1. The Heart SutraThe Heart SutraThe Heart SutraThe Heart Sutra
Buddha's teaching on great “Perfection of Wisdom”
Free translation and commentary by Hitoshi Tsuchiyama
かん じ ざい ぼ さつ
観自在菩薩 Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion,
ぎょう じん はん にゃ は ら みっ た じ （Avalokiteshvara: the symbol of Buddha's Great Compassion, or mahakaruna.）
行深般若波羅蜜多時 meditating deeply on Perfection of Wisdom,
しょう けん ご うん かい くう （looking deeply to understand the ultimate truth,）
照見五蘊皆空 saw clearly that all 5 aggregates are empty of separate existence,
ど いっ さい く やく （understood clearly that all 5 aggregates are interdependent co-arising.）
度一切苦厄 and so released himself from all sufferings.
しゃ り し （freed himself from all sufferings because he transcended the duality by understanding emptiness.）
舎利子 Sariputra, listen deeply!
しき ふ い くう （Sariputra: one of two chief male disciples of Buddha）
色不異空 Form is no other than emptiness (empty of separate existence),
くう ふ い しき （Form is no other than empty space because form is made of non-form elements.）
空不異色 emptiness (empty of separate existence) is no other than form.
しき そく ぜ くう （Empty space is no other than form because empty space is made of non-empty space elements.）
色即是空 Form is namely emptiness (empty of separate existence),
くう そく ぜ しき （Form is namely empty space because empty space is inside of form.）
空即是色 emptiness (empty of separate existence) is namely form.
じゅ そう ぎょう しき やく ぶ にょ ぜ (Empty space is namely form because form is inside of empty space.)
受想行識亦復如是
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Feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness are also emptiness.
(feeling [emotion] → perception [object of mind] → mental formation [mind] → volition [motivation] → action
[thinking, speech, action] → consequence [happiness, suffering] → consciousness [karma, seeds]）

2. しゃ り し
舎利子 Sariputra, listen deeply!
ぜ しょ ほう くう そう
是諸法空相 All phenomena's true nature is also emptiness (empty of separate existence):
ふ しょう ふ めつ （All phenomena's true nature is also interdependent co-arising as below.）
不生不滅 There is no birth and no death,
ふ く ふ じょう （Nothing is lost according to the law of conservation of energy and mass and everything will continue,）
不垢不浄 no defilement and no purity,
ふ ぞう ふ げん （Defilement and purity are interdependent co-arising and are the two sides of the same coin,）
不増不減 no increasing and no decreasing.
ぜ こ くう ちゅう（Matter can be neither created nor destroyed according to the law of conservation of energy and mass.）
是故空中 So, in emptiness (empty of separate existence),
む しき （So, in emptiness in the phenomenal world,）
無色 there is no form,
む じゅ そう ぎょう しき （there is no separate form; each form is interdependent co-arising,）
無受想行識 no feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness,
む げん に び ぜっ しん い （no separate minds; each mind is interdependent co-arising,）
無眼耳鼻舌身意 no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin and mind,
む しき しょう こう み そく ほう （no separate sense organs; each sense organ is interdependent co-arising,）
無色声香味触法 no sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell and cognition,
む げん かい （no separate senses; each sense is interdependent co-arising,）
無眼界 no phenomenal world seen by eyes,
ない し む い しき かい （no separate phenomenal world seen by eyes; it is interdependent co-arising,）
乃至無意識界 moreover, no six (five senses and mind) consciousnesses’ world,
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3. む む みょう やく （no separate six consciousnesses’ worlds; each consciousness’ world is interdependent co-arising,）
無無明亦 no ignorance,
む む みょう じん （no separate ignorance; ignorance is interdependent co-arising,）
無無明尽 no end to ignorance,
ない し む ろう し （no separate end to ignorance; end to ignorance is interdependent co-arising,）
乃至無老死 moreover, no old age and death,
やく む ろう し じん （moreover, no separate old age and death; old age and death are interdependent co-arising,）
亦無老死尽 no end to old age and death also,
む く しゅう めつ どう （no separate end to old age and death also; end to old age and death is interdependent co-arising,）
無苦集滅道 no suffering, its cause, its end (happiness) and the path,
む ち やく む とく （no separate suffering, its cause, its end and the path; each is interdependent co-arising,）
無智亦無得 no attainment of wisdom,
い む しょ とく こ （no separate attainment of wisdom; attainment of wisdom is interdependent co-arising,）
以無所得故 no wisdom to attain.
ぼ だい さつ た （no separate wisdom to attain; wisdom to attain is interdependent co-arising.）
菩提薩埵 The Bodhisattvas,
え はん にゃ は ら みっ た こ （Enlightened persons who chose samsara to help others attain enlightenment,）
依般若波羅蜜多故 rely on the Perfection of Wisdom,
しん む けい げ （rely on the wisdom of emptiness, or interdependent co-arising,）
心無罣礙 so they have no delusions,
む けい げ こ （so they can recognize what is going on inside and around them,）
無罣礙故 and with no delusions,
む う く ふ （because they threw away all notions, ideas and perceptions,）
無有恐怖 they feel no fear,
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4. おん り いっ さい てん どう む そう (they are free from fear,)
遠離一切顛倒夢想 they don't look at the world through unreasonable afflictions,
くう ぎょう ね はん （they can touch the true nature of reality without projection of mind,）
究竟涅槃 and attain nirvana in the here and the now.
さん ぜ しょ ぶつ （and dwell in nirvana in the present moment.）
三世諸仏 All the Buddha, in the past, present, and future,
え はん にゃ は ら みっ た こ （All the Buddha who transcends time and space,）
依般若波羅蜜多故 rely on the Perfection of Wisdom,
とく あの く た ら さん みゃく さん ぼ だい （rely on the wisdom of emptiness, or interdependent co-arising,）
得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提 and attain full enlightenment.
こ ち はん にゃ は ら みっ た （and attain Buddhahood.）
故知般若波羅蜜多 So, the Perfection of Wisdom
ぜ だい じん しゅ （So, the wisdom of emptiness, or interdependent co-arising）
是大神呪 is the greatest mantra,
ぜ だい みょう しゅ
是大明呪 the clearest mantra,
ぜ む じょう しゅ
是無上呪 the highest mantra,
ぜ む とう どう しゅ
是無等等呪 the mantra that has no equal in wisdom,
のう じょ いっ さい く
能除一切苦 the mantra that can remove all sufferings.
しん じつ ふ こ （the mantra that reminds us that suffering and happiness are interdependent co-arising.）
真実不虚 This is truth that cannot be doubted.
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5. こ せつ はん にゃ は ら みっ た しゅ
故説般若波羅蜜多呪 Here is the mantra of the Perfection of Wisdom.
そく せつ しゅ わっ
即説呪日 Say it so:
ぎゃ てい
羯諦 Gaté, Go!
ぎゃ てい
羯諦 gaté, go!
は ら ぎゃ てい
波羅羯諦 paragaté, go beyond!
は ら そう ぎゃ てい （Shift from the shore of afflictions to the shore of enlightenment!）
波羅僧羯諦 parasamgaté. go perfectly beyond!
ぼ じ そ わ か
菩提薩婆訶 Bodhi! Svaha! Attain enlightenment! Good luck!
はん にゃ しん ぎょう
般若心経 This is the teaching of Wisdom.
August 26, 2013 Hitoshi Tsuchiyama
(Revised version of October 28, 2015)
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