The Heart of the Prajnaparamita, The Blessed Mother
translation: JW
pdf

Namo prajnaparamita, Blessed Mother! 

Thus have I heard at one time:  the Blessed One dwelled at Rajagaha, on Vulture Peak, along with a large assembly of monks and bodhisattvas and after offering a teaching called--

the deepest illumination,

the Blessed One withdrew into the deepest samadhi.

Thereupon, Avalokita, the great being bodhisattva, flowed the deep-- prajnaparamita, and flowing-seeing through what is supreme, perceived directly the five skandhas in their own-being are empty.

Therein, Venerable Sariputra, from the Buddha's mind, posed a question to Avalokita-- 

How should a son or daughter of a good family train if they aspire to go forth in the prajnaparamita, flowing in the deep-- prajnaparamita?

Avalokita turned to Sariputra and spoke:

Listen, Sariputra, seeing the five skandhas-- they see the five skandhas in their own-being are empty. 

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form, emptiness is not different from form, and form is not different from emptiness-- whatever is form is emptiness, whatever is emptiness is form. 

The same is true of feeling, perception, fabrication, and consciousness. 

Listen still, Sariputra, they see all dharmas are empty:

all dharmas are void of marks; 

all dharmas are neither created nor destroyed; 

all dharmas are neither pure nor impure; 

all dharmas are not part nor whole. 

Therefore, in emptiness, there is no form, no feeling, no perception, no fabrication, no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no color, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no object of mind; no eye-consciousness, no ear-consciousness, no nose-consciousness, no tongue-consciousness, no body-consciousness, no mental-consciousness;

there is no ignorance, no end of ignorance, and so on until we come to no old-age-sickness-and-death;

there is no suffering, no cause of suffering, no cessation of suffering-- 

there is no path (to go forth); there is no cognition; no apprehension-- 

no attainment, and no non-attainment. 

Therefore, Sariputra, because of a bodhisattva's dispassion in there being nothing to apprehend, nothing to attain, a bodhisattva depends alone on the prajnaparamita.

And in the void of all apprehension with nothing to attain-- 

this bodhisattva goes forth without fear, overcoming all trembling, sustained in nirvana. 

All past, future, and present Buddhas fully realized in the supreme enlightenment are sustained alone in the prajnaparamita, the Blessed Mother.

Therefore, one should devote oneself to the prajnaparamita, the Blessed Mother, reciting the great mantra prajnaparamita, the most penetrating mantra, the all-encompassing mantra, the boundless mantra that eases all suffering, and is true with nothing wrong--

this mantra goes forth like this: gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā

(gone, gone, gone beyond-- going beyond gone, awakening! Yes!).

Listen, Sariputra, this is how a son or daughter of a good family should train if they aspire to go forth in the prajnaparamita, flowing in the deep-- prajnaparamita.

At this time, the Blessed One emerged from the samadhi and acknowledged Avalokita, saying:

Yes, Avalokita! Like this, they go forth. All Tathagatas affirm this teaching on how a son or daughter of a good family should train to aspire to go forth in the prajnaparamita, flowing in the deep-- prajnaparamita.  

Thus spoke the Blessed One. 

And joyous was Avalokita, the great being bodhisattva, joyous was Venerable Sariputra, joyous were all the monks and bodhisattvas, along with the whole world of gods, humans, spirits, and demons. 

All rejoiced in the Blessed One's teaching.