Thus have I heard. Once the Blessed One was dwelling in Rajagriha at
Vulture Peak mountain, together with a great gathering of the sangha of
monks and a great gathering of the sangha of bodhisattvas. At that time
the Blessed One entered the samadhi that expresses the dharma called
"profound illumination," and at the same time noble Avalokiteshvara, the
bodhisattva mahasattva, while practicing the profound prajnaparamita,
saw in this way: he saw the five skandhas to be empty of nature.
Then, through the power of the Buddha, venerable Shariputra said to
noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, "How should a son or
daughter of noble family train, who wishes to practice the profound
prajnaparamita?"
Addressed in this way, noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva
mahasattva, said to venerable Shariputra, "O Shariputra, a son or
daughter of noble family who wishes to practice the profound
prajnaparamita should see in this way: seeing the five skandhas to be
empty of nature. Form is emptiness; emptiness also is form. Emptiness is
no other than form; form is no other than emptiness. In the same way,
feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness are emptiness. Thus,
Shariputra, all dharmas are emptiness. There are no characteristics.
There is no birth and no cessation. There is no impurity and no purity.
There is no decrease and no increase. Therefore, Shariputra, in
emptiness, there is no form, no feeling, no perception, no formation, no
consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no
appearance, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no dharmas, no eye
dhatu up to no mind dhatu, no dhatu of dharmas, no mind consciousness
dhatu; no ignorance, no end of ignorance up to no old age and death, no
end of old age and death; no suffering, no origin of suffering, no
cessation of suffering, no path, no wisdom, no attainment, and no
non-attainment. Therefore, Shariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no
attainment, they abide by means of prajnaparamita.
Since there is no obscuration of mind, there is no fear. They transcend
falsity and attain complete nirvana. All the buddhas of the three times,
by means of prajnaparamita, fully awaken to unsurpassable, true,
complete enlightenment. Therefore, the great mantra of prajnaparamita,
the mantra of great insight, the unsurpassed mantra, the unequaled
mantra, the mantra that calms all suffering, should be known as truth,
since there is no deception. The prajnaparamita mantra is said in this way:
OM GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA
Thus, Shariputra, the bodhisattva mahasattva should train in the
profound prajnaparamita.
Then the Blessed One arose from that samadhi and praised noble
Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, saying, "Good, good, O son
of noble family; thus it is, O son of noble family, thus it is. One
should practice the profound prajnaparamita just as you have taught and
all the tathagatas will rejoice."
When the Blessed One had said this, venerable Shariputra and noble
Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, that whole assembly and the
world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised
the words of the Blessed One.
