To the Exalted Three Jewels I bow down.
Thus have I heard at one time the Blessed One was dwelling at Rajagriha on Massed Vultures Mountain together in one method with a great assembly of ordained and a great assembly of Bodhisattvas.
At that time the Blessed One was absorbed in the concentration on the countless aspects of phenomena called 'Profound Illumination'.
At that time also the Superior Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva, the Great Being was looking perfectly at the practice of the profound Perfection of Wisdom, looking perfectly also at the emptiness of inherent existence of the five aggregates. Then, through the power of the Buddha, the Venerable Sariputra Said to the Superior Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva, the Great Being, "How should a child of the lineage train, who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound Perfection of Wisdom?"
Thus he spoke, and the Superior Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva, the Great Being replied to the Venerable Sariputra as follows, "Sariputra, whatever son or daughter of the lineage who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound Perfection of Wisdom should look perfectly like this, also looking perfectly and correctly at the emptiness of the inherent existence of the five aggregates.
Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form, and form is not other than emptiness. Likewise feelings, discriminations, compositional factors and consciousness are empty.
Sariputra, like this all phenomena are merely empty, having no characteristics. They are not produced and do not cease, they have no defilement and no separation from defilement; they have no decrease and no increase.
Therefore, Sariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no discrimination, no compositional factors, no consciousness. There is no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no tactile object, no phenomenon. There is no eye-element, no mind element and so forth, up to no element of mental consciousness. There is no ignorance and no exhaustion of ignorance, and so forth up to no ageing and death and no exhaustion of ageing and death; likewise there is no Suffering, Origin, Cessation or Path, no exalted wisdom, no attainment and no non-attainment.
Therefore, Sariputra because there is no attainment, Bodhisattvas rely on and abide in the Perfection of Wisdom, their minds have no obstructions and no fear. Passing utterly beyond perversity, they attain the final state beyond sorrow. Also all the Buddhas who perfectly reside in the three times, relying on the Perfection of Wisdom become manifest and complete Buddhas in the state of unsurpassed, perfect and complete enlightenment.
Therefore the mantra of the Perfection of Wisdom, the mantra of great knowledge, the unsurpassed mantra, the equal to the unequalled mantra, the mantra which thoroughly pacifies all suffering, since it is not false, should be known as the Truth.
The mantra of the Perfection of Wisdom is proclaimed: tad-yatha: gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
Sariputra, a Bodhisattva, a Great Being, should train in the profound Perfection of Wisdom like this."
Then the Blessed One arose from that concentration and said to the Superior Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva, the Great Being, that he had spoken well, "Good, good, O child of the lineage, it is like that.
Since it is like that, just as you have revealed the profound Perfection of Wisdom should be practised in that way and [all] the Tathagatas will rejoice."
When the Blessed One had said this, the Venerable Sariputra the Superior Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva, the Great Being, and the entire assembly of disciples as well as the worldly beings - gods, humans, demi-gods and spirits, were delighted and highly praised what had been spoken by the Blessed One.