Echoes Bouncing Off Echoes

The Heart-Essence of the Far-Reaching Perfection of Sublime Knowing, the Transcendent Conqueress

In the language of India [Sanskrit]: Bhagavati Prajnaparamita Hridaya

In the language of Tibet: Chom-den-day-ma Shey-rab kyi P’ha-rol-tu-chin-pay Nying-po

In English: The Heart-Essence of the Far-Reaching Perfection of Sublime Knowing, the Transcendent Conqueror Goddess

Thus have I heard: at one time, the Transcendent and Accomplished Conqueror, the Blessed One, was dwelling at Vulture’s Peak in Rajagriha, together with a great sangha of fully-ordained monks and a great sangha of bodhisattvas, who were all abiding together as one skillful expedient device.

At that time, the Blessed One was resting equanimously in the state of meditative absorption which illuminates the infinite variety of phenomena known as “Profound Manifestation”.

Moreover, also at that time, the bodhisattva mahasattva, the powerful lord, the noble Avalokiteshvara, was completely immersed in investigating the way that the profound practice of Sublime Knowing is brought to far-reaching perfection, and directly perceived that the five mind-body aggregates are empty of self-nature.

Thereupon, through the extraordinary power of the Buddha, the Venerable Shariputra addressed the bodhisattva mahasattva, the  noble Avalokiteshvara, the powerful lord, and asked him thus:

“In what way, in what manner, would any child of noble spiritual heritage who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound far-reaching perfection of Sublime Knowing train?”

After he had addressed him in this way and inquired thus, the bodhisattva mahasattva, the powerful lord, the noble Avalokiteshvara, spoke thus to the Venerable Shariputra:

“Shariputra! Any son or daughter of noble spiritual heritage, who wishes to engage in the profound far-reaching perfection of Sublime Knowing would train in this way, would train in this manner: through completely seeing, genuinely and authentically seeing, that even the five mind-body aggregates are completely empty.

Form is empty. Emptiness is form. Form is not other than emptiness; emptiness too is not other than form. In the same way, sensations, perceptions, mental patterns, and consciousness are empty.

Shariputra! Thus, in this way, all phenomena are emptiness. They are without defining characteristics. They are unborn. They are unconfined. They are undistorted. They are free from defects. They do not diminish. They do not increase.

Shariputra! This being so, there is no form. There are no sensations. There are no perceptions. There are no mental patterns. There is no consciousness.

There is no eye. There is no ear. There is no nose. There is no tongue. There is no body. There is no mind.

There are no forms. There are no sounds. There are no smells. There are no tastes. There are no tactile objects. There are no objects of mind-consciousness.

There is no sphere of the visual faculty, up to no sphere of the mental faculty, and all the way up to and including no sphere of mental-consciousness.

There is no ignorance. There is no extinction of ignorance, up to no old age and death, and all the way up to and including no extinction of old age and death.

In the same way, there is no suffering, no origination of suffering, no final annihilation of suffering, and no path. There is no pristine wisdom. There is no attainment. There is also no lack of attainment.

Shariputra! This being so, because bodhisattvas have no attainment, they rely on and abide within the far-reaching perfection of Sublime Knowing. Since their minds are unobscured, they are without fear. They have entirely transcended all misconceptions, and in the end they reach the final goal of consummate Nirvana.

All the buddhas who abide throughout the three times become complete buddhas and awaken to the unsurpassable, perfect and complete actualization of enlightenment through relying on the far-reaching perfection of Sublime Knowing.

Therefore, since the mantra of the far-reaching perfection of Sublime Knowing — the mantra of amazing awareness, the unsurpassable mantra, the mantra which is unequaled even amongst the unequaled, the mantra which thoroughly pacifies all suffering — is not false, it shall be known as being true.

Recite the mantra of the far-reaching perfection of Sublime Knowing thus:

TADYATHA GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA

Shariputra! This is how a bodhisattva mahasattva would train in the profound far-reaching perfection of Sublime Knowing.”

At that, the Blessed One arose from his state of meditative absorption, and bestowed a confirmation of excellence upon the bodhisattva mahasattva, the powerful lord, the noble Avalokiteshvara, saying thus:

“Well done! Well done! O child of noble spiritual heritage, in just that way, in just the manner you have described, a child of noble spiritual heritage who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound far-reaching perfection of Sublime Knowing would practice in just the way you have taught — and even Those Gone to Thusness, the Tathagatas, will rejoice.”

After the Transcendent Conqueror had proclaimed these words, the Venerable Shariputra, the bodhisattva mahasattva, the powerful lord, the noble Avalokiteshvara, and everyone in that retinue: the gods, the humans, the demi-gods, the gandharvas, together with everyone in the entire world, rejoiced; they all vividly praised the noble speech of the Bhagavan, the Transcendent and Accomplished Conqueror.

THE HEART-ESSENCE OF THE FAR-REACHING PERFECTION OF SUBLIME KNOWING IS COMPLETE.

If you want to practice this sutra, visualize that in the space in front of you is the One Gone to Thusness, the Tathagata. He is displaying the mudra of “Subduing Mara”, and is surrounded by Avalokiteshvara and Shariputra, who are exchanging questions and answers, etc., and a retinue of the sanghas of the Greater and Lesser Vehicles.

While contemplating the meaning of emptiness in your mind, recite the profound sutra up to seven times, or as many times as you like, and recite the awareness-mantra as many times as is appropriate.

Finally, to turn back the maras:

I pay homage to the Buddha!

I pay homage to the Dharma!

I pay homage to the Sangha!

I pay homage to the Great Mother, the Far-Reaching Perfection of Sublime Knowing!

May my words of truth by accomplished!

Just as, in the past, the powerful lord of the gods, Indra, reflected upon the profound meaning of the Far-Reaching Perfection of Sublime Knowing in his mind, recited these words aloud, and through this turned back the maras, destructive forces, all other negativity and disharmonious circumstances, in that same way, may I, through reflecting upon the profound meaning of the Far-Reaching Perfection of Sublime Knowing and reciting these words aloud, turn back the maras, destructive forces, and all other negativity and disharmonious circumstances!

May they be obliterated!

May the be pacified!

May they be entirely pacified!

And in conclusion:

Whatever arises through interdependent connection

Is unceasing and unborn,

Is uninterrupted, yet is not permanent,

Does not come, and does not go,

Is not separate, yet is not identical.

This is the complete pacification of elaborations.

This pacification is revealed by the noble speech of perfect and complete buddhas, and to this sacred truth, I pay homage!

And with this, recite dedications and auspicious aspirations.

Translated by Erick Sherab Zangpo.