Ken McLeod's modern English translation of the Heart Sutra

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Ken McLeod's modern English translation of the Heart Sutra(an ancient and highly revered Mahayana Buddhist text)...The Sutra of the Heart of the Lady Perfection of WisdomI bow to Lady Perfection of Wisdom.Thus I heard at one time. Lord Buddha was sitting at Vulture Peak Mountain in Rajagriha, with a great gathering of the sangha of monks and the sangha of bodhisattvas. At that time, Lord Buddha entered an absorption, called Profound Radiance, that examines experience. At the same time, noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, while practicing the profound perfection of wisdom, looked in this way: he saw the five heaps to be empty of nature.Then, through the power of the Buddha, venerable Shariputra said to noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva

mahasattva, "How does a son or daughter of the noble family, who wishes to practice the profound perfection of wisdom, train?"Addressed in this way, noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, said to venerable Shariputra, "Shariputra, a son or daughter of the noble family who wishes to practice the profound perfection of wisdom looks in this way: see the five heaps to be empty of nature.Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form; form is not other than emptiness. In the same way, feeling, concept, mental formation, and consciousness are emptiness.Therefore, Shariputra, all experience is emptiness. It is not defined. It is not born or destroyed, impure or free from impurity, nor incomplete or complete.Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness, there is no form, no feelings, no concepts, no mental formations, 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 mind object; no eye element up to no mind element, no mind object element, no mind consciousness element; no ignorance, no end of ignorance up to no old age and death, no end of old age and death; no suffering, no origin, no cessation, no path; no pristine awareness, no attainment, and no non-attainment.Therefore, Shariputra, with nothing to attain, bodhisattvas rely on and rest in the perfection of wisdom. Their minds are not clouded and they have no fear. They go completely beyond error and come to the end of nirvana. All the buddhas of the three times, by means of the perfection of wisdom, fully awaken to unsurpassable, true, complete awakening.Therefore, know the mantra of the perfection of wisdom, a mantra of great understanding, an unsurpassed mantra, a mantra equal to the unequalled, a mantra that completely calms all suffering, to be true

because it is not false. Thus, to voice the mantra of the perfection of wisdom:om gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svahaThus, Shariputra, do all bodhisattva mahasattvas train in the profound perfection of wisdom."Then Lord Buddha arose from that absorption and confirmed noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, with these words, "Yes, yes, o son of noble family; that's it, that's it. One practices the profound perfection of wisdom just as you have taught: all those who have gone there will be filled with joy."Then venerable Shariputra and noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, that whole assembly and the world with its gods, humans, demigods, and sky spirits, rejoiced and praised the words of Lord Buddha.

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