Heart Sutra (Graham Patterson)

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• (Posted 2024-05-02)  CPDL #80473:     

Editor: Graham Patterson (submitted 2024-05-02).   Score information: A5, 14 pages, 199 kB   Copyright: CPDL

Edition notes:

General Information

Title: Heart Sutra
Composer: Graham Patterson
Lyricist: Traditional
Number of voices: 4vv   Voicing: SATB
Genre: Sacred, Liturgical music

Language: English
Instruments: A cappella

First published: unpublished
Description: A setting of the Buddhist text, the Heart Sutra, in English, written in 2019 for Triratna Buddhist choirs including non-readers.

Original text and translations

English text

The Bodhisattva of Compassion,
When he meditated deeply,
Saw the emptiness of all five skandhas
And sundered the bonds that caused him suffering.

Here then,
Form is no other than emptiness,
Emptiness no other than form.
Form is only emptiness,
Emptiness only form.

Feeling, thought, and choice,
Consciousness itself,
Are the same as this.

All things are by nature void,
They are not born or destroyed;
Nor are they stained or pure,
nor do they wax or wane.

So, in emptiness, no form,
No feeling, thought, or choice,
Nor is there consciousness.

No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind;
No colour, sound, smell, taste, touch,
Or what the mind takes hold of,
Nor even act of sensing.

No ignorance or end of it,
Nor all that comes of ignorance;
No withering, no death,
No end of them.

Nor is there pain, or cause of pain,
Or cease in pain, or noble path
To lead from pain;
Not even wisdom to attain!
Attainment too is emptiness.

So know that the Bodhisattva
Holding to nothing whatever,
But dwelling in Prajñā wisdom,
Is freed of delusive hindrance,
Rid of the fear bred by it,
And reaches clearest Nirvāṇa.

All Buddhas of past and present,
Buddhas of future time,
Using this Prajñā wisdom,
Come to full and perfect vision.

Hear then the great dhārani,
The radiant peerless mantra,
The Prajñāpāramitā
Whose words allay all pain;
Hear and believe its truth!

Gate gate pāragate pārasamgate bodhi svāhā

("Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond; Oh what an awakening, All hail!")