In the Mahayana tradition, there is a short (but sweet) Sūtra known in Sanskrit as Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya, the Heart of the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom, or simply, the Heart Sūtra.

Heart is meant more as “core”, as in the core of perfect wisdom, but “heart” does have a nice ring to it! To fully understand the Heart Sūtra is to perfect transcendent wisdom. For this reason, there’s not really much I have to say about it here, but rather, I would just really like to share it. For those of us not deeply immersed in Prajñāpāramitā, may reading it manage to fill our bowls, even if only one small drop at a time. If you’d like to know more, Wikipedia has some good information on the Heart Sutra, as well as links to further info and discussions, here.

As I became more immersed in Korean Buddhism, I learned that the Heart Sūtra was what I’d most likely been hearing when I visited temples in the evening and was intrigued by the chanting coming from within the halls. Eventually I discovered these thin, colourful, paper books for sale in the temple bookshops that had the sutras in Chinese and Korean characters. With the help of the little booklet, I was soon able to follow along with the monk and fellow practitioners chanting during evening ceremony. I realized, though, there was little point in chanting in Korean, not knowing the meaning in English.

I found a nice translation from the Rochester Zen Center;

The Bodhisattva of compassion

from the depths of prajna wisdom

saw the emptiness of all five skandhas

and sundered the bonds that caused him suffering. Know then:

Form here is only emptiness,

emptiness only form.

Form is no other than emptiness,

emptiness no other than form. Feeling, thought, and choice, consciousness itself,

are the same as this.

Dharmas here are empty, all are the primal void. None are born or die.

Nor are they stained or pure,

Nor do they wax or wane.

So in emptiness no form, no feeling,

thought, or choice

nor is there consciousness. No eye, ear, nose, tongue,

body mind: no color, sound, smell, taste, touch,

or what the mind takes hold of, nor even act of sensing.

No ignorance or end of it

nor all that comes of ignorance:

no withering, no death, no end of them. Nor is there pain

or cause of pain or cease in pain

or noble path to lead from pain,

Not even wisdom to attain,

attainment too is emptiness. So know that the Bodhisattva

holding nothing whatever

but dwelling in prajna wisdom

is freed of delusive hindrance,

rid of the fear bred by it,

and reaches clearest Nirvana. All Buddhas of past and present,

Buddhas of future time

through faith in

Prajnaparamita wisdom

come to full enlightenment. Know, then, the Great dharani,

the Radiant, Peerless mantra,

the Supreme

Unfailing mantra,

the Prajna Paramita,

whose words allay all pain.

This is the highest wisdom

true beyond all doubt,

know and proclaim its truth: Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!

Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!

Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha! (Go, go, go beyond, go thoroughly beyond, and establish yourself in enlightenment.)

And here is the Chinese and Korean version of the Chinese. In Korea, it is chanted in Chinese, but with a Korean accent. I’ve added the Korean one that I transliterated into English, for anyone else in Korea, or close to a Korean temple, who would like to try to follow along at a temple, someday;

摩訶般若波羅蜜多心經

마하반야바라밀다심경

Ma ha ban ya ba ra mil da shim gyeong

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

관자재보살 행심반야바라밀다시 조견 오온개공 도일체고액

Kwan jajae Bosal haeng shim ban ya ba ra mil da shi joh gyeon oh ohn gae gohng doh il chae goh aek

舍利子 色不異空 空不異色 色卽是空 空卽是色 受想行識 亦復如是

사리자 색불이공 공불이색 색즉시공 공즉시색 수상행식 역부여시

sa ri ja saek bul yi gong gong bul yi saek saek jeuk shi gohng gohng jeuk shi saek su sang haeng shik yeok bu yo shi

舍利子 是諸法空相 不生不滅 不垢不淨 不增不減

사리자 시제법공상 불생불멸 불구부정 부증불감

sa ri ja shi jea beob gohng sang bul saeng bul myeol bul gu bu jeong bu jeung bul gam

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

시고 공중무색 무수상행식 무안이비설신의 무색성향미촉법

shi goh gohng jung mu saek mu su sang haeng shik mu an yi bi seol shin eui mu saek seong hyang mi chohk beob

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

무안계 내지 무의식계 무무명 역무무명진 내지 무노사 역무노사진

mu an-gyae nae ji mu eui shik kyae mu mu myeong yeok mu mu myeong jin nae ji mu noh sa yeok mu noh sa jin

無苦集滅道 無智亦無得 以無所得故

무고집멸도 무지역무득 이무소득고

mu go jib myeol doh mu ji yeok mu deuk yi mu soh deuk goh

菩提薩埵 依般若波羅蜜多故 心無罣礙 無罣礙故 無有恐怖 遠離顚倒夢想 究竟涅槃

보리살타 의반야바라밀다고 심무가애 무가애고 무유공포 원리전도몽상 구경열반

bo ri sal ta eui ban ya ba ra mil da go shim mu ga ae mu ga ae goh mu yu gohng poh weon li jeon doh mohng sang gu gyeong yeol ban

三世諸佛 依般若波羅蜜多故 得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提

삼세제불 의반야바라밀다고 득아뇩다라삼막삼보리

sam seh jeh bulr eui ban ya ba ra mil da goh deuk ah nyohk da ra sam myak sam bo ri

故知 般若波羅蜜多 是大神呪 是大明呪 是無上呪 是無等等呪

고지 반야바라밀다 시대신주 시대명주 시무상주 시무등등주

goh ji ban ya ba ra mil da shi dae shin ju shi dae myeong ju shi mu sang ju shi mu deung deung ju

能除 一切苦 眞實不虛 故說 般若波羅蜜多呪

능제 일체고 진실불허 고설 반야바라밀다주

neung jeh il cheh goh jin shil bulr heo goh seol ban ya ba ra mil da ju

卽說呪曰,

즉설주왈,

jeuk seol ju weol

揭諦揭諦 波羅揭諦 波羅僧揭諦 菩提娑婆訶

揭諦揭諦 波羅揭諦 波羅僧揭諦 菩提娑婆訶

揭諦揭諦 波羅揭諦 波羅僧揭諦 菩提娑婆訶

아제아제 바라아제 바라승아제 모지사바하

아제아제 바라아제 바라승아제 모지사바하

아제아제 바라아제 바라승아제 모지사바하

a jeh a jeh ba ra a jeh ba ra sung a jeh mo ji sa ba ha

a jeh a jeh ba ra a jeh ba ra sung a jeh mo ji sa ba ha

a jeh a jeh ba ra a jeh ba ra sung a jeh mo ji sa ba ha



