Zen Classics - The Heart Sutra

This sutra is usually the first one new students learn. It's short, fast and packs a LOT of meaning. I have seen 1000 page books written on this very short sutra. I aquired this version for Brad Warner's web page. He is a Zen monk in California and the author of the incredable book Hardcore Zen.

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HEART SUTRA

Here's a little something I made for myself that I thought some of you might find useful. I went on and on in Hardcore Zen about the Heart Sutra. For those who don't have the book, the Heart Sutra is a short poetic piece written fairly early on in the history of Buddhism -- though probably a few hundred years after Buddha himself died -- which encapsulates most of what has come to be known as Zen Buddhism. The Heart Sutra is the standard sutra chanted at pretty much any relevant occasion at Zen temples and centers. It works for everything from morning services to funerals and everything in between.

I've been trying to commit it to memory. Since I can kinda sorta read the Chinese characters and since I know the meaning, I found it was easier to memorize if I associated what I was chanting to what it meant rather than just trying to memorize the syllables. So I put together a version where the Chinese characters, their pronunciation in Roman letters and the English translation of each line are side-by-side for easy reference.

The English translation I've used is based upon the ones by Kobun Chino and Gudo Nishijima with a bit of my own re-interpretation thrown in. I tried to follow the Chinese grammar in the English translation so that it would be easier to match the Chinese directly to the English. Since word order in Chinese and English is fairly close, this doesn't create too many problems, though there are a couple awkward spots.

I claim no ownership or copyright of any kind on this material. So feel free to use it in any way you please without asking permission from me. Copy it. Distribute it. Re-write it as a pornographic limerick if you want.

If your browser can deal with Japanese, you'll be able to view it below. If not, try downloading this PDF file:

THE HEART SUTRA

I've followed the Japanese practice of indicating lengthened o's and u's by adding a "u" after them. So, for example, the syllable "sou" is pronounced as a long "so" and not "sow." The letter "i" is pronounced "ee" and the letter "e" is pronounced "eh."

To chant it like a pro, just adopt a real low monotone Robby the Robot type voice and chant each character (separated by dashes in the Romanized version) for an even length of time. That means a two syllable character such as "satsu" lasts as long as a one syllable character. Don't go up or down at the ends of the lines. But you can drop your voice on the syllable "gyou" at the end of the first line and the end of the last line (but only those two times).

If you spot any errors, please let me know and I'll fix them (errors fixed 2/1/05, thanks to Shonen Dunley).

Have fun!

摩訶般波羅蜜多心経
ma-ka-han-nya-ha-ra-mi-ta-shin-gyou
The Great Heart of Wisdom Sutra

観自在菩薩行深般波羅蜜多時
kan-ji-zai-bo-satsu-gyou-jin-han-nya-ha-ra-mi-ta-ji
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva while practicing deep Prajna Paramita

照見五薀皆空度一切苦厄
shou-ken-go-on-kai-kuu-do-is-sai-ku-yaku
Perceived all five skandhas were empty and was saved from suffering and distress

舍利子色不異空
sha-ri-shi-shiki-fu-i-kuu
Shariputra, form is no different from emptiness

空不異色
kuu-fu-i-shiki
Emptiness is no different from form

色即是空
shiki-soku-ze-kuu
That which is form is emptiness

空即是色
kuu-soku-ze-shiki
That which is emptiness is form

受想行識 亦復如是
juu-sou-gyou-shiki-yaku-bu-nyo-ze
Feelings, perceptions, impulses, consciousness, the same is true of these

舍利子是諸法空相
sha-ri-shi-ze-sho-hou-kuu-sou
Shariputra, all dharmas are marked with emptiness

不生不滅
fu-shou-fu-metsu
(They) do not appear or disappear

不垢不浄
fu-ku-fu-jou
are not tainted or pure

不増不減
fu-zou-fu-gen
do not increase or decrease

是故空中無色
ze-ko-kuu-chuu-mu-shiki
Therefore in emptiness no form,

無受想行識
mu-juu-sou-gyou-shiki
no feelings, perceptions, impulses, consciousness

無眼耳鼻舌身意
mu-gen-ni-bi-zes-shin-i
no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind

無色声香味触法
mu-shiki-shou-kou-mi-soku-hou
no color, sound, smell, taste, touch, object of mind

無限界乃至無意識界
mu-gen-kai-nai-shi-mu-i-shiki-kai
no realm of eyes and so forth until no realm of mind consciousness

無無明亦無無明尽
mu-mu-myou-yaku-mu-mu-myou-jin
no ignorance and also no extinction of ignorance

乃至無老死亦無老死尽
nai-shi-mu-rou-shi-yaku-mu-rou-shi-jin
and so forth until no old age and death and no extinction of old age and death

無苦集滅道
mu-ku-shuu-metsu-dou
no suffering, origination, stopping, path

無智亦無得
mu-chi-yaku-mu-toku
no cognition also no attainment

以無所得故
i-mu-sho-tok-ko
with nothing to attain

菩提薩埵依般若波羅蜜多故
bo-dai-sat-ta-e-han-nya-ha-ra-mi-ta-ko
the Bodhisattva depends upon Prajna Paramita

心無罣礙
shin-mu-ke-ge
and (his) mind is no hindrance

無罣礙故無有恐怖
mu-ke-ge-ko-mu-u-ku-fu
without any hindrance no fear exists

遠離一切顛倒無想
on-ri-is-sai-ten-dou-mu-sou
far apart from every inverted view

究竟涅槃
ku-kyou-ne-han
(he) dwells in Nirvana

三世諸仏
san-ze-shou-butsu
All Buddhas in the Three Worlds

依般若波羅蜜多故
e-han-nya-ha-ra-mi-ta-ko
depend on Prajna Paramita

得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提
toku-a-noku-ta-ra-san-myaku-san-bo-dai
and attain complete unsurpassed enlightenment

故知般若波羅蜜多
ko-chi-han-nya-ha-ra-mi-ta
Therefore know the Prajna Paramita

是大神呪
ze-dai-jin-shu
is the great transcendent mantra

是大明呪
ze-dai-myou-shu
is the great bright mantra

是無上呪
ze-mu-jou-shu
is the utmost mantra

是無等等呪
ze-mu-tou-dou-shu
is the supreme mantra

能除一切苦真実不嘘
nou-jo-is-sai-ku-shin-jitsu-fu-ko
which is able to relieve all suffering and is true, not false

故説般若波羅蜜多呪
ko-setsu-han-nya-ha-ra-mi-ta-shu
so proclaim the Prajna Paramita mantra

即説呪曰
soku-setsu-shu-watsu
proclaim the mantra that says

揭諦揭諦波羅揭諦
gya-te-gya-te-ha-ra-gya-te
gone,gone, gone beyond

波羅僧揭諦菩提薩婆訶
ha-ra-sou-gya-te-bo-ji-so-wa-ka
gone all the way beyond, Bodhi Svaha!

般波心経
han-nya-shin-gyou
heart sutra