Heart of Perfect Wisdom Sutra

OM!  Homage to the blissful holy perfect wisdom!
Avalokiteshvara[1], holy bodhisattva, moving in deep perfect wisdom,
saw below the five heaps[2]; these he saw as emptiness

Oh Shariputra[3], form is void and void is form
Not separate from form is void, not separate from void is form.
What is form – that is void.  What is void – that is form.
Like this are feelings, thoughts, impressions, consciousnesses

Here Oh Shariputra all phenomena are marked with emptiness –
and not created, not destroyed – not impure, not pure, not deficient, not complete.
Oh Shariputra, therefore in the void is no form, and no feeling, thought, impression, consciousness.
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind – No form, sound, smell, taste, touch or thought.
No element of eyes and so forth – to no mind-consciousness element,
No ignorance, no end of ignorance, and so forth, to no old age and no death – no end of old age or of death:  No sorrow, cause or end;
No path, no knowing, no attainment, and no non attainment

Thus, Oh Shariputra, with this non-attainment does a Bodhisattva, on the Perfect Wisdom place reliance,
Thus removing thought obstruction.  With no thought obstruction is no fear.
Beyond all error, one is certain of Nirvana.
Buddhas of the Past, the Present, and the Future, All awaken to the highest, perfect and complete enlightenment, relying on the perfect wisdom.
Therefore we should know the perfect wisdom,
the Great Mantra, Great Bright Magic Mantra, Highest Mantra and unequalled mantra.
Cure of every sorrow.  True because not false.  In Perfect Wisdom is the Mantra spoken: 

GATE GATE PARAGATE, PARASAMGATE, BODHI SVAHA![4]

 

[1] Avalokiteschvara = ‘The Lord who looks down with compassion.’

[2] Form, feeling(sensation), perception, mental formation, consciousness.

[3] Shariputra was an important disciple of the Buddha

[4] Go, go beyond, go beyond the highest reality, beyond enlightenment and also being that: offering itSelf unto itself.

 

Sutra is a Sanskrit word that literally means ‘thread’ and has the meaning of ‘discourse’, it is like a scripture or teaching and often in the form of aphorisms.