Heart Sutra

One for the record. And one for the more fancifully inclined. Some call it the Heart of Wisdom Sutra. If you live in Japan, you may also encounter it at funerals and other special occasions, when Life & Death suddenly start to matter. As they tend to do.

[Leader]
Maka Hannya Haramita Shingyo

[Everyone]

Kanjizai Bosatsu Gyo Jin Hannya Haramita Ji
Sho Ken Go Un Kai Ku Do Issai Ku Yaku Sharishi
Shiki Fu I Ku
Ku Fu I Shiki
Shiki Soku Ze Ku
Ku Soku Ze Shiki
Ju So Gyo Shiki Yaku Bu Nyo Ze
Sharishi Ze Sho Ho Ku So Fu Sho Fu Metsu
Fu Ku Fu Jo Fu Zo Fu Gen Ze Ko Ku Chu
Mu Shiki Mu Ju So Gyo Shiki
Mu Gen Ni Bi Zets' Shin I
Mu Shiki Sho Ko Mi Soku Ho
Mu Gen Kai Nai Shi Mu I Shiki Kai Mu Mu Myo
Yaku Mu Mu Myo Jin Nai Shi Mu Ro Shi
Yaku Mu Ro Shi Jin Mu Ku Shu Metsu Do
Mu Chi Yaku Mu Toku I Mu Sho Tokko
Bodaisatta E Hannya Haramita
Ko Shin Mu Ke Ge
Mu Ke Ge Ko Mu U Ku Fu
On Ri Issai Tendo Mu So Ku Gyo Nehan
San Ze Sho Butsu E Hannya Haramita
Ko Toku A Noku Ta Ra Sanmyaku Sambodai
Ko Chi Hannya Haramita Ze Dai Jin Shu
Ze Dai Myo Shu
Ze Mu Jo Shu
Ze Mu To Do Shu
No Jo Issai Ku Shin Jitsu Fu Ko
Ko Setsu Hannya Haramita Shu
Soku Setsu Shu Watsu
Gyate Gyate Hara Gyate
Hara So Gyate Boji Sowa Ka
Hannya Shin Gyo

- ENGLISH TRANSLATION -

[Leader]
Heart of the Great Wisdom Sutra

[Everyone]
When a sincere truth seeker attains the wisdom of enlightenment, he realizes that all the five senses are empty and he transcends every suffering.

Listen: All things are no different from emptiness; emptiness is not different from all things. Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. Feelings, perceptions, impulses, consciousness are also like this.

Listen: The original nature of all things is neither born nor extinguished. There is no purity, no defilement; no gain, no loss.

In this world of emptiness there is no form, no feelings, perceptions, impulses, or consciousness. No eye, ear, tongue body, or mind. Therefore, no color, sound, smell, taste, touch, or thought. The world of form does not exist, nor the world of the mind or of ignorance; no old age and no death.

Yet there is continuous ignorance, old age, and death.

There is no suffering, no cause of suffering, no cessation of suffering; no wisdom and no attainment because there is nothing to be attained. The compassionate truth-seeker depends upon the wisdom of enlightenment.

When the mind does not become attached to anything, there are no obstacles and fear does not exist. This mind goes beyond all disruptive views and attains Nirvana. All the Buddhas of the past, present and future depend upon the wisdom of enlightenment--and so attain the supreme, wisdom of enlightenment as the great unexplainable true word, the great shining true word that is able to remove all suffering. It is true, not false. This true word of wisdom says:

Gyate Gyate Hara Gyate Hara So Gyate Bodhi Sowa Ka.