The Heart Sutra: The Great Prajnaparamita
The Prajna Paramita Sutra
摩訶般若波羅蜜多心經
Known as:
The Great Heart of Wisdom Sutra
摩訶般波罗蜜多心経
mó hē bō bō luó mì duō xīn jīng
波罗蜜, bō luó mì, is really to be considered as "Paramita", but in its Chinese sense we may call it the "gathering of much sweetness," which is an excellent presentation of the true associated "experience."
These Paramitas in Chinese are quite different in many respects. They consist of:
1 布施 bùshī Benevolence
2 持戒 chíjiè Exhorting perseverance
3 忍辱 rěnrǔ Enduring insults
4 精進 jīngjìn Forging ahead vigorously
5 禪定 chan ding Set one’s meditation
6 智慧 zhìhuì Wisdom
The non-Chinese Mahayana equivalents transformed from Theravadin original ideas are:
1 Benevolence
2 Virtue, morality, honesty, appropriate conduct, perseverance
3 Patience, tolerance, receptivity
4 Energy
5 Concentration, contemplation
6 Wisdom
It would be a mistake to simply lay one upon the other assuming that the Chinese meant the same. Instead one should see how the Chinese mind embraced these concepts.
The character 時, shi, is often added to the prajnaparamita series, 般波罗蜜多, signifying "timely"
DETAILED DIRECT TRANSLATION FROM THE CHINESE
The problem that we usually encounter is that translators attempt to close the gap between what the Chinese present and what the Sanskrit texts present, instead of translating the Chinese in its own right to see if their understanding enhances understanding of the texts the Sanskrit, which we find it actually does.
Note that 空, kōng, may be translated as:
empty / void / to exhaust / to reduce to extremity
/ fictitious / unreal / ineffective / fruitless / vacant
/ non-existent / and also sunyata /
The text and translation of the Prajnaparamita Heart Treatise
観自在菩薩行深般波罗蜜多時照見五薀皆空度一切苦厄
guān zì zai Púsà xíng shēn bō bō luó mì duō shí
zhào xiàn wǔ yùn jiē kōng dù yī qiè kǔ è
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva performing timely deep Prajna Paramita, accordingly seeing the five aggregates each and every one empty, passed all corresponding hardship (and) distress.
Here each and every "hardship" is prefered to "suffering," since Chan does not direct understanding to "suffering" in and of itself, as an end.
舍利子色不異空
Shě-lì-zǐ sè bù yì kōng
Shariputa, appearance is not different from emptiness
Normally, the word "form" is used here to be consistent with older Sanskrit renditions, but actually that "form" is physiological "sensation" which manifests itself in 色 "appearance". It then must be understood that this represents all the six sensations.
空不異色
Kōng bù yì sè
emptiness is not different than appearance
色即是空
sè jí shì kōng
appearance at once is emptiness
空即是色
kōng jí shì sè
emptiness at once is appearance
More poetic is the usual:
"That which is emptiness is form
That which is form is emptiness."
However, the Chinese character 即, meaning "at once," gives the correct sense of being one and immediate.
受想行識 亦復如是
shòu xiǎng xìng zhì yì fù rú shì
Emotion, thought/beliefs, impulses, (and) discernment (are) also again thus.
Note: The first was:
色 sè appearance / sensation
These are the other four skandhas in chinese
受 shòu to endure / emotion
想 xiǎng to think / to believe / perception
行 xìng behavior / conduct / cognitive impulses
识 zhì to record / to discern / discernment as consciousness
舍利子是 諸法空相
Shě-lì-zǐ zhū fǎ kōng xiàng
Shariputra, all ways of doing things are empty appearance
Normally it is presented in Sanskrit replicates as "Shariputra, all dharmas are marked with emptiness."
The character 法, "ways of doing things," includes the "way," all "doctrines," and then indeed all "Dharmas." It is important to understand the more extensive meaning.
不生不滅
bù shēng bù miè
not born (and) not extinguished
不垢不浄
bù gòu bù jìng
not dirtied (and) not clean
不増不減
bù zēng bù jiǎn
not increasing (and) not decreasing
是故空中無色
shì gù kōng zhòng wú sè
being therefore (that) emptiness hits (the mark) nothing has appearance
無受想行識
wú shòu xiǎng xìng zhì
(there is) no having emotion, thought/ beliefs, impulses, (or) discernment
無眼耳鼻舌身意
wú yǎn ěr bí shé shēn yì
(there is) no having eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, thought (not mind)
Traditionally "mind" is used here, but actually "thought" is correct as contemplation shows the sixth sense to be thought, which is the experience of the passing of "data" from cognition to consciousness. The Chinese use of 意, "thought," is then more appropriate.
無色声香味触法
wú sè shēng xiāng wèi chù fǎ
(there is) no having color, sound, fragrance, taste, touch, Buddhist teachings (mind objects)
The use of 法, "Buddhist teaching", instead of "mind objects" here is interesting and completely consistent with the Diamond Sutra, and imperative to understand.
All Buddhist teachings, including that of this sutra, are also empty.
無限界乃至無意識界
wú xiàn jiè nǎi zhì wú yì shí jiè
(there is) no having a limiting extent, thus arriving (at) not having scope of thought/knowledge (no realm of mind consciousness)
無無明亦無無明尽
wú wú míng yì wú wú míng jìn
not having (non-understanding) also not having extinction of
There is no Chinese character for Ignorance itself and it is written as 無明, which is effectively non-understanding.
乃至無老死亦無老死尽
nǎi zhì wú lǎo sǐ yì wú lǎo sǐ jìn
thus, until not having old.age (and) death (and) also not having extinction of old-age (and) death
無苦集滅道
wú kǔ jí miè dào
not having the four noble truths
namely:
苦 all life is suffering,
集 the cause of suffering is desire,
滅 emancipation comes only by eliminating passions,
八 正道 the way (道) to emancipation is the Eightfold Noble Path
無智亦無得
wú zhì yì wú dé
no knowledge and no obtaining
以無所得故
yǐ wú suǒ dé gù
therefore, accordingly not having to actually (to) obtain
菩提薩埵依般若波羅蜜多故
Púti-Sà duǒ yī bō rě bō luó mì duō gù
the Bodhisattva therefore depends upon Prajna Paramita
心無罣礙
xīn wú guà ài
(the) mind is not worried or concerned (nor) obstructed
無罣礙故無有恐怖
wú guà ài gù wú yǒu kǒng bù
not having worry or concern (there) is no existence of fear or terror
遠離一切顛倒無想
yuǎn lí yī qiè diān dǎo wú xiǎng
far apart from every failing, to the contrary not having perception
究竟涅槃
jiū jìng niè-pán
is after all indeed Nirvana
and the second part:
三世諸仏 依般若波羅蜜多故
sān shì zhū fó yī bō-re bō luó mì duō gù
All three world Buddhas therefore depend upon Prajna Paramita,
These are Buddhas of the World of Desire (慾望世界, kāmadhatu), World of form (形的世界, rūpadhatu), and the formless world (無形的世界, arupadhatu).
An appropriate grasping of these three would be to consider the world of desire to be that of Stained Samsara, the world of Form as unstained Samsara of illusion and the Formless world as the world beyond the mundane.
得阿耨多羅三藐三菩
dé a nòu duō luó sān miǎo sān Pútí
obtaining no greater passing over, to Shen unity and the one Awakening.
Translated normally on the Sanskrit base as "obtaining no greater passing over, all-pervading perfect awakening."
"a nòu duō luó sān miǎo sān Pútí "
sound equivalent of the Sanskrit
"an-uttara sam-ya sam-bodhi"
"an" (nothing)- "ut" (more,utmost) - "tara" (passing over)
"san" (oneness, unity) - yakkha" (quick ray of light, spirit, Shen)
"san" (oneness, unity) - Puti (Bodhi. awakening)
故知般若 波羅蜜多 是大神呪
gù zhī bōrě bō luó mì shì dà shén zhou
Therefore, know that the Prajnaparamita great Shen mantra
是大明呪 是無上呪 是無等等呪
shì dà míng zhou, shì wú shàng zhou. shì wú děng děng zhou
is the great shining mantra, being no higher mantra, being no equal and so on mantra
能除一切苦真実不嘘
néng chú yī qiè kǔ zhēn shí bù xū
capable of eliminating each and every hardship, indeed true not rejected
Here each and every "hardship" is prefered to "Suffering", since Chan does not direct itelf to suffering, in and of itself, as an end.
The final character 嘘 is better translated as "rejected," not as the traditional mundane "false." This makes the phrase also active and more dynamic.
故説般若波羅蜜多呪
gù shuō bō-rě bō-luó-mi-duō zhòu
Therefore (he) narrated the Prajna Paramita mantra
即説呪曰
jí shuō zhòu yuē
presenting the mantra saying
揭諦揭諦
jiē dì jiē dì
波羅揭諦
bō luó jiē dì
波羅僧揭諦
bō luó sēng jiē dì
菩 提 薩婆訶
Puti Sà pó hē
EXCEPT FOR THE LAST LINE, WE WOULD EXPECT PERHAPS A CHINESE SOUND EQUIVALENT SERIES, BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE. IN INVESTIGATING WE FIND AN INTERESTING SERIES HAS BEEN PRESENTED IN CHINESE.