The Heart Sutra

The Heart Sutra is the most common text in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. It is part of the Prajnaparamita Sutras, a collection of sutras composed between 100 BCE and 500 CE (the Buddha’s second turning of the wheel of Dharma). Some practitioners say the Heart Sutra is a distillation of all the Prajnaparamita Sutras. The Heart Sutra is a presentation of profound wisdom on the nature of emptiness.

Transcript

The Heart Sutra.

The Bodhisattva of compassion when he meditated deeply saw the emptiness of all five skandhas and sundered the bonds that caused him suffering.

Here then form is no other than emptiness.

Emptiness no other than form.

Form is only emptiness.

Emptiness only form.

Feeling thought and choice consciousness itself are the same as this.

All things are by nature void.

They are not born or destroyed nor are they stained or pure nor do they wax or wane.

So in emptiness no form,

No feeling thought or choice,

Nor is their consciousness.

No eye,

Ear,

Nose,

Tongue,

Body,

Mind.

No color,

Sound,

Smell,

Taste or touch or what the mind takes hold of nor even active sensing.

No ignorance or end of it.

Not 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 to nothing whatever but dwelling in pranayama wisdom is freed of delusive hindrance rid of the fear bred by it and reaches clearest nirvana.

All Buddhas past and present,

Buddhas of future time using this pranayama wisdom come to full and perfect vision.

Here then the great Dharani,

The radiant peerless mantra,

The pranya paramita whose words allay all pain,

Hear and believe its truth.

Gaute gaute par gaute par sam gaute bodhisvaha.

Gaute gaute par gaute par sam gaute bodhisvaha.

Gaute gaute par gaute par sam gaute bodhisvaha.

You

Reviews

Lovely, Angel, thank you. 🙏🏼

🩶

I’ve chanted the Rinzai zen version of this for 40 years. This version was sweeter, warmer. 💛

Peace dwells in the emptiness of form.
Thank you for this beautiful sutra.

I needed to find this today.

Awesome, thank you

That was lovely 🥰
Thank you 🙏🏻

Beautiful!

Beautiful. I loved it all but especially the chanting. Many blessings.

It could be argued that this is the core of Mahayana Buddhism and the chief reason I became Buddhist about 25 years ago.

The core teaching and practice of Mahayana Buddhism in three minutes. Something to memorize, chant, recite, sing, contemplate, study, recognize, and realize. Form is emptiness and emptiness is form. Spread the word. Thank you!

Beautiful, thank you 💖