Read, reflect, pray

Heart Sutra

般若心経はんにゃしんぎょう

A short sutra in which Avalokiteshvara explains the wisdom of emptiness. It is not an exclusive offering to one buddha; emptiness does not mean that nothing exists.

English meaning, sound explanations and source text

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English meaning and sound explanations

About this English rendering

This site’s English rendering of the Japanese meaning guide, aligned with this edition. It is separate from the source words for recitation and is not an official liturgy. Sacred sounds are explained where possible, not given speculative literal translations. Historical beliefs, royal authority, illness and protection claims belong to the text; they are not present-day judgments, medical advice or guarantees of results.

The sutra conveying the heart of the Buddha’s teaching of great wisdom that reaches the farther shore.

When Kanjizai Bodhisattva practiced the profound wisdom that sees truth and reaches the farther shore,

the bodhisattva saw that the five aggregates constituting body and mind have no fixed essence, and crossed beyond all suffering and distress.

Shariputra, form is not different from emptiness; emptiness is not different from form.

Form itself is emptiness without fixed essence, and emptiness does not exist apart from form.

Feeling, perception, mental formations such as volition, and consciousness are likewise.

Shariputra, the true appearance of all phenomena is emptiness without fixed essence.

There is no fixed essence newly arising or ceasing, becoming impure or pure, increasing or decreasing.

Therefore, in emptiness, neither form and body nor feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness exist as independent essences.

Neither eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, nor forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangible things, and mental objects exist as fixed essences.

From the domain of the eye to that of mental consciousness, no domain has a fixed essence.

Neither ignorance of truth nor its exhaustion has a fixed essence.

At the end of that chain of conditions, aging and death, and their exhaustion, are likewise.

Suffering, its cause, its cessation, the path to cessation, wisdom, and attained awakening are not self-existing essences.

Because not attached to acquiring something as one’s own, the bodhisattva,

relying on wisdom that reaches the farther shore, has no obstruction in the heart.

Without obstruction there is no fear; far removed from inverted views and dreamlike assumptions,

the bodhisattva reaches ultimate nirvana, peace beyond delusion. Buddhas of past, present, and future too,

relying on this wisdom that reaches the farther shore,

attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, unsurpassed complete awakening.

Therefore know that wisdom that reaches the farther shore

is a mantra of great power, a mantra illuminating ignorance’s darkness,

an unsurpassed mantra, an unequaled mantra,

removing all suffering, true and not empty.

Thus the mantra of wisdom that reaches the farther shore is proclaimed, as follows.

Sound explanation

Here begins the mantra ‘gyatei, gyatei, haragyatei, harasōgyatei,’ transcribing the original sounds in Chinese characters. Their dictionary meanings are not assembled into a prose sentence.

Sound explanation

The mantra concludes ‘bōji, sowaka,’ and ends with the sutra title, Heart Sutra. Bōji is associated with awakening, but the interpretation of the entire mantra is not fixed to a single explanation.

Source text and reading aid

Roman letters are provided for every line of this source text.

How to use the Roman letters

Roman letters follow the kana displayed in this site’s Japanese reader; some readings are editorial additions documented on the Japanese page. These are a reading aid, not restored Sanskrit or a recording of a temple’s chanting. Historical spellings (such as wo, wi, we and ha used as a particle) are kept. Double vowels and repeated vowels mark the written kana; rhythm and pronunciation can differ by tradition.

You can simply read the meaning or sit quietly. No recitation is required. For a temple or shrine’s own recitation, follow that tradition’s published guidance.

佛説（ぶっせつ）摩訶（まーかー）般若（はんにゃー）波羅蜜多（はーらーみーたー）心経（しんぎょう）

bussetsu maakaa hannyaa haaraamiitaa shingyou

観自在菩薩（かんじーざいぼーさー）行深（ぎょうじん）般若波羅蜜多時（はんにゃーはーらーみーたーじー）

kanjiizaiboosaa gyoujin hannyaahaaraamiitaajii

照見（しょうけん）五蘊皆空（ごーうんかいくう）度一切苦厄（どーいっさいくーやく）

shouken goounkaikuu dooissaikuuyaku

舎利子（しゃーりーしー）色不異空（しきふーいーくう）空不異色（くうふーいーしき）

shaariishii shikifuuiikuu kuufuuiishiki

色即是空（しきそくぜーくう）空即是色（くうそくぜーしき）

shikisokuzeekuu kuusokuzeeshiki

受想行識（じゅーそうぎょうしき）亦復如是（やくぶーにょぜー）

juusougyoushiki yakubuunyozee

舎利子（しゃーりーしー）是諸法空相（ぜーしょーほうくうそう）

shaariishii zeeshoohoukuusou

不生不滅（ふーしょうふーめつ）不垢不浄（ふーくーふーじょう）不増不減（ふーぞうふーげん）

fuushoufuumetsu fuukuufuujou fuuzoufuugen

是故空中（ぜーこーくうちゅう）無色（むーしき）無受想行識（むーじゅーそうぎょうしき）

zeekookuuchuu muushiki muujuusougyoushiki

無眼耳鼻舌身意（むーげんにーびーぜっしんにー）無色声香味触法（むーしきしょうこうみーそくほう）

muugenniibiizesshinnii muushikishoukoumiisokuhou

無眼界（むーげんかい）乃至無意識界（ないしーむーいーしきかい）

muugenkai naishiimuuiishikikai

無無明（むーむーみょう）亦無無明尽（やくむーむーみょうじん）

muumuumyou yakumuumuumyoujin

乃至無老死（ないしーむーろうしー）亦無老死尽（やくむーろうしーじん）

naishiimuuroushii yakumuuroushiijin

無苦集滅道（むーくーしゅうめつどう）無智亦無得（むーちーやくむーとく）

muukuushuumetsudou muuchiiyakumuutoku

以無所得故（いーむーしょーとくこー）菩提薩埵（ぼーだいさったー）

iimuushootokukoo boodaisattaa

依般若波羅蜜多故（えーはんにゃーはーらーみーたーこー）心無罣礙（しんむーけーげー）

eehannyaahaaraamiitaakoo shinmuukeegee

無罣礙故（むーけーげーこー）無有恐怖（むーうーくーふー）遠離一切顛倒夢想（おんりーいっさいてんどうむーそう）

muukeegeekoo muuuukuufuu onriiissaitendoumuusou

究竟涅槃（くーぎょうねーはん）三世諸佛（さんぜーしょーぶつ）

kuugyouneehan sanzeeshoobutsu

依般若波羅蜜多故（えーはんにゃーはーらーみーたーこー）

eehannyaahaaraamiitaakoo

得阿耨多羅（とくあーのくたーらー）三藐三菩提（さんみゃくさんぼーだい）

tokuaanokutaaraa sanmyakusanboodai

故知般若波羅蜜多（こーちーはんにゃーはーらーみーたー）

koochiihannyaahaaraamiitaa

是大神呪（ぜーだいじんしゅー）是大明呪（ぜーだいみょうしゅー）

zeedaijinshuu zeedaimyoushuu

是無上呪（ぜーむーじょうしゅー）是無等等呪（ぜーむーとうどうしゅー）

zeemuujoushuu zeemuutoudoushuu

能除一切苦（のうじょーいっさいくー）真実不虚故（しんじつふーこーこー）

noujooissaikuu shinjitsufuukookoo

説般若波羅蜜多呪（せつはんにゃーはーらーみーたーしゅー）即説呪曰（そくせつしゅーわつ）

setsuhannyaahaaraamiitaashuu sokusetsushuuwatsu

羯諦（ぎゃーてい）羯諦（ぎゃーてい）波羅羯諦（はーらーぎゃーてい）波羅僧羯諦（はーらーそうぎゃーてい）

gyaatei gyaatei haaraagyaatei haaraasougyaatei

菩提薩婆訶（ぼーじーそーわーかー）般若心経（はんにゃーしんぎょう）

boojiisoowaakaa hannyaashingyou

Connected kami and buddhas

These connections include figures addressed, mentioned, or associated by tradition. They do not assign a universal recitation practice.

Sources and edition (1)

金剛院（真言宗豊山派） — 般若心経・読誦用紙

English explanations on this page were prepared by Inori no Mori from the cited text and its Japanese explanations. They are not an official translation or a prescribed liturgy.

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