Prajnaparamita Sutra Explained

There are a number of Buddhist sutras, but the most well-known among Japanese people is the Heart Sutra. The Heart Sutra is often read at funerals and memorial services, so even if you do not know the name of the sutra, many people have probably heard of it at some point. The Hannya Shingyo consists of about 260 characters, and although it is a very short sutra, it contains important and essential elements of the Buddha’s teachings. The Hannya Shingyo means “an important teaching on how to attain enlightenment through the ability to perceive truth and essence.

This is divided into 70 parts and designed for “NFT”. Please enjoy.

Full text of the Heart Sutra

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva arrived at a certain truth in the course of his practice to realize the truth. That truth is that everything that makes up our being is empty (without substance). With this realization, Avalokitesvara was freed from all suffering. Form is the same as insubstantiality, and it is because of insubstantiality that form exists as temporary form. Form is the same as insubstantiality, and insubstantiality is what makes form possible. The movement of our mind, which feels and desires something, is also empty. Since all things in the world are empty, they neither arise nor perish, neither become defiled nor remain defiled, neither increase nor decrease.

Everything in mind and body is empty and has no substance. In other words, there is no such thing as sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, or mind. And since these senses do not exist, there is no consciousness or thought to receive them.

There is no seeing and feeling. Nor do we grow old and die, nor do we grow old and die. Neither does suffering nor the wanderings that cause suffering disappear, nor is there a way to do so. And there is neither knowing nor gaining. Therefore, one who understands that there is no gain and is enlightened has no obstacles (fixed ideas, attachment to things, colored glasses) in his mind because he relies on the true nature of things. Because there are no obstacles in the mind, there is no fear. By distancing oneself from wrong thinking, one can be at peace.

Every Buddha has attained this most perfect enlightenment by knowing the true nature of things. Therefore, we should know that the wisdom of the Buddha is a mantra of great power, a mantra of great enlightenment, the highest mantra, the one and only mantra, the one that removes all suffering and is true without falsehood. And here is the wisdom and teaching of the Buddha, the Mantra. (One who has come and gone, one who can go to the other shore, a monk who has reached the other shore, to the state of enlightenment.)

This is the wisdom of the Buddha, his precious teaching.”