The Heart Sutra is a Mahayana Buddhist text that describes the concept of emptiness (shunyata) as taught by Buddha to his disciple Sariputra. In three sentences, it conveys that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence and interdependent arising, form is emptiness and emptiness is form, and by relying on wisdom and emptiness one can eliminate suffering and attain nirvana.

1. The Heart SutraThe Heart SutraThe Heart SutraThe Heart Sutra
Buddha's teaching on great “Perfection of Wisdom”
Ultimate translation and commentary by Hitoshi Tsuchiyama
かん じ ざい ぼ さつ
観自在菩薩 Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion,
ぎょう じん はん にゃ は ら みっ た じ
行深般若波羅蜜多時 meditating deeply on Perfection of Wisdom,
しょう けん ご うん かい くう （looking deeply to understand the ultimate truth which transcends the duality,）
照見五蘊皆空 saw clearly that all 5 aggregates are empty of separate existence,
ど いっ さい く やく （attained insight that all 5 aggregates are interdependent co-arising,）
度一切苦厄 and so released himself from all sufferings.
しゃ り し （freed himself from all sufferings because he transcended the duality by understanding emptiness.）
舎利子 Sariputra, listen deeply!
しき ふ い くう （Sariputra: one of two chief male disciples of Buddha）
色不異空 Form is no other than emptiness (empty of separate existence),
くう ふ い しき （Form (body) is made of non-form (body) elements, namely emptiness (consciousness),）
空不異色 emptiness (empty of separate existence) is no other than form.
しき そく ぜ くう（emptiness (consciousness) is made of non-emptiness (consciousness) elements, namely form (body).）
色即是空 Form is namely emptiness (empty of separate existence),
くう そく ぜ しき （Emptiness (consciousness) unfolds into form (body),）
空即是色 emptiness (empty of separate existence) is namely form.
じゅ そう ぎょう しき やく ぶ にょ ぜ （form (body) enfolds into emptiness (consciousness).）
受想行識亦復如是
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Feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness are also
emptiness (empty of separate existence).
(feeling [emotion] → perception [object of mind] → mental formation [mind] → volition [motivation] → action
[thinking, speech, action] → consequence [happiness, suffering] → consciousness [karma, seeds])

2. しゃ り し
舎利子 Sariputra, listen deeply!
ぜ しょ ほう くう そう
是諸法空相 All phenomena's true nature is also emptiness (empty of separate existence):
ふ しょう ふ めつ （All phenomena's true nature is also interdependent co-arising as below.）
不生不滅 There is no birth and no death,
ふ く ふ じょう （Birth and death are interdependent co-arising and are the two sides of the same coin,）
不垢不浄 no defilement and no purity,
ふ ぞう ふ げん （Defilement and purity are interdependent co-arising and are the two sides of the same coin,）
不増不減 no increasing and no decreasing.
ぜ こ くう ちゅう （Creation and destruction are interdependent co-arising and are the two sides of the same coin.）
是故空中 So, in emptiness (empty of separate existence),
む しき （So, in emptiness (store consciousness) in the noumenal world,）
無色 there is no form,
む じゅ そう ぎょう しき （form (body) can’t exist because there is no space and time in the noumenal world,）
無受想行識 no feeling, perception, mental formation and mind consciousness,
む げん に び ぜっ しん い （seeds of mental formations which manifest in mind consciousness are stored,）
無眼耳鼻舌身意 no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin and mind,
む しき しょう こう み そく ほう （all sense organs are shut down,）
無色声香味触法 no sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell and cognition,
む げん かい （the phenomenal world can't be touched by all senses,）
無眼界 no phenomenal world seen by eyes,
ない し む い しき かい （the phenomenal world which can be seen by eyes does not exist,）
乃至無意識界 moreover, no six (five senses and mind) consciousnesses’ world,
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3. む む みょう やく （moreover, the world of six (five senses and mind) consciousnesses does not exist,）
無無明亦 no ignorance,
む む みょう じん （ignorance is eliminated because emptiness is wisdom and the ultimate truth,）
無無明尽 no end to ignorance,
ない し む ろう し （there is no end of ignorance because there is no ignorance,）
乃至無老死 moreover, no old age and death,
やく む ろう し じん （moreover, there is no old age and death due to lack of time and space,）
亦無老死尽 no end to old age and death also,
む く しゅう めつ どう （there is no end of old age and death also because there is no old age and death,）
無苦集滅道 no suffering, its cause, its end (happiness) and the path,
む ち やく む とく（there is no suffering, its end and the path because ignorance as the cause of suffering is eliminated,）
無智亦無得 no attainment of wisdom,
い む しょ とく こ （there is no need to attain wisdom because wisdom of emptiness is already attained,）
以無所得故 no wisdom to attain.
ぼ だい さつ た （there is no more wisdom to attain because emptiness is the ultimate truth.）
菩提薩埵 The Bodhisattvas
え はん にゃ は ら みっ た こ （Enlightened persons who chose samsara to help others attain enlightenment）
依般若波羅蜜多故 rely on the Perfection of Wisdom,
しん む けい げ （rely on the wisdom of emptiness, or interdependent co-arising,）
心無罣礙 so they have no delusions,
む けい げ こ （so they can recognize what is going on inside and around them,）
無罣礙故 and with no delusions,
む う く ふ （because they threw away all notions, ideas and perceptions,）
無有恐怖 they feel no fear,
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4. おん り いっ さい てん どう む そう (they are free from fear,)
遠離一切顛倒夢想 they don't look at the world through unreasonable afflictions,
くう ぎょう ね はん （they can touch the true nature of reality without projection of mind,）
究竟涅槃 and attain nirvana in the here and the now.
さん ぜ しょ ぶつ （and dwell in nirvana in the present moment.）
三世諸仏 All the Buddha, in the past, present, and future,
え はん にゃ は ら みっ た こ （All the Buddha who transcends time and space,）
依般若波羅蜜多故 rely on the Perfection of Wisdom,
とく あの く た ら さん みゃく さん ぼ だい （rely on the wisdom of emptiness, or interdependent co-arising,）
得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提 and attain full enlightenment.
こ ち はん にゃ は ら みっ た （and attain Buddhahood.）
故知般若波羅蜜多 So, the Perfection of Wisdom
ぜ だい じん しゅ （So, wisdom of emptiness）
是大神呪 is the greatest mantra,
ぜ だい みょう しゅ
是大明呪 the clearest mantra,
ぜ む じょう しゅ
是無上呪 the highest mantra,
ぜ む とう どう しゅ
是無等等呪 the mantra that has no equal in wisdom,
のう じょ いっ さい く
能除一切苦 the mantra that can remove all sufferings.
しん じつ ふ こ （the mantra that reminds us that there is no suffering.）
真実不虚 This is truth that cannot be doubted.
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5. こ せつ はん にゃ は ら みっ た しゅ
故説般若波羅蜜多呪 Here is the mantra of the Perfection of Wisdom.
そく せつ しゅ わっ
即説呪日 Say it so:
ぎゃ てい
羯諦 Gaté, Go!
ぎゃ てい
羯諦 gaté, go!
は ら ぎゃ てい
波羅羯諦 paragaté, go beyond!
は ら そう ぎゃ てい （Touch the noumenal world by touching the phenomenal world deeply!）
波羅僧羯諦 parasamgaté. go perfectly beyond!
ぼ じ そ わ か
菩提薩婆訶 Bodhi! Svaha! Attain enlightenment! Good luck!
はん にゃ しん ぎょう
般若心経 This is the teaching of Wisdom.
August 26, 2013 Hitoshi Tsuchiyama
(Revised version of October 30, 2015)
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