The Heart Sutra in English , Translated by Gerhard Herzog, Slightly modified when posting, my comments are in italic.
Heart here does not mean the human organ. it probably means that the sutra is central and most important. The Heart sutra is one of the most concise Buddhist sutras discussing sunyata, which can be roughly translated to emptiness, or nothingness. A common mistake here is to identify sunyata as a vacuum. If the common perception is 1, and nihilism is 0, then sunyata represents a short circuit of 1 and 0. It is neither 1 or 0, it is 1=0. this radical denial of fixed categories and false dichotomy is central to Buddhist thought. Note that there is no synthesis of the Hegelian dialectics. The field is left open for all possibilities.
When the holy Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara had truly grasped the transcendent wisdom, he realized that visible form is only illusion. The same applies to its perception, to its names and categories, to discriminative intellect and finally even to our consciousness. They are all illusion. With this realizaton he was beyond all sorrow and bitterness.
The basic philosophical method employed is to use time to deconstruct spatial existence. The "form" here is a most accurate translation, for it successfully grasps the spatial quality of the word. Others use "physical phenomena". The theory of interdependent co-arising teaches that nothing can exist without other things, and nothing can last forever. The fact that all the objects, its perceptions are all fleeting, does not mean they are not real. We should not cling on them as if they are eternal. The metaphysical ideas of "being" and "essence" are just illusion. Things are understood as processes, not entities.
Disciple Sariputra! The material is not different from the immaterial. The immaterial and the material are in fact one and the same thing. The same applies to perception, concepts, discriminative thinking and consciousness.They are neither existing nor not existing. Sariputra! All things therefore they are in themselves not good and not bad,they are not increasing and not decreasing.
Sariputra is a major disciple of Buddha, known for his wisdom. This part is the most confusing. As mentioned above, sunyata is the shortcircuit of 1 and 0. Why? Because the dichotomy of 1 and 0 implies "oneness" and "zeroness", which are just illusion. All physical things arise dependently — they have no independent, permanent essence. That lack of independent essence is what "emptiness" means. Emptiness is not some separate, transcendent reality behind the world. That would imply the existence of a "real" world behind the curtain. It is simply the way things actually exist — interdependently and momentarily.
Therefore one may say there are no such things as form, perception, concepts, thinking process, and consciousness. Our senses such as eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind are misleading us to illusion; thus one may also say there is no reality in visible form, sound, smell, taste, touch and mindknowledge. There are also no such things as the realms of sense from sight up to mind, and no such things as the links of existence from ignorance and its end to old age and death and their end. Also the Four Noble Truths are nonexistent, just as there is no such thing as wisdom and also no gain.
The Twelve Links is a chain that traps all sentient beings in this world.
Conditioned by (1) ignorance are (2) formations,
conditioned by formations is (3) consciousness,
conditioned by consciousness is (4) mind-and-body,
conditioned by mind-and-body are (5) the six senses,
conditioned by the six senses is (6) sense-contact,
conditioned by sense-contact is (7) feeling,
conditioned by feeling is (8) craving,
conditioned by craving is (9) grasping,
conditioned by grasping is (10) becoming,
conditioned by becoming is (11) birth,
conditioned by birth is (12) old-age and death—grief, lamentation, pain, sorrow, and despair come into being.
Thus is the arising of this whole mass of suffering.
Reversely,
From the remainderless fading and cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of (volitional) fabrications.
From the cessation of (volitional) fabrications comes the cessation of consciousness.
From the cessation of consciousness comes the cessation of name-and-form.
From the cessation of name-and-form comes the cessation of the six sense media.
From the cessation of the six sense media comes the cessation of contact.
From the cessation of contact comes the cessation of feeling.
From the cessation of feeling comes the cessation of craving.
From the cessation of craving comes the cessation of clinging/sustenance.
From the cessation of clinging/sustenance comes the cessation of becoming.
From the cessation of becoming comes the cessation of birth.
From the cessation of birth, then aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair all cease.
Such is the cessation of this entire mass of stress and suffering.
Four Noble Truths: Life means suffering; The origin of suffering is attachment;The cessation of suffering is attainable; The path to the cessation of suffering.
But the sutra just claims that there is no such chain, from ignorance to death. And there is no such teaching as the four Noble Truth. Why? As I understand it, there is no certain wisdom to be learnt. Because there is no learner and teacher at all. Also, it's a warning against fundamentalism and scholasticism. It is removing our attachment to them as fixed doctrines. If you think there is ignorance that must be overcome, then you are wrong. If you think nirvana is a goal to be reached, you are wrong. The Buddha himself compared his teaching to a raft: you use it to cross the river, but you don't carry it on your head once you've reached the other shore.
Because the holy Bodhisattva who relies on transcendent wisdom knows that there is no gain, he has no worries and also no fear. Beyond all illusion he has reached the space of highest Nirvana. All Buddhas of the past, present and future, found highest perfect knowedge because they relied on transcendental wisdom. Therefore we ought to know that the great verse of the transcendent wisdom is unsurpassed in its splendor, and that it appeases truly all suffering.
It reads:GATE, GATE, PARAGATE, PARASAMGATE BODHISVAHA!
(Go, do it, make the step, you all must break through to the other shore, then you will be immediately enlightened.)
Heart here does not mean the human organ. it probably means that the sutra is central and most important. The Heart sutra is one of the most concise Buddhist sutras discussing sunyata, which can be roughly translated to emptiness, or nothingness. A common mistake here is to identify sunyata as a vacuum. If the common perception is 1, and nihilism is 0, then sunyata represents a short circuit of 1 and 0. It is neither 1 or 0, it is 1=0. this radical denial of fixed categories and false dichotomy is central to Buddhist thought. Note that there is no synthesis of the Hegelian dialectics. The field is left open for all possibilities.
When the holy Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara had truly grasped the transcendent wisdom, he realized that visible form is only illusion. The same applies to its perception, to its names and categories, to discriminative intellect and finally even to our consciousness. They are all illusion. With this realizaton he was beyond all sorrow and bitterness.
The basic philosophical method employed is to use time to deconstruct spatial existence. The "form" here is a most accurate translation, for it successfully grasps the spatial quality of the word. Others use "physical phenomena". The theory of interdependent co-arising teaches that nothing can exist without other things, and nothing can last forever. The fact that all the objects, its perceptions are all fleeting, does not mean they are not real. We should not cling on them as if they are eternal. The metaphysical ideas of "being" and "essence" are just illusion. Things are understood as processes, not entities.
Disciple Sariputra! The material is not different from the immaterial. The immaterial and the material are in fact one and the same thing. The same applies to perception, concepts, discriminative thinking and consciousness.They are neither existing nor not existing. Sariputra! All things therefore they are in themselves not good and not bad,they are not increasing and not decreasing.
Sariputra is a major disciple of Buddha, known for his wisdom. This part is the most confusing. As mentioned above, sunyata is the shortcircuit of 1 and 0. Why? Because the dichotomy of 1 and 0 implies "oneness" and "zeroness", which are just illusion. All physical things arise dependently — they have no independent, permanent essence. That lack of independent essence is what "emptiness" means. Emptiness is not some separate, transcendent reality behind the world. That would imply the existence of a "real" world behind the curtain. It is simply the way things actually exist — interdependently and momentarily.
Therefore one may say there are no such things as form, perception, concepts, thinking process, and consciousness. Our senses such as eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind are misleading us to illusion; thus one may also say there is no reality in visible form, sound, smell, taste, touch and mindknowledge. There are also no such things as the realms of sense from sight up to mind, and no such things as the links of existence from ignorance and its end to old age and death and their end. Also the Four Noble Truths are nonexistent, just as there is no such thing as wisdom and also no gain.
The Twelve Links is a chain that traps all sentient beings in this world.
Conditioned by (1) ignorance are (2) formations,
conditioned by formations is (3) consciousness,
conditioned by consciousness is (4) mind-and-body,
conditioned by mind-and-body are (5) the six senses,
conditioned by the six senses is (6) sense-contact,
conditioned by sense-contact is (7) feeling,
conditioned by feeling is (8) craving,
conditioned by craving is (9) grasping,
conditioned by grasping is (10) becoming,
conditioned by becoming is (11) birth,
conditioned by birth is (12) old-age and death—grief, lamentation, pain, sorrow, and despair come into being.
Thus is the arising of this whole mass of suffering.
Reversely,
From the remainderless fading and cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of (volitional) fabrications.
From the cessation of (volitional) fabrications comes the cessation of consciousness.
From the cessation of consciousness comes the cessation of name-and-form.
From the cessation of name-and-form comes the cessation of the six sense media.
From the cessation of the six sense media comes the cessation of contact.
From the cessation of contact comes the cessation of feeling.
From the cessation of feeling comes the cessation of craving.
From the cessation of craving comes the cessation of clinging/sustenance.
From the cessation of clinging/sustenance comes the cessation of becoming.
From the cessation of becoming comes the cessation of birth.
From the cessation of birth, then aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair all cease.
Such is the cessation of this entire mass of stress and suffering.
Four Noble Truths: Life means suffering; The origin of suffering is attachment;The cessation of suffering is attainable; The path to the cessation of suffering.
But the sutra just claims that there is no such chain, from ignorance to death. And there is no such teaching as the four Noble Truth. Why? As I understand it, there is no certain wisdom to be learnt. Because there is no learner and teacher at all. Also, it's a warning against fundamentalism and scholasticism. It is removing our attachment to them as fixed doctrines. If you think there is ignorance that must be overcome, then you are wrong. If you think nirvana is a goal to be reached, you are wrong. The Buddha himself compared his teaching to a raft: you use it to cross the river, but you don't carry it on your head once you've reached the other shore.
Because the holy Bodhisattva who relies on transcendent wisdom knows that there is no gain, he has no worries and also no fear. Beyond all illusion he has reached the space of highest Nirvana. All Buddhas of the past, present and future, found highest perfect knowedge because they relied on transcendental wisdom. Therefore we ought to know that the great verse of the transcendent wisdom is unsurpassed in its splendor, and that it appeases truly all suffering.
It reads:GATE, GATE, PARAGATE, PARASAMGATE BODHISVAHA!
(Go, do it, make the step, you all must break through to the other shore, then you will be immediately enlightened.)
