THE SUTRA OF THE ESSENCE OF TRANSCENDENT
WISDOM
Prajnaparamita, inexpressible by speech or thought,
Unborn, unceasing, with nature like the sky,
Which can only be experienced by one's own Discriminating Awareness Wisdom,
Mother of the Victorious Ones of the Three Times, I praise and prostrate!
In Sanskrit: BHAGAVATI PRAJNA PARAMITA HRIDAYA
In Tibetan: CHOM DEN DE MA SHE RAB CHI PA ROL CHIN PE NYING PO
Homage to the Bhagavati Prajnaparamita!
- Thus have I heard: once the Blessed One was dwelling in the royal domain of the
Vulture Peak Mountain together with a great gathering of monks and Bodhisattvas.
At that time the blessed One entered the samadhi which examines the dharmas,
called the "Profound Illumination", and at the same time noble Avalokiteshvara, the
Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, looking at the profound practice of transcendent wisdom,
saw the five skandhas and their natural emptiness.
- Then through the inspiration of the Buddha, Shariputra said to Avalokiteshvara:
"How should those sons and daughters of noble families learn, who wish to follow
the profound practice of transcendent wisdom?" And Avalokiteshvara answered:
"Shariputra, whoever wishes to follow the profound practice of transcendent wisdom
should look at it like this, seeing the five skandhas and their natural emptiness.
Form is emptiness, emptiness itself is form; emptiness is no other than form, form is
no other than emptiness; in the same way feeling, perception, concept and
consciousness are emptiness. Thus all the dharmas are emptiness and have no
characteristics. They are unborn and unceasing, they are not impure or pure, they
neither decrease nor increase. Therefore, since there is emptiness there is no form,
no feeling, no perception, no concept, no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no
tongue, no body, no mind; no appearance, no sound, no smell, no taste, no
sensation, no objects of mind; no quality of sight, no quality of hearing, no quality
of smelling, no quality of tasting, no quality of sensing, no quality of thought, no
quality of mind consciousness; there are no nidanas, from ignorance to old age and
death, nor their wearing out; there is no suffering no cause of suffering, no ending
of suffering and no path; no wisdom, no attainment and no non-attainment.
- Therefore, since there is no attainment, the Bodhisattvas abide by means of
transcendent wisdom; and since there is no obscurity of mind they have no fear, they
transcend falsity and pass beyond the bounds of sorrow. All the Buddhas who dwell
in the past, present and future, by means of transcendent wisdom fully and clearly
awaken to unsurpassed, true complete enlightenment. Therefore the mantra of
transcendent wisdom, the mantra of deep insight, the unsurpassed mantra, the
unequalled mantra, the mantra which calms all suffering, should be known as truth,
for there is no deception. In transcendent wisdom the mantra is proclaimed:
Tadyatha om gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
- O Shariputra, this is how a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva should learn profound
transcendent wisdom."
- Then the Blessed One arose from that samadhi and praised the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Avalokiteshvara, saying: "Good, good, O son of noble family!
Profound transcendent wisdom should be practiced just as you have taught, and
Tathagatas will rejoice."
- When the Blessed One has said this, Shariputra and Avalokiteshvara, that whole
gathering and the world with its gods, men, asuras and gandharvas, their hearts full
of joy, praised the words of the Blessed One.
- Under the Royal Patronship of King Trisong Dheutsan in the mid eighth century, the Tibetan Translator
(Lotsawa) bhiksu Rinchen De translated this text into Tibetan with the Indian Master (pandita)
Vimalamitra. It was edited by the great Tibetan editor-translator (lotsawas) Gelo, Namkha, and others.
This Tibetan text was copied from the fresco in Gegye Chemaling, one of the Temples of the glorious
Samye Vihara.
- Namo! Homage to the lama!
- Homage to the Buddha!
- Homage to the Dharma!
- Homage to the Sangha!
- Homage to the great mother, Prajnaparamita!
- May these words come true!
- Just as, long ago, the king of the gods, Indra, by the power and strength of
contemplating the profound meaning of the Prajnaparamita, and reciting its words
was able to avert, negative influences, Demonic Forces, obstacles and disharmony,
so, in the very same way, may we too, through the power and strength of
contemplating the profound meaning of the Prajnaparamita, and reciting its words
was able to avert,
- May they be averted.
- May they be annihilated.
- May they be pacified.
- May they be completely pacified.
- Everything that arises interdependently is unceasing and unborn, Neither non-existent nor everlasting
Neither coming nor going, Neither several in meaning nor with a single meaning,
(He who) shows mostly tranquility is free from all the complexities.
Among all the Teachers, the Fully Enlightened Buddha,
You are the Noblest One, to You, We pay Homage.
- To our attainment of the complete enlightenment,
all obstacles of the outer and inner and harmful,
of the outer and inner imbalances,
including all kinds of obstacles.
May it be instantly and completely pacified.
- And furthermore in this life
May everything unharmonious be pacified
May we always enjoy peace and happiness and long life
and good health, prosperity and success.
