Recitation Videos of the Heart Sutra
.♫.♫【BGM背景音樂】心經–Buddhist song 心经 The Heart Sutra【靈修用 Devotional 灵修】
.♫.♫【BGM背景音樂】心經–Buddhist song 心经 The Heart Sutra【靈修用 Devotional 灵修】 - YouTube
開啟內心的靜音模式：般若波羅密多心經 (漢) The Heart Sutra (Chinese ed.)
開啟內心的靜音模式：般若波羅密多心經 (漢) The Heart Sutra (Chinese ed.) - YouTube
Recitation of the Heart Sutra
The Bodhisattva of Compassion, while practicing deeply the Prajna Paramita, perceived that all five skandhas are empty, thereby relieving all suffering.
Shariputra, form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form. Form is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly form. Sensation, perception, volition, consciousness are also like this.
Shariputra, all dharmas are marked with emptiness. They neither arise nor cease, neither defile nor are pure, neither increase nor decrease. Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no volition, 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 realm of eyes, no realm of mind consciousness. There is no ignorance and no end to ignorance, no old age and death, and no end to old age and death; no suffering, no cause of suffering, no end to suffering, no path, no wisdom and no attainment.
With nothing to attain, the Bodhisattva relies on Prajna Paramita, and thus the mind is without hindrance. Without hindrance, there is no fear. Far beyond all inverted views, one realizes Nirvana.
All Buddhas of past, present and future rely on Prajna Paramita and thereby attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.
Therefore, know that Prajna Paramita is the great mantra, the luminous mantra, the unsurpassed mantra, the unequaled mantra, which removes all suffering and is true, not false. That is why the mantra of Prajna Paramita was spoken. Recite it as follows:
Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi svaha!
Legend of the Heart Sutra
When Xuanzang traveled to the Western Regions to seek the Dharma, he passed through an 800-mile desert with no birds flying above, no beasts running below, and no people in between, only ghosts and monsters. Reciting any sutra could not subdue them, but when he recited the Heart Sutra, all the ghosts and monsters hid away. It was only through the Heart Sutra that he was able to reach India and obtain the sutras.
Explanation of the Heart Sutra
The Bodhisattva of Compassion, while practicing deeply the Prajna Paramita, perceived that all five skandhas are empty, thereby relieving all suffering.
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, through cultivating the perfection of wisdom (Prajna Paramita), saw that the five skandhas are empty, and then resolved all afflictions and sufferings.
Practicing the six perfections can completely solve suffering and afflictions, and then prove that the five skandhas are empty through sudden enlightenment.
The Six Perfections
| Name | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Giving | Offering one’s possessions or knowledge to others, including material goods, the Dharma, and removing fear |
| Morality | Upholding the precepts of Buddhism and refraining from evil |
| Patience | “Not being arrogant or indulgent when in a high position”, “Not harboring resentment when being insulted”, and “Not suffering affliction when external phenomena change” |
| Vigor | Diligently applying one’s mind and body to what is virtuous, “Contemplating what is wholesome and what can be made wholesome” |
| Meditation | Having a mind free from distractions, with a peaceful body and mind, which can remedy a scattered mind |
| Wisdom | Removing ignorance and departing from afflictions and wrong views to attain liberation |
Shariputra, form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form. Form is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly form. Sensation, perception, volition, consciousness are also like this.
The five skandhas - form, sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness - are not different from emptiness, and emptiness is not different from them. They are all empty, not in the sense of non-existence, but in the sense of transcending existence and non-existence. The functioning of the five skandhas has no self-nature, but arises due to causes and conditions coming together.
- Form is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly form
- Sensation is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly sensation
- Perception is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly perception
- Volition is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly volition
- Consciousness is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly consciousness
The Five Skandhas
| Name | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Form | The external material environment, tangible things that can be touched, seen, and occupy space |
| Sensation | The psychological feelings of living beings, feelings of pleasure and pain |
| Perception | The thoughts in the minds of living beings |
| Volition | The mental activities that drive the behavior and actions of living beings |
| Consciousness | The products of identification that arise when the sense organs come into contact with external environments, such as visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory consciousnesses. Also includes the “mental consciousness” that arises when we come into contact with feelings, thoughts, and actions. |
Shariputra, all dharmas are marked with emptiness. They neither arise nor cease, neither defile nor are pure, neither increase nor decrease. Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no volition, 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 realm of eyes, no realm of mind consciousness. There is no ignorance and no end to ignorance, no old age and death, and no end to old age and death; no suffering, no cause of suffering, no end to suffering, no path, no wisdom and no attainment.
1. What are the five skandhas?
Since the five skandhas are empty, everything that depends on and exists due to them is also empty and meaningless.
They transcend arising and ceasing, defilement and purity, increase and decrease - they are just causes and conditions coming together, an illusion.
There are no five skandhas, no six sense organs and six sense objects, no eighteen dhatus, no twelve links of dependent origination, no Four Noble Truths - even the twelve “no’s” are negated.
Negating the Buddha’s path of practice is still being trapped in a cage. If one clings to the Buddha’s practices, it’s just jumping from one cage into another.
The twelve “no’s” remind us to liberate ourselves from all human-made constructs, to place ourselves in the boundless emptiness, without any grasping.
Stepping out of the human framework, standing in the infinite void, and then returning to the human space-time, one discovers a sense of complete liberation and joy.
With nothing to attain, the Bodhisattva relies on Prajna Paramita, and thus the mind is without hindrance. Without hindrance, there is no fear. Far beyond all inverted views, one realizes Nirvana.
2. Viewing the earth from the perspective of the universe, everything becomes clear.
When one transcends the human perspective and is not attached to any "doctrines" or "consciousness", one can achieve a mind without obstacles.
There is no fear, no inverted views, and one realizes the state of complete enlightenment.
Attachment is the cause of suffering
The suffering of living beings comes from two sources - internal and external. Internal refers to body and mind, external refers to environmental factors.
“Birth, old age, sickness, death, love, separation, hatred, destruction” - not getting what one desires.
“Birth, old age, sickness, death” is the suffering of body and mind. “Love, separation, hatred, destruction” is the suffering caused by external factors.
The suffering of body and mind comes from seeing oneself as an entity and clinging to it. Attachment to sentient life, always living with a mentality of attainment, only caring about whether one possesses things, becomes suffering when one cannot obtain them.
Attachment to wealth, status, emotions, beliefs, living environments, attachment to needing more - due to attachment, a strong possessiveness arises towards everything, unable to let go, and attachment simultaneously brings life’s afflictions.
Seeing through worldly right and wrong, gain and loss, fame and disgrace, without attachment or clinging, there is no suffering.
All Buddhas of past, present and future rely on Prajna Paramita and thereby attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. Therefore, know that Prajna Paramita is the great mantra, the luminous mantra, the unsurpassed mantra, the unequaled mantra, which removes all suffering and is true, not false.
All the Buddhas of the past cultivated the perfection of wisdom (Prajna Paramita) to attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. The wisdom of Prajna Paramita that liberates us is the great mantra, the unequaled mantra, and the Heart Sutra ends with the Prajna Paramita mantra.
That is why the mantra of Prajna Paramita was spoken. Recite it as follows: Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi svaha!
Go, cross over the attachments of the past, and you will attain unparalleled joy and emptiness.
Recognizing that all things in the world are unobtainable, one can have a mind without obstacles, without fear, far beyond inverted views, and realize Nirvana - eternal happiness and peace.