The Sutra of the Heart of Transcendent Knowledge
Thus have I heard. Once the Blessed One was dwelling in RĂ„jagriha at Vulture Peak mountain, together with a great gathering of the sangha of monks and a great gathering of the sangha of bodhisattvas. At that time the Blessed One entered the samĂ„dhi that expresses the dharma called âprofound illumination,â and at the same time noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahĂ„sattva, while practicing the profound prajñÄpĂ„ramitĂ„, saw in this way:
He saw the five skandhas to be empty of nature. Then, through the power of the Buddha, venerable ShĂ„riputra said to noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahĂ„sattva, âHow should a son or daughter of noble family train, who wishes to practice the profound prajñÄpĂ„ramitĂ„?â Addressed in this way, noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahĂ„sattva, said to venerable ShĂ„riputra, âO ShĂ„riputra, a son or daughter of noble family who wishes to practice the profound prajñÄpĂ„ramitĂ„ should see in this way: seeing the five skandhas to be empty of nature. Form is emptiness; emptiness also 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, ShĂ„riputra, 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, ShĂ„riputra, 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 dhĂ„tu up to no mind dhĂ„tu, no dhĂ„tu of dharmas, no mind consciousness dhĂ„tu; 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 nonattainment. Therefore, ShĂ„riputra, since the bodhisattvas have no attainment, they abide by means of prajñÄpĂ„ramitĂ„. Since there is no obscuration of mind,
there is no fear. They transcend falsity and attain complete nirvÄna. All the buddhas of the three times, by means of prajñÄpÄramitÄ, fully awaken to unsurpassable, true, complete enlightenment. Therefore, the great mantra of prajñÄpÄramitÄ, 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 prajñÄpÄramitÄ mantra is said in this way:
OM GATE GATE PĂ
RAGATE PĂ
RASAMGATE BODHI SVĂ
HĂ
Thus, ShĂ„riputra, the bodhisattva mahĂ„sattva should train in the profound prajñÄpĂ„ramitĂ„.â
Then the Blessed One arose from that samĂ„dhi and praised noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahĂ„sattva, saying, âGood, good, O son of noble family; thus it is, O son of noble family, thus it is. One should practice the profound prajñÄpĂ„ramitĂ„ just as you have taught and all the tathĂ„gatas will rejoice.â
When the Blessed One had said this, venerable ShÄriputra and noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahÄsattva, that whole assembly and the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised the words of the Blessed One.
LotsĂ„wa bhikĂșhu Rinchen De translated this text into Tibetan with the Indian païçita Vimalamitra.
It was edited by the great editorâlotsĂ„was Gelo,
Namkha, and others. This Tibetan text was copied
from the fresco in Gegye Chemaling at the glorious Samye vihÄra. It has been translated into English
by the NÄlandÄ Translation Committee, with reference to several Sanskrit editions.
