or destruction, purity or defilement, completeness of deficency. Therefore Shariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no memory, and no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body and no mind; no shape, no sound, no smell, no taste, no feeling and no thought; no element of perception, from eye to conceptual consciousness; no casual link, from ignorance to old age and death, and no end of casual link, from ignorance to old age and death; no suffering, no source, no relief, no path; no knowledge, no attainment and no non-attainment.

Therefore, Shariputra, without attainment, bodhisattvas take refuge in Prajnaparamita, and live without walls of the mind. Without walls of the mind and thus without fears, they see through delusions and finally nirvana. All buddhas past, present and future also take refuge in Prajnaparamita and realize unexcelled, perfect enlightenment. You should therefore know the great mantra of Prajnaparamita, the mantra of great magic, the unexcelled mantra, the mantra equal to the unequalled, which heals all suffering and is true, not false, the mantra in Prajnaparamita spoken thus:

'Gate gate, paragate, parasangate, bodhi svaha'