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translated by
Stephen Batchelor
The Heart of Wisdom is
one of the best-known and most popular of Mahayana Buddhist sutras. It
treats in a summarized yet coherent manner the essential contents of the
more extensive Perfection of Wisdom Sutras. Its form is that of a
spontaneous dialogue between the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and the arhat
Shariputra inspired through the power of the Buddha's concentration. The
sutra is especially renowned as one of the most radical presentations of
the via negativa approach found in the history of religious thinking.
THE TEXT OF THE HEART
OF WISDOM
Thus I have heard. At
one time the Lord was sitting on Vulture's Peak near the city of Rajgir.
He was accompanied by a large community of monks as well as a large
community of bodhisattvas. On that occasion the Lord was absorbed in a
particular concentration called the profound appearance. Meanwhile the
bodhisattva, the great being, the noble Avalokiteshvara was contemplating
the profound discipline of the perfection of wisdom. He came to see that
the five aggregates were void of any inherent nature of their own.
Through the power of
the Buddha, the venerable Shariputra approached the noble Avalokiteshvara
and asked him, "How should a son of the noble lineage proceed when he
wants to train in the profound disciplne of the perfection of wisdom?"
The noble
Avalokiteshvara replied to the venerable Shariputra, "Whatever son or
daughter of the noble lineage wants to train in the profound discipline of
the perfection of wisdom should consider things in the following way.
First, he or she should clearly and thoroughly comprehend that the five
aggregates are void of any inherent nature of their own. Form is void, but
voidness is form. Voidness is not other than forms and forms are not other
than voidness. Similarly, feelings, discernments, formative elements and
consciousness are also void. Likewise, Shariputra, are all phenomena void.
They have no defining characteristics; they are unproduced; they do not
cease; they are undefiled, yet they are not separate from defilement; they
do not decrease, yet they do not increase. This being the case, Shariputra,
in terms of voidness there exist no forms, no feelings, no discernments,
no formative elements, no consciousness; no eyes, no ears, no noses, no
tongues, no bodies, no minds; no visual-forms, no sounds, no smells, no
tastes, no tactice sensations, no mental-objects. There exist no visual
elements, no mental elements, and no elements of mental consciousness.
There exist no ignorance and no exhaustion of ignorance, no ageing and
death and no exhaustion of ageing and death. In the same way there exist
no suffering, no origin of suffering, no cessation, no path, no wisdom, no
attainment and no lack of attainment.
"Therefore, Shariputra,
since bodhisattvas have no attainment, they depend upon and dwell in the
perfection of wisdom; their minds are unobstructed and unafraid. They
transcend all error and finally reach the end-point: nirvana.
"All the buddhas of
the past, present and future have depended, do and will depend upon the
perfection of wisdom. Thereby they became, are becoming and will become
unsurpassably, perfectly and completely awakened buddhas.
"Therefore, the mantra
of the perfection of wisdom is a mantra of great knowledge; it is an
unsurpassable mantra; it is a mantra that is comparable to the
incomparable; it is a mantra that totally pacifies all suffering. It will
not deceive you, therefore know it to be true! I proclaim the mantra of
the perfection of wisdom: tayatha gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi
svaha. Shariputra, it is in this way that the great bodhisattvas train
themselves in the profound perfection of wisdom."
At that moment the
Lord arose from his concentration and said to the noble Avalokiteshvara,
"Well said, well said. That is just how it is, my son, just how it is. The
profound perfection of wisdom should be practiced exactly as you have
explained it. Then the tathagatas will be truly delighted."
When the Lord had
spoken these words, the venerable Shariputra and the bodhisattva, the
great being, the noble Avalokiteshvara, and the entire gathering of gods,
humans, asuras and gandharvas were overjoyed, and they praised what the
Lord had said.
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