Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya Sūtra — The Heart of Perfect Wisdom
Chinese title: 般若波羅蜜多心經
Pinyin: Bōrě bōluómìduō xīnjīng
Base text: the short Xuanzang recension, Taishō T0251 (般若波羅蜜多心經), in traditional Chinese—the broadly used liturgical version in Chinese Buddhist and Chan communities. Section 1 follows the T0251 text itself, including its historical character forms in the closing mantra (rather than silently normalizing them to the modern liturgical spelling).
1. Chinese Chan version: pronunciation and gloss
觀自在菩薩
Guānzìzài Púsà
The Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin), the One Who Contemplates Freely
行深般若波羅蜜多時
Xíng shēn bōrě bōluómìduō shí
When practicing deeply the Perfection of Wisdom
照見五蘊皆空
Zhàojiàn wǔyùn jiē kōng
saw clearly that the five aggregates are all empty
度一切苦厄
Dù yīqiè kǔ’è
and crossed beyond every suffering and distress.
舍利子！
Shèlìzǐ!
Śāriputra!
色不異空，空不異色；
Sè bù yì kōng, kōng bù yì sè;
Form is not different from emptiness; emptiness is not different from form.
色即是空，空即是色。
Sè jí shì kōng, kōng jí shì sè.
Form is precisely emptiness; emptiness is precisely form.
受想行識，亦復如是。
Shòu xiǎng xíng shí, yì fù rú shì.
Feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness are also like this.
舍利子！
Shèlìzǐ!
Śāriputra!
是諸法空相，
Shì zhū fǎ kōng xiàng,
All dharmas bear the mark of emptiness;
不生不滅，
Bù shēng bù miè,
they are not born and do not cease;
不垢不淨，
Bù gòu bù jìng,
not defiled and not pure;
不増不減。
Bù zēng bù jiǎn.
not increasing and not decreasing.
是故，空中無色，無受想行識。
Shì gù, kōng zhōng wú sè, wú shòu xiǎng xíng shí.
Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, perception, mental formation, or consciousness.
無眼耳鼻舌身意，
Wú yǎn ěr bí shé shēn yì,
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind;
無色聲香味觸法。
Wú sè shēng xiāng wèi chù fǎ.
no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or objects of mind.
無眼界，乃至無意識界。
Wú yǎn jiè, nǎizhì wú yìshí jiè.
No realm of sight, extending up to no realm of mind-consciousness.
無無明，亦無無明盡，乃至無老死，亦無老死盡。
Wú wúmíng, yì wú wúmíng jìn, nǎizhì wú lǎosǐ, yì wú lǎosǐ jìn.
No ignorance and no ending of ignorance; extending up to no old age and death, and no ending of old age and death.
無苦集滅道，無智亦無得。
Wú kǔ jí miè dào, wú zhì yì wú dé.
No suffering, origin, cessation, or path; no wisdom and also no attainment.
以無所得故。
Yǐ wú suǒdé gù.
Because there is nothing to attain.
菩提薩埵，依般若波羅蜜多故，心無罣礙；
Pútí sàduǒ, yī bōrě bōluómìduō gù, xīn wú guà’ài;
Because bodhisattvas rely on the Perfection of Wisdom, their minds have no obstruction.
無罣礙故，無有恐怖，遠離顛倒夢想，究竟涅槃。
Wú guà’ài gù, wú yǒu kǒngbù, yuǎnlí diāndǎo mèngxiǎng, jiūjìng nièpán.
Because there is no obstruction, there is no fear. They move beyond inverted views and dreams and arrive at ultimate nirvana.
三世諸佛，依般若波羅蜜多故，
Sānshì zhū Fó, yī bōrě bōluómìduō gù,
All Buddhas of the past, present, and future, relying on the Perfection of Wisdom,
得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。
Dé ānòuduōluó sānmiǎo sānpútí.
attain unsurpassed, complete, and perfect awakening.
故知般若波羅蜜多，
Gù zhī bōrě bōluómìduō,
Therefore know that the Perfection of Wisdom
是大神咒，是大明咒，是無上咒，是無等等咒，
Shì dà shén zhòu, shì dà míng zhòu, shì wúshàng zhòu, shì wú děngděng zhòu,
is the great miraculous mantra, the great luminous mantra, the unsurpassed mantra, the incomparable mantra,
能除一切苦，眞實不虚。
Néng chú yīqiè kǔ, zhēnshí bù xū.
capable of removing all suffering—true and not false.
故説般若波羅蜜多咒，即説咒曰：
Gù shuō bōrě bōluómìduō zhòu, jí shuō zhòu yuē:
Therefore the mantra of the Perfection of Wisdom is spoken; it is spoken thus:
掲帝！掲帝！般羅掲帝！般羅僧掲帝！菩提僧莎訶！
Jiēdì! Jiēdì! Bōluó jiēdì! Bōluó sēng jiēdì! Pútí sēng suōhē!
T0251 preserves these as phonetic renderings of the mantra: “Gate, gate, pāragate, pārasaṃgate, bodhi, svāhā.”
2. Thich Nhat Hanh’s English translation
The Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore
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.
This Body is not other than Emptiness
and Emptiness is not other than this Body.
The 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!