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​ Pú​sà 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

Pú​ti-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​ bō​rě​ 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.

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