Heart Sutra

Heart Sutra Sanskrit

Various Translations of the Heart Sutra.

Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, translator and essential contributor to Chinese Buddhism. He picked up the Large Perfection of Wisdom text in India and translated them into Chinese. He condensed the voluminous text into the abridged version of the Heart Sutra presented here.

Gegye Dhemaling at Samye vihara

This Tibetan text was copied from the fresco in Gegye Dhemaling at Samye vihara. Samye is the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery built in Tibet. Construction began around 763. Samye was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution then rebuilt after 1988. The plan was supposedly modelled on the design of Odantapuri in what is now Bihar, India.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Here is a new Eglish translation by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, a well known Vietnamese monk, author and spiritual teacher. He translated from a Vietnamese version. Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that his translation is in some ways clearer than other translations.

Heart Sutra 4

Not sure where this translation comes from. 

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Universal Buddhism

Heart Sutra

Translated by Trepiṭaka Dharma Master Xuanzang in 649 CE.

When Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound Prajñāpāramitā, he illuminated the Five Skandhas and saw that they were all empty, and crossed over all suffering and affliction.
“Śāriputra, form is not different from emptiness, and emptiness is not different from form.
Form itself is emptiness, and emptiness itself is form.
Sensation, conception, synthesis, and discrimination are also such as this.
Śāriputra, all dharmas are empty: they are neither created nor destroyed, neither defiled nor pure, and they neither increase nor diminish.
This is because in emptiness there is no form, sensation, conception, synthesis, or discrimination.
There are no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or thoughts.
There are no forms, sounds, scents, tastes, sensations, or dharmas.
There is no field of vision and there is no realm of thoughts.
There is no ignorance nor elimination of ignorance, even up to and including no old age and death, nor elimination of old age and death.
There is no suffering, its accumulation, its elimination, or a path.
There is no understanding and no attaining.
Because there is no attainment, bodhisattvas rely on Prajñāpāramitā, and their minds have no obstructions. Since there are no obstructions, they have no fears.
Because they are detached from backwards dream-thinking, their final result is Nirvāṇa.
Because all buddhas of the past, present, and future rely on Prajñāpāramitā, they attain Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi.
Therefore, know that Prajñāpāramitā is a great spiritual mantra, a great brilliant mantra, an unsurpassed mantra, and an unequalled mantra.
The Prajñāpāramitā Mantra is spoken because it can truly remove all afflictions.
The mantra is spoken thusly:
gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā

The Sutra of the Heart of Transcendent Knowledge

Translated by the Nalanda Translation Committee. Presented as chant.

Thus have I heard Once the Blessed One was dwelling in Rajagriha at Vulture Peak Mountain together with the gathering of the sangha of monks and a great gathering of the sangha of bodhisattvas at that time the Blessed One entered the samadhi that expressed the dharma called profound illumination and at the same time noble Avalokiteshvara the bodhisattva mahasattva while practicing the profound prajnaparamita saw in this way he saw the five skandhas to be empty of nature then through the power of the Buddha venerable Shariputra said to noble Avalokiteshvara the bodhisattva mahasattva how should a son or daughter of noble family train who wishes to practice the profound prajnaparamita addressed in this way the noble Avalokiteshvara the bodhisattva mahasattva said to venerable Shariputra o Shariputra a son or daughter of noble family who wishes to practice the profound prajnaparamita should see in this way seeing the five skandhas to be empty of nature form is emptiness emptiness is form emptiness is no other than form form is no other than emptiness in the same way feeling perception formation and consciousness are emptiness thus Shariputra all dharmas are emptiness there are no characteristics there is no birth and no cessation there is no impurity and no purity there is no decrease and no increase therefore Shariputra in emptiness there is no form no feeling no perception no formation no consciousness no eye no ear no nose no tongue no body no mind no appearance no sound no smell no taste no touch no dharmas no eye dhatu up to no mind dhatu no dhatu of dharmas no mind consciousness dhatu no ignorance no end of ignorance up to no old age and death no end of old age and death no suffering no origin of suffering no cessation of suffering no path no wisdom no attainment and no non-attainment therefore Shariputra since the bodhisattvas have no attainment they abide by means of prajnaparamita since there is no obscuration of mind there is no fear they transcend falsity and attain complete nirvana all the buddhas of the three times by means of prajnaparamita fully awaken to unsurpassable true complete enlightenment therefore the great mantra of prajnaparamita the mantra of great insight the unsurpassed mantra the unequaled mantra the mantra that calms all suffering should be known as truth since there is no deception the prajnaparamita mantra is said in this way:
OM GATE GATE PARA-GATE PARA-SAM-GATE BODHI SVAHA
Thus Shariputra the bodhisattva mahasattva should train in the profound prajnaparamita then the Blessed One arose from samadhi and praised noble Avalokiteshvara the bodhisattva mahasattva saying good good o son of noble family thus it is o son of noble family thus it is one should practice the profound prajnaparamita just as you have taught and all the tahagatas will rejoice when the Blessed One had said this venerable Shariputra and noble Avalokiteshvara the bodhisattva mahasattva that whole assembly and the world with its gods humans asuras and gandharvas rejoiced and praised the words of the Blessed One.

Te Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore

TRANSLATION BY THICH NHAT HANH

Avalokiteshvara
while practicing deeply with
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore,
suddenly discovered that
all of the five Skandhas are equally empty,
and with this realisation
he overcame all Ill-being.


“Listen Sariputra,
this Body itself is Emptiness
and Emptiness itself is this Body.
Tis Body is not other than Emptiness
and Emptiness is not other than this Body.
Te same is true of Feelings,
Perceptions, Mental Formations,
and Consciousness.


“Listen Sariputra,
all phenomena bear the mark of Emptiness;
their true nature is the nature of
no Birth no Death,
no Being no Non-being,
no Defilement no Purity,
no Increasing no Decreasing.


“That is why in Emptiness,
Body, Feelings, Perceptions,
Mental Formations and Consciousness
are not separate self entities.


The Eighteen Realms of Phenomena
which are the six Sense Organs,
the six Sense Objects,
and the six Consciousnesses
are also not separate self entities.


The Twelve Links of Interdependent Arising
and their Extinction
are also not separate self entities.
Ill-being, the Causes of Ill-being,
the End of Ill-being, the Path,
insight and attainment,
are also not separate self entities.


Whoever can see this
no longer needs anything to attain.
Bodhisattvas who practice
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore
see no more obstacles in their mind,
and because there
are no more obstacles in their mind,
they can overcome all fear,
destroy all wrong perceptions
and realize Perfect Nirvana.


“All Buddhas in the past, present and future
by practicing
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore
are all capable of attaining
Authentic and Perfect Enlightenment.


“Therefore Sariputra,
it should be known that
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore
is a Great Mantra,
the most illuminating mantra,
the highest mantra,
a mantra beyond compare,
the True Wisdom that has the power
to put an end to all kinds of suffering.


Therefore let us proclaim
a mantra to praise
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore:


Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!
Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!
Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!”

The Heart Sutra

Nor sure as to who the translator is/was.

Avalokitesvara: The Bodhisattva of Compassion Om!

Praise to the blessed and noble perfection of wisdom! The noble Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva was moving in the deep journey of the perfection of wisdom. When he looked down at the Five Aggregates, he saw that they are empty of own-being.


Here, O Sariputra, form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form. What is form is emptiness, what is emptiness is form. The same is true for sensations, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness.


Here, O Sariputra, all dharmas are characterized by emptiness; they are neither produced nor cease, they are neither defiled nor pure, they are neither deficient nor complete. …

Therefore, one should know the great mantra of the perfection of wisdom, the mantra of great knowledge, the unsurpassed and unequaled mantra, the mantra that allays all duhkha — it is true, for there is nothing lacking in it.

By the perfection of wisdom is this mantra spoken. It is the following:

Gone, gone, gone beyond, utterly gone beyond; Awakening; O joy!

[Sanskrit: gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha]