Om homage to the perfection of wisdom the lovely, the holy. The shorter heart sutra consists of three sections. The heart sutra the heart sutra also known as the heart of the perfection of wisdom is the core of the mahaprajna paramita sutra in six hundred scrolls. The realization of nothingness is not a negative zeroness. The sutra is used in various buddhist ceremonies, including the famous shunie ceremony at todaiji temple in nara, japan. And we have become the relations of the buddhadharmas.
Lotus sutra1 above all other considerations, the exhibition focuses on how avalokiteshvaras diverse artistic manifestations exemplify limitless compassion. The heart of the prajnaparamita sutra is a wonderful gift to us from avalokitesvara bodhisattva. Thay needs to make this new translation of the heart sutra because the patriarch who. The sutra of the infinite, perfected great compassionate heart of the thousand armed thousand eyed bodhisattva avalokitesvara nilakaha dhara. Avalokiteshvara bodhisattva when practicing deeply the prajna paramita perceived that all five skandhas in their. Of course, compassion is a widely shared religious and humanist value, expressed in neoconfucian benevolence and christian brotherly love, in. Avalokitesvara himself is linked in the versified version of the sutra to the first buddhathe adibuddhawho is svayambhu selfexistentnot born from anything or anyone. It represents the heart of a much longer sutra of 600 volumes called the maha prajnaparamitasutra the. The lotus sutra translated by burton watson including rev.
The former uses, consistent with being translated by kumarajiva. Maha karuna dharani sutra maha karunikacitta dharani sutra nilakantha dharani sutra the full title is. All the southeast asian countries, with the exception of burma, shared the ideology of the cult of the divine king devaraja in which the ruler was identified with a deity, hindu or buddhist. At one time the blessed one together with a number of the highest bodhisattvas and a great company of bhikshus was staying at rajagriha on mount gridhrakta.
It wonderfully recasts core teachings from the pali suttas within a mahayana frame story involving the bodhisattva avalokitesvara. He is one of the characters in the longer sutra on which the heart sutra is based. I find that the translation by itself is sometimes difficult to read in context, and the commentaries by themselves require a lot of back and forth with the sutra, which eats up time and energy. Great wisdom beyond wisdom heart sutra avalokiteshvara. Comparative study of the compassion sutra mahayana maha. Elevenfaced avalokitesvara heart dharani sutra free definition results from over 1700 online dictionaries. The great compassion mantra sanskrit lyrics youtube. Shokai kanai, was my idea of making the actual sutra more readable and understandable. The heart sutra 155 these texts will be discussed in detail below.
Thousandhanded and thousandeyed avalokitesvara bodhisattvas vast, perfect, unimpeded, greatcompassionate heart dharani sutra tsin sau tsin ngarn gwun syde yarm poe sard gworng dhye yiun moon moe ngoy dhye bey sum tor lor ney ging qian shou qian yan guan shi yin pu sa guang da yuan man wu ai da bei xin tuo. In chinese, vietnamese, korean, and japanese, we translate his name as kwan yin, quan am, or kannon, which means. Avalokitesvara is known as the bodhisattva of compassion and mercy. In chinese, vietnamese, korean, and japanese, we translate his name as. Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of infinite compassion, may be the most wellknown and beloved of the iconic bodhisattvas. Avalokitesvara is also an interlocutor in the heart sutra, the short but influential sutra on the perfection of wisdom. The avalokiteshvarasutra was incorporated into the widely popular saddharmapundarikasutra, or lotus sutra, in the 3rd century ce, though it continued to circulate as an independent work in china the height of the veneration of avalokiteshvara in northern india occurred in the 3rd7th century.
In the brief heart sutra, the buddha of compassion, bodhisattva avalokitesvara, shares teachings with the monk, shariputra. The name prajna paramita hrdaya heart sutra for example, consists of prajna paramita, which is the dharma, and hrdaya or heart which is the specific example. The high king avalokitesvara sutra homage to avalokitesvara bodhisattva. In the sixth category, the name of a sutra expresses the connection between a person or a being, and an object or event that is the clue to the dharma. Elevenfaced avalokitesvara heart dharani sutra wikipedia. Here then, form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form. This is the best version of the great compassion mantra sanskrit, or elevenfaced avalokitesvara heart dharani sutra. Avalokitesvara bodhisattva when practicing deeply the prajna paramita perceives that all five skandhas are empty. Reasons for retranslating the heart sutra dear family. Chin chien,in his translation the vimalakirtinindesa did in the years a. A bodhisattva named avalokitesvara, meditating deeply on prajnaparamita, perceived that the five skandhas are all equally empty, and thus overcame all suffering and calamity speaking to sariputra, she said. The great heart sutra of the transcendental wisdom to reach the other shore. The heart sutra annotations 3 the heart 1 of prajna 3 paramita 4 sutra 2 bodhisattva 5 avalokiteshvara 6, while deeply immersed 7 in prajna paramita, clearly perceived the empty nature 8 of the five skandhas9, and transcended all suffering. Guanyin in chinese means perceiver of all sounds, which refers to the way in which guanyin is able to hear all prayers and cries for help.
The heart sutra contains the prajna paramita mantra, which buddhists may recite daily. The heart sutra as recited in the triratna buddhist community the bodhisattva of compassion, when he meditated deeply, saw the emptiness of all five skandhas and sundered the bonds that caused him suffering. Below is the original english translation of high king avalokitesvara sutra by minerva t. Throughout all schools of mahayana buddhism, avalokiteshvara is venerated as the ideal of karuna. The heart sutra is one of the bestknown and most popular buddhist scriptures.
It is probably the second most chanted mantra, after om mani padme hum which is a short mantra of avalokitesvara. When you see chinese characters grouped together, that is a distinct word. A striking feature of avalokitesvara in this sutra is his creative power, as he is said to be the progenitor of various heavenly bodies and major divinities. Avalokita is just a shorter version of avalokitesvara. The heart sutra when the bodhisattva avalokitesvara the opening words introduce the one practicing the dharma. The heart sutra one of the differences between the two short versions of the heart sutra in chinese, t250 and t251, is the name they use for avalokitesvara. The heart sutra of prajna paramita is the shortest of all the sutras, only 260 characters in the chinese translation. Avalokita is the name of the bodhisattva in this sutra. Elevenfaced avalokitesvara heart dharani sutra free. The heart sutra in sanskrit, prajnaparamita hrdaya, whose full title is the. The heart sutra 1 the heart of prajna paramita sutra bodhisattva avalokiteshvara, while deeply immersed in prajna paramita, clearly perceived the empty nature of the five skandhas, and transcended all suffering.
Sariputra, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form. Heart sutra avalokitesvara bodhisattva, while contemplating deeply the prajnaparamita, realized the five aggregates are empty and was liberated from all suffering and hardship. The heart sutra made a late appearance at a time when tantric buddhism had begun to flourish. Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. At that time the blessed one entered the samadhi that expresses the dharma called profound illumination, and at the same time noble avalokiteshvara. The prajna teachings were spoken by the buddha during the fourth stage, his purpose being to guide those practicing what later became the approach of the theravadins toward the practice of mahayana dharma. It is also among the most beautiful to listen to both in. Avalokitesvara bodhisattva continued to say to the buddha. The heart sutra as a translation kansas zen center. Avalokiteshvara is the spiritual father of tara, who is said to have been born from a lotus that grew in a lake formed by the tears he shed as he gazed. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options.
The method of avalokitesvara is the most direct method of the dharma practice to help one connect with the heart and mind of all buddhas. Thousandhanded and thousandeyed avalokitesvara bodhisattvas vast, perfect, unimpeded, greatcompassionate heart dharani sutra tsin sau tsin ngarn gwun syde yarm poe. However, the sutra explains the core teaching of buddhism emptiness. People and gods who recite and hold the great compassionate heart dharani will obtain fifteen kinds of good birth and will not suffer fifteen kinds of bad death. The heart sutra is probably the most widely know and studied of the mahayana sutras thanks to its concise brevity and profundity. The maha parjna paramita hrdaya sutra the heart of great perfect wisdom sutra the venerable bodhisattva avalokitesvara, performing his meditation in the deep prajna paramita, clearly saw that there are five skandhas, and these by their nature are empty. On 11th september thay completed a profound and beautiful new english translation of the heart sutra, one of the most important sutras in mahayana buddhism this new english translation is based on the new vietnamese translation that thay began working on three weeks ago at the european institute of applied buddhism in germany below the sutra you can read thays explanation of why he made. Avalokiteshvara, bodhisattva of infinite compassion.
New heart sutra translation by thich nhat hanh plum village. Mahayana students may be shocked to learn that the dhamma of their beloved. The heart sutra mahaprajnaparamitahridaya t hus have i heard. The patriarch who compiled the heart sutra wanted to encourage followers of tantric buddhism to practice and recite the heart sutra, so thats why he presented the heart sutra as a. Namo dharmayah namo sanghayah due to the great relationship with buddhas worlds, and the interlinked great causes, there comes the buddhas dharmas, which is eternal, bliss, self, and pure. I say this is because the heart sutra is based on arya avalokiteshvaras own deep reflection on the perfection of wisdom. Avalokiteshvara while practicing deeply with the insight that brings us to the other shore. The sanskrit term avalokitesvara means perceiving the cries of the people in the world. In this first lesson of the course, kaz and roshi introduce their translation of the heart sutra and begin to unpack the enigma. The most famous example is the construction of angkor wat, one of the largest stone temples in the world, during the 12th and th centuries in cambodia. There is no extant, full english translation at this time. Seven sutras that are related to bodhisattva avalokitesvara in mahayana buddhism, bodhisattva avalokitesvara is one of the most eminent bodhisattvas whose presence is palpable in many of the famous temples in east asia. He is connected with the heart sutra in particular, and that text is in fact a teaching he gave on the topic of emptiness shunyata to shariputra.
Among them are the buddhist concepts of sunyata, the five skandhas, and the four noble truths of suffering. When the bodhisattva avalokitesvara guanyin was meditating on the profound prajnaparamita, he perceived that all the five aggregates are void and empty, and was. You will have an opportunity to chant the sutra and consider your own first encounter with this scripture. Avalokita, the holy lord and bodhisattva, was moving in the deep course of the wisdom which has gone beyond. Below is the romanized sanskrit version of the heartdhara. Maha prajna paramita heart sutra avalokitesvara bodhisattva, doing deep prajna paramita, clearly saw emptiness of all the five conditions, thus completely relieving misfortune and pain, o shariputra, form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form. The heart sutra is an enigmaa millenniumold enigma that is yet to be solved. Karuna is the activity of compassion in the world and the willingness to bear the pain of others. This teaching is provided by avalokiteshvara bodhisattva, the. For this reason, it has caused much misunderstanding for almost 2,000 years.
666 994 1158 114 1347 1376 853 350 1004 1047 1363 307 1328 670 1005 1169 1443 72 932 911 743 689 543 655 517 11 989 608 971 431 1171 947 826 117 867 1137 1478 250 372 1172 271