Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha
The mantra that closes the Heart Sutra — gone, gone, gone beyond to awakening.
Original
Transliteration
Gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā
Translation
Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond — awakening, so it is.
Quick answer
Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha is the mantra that closes the Buddhist Heart Sutra, meaning 'gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond — awakening, so it is.'
- Tradition
- Buddhist
- Language
- Sanskrit
- Repetitions
- 3 times, or 108 as japa.
- Best time
- Morning practice, or at the close of sitting meditation.
- Best for
- Closing the Heart Sutra, Insight meditation, Releasing attachment
Line by line
Gate gate
Gone, gone — released from clinging, twice over.
Pāragate
Gone to the other shore — beyond the reach of grasping.
Pārasaṃgate
Gone completely beyond — together with all beings.
Bodhi svāhā
Awakening — so be it, may this be established.
Meaning
Literal
A chant of going — the movement of awareness beyond fixed views to the far shore of wisdom.
Spiritual interpretation
The Heart Sutra spends its length dismantling every certainty — no form, no feeling, no attainment — and then ends not with an argument but with this mantra. It is what remains when the analysis is complete: not a conclusion, but a direction. The going is the arriving.
What this mantra is used for
How to chant
Traditionally chanted three times at the close of the Heart Sutra, in a low steady voice, often with the sangha in unison.
When to chant
Morning practice, or at the close of sitting meditation.
Traditional count: 3 times, or 108 as japa.
Origin & context
The Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra (Heart Sutra) — recited daily across Zen, Tibetan, and Mahayana traditions.
Related mantras
Om Mani Padme Hum
The mantra of compassion — the jewel in the lotus.
Vajrasattva Mantra
The great purification practice of Vajrayana Buddhism.
Amitabha Mantra
A bow to the Buddha of infinite light and boundless compassion.
Continue exploring
Frequently asked questions
What does Gate Gate Paragate mean?+
'Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond — awakening, so it is.' It describes the movement of the mind past all clinging to the far shore of wisdom.
Where does this mantra come from?+
It is the closing mantra of the Heart Sutra, the most widely recited text in Mahayana Buddhism.
Can beginners chant it?+
Yes, though it is traditionally chanted within the Heart Sutra as a whole. Chanting it alone, slowly, is a complete practice in itself.