05-25-2010, 12:00 AM
I bow to the Blessed One, the Perfection of Wisdom.
Thus have I heard. Once the Blessed One
was dwelling in Rajagrha 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 classified as
the dharma called "profound illumination," and at the same time,
noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, while practicing the
profound prajnaparamita, 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 prajnaparamita?"
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 prajnaparamita should see in this way: see 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
non-attainment. Therefore, Shariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no
attainment, they abide by means of prajnaparamita.
Since there is no obscuration in mind, there is no
fear. They transcend what is mistaken
and attain complete nirvana. All the buddhas of the three times, by means of
prajnaparamita, fully awaken to unsurpassable, true, complete enlightenment.
Therefore, the great mantra of prajnaparamita, the mantra of great insight, the
unsurpassed mantra, the mantra which makes equal what is not equal, the mantra
which completely calms all suffering, should be known to be true since there is
no deception. The mantra of the prajnaparamita is said in this way:
OM GATE GATE
PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA
Thus, Shariputra, should all bodhisattva mahasattvas train in the profound
prajnaparamita.
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, thus it is. The profound
prajnaparamita should be practiced just as you have taught and all the
tathagatas will rejoice."
When the Blessed One had said this,
venerable Shariputra and the 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.
Thus have I heard. Once the Blessed One
was dwelling in Rajagrha 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 classified as
the dharma called "profound illumination," and at the same time,
noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, while practicing the
profound prajnaparamita, 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 prajnaparamita?"
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 prajnaparamita should see in this way: see 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
non-attainment. Therefore, Shariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no
attainment, they abide by means of prajnaparamita.
Since there is no obscuration in mind, there is no
fear. They transcend what is mistaken
and attain complete nirvana. All the buddhas of the three times, by means of
prajnaparamita, fully awaken to unsurpassable, true, complete enlightenment.
Therefore, the great mantra of prajnaparamita, the mantra of great insight, the
unsurpassed mantra, the mantra which makes equal what is not equal, the mantra
which completely calms all suffering, should be known to be true since there is
no deception. The mantra of the prajnaparamita is said in this way:
OM GATE GATE
PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA
Thus, Shariputra, should all bodhisattva mahasattvas train in the profound
prajnaparamita.
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, thus it is. The profound
prajnaparamita should be practiced just as you have taught and all the
tathagatas will rejoice."
When the Blessed One had said this,
venerable Shariputra and the 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.