Logos of the Heart
The Essence of the Perfection of Understanding
Thus have I heard: The Awakened One of Great Compassion was deep in the stream of perfect understanding. She explained the process which leads to the illusion of a limited personality. Realizing its emptiness, she overcame all suffering.
O Student, form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form. Form is emptiness, emptiness form. The same is true of feeling, thought, impulse and consciousness.
O Student, all phenomena are mutually dependent. They are not born nor annihilated. They are not defiled nor immaculate. They do not increase or decrease. Form, feeling, thought, and consciousness are therefore artificial concepts.
The eye consists entirely of non-eye elements. The same applies to the ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. Therefore there is no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no realm of sight, and no realm of consciousness.
Since all things are indescribable in their identity, there is no arising and no cessation; no suffering, no origin of suffering, no end of suffering and no way; no understanding and no attainment. The Awakened One holds onto nothing but Wisdom. Therefore the mind is clear of any delusive hindrance. Without hindrance, there is no fear. Away from all perverted views, she reaches final Emptiness.
Through faith in Wisdom, all the holy and wise Ones of past, present, and future attain to the highest perfect enlightenment. Know then, the Wisdom is the great prayer, the radiant peerless logos, the utmost supreme living word, which is capable of allaying all pain. This is true beyond all doubt. Proclaim now the highest Wisdom, the living word:
Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi svaha.
(Gone, gone, gone to the other shore, safely passed to the other shore!)
Version for chanting
The above version is translated for readability in a ceremonial setting. The versions we use for daily chanting are available as pdf: