rn

Ihur

have I hearrl: Once the illessed One rt'as cln'elling in the roval
domain ot the \iulture l'eak Mountaitr, together with a gl'eat gathering ot monks
anrl boclhisattvas. At that trnre the Biessed One enterecl the samadhi whicir
examines the dharmas, called "profound illuminatic-rn," and at the same time

noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva-mahasattva, looking at the prof'ound

practice of'transcendent knowlerclge, saw the five skandhas and their natural
emptiness.

]'hen,Jhrough the inspiration ol the Buddha, Shariputra saicl to Avalokiteshvara' "Hqlr'should Lhose notrle ones learn, who wish to t'cllktri'the Prcllortr-rcl
practice of tr*inscendent knowledge?" And Avalokiteshvara ansrvered: "Shariputra, whoev(ir wishes fo f ollow the prof'ound pract,ice ol'transcetrdent knowledge
should look at it like this, seeing the five skandhas and their natural emptiness.
F'orm is emtrltiness, emptiness itself is form; emptiness is no other than lornt,
f'orm is no other than emptiness; in the same way f'eeling, perception, concept and
consciousness are empl,iness.']'hus all the clharmas are emlltiness ancl have ncr
chsracferistics. 'l'hey are unborn and unceasing, thev are not impure or pul'c,
they neither clecrease rror itrcrease.'fheref'ore since t,here is emptiness there is no
torgt, no f'eeling, r)o percelttion. no concept, no c'onsc'iousness; Ilo cve, no ear, no
lose, no tor)glto, no llocly, no ttiittd; no trtr)pearan('e, ttt, srlund, no smell, n<-r taste.
no sensation, no obiects of'rninrl; no quality ol sight, rto clualitl'ot hearing, ucr
qualitv of' srnelling, no quality of tasting, no qualitv ttl sensing, no qualitv ot
thought, no cluality of mind-consciousness; there are no nidanas, tl'otn igttoratrt'e
tg ol{ age ancl cleath, nor t}reir wearing out.; there is no sut'fering, no cause ol
sgf'f'ering, no cncling of'sui'fering nnrl no path; no wisdonr, no itttaiutnettt aucl rttr
non-trLt.ainmont.'I'heret'orr: sinci: there is no altainmetrt,lhe Ilocll'risattvas atlidcl
5y meals ot'tr4nscenclent knolvledge; and since there is no ttbsc;uritv tll tnintl theY
have n6 {.ear, thev trapscencl lalsit1, and Jlass bevttnrl tlte btluntls rll sorrow. All thr:
buddhas who {well in the past, present and l'utiire, by means o1 trattst'ettdenl
klowledge t'ully and clearly awaken t,o unsurpassed, true, complete enlight.enment. T'herel'ore the mantra ot'transcendent knowledge, the tnantra of deep
insight, the unsurpassed tnantra, the uneclualled mantra, the mantra whir:h
caims all sul'f'ering, should be known as tnith, lor there is tlr.r deception. In tritnscendent knor'vledge the ntatltra is proclaimed:
O n,r

Gn'ri,l GA't'Ft PRRa,t;at'E PAitAsAM( iA'fll lJtlt.rt-tt S\'.\I-IA

O Shalllutra, this is how' a bodhisattr.'a-ntahasaltva should learn profounti

t.r'anscen(let'rt knowledge. "

'l'hen the tllessecl One arose l'rom that. samadhi anci praised thc bodhisattva-rnahasattva Avalokiteshvara, saying: "(iooci, goocl, O sorr ot'ttobler tanlih'l
Prof5runcl trapscendept krrowledge shouid be practiced jusl as you have taught,
and the tatthagatas ri'ill rejoice.'
{a}

w}rcn t,he. }Jiessecl o1e had said this, Sharilrutra antl Avalokrtershvara
pir9ll
gatherirtg at'rci tltt'lvt,,rld l,iith its gtrcls, IIleIl, astll'ils iirtd ga,rrlhrrt'r-.
thirl
their hearts luil of' jttl', praised the worrls ol the Lllessetl (Jnt'.

LOKA
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