THE SUTRA OF THE HEART OF TRANSCENDENT KNOWLEDGE

Thus have I heard. Once the Blessed One was dwelling in Rajagriha at Vulture Peak

Mountain, together with a great gathering of the Sangha of monks and a great gathering of the

Sangha of bodhisattvas. At that time the Blessed One entered the samadhi that expresses the

dharma called “profound illumination,” and at the same time noble Avalokiteshvara, the

bodhisattva mahasattva, while practicing the profound prajñaparamita, saw in this way: he saw

the five skandhas to be empty of nature.

Then through the power of the Buddha, venerable Shariputra said to noble

Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, “How should a son or daughter of noble family

train, who wishes to practice the profound prajñaparamita?”

Addressed in this way, noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, said to

venerable Shariputra, “O Shariputra, a son or daughter of noble family who wishes to practice

the profound prajñaparamita should see in this way: seeing the five skandhas to be empty of

nature. Form is emptiness; emptiness also is form. Emptiness is no other than form; form is no

other than emptiness. In the same way, feeling, perception, formation and consciousness are

emptiness. Thus, Shariputra, all dharmas are emptiness. There are no characteristics. There is

no birth and no cessation. There is no impurity and no purity. There is no decrease and no

increase. Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness, there is no form, no feeling, no perception, no

formation, no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no

appearance, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no dharmas; no eye dhatu up to no mind

dhatu, no dhatu of dharmas, no mind consciousness dhatu; no ignorance, no end of ignorance

up to no old age and death, no end of old age and death; no suffering, no origin of suffering, no

cessation of suffering, no path, no wisdom, no attainment and no nonattainment. Therefore,

Shariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no attainment, they abide by means of prajñaparamita.

Since there is no obscuration of mind, there is no fear. They transcend falsity and attain

complete nirvana. All the buddhas of the three times, by means of prajñaparamita, fully awaken

to unsurpassable, true, complete enlightenment. Therefore, the great mantra of prajñaparamita,

the mantra of great insight, the unsurpassed mantra, the unequaled mantra, the mantra that

calms all suffering should be known as truth, since there is no deception. The prajñaparamita

mantra is said in this way:

OM GATÉ GATÉ PARAGATÉ PARASAMGATÉ BODHI SVAHA

Thus, Shariputra, the bodhisattva mahasattva should train in the profound prajñaparamita.”

Then the Blessed One arose from that samadhi and praised noble Avalokiteshvara, the

bodhisattva mahasattva, saying, “Good, good, O son of noble family; thus it is, O son of noble

family, thus it is. One should practice the profound prajñaparamita just as you have taught and

all the tathagatas will rejoice.”

When the Blessed One had said this, venerable Shariputra and noble Avalokiteshvara,

the bodhisattva mahasattva, that whole assembly and the world with its gods, humans, asuras

and gandharvas rejoiced and praised the words of the Blessed One.

Translated by the Nalanda Translation Committee, with reference to several Sanskrit editions.