MAHĀPRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀ GREAT ILLUMINATION MANTRA SŪTRA 摩訶般若波羅蜜大明呪經

Translated from the Chinese by M. C. Owens 歐文譯 LOTUS UNDERGROUND

For the benefit of all sentient beings 為了所有眾生的利

Introduction

This translation was made from the Chinese translation of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Great Illumination Mantra Sūtra of Kumarajiva from circa 400 CE. It is considered the predecessor to the famed Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sūtra. See Taishō shinshū daizōkyō, vol 8, no. 250.

摩訶般若波羅蜜大明呪經 Mahāprajñāpāramitā Great Illumination Mantra Sūtra

觀世音菩薩，行深般若波羅蜜時，照見五陰空，度一切苦厄。

The bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, while practicing the profound prajñāpāramitā clearly saw the emptiness of the five aggregates, overcoming all suffering.

「舍利弗！色空故無惱壞相，受空故無受相，想空故無知相，行空故無作相，識空故無覺相。何以故？舍利弗！非色異空，非空異色。色即是空，空即是色。受、想、行、識亦如是。

“Śāriputra! Because form is empty, there is no characteristic of defilement. Because sensations are empty, there is no characteristic of being felt. Because of the emptiness of perceptions, there is no characteristic of being known. Because of the emptiness of conditioning, there is no action. Because of the emptiness of consciousness, there is no understanding. How so? Śāriputra! There is no difference between form and emptiness, no difference between emptiness and form. Form is just emptiness. Emptiness is just form. Sensation, perception, conditioning and consciousness are also like this.

「舍利弗！是諸法空相，不生不滅，不垢不淨，不增不減。是空法，非過去、非未來、非現在。是故空中無色，無受、想、行、識，無眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意，無色、聲、香、味、觸、法，無眼界乃至無意識界，無無明亦無無明盡，乃至無老死無老死盡，無苦、集、滅、道，無智亦無得。

“Śāriputra! This is the emptiness of the characteristics of all dharmas. They neither arise nor cease, are neither defiled nor pure, and neither increase nor decrease. These empty dharmas neither go, nor have come, nor are. For this reason, within emptiness there is no form, no sensation, perception, conditioning, or consciousness. No eye, ear nose, tongue, body, or mind. No sight, sound, scent, flavor, feeling or thought. No realm of sight, not even a realm of thought. No ignorance nor end of ignorance, not even aging and death nor an end to aging and death. No suffering, accumulation, cessation, or path. No Wisdom, and no attainment.”

「以無所得故，菩薩依般若波羅蜜故，心無罣礙。無罣礙故，無有恐怖，離一切顛倒夢想苦惱，究竟涅槃。三世諸佛依般若波羅蜜故，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。

Since nothing is attained, bodhisattvas then rely on prajñāpāramitā and the heart is without hindrance. Because there is no hindrance, there is no fear, escaping the suffering of all inverted, dream-like thinking and completely realizing nirvāṇa. All buddhas of all times attain anuttarā-saṃyak-saṃbodhi by relying on prajñāpāramitā.”

[0847c24] 「故知般若波羅蜜是大明呪，無上明呪，無等等明呪，能除一切苦，真實不虛。故說般若波羅蜜呪。」

Therefore know, prajñāpāramitā is a great enlightening mantra, an unsurpassable mantra, an incomparable mantra able to dispel all suffering, truly not falsely. Therefore, speak the prajñāpāramitā mantra.

即說呪曰：

And speak the mantra saying:

「竭帝　竭帝　波羅竭帝　波羅僧竭帝　菩提　僧莎呵」

“Gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā”