The Bodhisattva of Compassion,
while practicing deeply with
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore,
suddenly discovered that
all of the five Skandhas are equally empty,
and with this realisation
he overcame all Ill-being.

This Body itself is Emptiness
and Emptiness itself is this Body.
This Body is not other than Emptiness
and Emptiness is not other than this Body.

The same is true of Feelings,
Perceptions, Mental Formations,
and Consciousness.

The Heart Sutra

[The five skandhas – aggregates or clusters – are form [body] feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. Empty means that they don’t exist in an autonomous, enduring manner because everything depends on, or is interconnected with something else. We strongly hold on to the permanence of things and of our story; this teaching focuses on fluidity ]