A year ago I posted my chanting of the Heart Sutra in english on this site. It was warmly appreciated by many, but I have decided to replace it by 2 different versions:

The Nalanda commitee translation, under the guidance of  Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and the translation made by the Dharmachakra commitee, under the guidance of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche.

In the previous version I had mixed the two translations, and later I realized it would be better to stick the exact words that the two different translation teams have chosen.

The Trungpa version is has been around for many years now,  and is well known by many practicioners. This recording is meant to be chanted along with repeatedly, so that its profound meaning will sink deeper and deeper in our hearts.

The Heart Sūtra  (Dharmachakra translation commitee translation)

The Essence of Perfect Wisdom

In Sanskrit: Bhagavatī-prajñāpāramitā-hṛdaya

In Tibetan: Bcom ldan ‘das ma shes rab kyi pha rol tu

phyin pa’i snying po

In English: The Essence of the Blessed Lady, Perfect

Wisdom

Thus have I heard at one time. The Blessed One was

staying at Vulture Peak in Rajgir together with a great

saṇgha of monks and a great saṇgha of bodhisattvas.

At that time the Blessed One entered into a meditation

on the teaching called Profound Illumination. At that

same time, the great bodhisattva, the great being, Noble

Avalokiteśvara, while considering profound practice of

perfect wisdom, saw the five aggregates to be empty of

nature.

Then due to the Buddha’s power, Venerable Śāriputra

said to the bodhisattva, the great being, Noble

Avalokiteśvara, “How should a son or daughter of noble

family who wishes to practice profound perfect wisdom

train?”

 

When he had been asked this, the bodhisattva, the great

being, Noble Avalokiteśvara replied to Venerable

Śariputra, “A son or daughter of noble family who

wishes to practice profound perfect wisdom should see

things like this: he or she should correctly see the five

aggregates to be empty of nature. Form is emptiness.

Emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form.

Form is not other than emptiness. Sensation,

perception, karmic formation, and consciousness are

likewise empty. Śāriputra, in that way all phenomena are

emptiness; they lack characteristics, they are unborn,

unceasing, unstained, free from stain, not deficient, nor

complete.

Thus Śāriputra, in emptiness there is no form, no

sensation, no perception, no karmic formations, no

consciousness. There is no eye, no ear, no nose, no

tongue, no body, no mind, no form, no sound, no taste,

no smell, no texture, no mental objects. There is no

domain of the eye up to no domain of the mind, all the

way up to no domain of the mental consciousness.

There is no ignorance, no exhaustion of ignorance, up

to no aging and death, all the way up to no exhaustion of

aging and death. Likewise there is no suffering, no origin

of suffering, no cessation of suffering, no path, no

wisdom, no attainment, no non-attainment.

 

Thus, Śāriputra, since a bodhisattva has no attainment,

he or she relies upon perfect wisdom and thus has no

mental obscuration and no fear. Because of this the

bodhisattva goes beyond all that is mistaken and reaches

perfect nirvāṇa.

All of the buddhas of the three times, as well, fully

awaken to complete and perfect unsurpassed awakening

in reliance on perfect wisdom. Therefore the mantra of

perfect wisdom, the great knowledge mantra, the

unsurpassed mantra, the mantra that is equal to the

unequaled, the mantra that completely pacifies all

suffering should be known as true since it is

undeceiving. The mantra of perfect wisdom is said like

this:

tadyathā gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā

Śāriputra, a bodhisattva, a great being, should train in

perfect wisdom in that way.”

Then the Blessed One arose from meditation and said

to Noble Avalokiteśvara, “Excellent! Excellent! Son of

noble family, it is like that! Son of noble family, it is just

like that! Perfect wisdom should be practiced just as you

have taught, and the Thus-gone Ones will rejoice.”

When the Blessed One said this the Venerable

Śāriputra, the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and their
entire retinues, as well as the world with its gods,

humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised

what the Blessed One had said.

This completes the Noble Essence of Perfect Wisdom.

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee.

This translation is dedicated to the good health and long life of

our precious gurus.

 

 

I would like to share this recording, hoping it will also inspire others to chant it, study it, engage in it and connect to this profound wisdom that is meant to transform our minds and hearts for the better.

  voice: Rodrigo Reijers

Artwork:

Tibetan Calligraphy Artist Tashi Mannox