The essence of the Heart Sutra lies in the formula: This body itself is emptiness, and emptiness itself is this body. If we can understand this phrase, it will not be difficult to understand the rest of the sutra. The word rūpa in Sanskrit is usually translated as “form,” hence: form is emptiness and emptiness is form. Here, rūpa, as one of the five skandhas, specifically refers to the body—and by extension, to living matter. This is why, in this translation, we have replaced the word “form” with “body.”
