Thus
have I heard. Once the Blessed One was
dwelling in Rajagriha 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 samadhi
that expresses 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, 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 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, 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
nonattainment. 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:
OÎ GATE
GATE PÅRAGATE PÅRASAMGATE BODHI SVÅHÅ
Thus,
Shariputra, the bodhisattva mahAsattva should train in the profound prajnaparamita.”
Then the Blessed One arose from that 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
tathagatas 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.
Source : The Heart Sutra from Nalanda Translation Committee’s website
© 1975, 1980 by the Nålandå Translation Committee. All rights reserved.
Available on our website for personal use.
Heart Sutra Audio - Click here
All spiritual traditions have always
used singing and chanting as an important part of their practice. It must have
been the way texts have been passed along through generations in the times
before people could read and write and book printing was invented. But
there are many more reasons why chanting has a central place in so many
spiritual traditions worldwide.
Chanting creates
a bridge between the understanding of the head and the understanding of the
heart. It brings body, speech and mind together in one flowing gesture. It is a
joyful thing to do, which naturally brings forth your dignity; effortlessly you
sit straight up, you concentrate, you relax and go through the words without
any hesitation. You can use your voice to let every syllable resonate
through your body and in this way let the words sink in all your cells, your
whole being, way beyond the conceptual understanding.
Chanting, or
let’s use the word reciting here; can be a way to build a relationship with a
text, a friendship that grows, revealing insights and nuances as you get to
know and appreciate each other better each time you meet again. It’s also
an excellent way for a group to practice together. By chanting together right
away a focus is established, and the group energy gets lifted up to a place
where devotion is joyfully charged with the vibrations of all voices blending
together.
I’ve heard it
said that reciting sacred texts is also important because enables other beings,
maybe animals or beings we can not see, to hear the sacred words and make a
connection to the teachings. The Heart Sutra is an example of an extremely
profound and sacred text that has been chanted for centuries, in many different
languages in all the Asian countries where Buddhism is practiced.
The Nalanda
Translation Committee, under the direction of Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa
Rinpoche, translated it into English, so westerners can now also chant it in a
language they can understand and relate to. Here I would like to present
my recorded version of this translation of the Heart Sutra.
It is meant to
be chanted along, and I’ve tried to find a way so you can be free in choosing
the pitch that you feel comfortable with and whether you like to recite
it in a monotonous manner or more melodic. Most important is that you
chant it wholeheartedly, and with the confidence that, even though you might
not understand the text completely, you connect with the deep meaning and the
blessings of it. May it benefit many beings!
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