Translated Chinese Texts



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心 經

Xin Jing

Heart Sutra

A new translation from the Chinese version

 

 

般若波羅蜜多心經

 

觀 自 在 菩 薩
行 深 般 若 波 羅 蜜 多 時
照 見 五 蘊 皆 空
度 一 切 苦 厄
舍 利 子
色 不 異 空 空 不 異 色
色 即 是 空 空 即 是 色
受 想 行 識 亦 復 如 是
舍 利 子　　
是 諸 法 空 相
不 生 不 滅
不 垢 不 淨
不 增 不 減
是 故 空 中 無 色
無 受 想 行 識
無 眼 耳 鼻 舌 身 意
無 色 聲 香 味 觸 法
無 眼 界 乃 至 無 意 識 界
無 無 明 亦 無 無 明 盡
乃 至 無 老 死 亦 無 老 死 盡
無 苦 集 滅 道
無 智 亦 無 得
以 無 所 得 故
菩 提 薩 埵
依 般 若 波 羅 蜜 多 故
心 無 罣 礙
無 罣 礙 故　
無 有 恐 怖
遠 離 顛 倒 夢 想
究 竟 涅 槃
三 世 諸 佛
依 般 若 波 羅 蜜 多 故
得 阿 耨 多 羅 三 藐 三 菩 提
故 知 般 若 波 羅 蜜 多
是 大 神 咒
是 大 明 咒
是 無 上 咒
是 無 等 等 咒
能 除 一 切 苦
真 實 不 虛
故 說 般 若 波 羅 蜜 多 咒
即 說 咒 曰
揭 諦 揭 諦 波 羅 揭 諦 　
波 羅 僧 揭 諦 菩 提 娑 婆 訶

 

 

 

Bō rě bō luó mì duō xīng jíng

 

Guān zì zaì pú sà
Xíng shēn bō rě bō luó mì duō shí
Zhào jiàn wǔ yùn jiē kōng
Dù yí qiè kǔ è
Shè lì zǐ
Sè bú yì kōng kōng bú yì sè
Sè jí shì kōng kōng jí shì sè
Shoù xiǎng xíng shì yì fù rǔ shì
Shè lì zǐ
Shì zhú fǎ kōng xiàng
Bù shēng bú miè
Bú goù bú jìng
Bù zēng bù jiàn
Shì gù kōng zhōngwú sè
Wú shòu xiǎng xíng shì
Wú yǎn ěr bí shé shēn yì
Wú sè shēng xiāng weì chù fǎ
Wú yǎn jiè naǐ zhì wú yì shì jiè
Wú wú míng yì wú wú míng jìng
Naǐ zhì wú laò sǐ yì wú laó sǐ jìng
Wú kǔ jí miè da
Wú zhì yì wú dé
Yǐ wú suǒ dé gù
Pǔ tí sà duō
Yī bō rě bō luó mì duō gù
Shīn wú guò aì　　
Wú guò aì gù
Wú yóu kǒng bù
Yuǎn lí dān daǒ mèng xiǎng
Jiù jìng niè pán
Sān shì zhū fó
Yī bō rě bō luó mì duō gù
Dé ā nù duō luō sān miaǒ sān pǔ tí
Gù zī bō rě bō luó mì duō
Shì dà shén zhoù
Shì dà míng zhoù
Shì wú shàng zhoù
Shì wú déng děng zhoù
Néng chú yí qiè kǔ
Zhēn shí bù xū
Gù shuō bō rě bō luó mì duō zhoù
Jí shuō zhoù yiē　
Ga te ga te pa ra ga te
Pa ra sam ga te bo dhi sva ha a

 

 

 

Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra

 

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva;
Practicing deeply on the Prajna Paramita;
Clearly sees that five skandhas are all empty;
To relieve all suffering and distress.
Shariputra:
Form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does not differ from form;
Form is exactly emptiness; emptiness is exactly form;
Sensation, thought, impulse and consciousness are also like this.
Shariputra:
Despite appearances, all things are empty;
No birth and no end;
Not stained and not pure;
Without gain and without loss;
Therefore, in emptiness there is no form;
No sensation, no thought, no impulse, no consciousness;
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind;
No form, sound, smell, taste, touch, knowledge;
No realm of sight, and even no realm of thought;
No ignorance, also no end of ignorance;
And even no aging and death, also no end of aging and death;
No suffering, no gathering, no annihilation and no path.
No wisdom, also no attainment;
As nothing is attained, therefore;
Bodhisattvas.
Follow Prajna Paramita and thereby;
The mind is no hindrance or obstruction;
No hindrance or obstruction, therefore;
There is no fear;
Far away from incoherent thought and fantasy;
And eventually – Nirvana.
All the Buddha’s of the past, present and future;
Follow Prajna Paramita and thereby;
Realize the ultimate and are completely awakened.
Therefore, know that Prajna Paramita;
Is the great divine mantra;
Is the great enlightening mantra;
Is the unsurpassed mantra;
Is the incomparable mantra;
Able to eliminate all suffering;
This is all true and not in vain.
So propagate the Prajna Paramita mantra;
Set forth this mantra and say:
Ga-te Ga-te Pa-ra-ga-te Pa-ra-sam-ga-te Bo-dhi Sva-ha

 

 

 

般	若	波	羅	蜜	多	心	經
Bō	rě	bō	luó	mì	duō	xīng	jíng
Prajna Paramita						Heart	Sutra
觀	自	在	菩	薩
Guān	(zì	zaì)	(pú	sà)
Observing	self	here	bodhisattva
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva; *1
行	深	般	若	波	羅	蜜	多	時
Xíng	shēn	(bō	rě	bō	luó	mì	duō)	shí
Doing	deep	Prajna Paramita						time
Practicing deeply on the Prajna Paramita; *2
照	見	五	蘊	皆	空
Zhaò	jiàn	wǔ	yùn	jiē	kōng
Illuminate	see	five	skandhas	all	empty
Clearly sees that five skandhas are all empty;
度	一	切	苦	厄
Dù	(yí	qiè)	kǔ	è
Relieve	one	close to	suffering	distress
To relieve all suffering and distress. *3
舍	利	子
Shè	lí	zǐ
Hut	benefit	child
Shariputra; *4
色	不	異	空	空	不	異	色
Sè	bú	yì	kōng	kōng	bú	yi4	sè
Form	no	differ	empty	empty	no	differ	form
Form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness not differ from form; *5
色	即	是	空	空	即	是	色
Sè	jí	shì	kōng	kōng	jí	shì	sè
Form	exactly	is	empti- ness	empti- ness	exactly	is	form
Form is exactly emptiness; emptiness is exactly form;
受	想	行	識	亦	復	如	是
Shoù	xiǎng	xíng	shì	yì	fù	rú	shì
Sensation	thought	impulse	conscious- ness	also	too	like	this
Sensation, thought, impulse and consciousness are also like this.
舍	利	子
Shè	lì	zǐ
Hut	benefit	child
Shariputra;
是	諸	法	空	相
Shì	(zhū	fǎ)	kōng	xiàng
This	all	method	empty	appearance
Despite appearances, all things are empty;
不	生	不	滅
Bù	sheng1	bú	miè
No	birth	no	termination
No birth and no end;
不	垢	不	淨
Bú	goù	bú	jìng
No	stained	no	pure
Not stained and not pure;
不	增	不	減
Bù	zēng	bù	jiǎn
No	increase	no	decrease
Without gain and without loss;
是	故	空	中	無	色
(Shì	gù)	kōng	zhōng	wú	sè
Therefore		empty	inside	no	form
Therefore, in emptiness there is no form;
無	受	想	行	識
Wú	shoù	xiǎng	xíng	shì
No	sensation	thought	action	consciousness
No sensation, no thought, no impulse, no consciousness;
無	眼	耳	鼻	舌	身	意
Wú	yǎn	ěr	bí	shè	shēn	yì
No	eye	ear	nose	tongue	body	mind
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind;
無	色	聲	香	味	觸	法
Wú	sè	shēng	xiāng	weì	chù	fǎ
No	colour	sound	smell	taste	touch	knowledge
No form, sound, smell, taste, touch, knowledge;
無	眼	界	乃	至	無	意	識	界
Wú	yǎn	jiè	(naǐ	zhì)	wú	(yì	shì)	jiè
No	eye	realm	and	even	no	consciousness		realm
No realm of sight, and even no realm of thought;
無	無	明	亦	無	無	明	盡
Wú	(wú	míng)	yì	wú	(wú	míng)	jìng
No	ignorance		also	no	ignorance		end
No ignorance, also no end of ignorance;
乃	至	無	老	死	亦	無	老	死	盡
(Naǐ	zhì)	wú	laó	sǐ	yì	wú	laó	sǐ	jìng
And	even	no	old	death	also	no	old	death	end
And even no aging and death, also no end of aging and death;
無	苦	集	滅	道
Wú	kǔ	jí	miè	daò
No	suffering	gathering	cessation	path
No suffering, no gathering, no annihilation and no path. *6
無	智	亦	無	得
Wú	zhì	yì	wú	dé
No	wisdom	also	no	attainment
No wisdom, also no attainment; *7 *8
以	無	所	得	故
Yǐ	wú	(suǒ	dé)	gù
As	nothing	that	attain	therefore
As nothing is attained, therefore;
菩	提	薩	埵
(Pǔ	tí)	sà	duō
Awake
Bodhisattvas. *9
依	般	若	波	羅	蜜	多	故
Yī	(bō	rě	bō	luó	mì	duō)	gù
Follow	(general	seems	wave	gather	sweet	much)	thereby
Follow Prajna Paramita and thereby;
心	無	罣	礙
Shīn	wú	guò	aì
Mind	no	hindrance	obstruction
The mind is no hindrance or obstruction;
無	罣	礙	故
Wú	guò	aì	gù
No	hindrance	obstruc- tion	therefore
No hindrance or obstruction, therefore;
無	有	恐	怖
Wú	yóu	(kōng	bù)
No	have	fear
There is no fear;
遠	離	顛	倒	夢	想
Yuǎn	lí	(diān	daǒ)	(mèng	xiǎng)
Far	away	incoherent		fantasy
Far away from incoherent thought and fantasy;
究	竟	涅	槃
(Jiù	jìng)	(niè	pán)
Finally	after all	dye	tray
And eventually – Nirvana. *10
三	世	諸	佛
Sān	shì	zh	fó
Three	generation	all	Buddhas
All the Buddhas of the past, present and future; *11
依	般	若	波	羅	蜜	多	故
Yī	(bō	rě	bō	luó	mì	duo1)	gù
Follow	Prajna Paramita						thereby
Follow Prajna Paramita and thereby;
得	阿	耨	多	羅	三	藐	三	菩	提
Dé	(ā	nù	duō	luō)	sān	miaǒ	sān	(pǔ	tí)
Attain	the ultimate				three	correct	three	awake
Realize the ultimate and are completely awakened. *12
故	知	般	若	波	羅	蜜	多
Gù	zī	(bō	rě	bō	luó	mì	duō)
Therefore	know	Prajna Paramita
Therefore, know that Prajna Paramita;
是	大	神	咒
Shì	dà	shén	zhoù
Is	great	divine	mantra
Is the great divine mantra;
是	大	明	咒
Shì	dà	míng	zhoù
Is	great	bright	mantra
Is the great enlightening mantra;
是	無	上	咒
Shì	wú	shàng	zhoù
Is	no	above	mantra
Is the unsurpassed mantra;
是	無	等	等	咒
Shì	wú	(déng	děng)	zhoù
Is	no	equivalent		mantra
Is the incomparable mantra; *13
能	除	一	切	苦
Néng	chú	(yí	qiè)	kū
Can	eliminate	all		suffering
Able to eliminate all suffering;
真	實	不	虛
Zhēn	shí	bù	xū
True	real	no	false
This is all true and not in vain.
故	說	般	若	波	羅	蜜	多	咒
Gù	shuō	(bō	rě	bō	luó	mì	duō)	zhoù
Therefore	say	Prajna Paramita						mantra
So propagate the Prajna Paramita mantra;
即	說	咒	曰
Jí	shuō	zhoù	yiē
Promptly	set forth	mantra	say
Set forth this mantra and say:
揭	諦	揭	諦	波	羅	揭	諦
Ga	te	Ga	te	Pa	ra	ga	te
Gate Gate Paragate
波	羅	僧	揭	諦	菩	提	娑	婆	訶
Pa	ra	sam	ga	te	Bo	dhi	Sva	ha	a
Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha *14

 

 

 

心經 - Xin Jing - Heart Sutra
Notes:

 

*1 觀自在菩薩 (Guān zì zaì pú sà): Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, also known as Guanyin.

*2 般若波羅蜜多 (Bō rě bō luó duō): Prajna Paramita = perfection of wisdom; to reach the far shore: Nirvana.

*3 一切 (Yí qiè): All. 切: qiè: close to; qiē: slide, cut

*4 舍利子 (Shè lì zǐ): A top disciple of Buddha, renown for his intelligence, to whom the Heart sutra is preached. The author of the sutra is Ananda, another top disciple of Buddha, renown for his memory. [Carira (Sanskrit), Sarira (Pali), Shelizi (Chinese), written 舍利 or 舍利子 = cremated bone fragments. Originally this meant only the cremated bone or tooth fragments of the Buddha, but now also refers to cremated bone fragments of monks and great Buddhist practitioners.] The Shelizi in the Heart Sutra refers to the Chinese pronunciation of the monk Shariputra, not cremated bone fragments.

*5 空 (Kōng): Emptiness. Despite external appearances all things are empty and continually transforming. Although we can perceive things, they are empty of inherent nature. All things are composed of five aggregates: form, feeling, discrimination, compositional factors and consciousness. Through our senses we grasp at the self and become attached to the five aggregates, and this leads to suffering. Those who have perfected wisdom as Bodhisattvas know that all things are empty and all phenomena are empty and selfless. Thus, in the realm of nirvana is peace.

*6 道 (Daò): Path: the Buddha’s doctrine to the end of suffering – nirvana.

*7 智 (Zhì): Wisdom = Prajna Paramita.

*8 得 (Dé): Attainment = to become a Buddha. No wisdom and no attainment means: not clinging to what one is practicing and trying to attain.

*9 菩提薩埵 (Pǔ tí sà duō): Bodhisattvas. These characters do not have an independent meaning and are only used for writing the word ‘Bodhisattva’ in Chinese.

*10 涅槃 (Niè pán): Nirvana; the other shore.

*11 三世諸佛 (Sān shì zhū fó): Buddhas of the past, present, and future.

*12 阿耨多羅 (Ā nù duō luō): Annuta: the Apex; the Ultimate.

*13 等 (Děng): To await, etc, grade, rank, equivalent.

*14 揭諦揭諦波羅揭諦波羅僧揭諦菩提娑婆訶 (Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha): This is a Romanization of the Tibetan pronunciation of the mantra, meaning: Beyond the five paths: the path of accumulation; the path of increased effort; the path of seeing; the path of meditation; and the path of no more learning.

 

 

 

Postscript

 

This translation of the Heart Sutra was developed while studying Chinese language, calligraphy and Buddhism in Taiwan. It is hoped that sharing these efforts may help other English-speaking people to study the Heart Sutra from the Chinese version.

The Heart Sutra is a concise distillation of a vast body of philosophy and the nuance of each word or character can be read with a wide range of interpretations. It should therefore be understood that the present translation is in no way definitive or complete but only one of many possible versions.

The Chinese version itself is a translation from the original, probably written in Sanskrit, the ancient written language of India. Some of the terms and Chinese characters are not translatable, so in such cases Romanized versions of the original Sanskrit words have been used. A mantra is a vocal incantation, the exact sound of which is very important. Many believe that the Tibetan pronunciation is closer to the original sound of the mantra than the Chinese, and suggest reciting it that way. In this translation, the mantra at the end of the Heart Sutra has therefore been presented as a Romanized version of the Tibetan pronunciation.

The first two pages of this translation show the Chinese version of the Heart Sutra in its entirety. The next two pages are a Romanization of the Chinese pronunciation in Hanyu Pinyin, with accent marks representing the four tones. The next two pages are an English translation of the Heart Sutra. In all three versions, each clause is presented on a separate line to aid reading.

The following eight pages show the Heart Sutra, clause by clause, in a four line, ‘deconstructed’ translation. The first line shows the Chinese version of each clause; the second line shows the direct English translation of each Chinese character. The third line shows the pronunciation of each character in Hanyu Pinyin with accent marks representing the tonal pronunciations; the fourth line shows a translation of each clause in English.

In this way, one can clearly see how the Heart Sutra is written in Chinese, along with the English meaning of each character. Those learning to speak Chinese are able to learn the pronunciation of the Heart Sutra in Chinese. One can also see how the character-by-character translation has been rendered into comprehensible English, and thereby read and recite the Heart Sutra in English.

The eight pages of deconstructed translation are followed by two pages of notes with short explanations about the meaning of some Chinese characters and the related concepts. These notes are followed by this postscript.

Readers are encouraged to write with any comments they may have about this translation and suggestions about how it could be improved. The hope is to eventually publish and distribute this translation of the Heart Sutra in booklet form to help bridge eastern and western cultures, and to transmit the power and benefit of this most beautiful and important text leading us away from suffering and towards liberation.

 

 

 

Commentary

 

It is said that the Heart Sutra was written in India around 2900 years by Ananda, and addressed to Shelize, two of Buddha’s ten main disciples during his lifetime. It was written as a kind of summary and condensation, the ‘heart’ of Buddha’s teachings.

The Heart Sutra could be considered one of the most profound, beautiful and ultimately, liberating texts ever written. The great profundity expressed with concise brevity is wonderfully expressed in the Chinese version. With an economy of only 268 characters, the Heart Sutra explains the causes of suffering and the path to liberation. In this way, the Heart Sutra can be considered as a Great Healer. Therein is contained an examination, prognosis, prescription, and ultimately, the cure to all suffering.

Buddha’s teachings were extensive and encompassed a wide range of complex issues, and over time these teachings have been reinterpreted and codified by many different schools of religious Buddhism. Ironically, the temples, altars, images, rituals, teachings and other aspects of religious Buddhism serve as externalized, material manifestations employed to transmit Buddha’s philosophy that everything, including temples, images and rituals, are nothing more than empty delusions.

It has been suggested that as the different types of religious Buddhism have become very complex, each with their own interpretations, and that as Heart Sutra is a condensation of Buddha’s teachings that it too is very complex, difficult to understand and requires interpretation and explanation for ‘common’ people.

Yet this is not necessarily so. The Heart Sutra was written as a summary of rather straightforward teachings directly from Buddha’s words during his lifetime, long before the complexity of religious Buddhism had developed. It can therefore be considered as a simple and direct summary of straightforward concepts. In fact, much of the Heart Sutra transcends rational intellectual understanding and therefore explanation or “understanding” are not really possible nor even desirable. The pattern of statements and negation are in part, a method to show the limits of thought and logical rationalization. Consciousness and thought are impediments to our awakening equal to the delusions caused by our sensory perception.

It may be suggested that the Heart Sutra does not require any further explanation and interpretation because Ananda has already done such a wonderful job for us, and apparently, this was approved by Buddha. Legend has it that when Ananda first recited the Heart Sutra to Buddha, he replied by clapping his hands and saying “very good, very good.”

 

 

 

____________________________________________

心經 - Xin Jing - Heart Sutra
A new translation from the Chinese version
translated, annotated and designed by
S. Che and A. Owen
Taipei, Taiwan, April ’02 –November ‘03

Any comments or technical assistance with the
refinement of this translation are welcome.
Suggestions and assistance towards the printing,
publication and distribution of this translation
would also be most appreciated.

E-mail: andrew_a01@yahoo.ca
____________________________________________