“Heart Sutra” is derived from the Sanskrit phrase Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya which means “The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra”. With just a concise text of 260 Chinese or 14 lines of Sanskrit characters , The Heart Sutra skillfully embodies the main essence of Prajñāpāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom) section of the Mahayana Buddhism.
It’s a common misinterpretation that the Heart Sutra negates the teachings of the Abhidharma (the orthodox Theravadin collection of texts interpreting the sutras) and of the Buddha himself—the Four Noble Truths, the Five Skandhas (aggregates), the Eighteen Dhātus (sense organs, sense objects, and sense consciousness), and the Twelve Links of Dependent Co-Arising. In fact, the Heart Sutra urges one to let go of these teachings, after understanding and putting them into practice, so as to reach the far shore of awakening. The Heart Sutra also states that “emptiness” is the property of the real essence of nature. With such awareness, one has the “true wisdom” to devoid of all sufferings, and hence escape the circle of karmic rebirth.
The following heart sutra in English is translated from the Chinese version which has been widely used, memorized and recited in Mahayana buddhism.
Heart Sutra in English
(copied from https://fgsitc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Heart-Sutra.pdf)
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, while contemplating deeply the prajnaparamita, realized the five aggregates are empty and was liberated from all suffering and hardship.
Sariputra, form is not different from emptiness, emp- tiness is not different from form. Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form. The same is true of feeling, percep- tion, mental formations, and consciousness. Sariputra, all phenomena are empty. They do not arise or cease, are not defiled or pure, do not increase or decrease. Thus, in emp- tiness, there are no forms, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, or consciousness.
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no form, sound, smell, taste, touch or dharmas; no eye conscious- ness so on unto mind consciousness; no ignorance and extinction of ignorance; even unto no aging and death and no extinction of aging and death; no suffering, cause of suffering, cessation, or path; no wisdom and no attain- ment. As there is no attainment, bodhisattvas who rely on the prajnaparamita have neither worry nor obstruction. Without worry and obstruction, there is no fear. Away from confusion and delusion, they will ultimately reach nirvana. All the Buddhas of the past, present, and future rely on the prajnaparamita to attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Thus, know that the prajnaparamita is the great pro- found mantra, is the illuminating mantra, is the most supreme of all mantras, is the unequalled mantra, able to eliminate all suffering, is true and not false. Thus, proclaim the “Prajnaparamita Mantra,” proclaim the mantra that says:
Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.