Heart Sutra

A reproduction of thepalm-leaf manuscript inSiddham script,originally held atHōryū-jiTemple, Japan; now located in the Tokyo National Museum at the Gallery of Hōryū-ji Treasure. The original copy may be the earliest extant Sanskrit manuscript dated to the 7th–8th century CE.

TheHeart Sūtrais a popularsutrainMahāyāna Buddhism.In Sanskrit, the titlePrajñāpāramitāhṛdayatranslates as "The Heart of thePerfection of Wisdom".

The Sutra famously states, "Form is emptiness (śūnyatā), emptiness is form. "It is a condensed exposition on the Buddhist Mahayana teaching of theTwo Truths doctrine,which says that ultimately all phenomena areŚūnyatā(emptiness).

It has been called "the most frequently used and recited text in the entire Mahayana Buddhist tradition."The text has been translated into English dozens of times from Chinese, Sanskrit, and Tibetan, as well as other source languages.

Summary of the sutra

In the sutra,AvalokiteśvaraaddressesŚariputra,explaining the fundamental emptiness (śūnyatā) of all phenomena, known through and as the five aggregates of human existence (skandhas): form (rūpa), feeling (vedanā), volitions (saṅkhāra), perceptions (saṃjñā), and consciousness (vijñāna). Avalokiteśvara famously states, "Form is Emptiness (śūnyatā). Emptiness is Form", and declares the other skandhas to be equally empty—that is,dependently originated.

Avalokiteśvara then goes through some of the most fundamental Buddhist teachings, such as theFour Noble Truths,and explains that in emptiness, none of these notions apply. This is interpreted according to thetwo truths doctrineas saying that teachings, while accurate descriptions of conventional truth, are mere statements about reality—they are not reality itself—and that they are therefore not applicable to the ultimate truth that is by definition beyond mental understanding. Thus the bodhisattva, as the archetypal Mahayana Buddhist, relies on the perfection of wisdom, defined in theMahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtrato be the wisdom that perceives reality directly without conceptualattachment,thereby achieving nirvana.

The sutra concludes with the mantragate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā,meaning "gone, gone, everyone gone to the other shore, awakening,svaha."

Popularity and stature

The Heart Sutra engraved (dated to 1723) on a wall inMount Putuo,bodhimandaof Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. The five large red characters read "guān zì zài pú sà" in Mandarin, one of the Chinese names forAvalokiteśvaraorGuanyin,which is at the beginning of the sutra. The rest of the sutra is in black characters.

The Heart Sutra is "the single most commonly recited, copied, and studied scripture in East Asian Buddhism."It is recited by adherents of Mahayana schools of Buddhism regardless of sectarian affiliationwith the exception ofShin BuddhistsandNichiren Buddhists.

While the origin of the sutra is disputed by some modern scholars,it was widely known throughoutSouth Asia(including Afghanistan) from at least thePala Empireperiod (c. 750–1200 CE) and in parts of India until at least the middle of the 14th century.The stature of the Heart Sutra throughout early medieval India can be seen from its title 'Holy Mother of all Buddhas Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom'dating from at least the 8th century CE (see Philological explanation of the text).

The long version of the Heart Sutra is extensively studied by the variousTibetan Buddhistschools, where the Heart Sutra is chanted, but also treated as a tantric text, with a tantric ceremony associated with it.It is also viewed as one of the daughter sutras of the Prajnaparamita genre in the Vajrayana tradition as passed down from Tibet.

The text has been translated into many languages, and dozens of English translations and commentaries have been published, along with an unknown number of informal versions on the internet.

Versions

There are two main versions of the Heart Sutra: a short version and a long version.

The short version as translated byXuanzangis the most popular version of adherents practicing East Asian schools of Buddhism. Xuanzang's canonical text (T. 251) has a total of 260 Chinese characters. Some Japanese and Korean versions have an additional 2 characters.The short version has also been translated into Tibetan but it is not part of the currentTibetan Buddhist Canon.

The long version differs from the short version by including both an introductory and concluding section, features that most Buddhist sutras have. The introduction introduces the sutra to the listener with the traditional Buddhist opening phrase "Thus have I heard". It then describes the venue in which the Buddha (or sometimes bodhisattvas, etc.) promulgate the teaching and the audience to whom the teaching is given. The concluding section ends the sutra with thanks and praises to the Buddha.

Both versions are chanted on a daily basis by adherents of practically all schools of East Asian Buddhism and by some adherents of Tibetan andNewar Buddhism.

Dating and origins

The third oldest dated copy of the Heart Sutra, on part of the stele of EmperorTang Taizong's Foreword to the Holy Teaching, written on behalf of Xuanzang in 648 CE, erected by his son, EmperorTang Gaozongin 672 CE, known for its exquisite calligraphy in the style ofWang Xizhi(303–361 CE) – Xian'sBeilin Museum

Earliest extant versions and references to the Heart Sutra

The earliest extant dated text of theHeart Sutrais a stone stele dated to 661 CE located at Yunju Temple and is part of theFangshan Stone Sutra.It is also the earliest copy of Xuanzang's 649 CE translation of the Heart Sutra (Taisho 221); made three years before Xuanzang passed away.

A palm-leaf manuscript found at theHōryū-jiTemple is the earliest undated extant Sanskrit manuscript of the Heart Sutra. It is dated to c. 7th–8th century CE by the Tokyo National Museum where it is currently kept.

Authorship of the Heart Sutra

Nattier's hypothesis

According to Conze (1967), approximately 90% of the Heart Sutra is derivable from the larger Sanskrit Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, including thePañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra(Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in 25,000 lines), theAṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra(Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in 8,000 lines), and theŚatasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra(Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in 100,000 lines).

Nattier (1992) questions the Sanskrit origins of the Heart Sutra. Nattier states that there is no direct or indirect evidence (such as a commentary) of a Sanskrit version before the 8th century,and she dates the first evidence (in the form of commentaries by Xuanzang's disciplesKuijiandWoncheuk,andDunhuang manuscripts) of Chinese versions to the 7th century. Nattier believes that the corroborating evidence supports a Chinese version at least a century before a Sanskrit version.

Nattier further argues that it is unusual for Avalokiteśvara to be in the central role in a Prajñāpāramitā text. Early Prajñāpāramitā texts involveSubhuti,who is absent from both versions of theHeart Sūtra.The Buddha is only present in the longer version of the Heart Sutra.Nattier claims the presence of Avalokitesvara in the Heart Sutra could be considered evidence that the text is Chinese in origin as Avalokitesvara was never as popular in India.Nattier also points out that the "gate gate" mantra exists in several variations, and is associated with several different Prajñāpāramitā texts.

According to Nattier, only 40% of the extant text of the Heart Sutra is a quotation from theMahāprajñāpāramitāupadeśa(Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom), a commentary on thePañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtrawritten by Nāgārjuna and translated by Kumārajīva; while the rest was newly composed.Based on textual patterns in the extant Sanskrit and Chinese versions of theHeart Sūtra,theMahāprajñāpāramitāupadeśaand thePañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra,Nattier has argued that the supposedly earliest extant version of the Heart Sutra, translated byKumārajīva(344-413),that Xuanzang supposedly received from an inhabitant of Sichuan prior to his travels to India, was probably first composed in China in the Chinese language from a mixture of material derived from Kumārajīva's Chinese translation of theMahāprajñāpāramitāupadeśa,and newly composed text (60% of the text). According to Nattier, Xuanzang's version of this text (Taisho 251) was later translated into Sanskrit, or properly speaking, back-translated, since part of the sutra was a translation of a Sanskrit text.

According to Nattier, excluding the new composition, Kumarajiva's version of the Heart Sutra (T250) matches the corresponding parts of Kumārajīva's translation of theMahāprajñāpāramitāupadeśaalmost exactly; the other, Xuanzang's version (T251) are missing two lineswith a number of other differences, including one different line, and differences in terminology. The corresponding extant Sanskrit texts (ie. Heart Sutra and Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in 25,000 lines), while agreeing in meaning, differ in virtually every word.

Criticism of Nattier

Nattier's hypothesis has been rejected by several scholars, including Harada Waso, Fukui Fumimasa, Ishii Kōsei, and Siu Sai Yau, on the basis of historical accounts and comparison with the extant Sanskrit Buddhist manuscript fragments.Harada and Ishii, as well as other researchers such as Hyun Choo and Dan Lusthaus, also argue that evidence can be found within the 7th-century commentaries ofKuijiandWoncheuk,two important disciples of Xuanzang, that undermine Nattier's argument.

Li states that of the IndicPalm-leaf manuscript(patra sutras) or sastras brought over to China, most were either lost or not translated.Red Pine,a practicing American Buddhist, favours the idea of a lost manuscript of theLarge Perfection of Wisdom Sutra(Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) with the alternate Sanskrit wording, allowing for an original Indian composition,which may still be extant, and located at theGiant Wild Goose Pagoda.

Harada rejects Nattier's claims that the central role of Avalokiteśvara points to a Chinese origin for the Heart Sutra. Harada notes that theAṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā( "Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in 8,000 lines" ), one of the two oldest prajñāpāramitā sutras, also has other speakers than the Buddha, namelySubhuti,Sariputraas well asAnanda.Harada also notes the blending of Prajñāpāramitā and Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhist belief beginning from at leastFaxianand Xuanzang's time (i.e. 4th - 5th century CE and 7th century CE); and therefore Avalokiteśvara's presence in the Heart Sutra is quite natural.Siu also notes that Avalokitesvara's presence as the main speaker in the Heart Sutra is justifiable on several basis.

However, the question of authorship remains controversial, and other researchers such as Jayarava Attwood (2021) continue to find Nattier's argument for a Chinese origin of the text most convincing explanation.

Philological explanation of the text

Title

Historical titles

Gridhakuta (also known as Vulture's Peak) located in Rajgir Bihar India (in ancient times known as Rājagṛha or Rājagaha (Pali) - Site where Buddha taught the Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya (Heart Sutra) and other Prajñāpāramitā sutras.

The titles of the earliest extant manuscripts of the Heart Sutra all includes the words "hṛdaya" or "heart" and "prajñāpāramitā" or "perfection of wisdom". Beginning from the 8th century and continuing at least until the 13th century, the titles of the Indic manuscripts of the Heart Sutra contained the words "bhagavatī" or "mother of all buddhas" and "prajñāpāramitā".

Later Indic manuscripts have more varied titles.

Titles in use today

In the western world, this sutra is known as the Heart Sutra (a translation derived from its most common name in East Asian countries). But it is also sometimes called the Heart of Wisdom Sutra. In Tibet, Mongolia and other regions influenced by Vajrayana, it is known as The [Holy] Mother of all Buddhas Heart (Essence) of the Perfection of Wisdom.

In the Tibetan text the title is given first in Sanskrit and then in Tibetan:Sanskrit:भगवतीप्रज्ञापारमिताहृदय(Bhagavatīprajñāpāramitāhṛdaya),Tibetan:བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་མ་ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པའི་སྙིང་པོ,Wylie:bcom ldan 'das ma shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa'i snying po;transl. Mother of All Buddhas Heart (Essence) of the Perfection of Wisdom.

In other languages, the commonly used title is an abbreviation of Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtraṃ: i.e. The Prajñāhṛdaya Sūtra) (The Heart of Wisdom Sutra). They are as follows: e.g. Korean:Banya Shimgyeong(Korean:반야심경); Chinese:Chuan Ku Xin Jing(Chinese:Thuyền khổ tâm kinh;pinyin:Chuán kǔxīn jīng);Japanese:Hannya Shingyō(Japanese:はんにゃしんぎょう / bàn nhược tâm kinh); Vietnamese (Vietnamese:Bát nhã tâm kinh, bàn nhược tâm kinh).

Content

Sanskritmanuscript of theHeart Sūtra,written in theSiddhaṃ script.Bibliothèque nationale de France

Various commentators divide this text into different numbers of sections. In the long version, there exists the traditional opening "Thus have I heard"and Buddha along with a community of bodhisattvas and monks gathered with Avalokiteśvara and Sariputra at Gridhakuta (a mountain peak located atRajgir,the traditional site where the majority of the Perfection of Wisdom teachings were given), when through the power of Buddha, Sariputra asks Avalokiteśvarafor advice on the practice of the Perfection of Wisdom. The sutra then describes the experience of liberation of thebodhisattvaof compassion,Avalokiteśvara,as a result ofvipassanāgained while engaged in deep meditation to awaken the faculty ofprajña(wisdom). The insight refers to apprehension of the fundamental emptiness (śūnyatā) of all phenomena, known through and as the five aggregates of human existence (skandhas): form (rūpa), feeling (vedanā), volitions (saṅkhāra), perceptions (saṃjñā), and consciousness (vijñāna).

The specific sequence of concepts listed in lines 12–20 ( "...in emptiness there is no form, no sensation,... no attainment and no non-attainment" ) is the same sequence used in the SarvastivadinSamyukta Agama;this sequence differs in comparable texts of other sects. On this basis,Red Pinehas argued that theHeart Sūtrais specifically a response to Sarvastivada teachings that, in the sense "phenomena" or its constituents, are real.Lines 12–13 enumerate the five skandhas. Lines 14–15 list the twelveayatanasor abodes.Line 16 makes a reference to the 18dhatusor elements of consciousness, using a conventional shorthand of naming only the first (eye) and last (conceptual consciousness) of the elements.Lines 17–18 assert the emptiness of theTwelve Nidānas,the traditional twelve links of dependent origination, using the same shorthand as with the eighteen dhatus.Line 19 refers to theFour Noble Truths.

Avalokiteśvara addressesŚariputra,who was the promulgator ofabhidharmaaccording to the scriptures and texts of theSarvastivadaand otherearly Buddhist schools,having been singled out by the Buddha to receive those teachings.Avalokiteśvara famously states, "Form is empty (śūnyatā). Emptiness is form", and declares the other skandhas to be equally empty of the most fundamental Buddhist teachings such as the Four Noble Truths and explains that in emptiness none of these notions apply. This is interpreted according to thetwo truths doctrineas saying that teachings, while accurate descriptions of conventional truth, are mere statements about reality—they are not reality itself—and that they are therefore not applicable to the ultimate truth that is by definition beyond mental understanding. Thus the bodhisattva, as the archetypal Mahayana Buddhist, relies on the perfection of wisdom, defined in theMahaprajnaparamita Sutrato be the wisdom that perceives reality directly without conceptualattachmentthereby achieving nirvana.

All Buddhas of the three ages (past, present and future) rely on the Perfection of Wisdom to reach unexcelled complete Enlightenment. The Perfection of Wisdom is the all powerful Mantra, the great enlightening mantra, the unexcelled mantra, the unequalled mantra, able to dispel all suffering. This is true and not false.The Perfection of Wisdom is then condensed in the mantra with which the sutra concludes: "Gate Gate Pāragate Pārasamgate Bodhi Svāhā" (literally "Gone gone, gone beyond, gone utterly beyond, Enlightenment hail!" ).In the long version, Buddha praises Avalokiteśvara for giving the exposition of the Perfection of Wisdom and all gathered rejoice in its teaching. Many schools traditionally have also praised the sutra by uttering three times the equivalent of "Mahāprajñāpāramitā" after the end of the recitation of the short version.

Mantra

TheHeart Sūtramantra in Sanskrit isगते गते पारगते पारसंगते बोधि स्वाहा(IAST:gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā,IPA:ɡəteːɡəteːpaːɾəɡəteːpaːɾəsəŋɡəteboːdʱɪsʋaːɦaː), meaning "gone, gone, everyone gone to the other shore, awakening, svaha."

Buddhist exegetical works

Chinesetext of theHeart SūtrabyYuan dynastyartist and calligrapherZhao Mengfu(1254–1322 CE)

China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Vietnam

Shinshōgokuraku-ji

Two commentaries of the Heart Sutra were composed by pupils of Xuanzang, Woncheuk and Kuiji, in the 7th century.These appear to be the earliest extant commentaries on the text. Both have been translated into English.Both Kuījī and Woncheuk's commentaries approach the Heart Sutra from both aYogācāraandMadhyamakaviewpoint;however, Kuījī's commentary presents detailed line by lineMadhyamakaviewpoints as well and is therefore the earliest surviving Madhyamaka commentary on the Heart Sutra. Of special note, although Woncheuk did his work in China, he was born inSilla,one of the kingdoms located at the time in Korea.

The chief Tang Dynasty commentaries have all now been translated into English.

Notable Japanese commentaries include those byKūkai(9th Century, Japan), who treats the text as a tantra,andHakuin,who gives a Zen commentary.

There is also a Vietnamese commentarial tradition for the Heart Sutra. The earliest recorded commentary is the early 14th centuryThiềncommentary entitled 'Commentary on the Prajñāhṛdaya Sutra' byPháp Loa.

All of the East Asian commentaries are commentaries of Xuanzang's translation of the short version of the Heart Sutra. Kukai's commentary is purportedly ofKumārajīva's translation of the short version of the Heart Sutra;but upon closer examination seems to quote only from Xuanzang's translation.

Major Chinese language Commentaries on the Heart Sutra

#	English Title	Taisho Tripitaka No.	Author	Dates	School
1.	Comprehensive Commentary on the Prañāpāramitā Heart Sutra[11]	T1710	Kuiji	632–682 CE	Yogācāra
2.	Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sutra Commentary	T1711	Woncheuk	613–692 CE	Yogācāra
3.	Brief Commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sutra	T1712	Fazang	643–712 CE	Huayan
4.	A Commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sutra	M522	Jingmai	c. 7th century
5.	A Commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sutra	M521	Huijing	715 CE
6.	Secret Key to the Heart Sutra	T2203A	Kūkai	774–835 CE	Shingon
7.	Straightforward Explanation of the Heart Sutra	M542	Hanshan Deqing	1546–1623 CE	Chan Buddhism
8.	Explanation of the Heart Sutra	M1452 (Scroll 11)	Zibo Zhenke	1543–1603 CE	Chan Buddhism
9.	Explanation of the Keypoints to the Heart Sutra	M555	Ouyi Zhixu	1599–1655 CE	Pure Land Buddhism
10.	Zen Words for the Heart	B021	Hakuin Ekaku	1686–1768 CE	Zen

India

Eight Indian commentaries survive in Tibetan translation and have been the subject of two books by Donald Lopez.These typically treat the text either from a Madhyamaka point of view, or as a tantra (esp. Śrīsiṃha). Śrī Mahājana's commentary has a definite "Yogachara bent".All of these commentaries are on the long version of the Heart Sutra. The Eight Indian Commentaries from the Kangyur are (cf first eight on chart):

Indian Commentaries on the Heart Sutra from Tibetan and Chinese language Sources

#	English Title	Peking Tripitaka No.	Author / Dates
1.	Vast Explanation of the Noble Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom	No. 5217	Vimalamitra(b. Western India fl. c. 797 CE – 810 CE)
2,	Atīśa's Explanation of the Heart Sutra	No. 5222	Atīśa(b. Eastern India, 982 CE – 1045 CE)
3.	Commentary on the 'Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom	No. 5221	Kamalaśīla(740 CE – 795 CE)
4.	Commentary on the Heart Sutra as Mantra	No. 5840	Śrīsiṃha(probably 8th century CE)
5.	Explanation of the Noble Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom	No. 5218	Jñānamitra (c. 10th–11th century CE)
6.	Vast Commentary on the Noble Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom	No. 5220	Praśāstrasena
7.	Complete Understanding of the Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom	No. 5223	Śrī Mahājana (probably c. 11th century)
8.	Commentary on the Bhagavati (Mother of all Buddhas) Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, Lamp of the Meaning	No. 5219	Vajrāpaṇi (probably c. 11th century CE)
9.	Commentary on the Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom	M526	Āryadeva (or Deva) c. 10th century

There is one surviving Chinese translation of an Indian commentary in theChinese Buddhist Canon.Āryadeva's commentary is on the short version of the Heart Sutra.

Other

Besides the Tibetan translation of Indian commentaries on the Heart Sutra, Tibetan monk-scholars also made their own commentaries. One example isTāranātha's A Textual Commentary on the Heart Sutra.

In modern times, the text has become increasingly popular amongst exegetes as a growing number of translations and commentaries attest. The Heart Sutra was already popular in Chan and Zen Buddhism, but has become a staple for Tibetan Lamas as well.

Selected English translations

The first English translation was presented to theRoyal Asiatic Societyin 1863 bySamuel Beal,and published in their journal in 1865. Beal used a Chinese text corresponding to T251 and a 9th CenturyChancommentary by Dàdiān Bǎotōng (Đại điên bảo thông) [c. 815 CE].In 1881, Max Müller published a Sanskrit text based on the Hōryū-ji manuscript along an English translation.

There are more than 40 published English translations of the Heart Sutra from Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan, beginning with Beal (1865). Almost every year new translations and commentaries are published. The following is a representative sample.

Author	Title	Publisher	Notes	Year	ISBN
Geshe Rabten	Echoes of Voidness	Wisdom	Includes the Heart Sutra withTibetancommentary	1983	ISBN0-86171-010-X
Donald S. Lopez Jr.	The Heart Sutra Explained	SUNY	The Heart Sutra with a summary ofIndiancommentaries	1987	ISBN0-88706-590-2
Thich Nhat Hanh	The Heart of Understanding "Translation amended 2014".13 September 2014.Retrieved2017-02-26.	Parallax Press	The Heart Sutra with aVietnamese Thiềncommentary	1988	ISBN0-938077-11-2
Norman Waddell	Zen Words for the Heart: Hakuin's Commentary on the Heart Sutra	Shambhala Publications	Hakuin Ekaku's commentary on Heart Sutra	1996	ISBN978-1-57062-165-9
Donald S. Lopez Jr.	Elaborations on Emptiness	Princeton	The Heart Sutra with eight complete Indian and Tibetan commentaries	1998	ISBN0-691-00188-X
Edward Conze	Buddhist Wisdom: The Diamond Sutra and The Heart Sutra	Random House	The Diamond Sutra and The Heart Sutra, along with commentaries on the texts and practices of Buddhism	2001	ISBN978-0-375-72600-2
Chan MasterSheng Yen	There Is No Suffering: A Commentary on the Heart Sutra	Dharma Drum Publications	Heart Sutra with Modern Commentary on Heart Sutra from Major Chan Master From Taiwan China	2001	ISBN1-55643-385-9
Tetsugen Bernard Glassman	Infinite Circle: Teachings in Zen	Shambhala Publications	Translations and commentaries of The Heart Sutra andThe Identity of Relative and Absoluteas well as Zen precepts	2003	ISBN978-1-59030-079-4
GesheSonam Rinchen	Heart Sutra: An Oral Commentary	Snow Lion	Concise translation and commentary from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective	2003	ISBN978-1-55939-201-3
Red Pine	The Heart Sutra: the Womb of Buddhas	Counterpoint	Heart Sutra with commentary	2004	ISBN978-1-59376-009-0
14th Dalai Lama	Essence of the Heart Sutra	Wisdom Publications	Heart Sutra with commentary by the 14th Dalai Lama	2005	ISBN978-0-86171-284-7
Geshe Tashi Tsering	Emptiness: The Foundation of Buddhist Thought	Wisdom Publications	A guide to the topic of emptiness from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective, with English translation of the Heart Sutra	2009	ISBN978-0-86171-511-4
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso	The New Heart of Wisdom: An explanation of the Heart Sutra	Tharpa Publications	English translation of the Heart Sutra with commentary	2012	ISBN978-1-906665-04-3
Karl Brunnholzl	The Heart Attack Sutra: A New Commentary on the Heart Sutra	Shambhala Publications	Modern commentary	2012	ISBN978-1-55939-391-1
Doosun Yoo	Thunderous Silence: A Formula For Ending Suffering: A Practical Guide to the Heart Sutra	Wisdom Publications	English translation of the Heart Sutra withKorean Seoncommentary	2013	ISBN978-1-61429-053-7
Kazuaki Tanahashi	The Heart Sutra: A Comprehensive Guide to the Classic of Mahayana Buddhism	Shambhala Publications	English translation of the Heart Sutra with history and commentary	2015	ISBN978-1-61180-096-8
Peter Lunde Johnson	Delivering the Heart of Transcendental Discernment	An Lac Publications	English translations of all 9 Chinese versions of the sutra and the commentaries on it by Fazang (Huayan School) and Kukai (Shingon School)	2020	ISBN979-8-5931-1943-8

Recordings

Japanese recitation

TheHeart Sūtrahas been set to music a number of times.Many singers solo this sutra.

• The Buddhist Audio Visual Production Centre (Phật giáo thị thính chế tác trung tâm) produced aCantonesealbum of recordings of theHeart Sūtrain 1995 featuring a number of Hong Kong pop singers, includingAlan Tam,Anita MuiandFaye Wongand composer by Andrew Lam Man Chung (Lâm mẫn thông) to raise money to rebuild theChi Lin Nunnery.
• MalaysianImee Ooi(Hoàng tuệ âm) sings the short version of theHeart Sūtrain Sanskrit accompanied by music entitled 'The Shore Beyond, Prajna Paramita Hrdaya Sutram', released in 2009.
• Composer and recording artistRobert Gass,with his group On Wings of Song, releasedHeart of Perfect Wisdomin 1990, with two long pieces prominently featuring the "Gate Gate" mantra. This is now available asHeart of Perfect Wisdom / A Sufi Song of Love.
• Hong Kong pop singers, such as theFour Heavenly Kingssang theHeart Sūtrato raise money for relief efforts related to the1999 Jiji earthquake.
• AMandarinversion was first performed by Faye Wong in May 2009 at theFamen Templefor the opening of the Namaste Dagoba, a stupa housing the finger relic of Buddha rediscovered at the Famen Temple.She has sung this version numerous times since and its recording was subsequently used as a theme song in the blockbustersAftershock(2010)andXuanzang(2016).
• Shaolin Monk ShifuShi Yan Mingrecites the Sutra at the end of the song "Life Changes" by theWu-Tang Clan,in remembrance of the deceased member ODB.
• The outro of the b-side song "Ghetto Defendant"by the British first wave punk bandThe Clashalso features theHeart Sūtra,recited by American beat poetAllen Ginsberg.
• A slightly edited version is used as the lyrics forYoshimitsu's theme in thePlayStation 2gameTekken Tag Tournament.An Indian styled version was also created byBombay Jayashri,titled Ji Project. It was also recorded and arranged by Malaysian singer/composer Imee Ooi.
• AnEsperantotranslation of portions of the text furnished the libretto of thecantataLa Koro Sutroby American composerLou Harrison.
• TheHeart Sūtraappears as a track on an album of sutras "performed" byVOCALOIDvoice software, using theNekomura Irohavoice pack. The album,Syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism by VOCALOID,is by the artist tamachang.
• Toward the end of the operaThe (R)evolution of Steve JobsbyMason Batesthe character inspired byKōbun Chino Otogawasings part of theHeart Sūtrato introduce the scene in which Steve Jobs wedsLaurene Powellat Yosemite in 1991.
• Part of the Sutra can be heard onShiina Ringo's song Gate of Living(Kê と xà と đồn),from her studio albumSandokushi(2019)

Popular culture

In the centuries following the historicalXuanzang,an extended tradition of literature fictionalizing the life of Xuanzang and glorifying his special relationship with theHeart Sūtraarose, of particular note being theJourney to the West(16th century/Ming dynasty). In chapter nineteen ofJourney to the West,the fictitious Xuanzang learns by heart theHeart Sūtraafter hearing it recited one time by the Crow's Nest Zen Master, who flies down from his tree perch with a scroll containing it, and offers to impart it. A full text of theHeart Sūtrais quoted in this fictional account.

The 1782 Japanese text "The Secret Biwa Music that Caused the Yurei to Lament"(Tỳ bà bí khúc khấp u linh),commonly known asHoichi the Earless,because of its inclusion in the 1904 bookKwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things,makes usage of thisSūtra.It involves the titular Hoichi having his whole body painted with theHeart Sūtrato protect against malicious spirits, with the accidental exception of his ears, making him vulnerable nonetheless.A filmed adaptation of this story is included in the 1964 horror anthologyKwaidan.

In the 2003 Korean filmSpring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring,the apprentice is ordered by his Master to carve the Chinese characters of the sutra into the wooden monastery deck to quiet his heart.

The Sanskritmantra of theHeart Sūtrawas used as the lyrics for the opening theme song of the 2011 Chinese television seriesJourney to the West.

The 2013 Buddhist filmAvalokitesvara,tells the origins ofMount Putuo,the famous pilgrimage site for Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in China. The film was filmed onsite on Mount Putuo and featured several segments where monks chant theHeart Sūtrain Chinese and Sanskrit.Egaku,the protagonist of the film, also chants theHeart Sūtrain Japanese.

In the 2015 Japanese filmI Am a Monk,Koen, a twenty-four year old bookstore clerk becomes aShingonmonk at theEifuku-jiafter the death of his grandfather. The Eifuku-ji is the fifty-seventh temple in the eighty-eight templeShikoku PilgrimageCircuit. He is at first unsure of himself. However, during his first service as he chants theHeart Sūtra,he comes to an important realization.

Bear McCrearyrecorded four Japanese-American monks chanting in Japanese, the entireHeart Sūtrain his sound studio. He picked a few discontinuous segments and digitally enhanced them for their hypnotic sound effect. The result became the main theme ofKing Ghidorahin the 2019 filmGodzilla: King of the Monsters.

Influence on western philosophy

Schopenhauer,in the final words of his main work, compared his doctrine to theŚūnyatāof theHeart Sūtra.In Volume 1, § 71 ofThe World as Will and Representation,Schopenhauer wrote: "...to those in whom the will [to continue living] has turned and has denied itself, this very real world of ours, with all itssunsandMilky Ways,is — nothing. "To this, he appended the following note: "This is also the Prajna–Paramita of the Buddhists, the 'beyond all knowledge,' in other words, the point where subject and object no longer exist."

See also

• Mahāyāna sutras
• Prajñāpāramitā

Sources

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Further reading

• Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines & Its Verse Summary.Translated byConze, Edward.Grey Fox Press. 1984.ISBN978-0-87704-049-1.
• Fox, Douglass (1985).The Heart of Buddhist Wisdom: A Translation of the Heart Sutra With Historical Introduction and Commentary.Lewiston/Queenston Lampeter: The Edwin Mellen Press.ISBN0-88946-053-1.
• Gyatso, Tenzin (2002). Jinpa, Thumpten (ed.).Essence of the Heart Sutra: The Dalai Lama's Heart of Wisdom Teachings.English translation by GesheThupten Jinpa.Boston: Wisdom Publications.ISBN0-86171-318-4.
• Hasegawa, Seikan (1975).The Cave of Poison Grass: Essays on the Hannya Sutra.Arlington, Virginia: Great Ocean Publishers.ISBN0-915556-00-6.
• McRae, John R. (1988)."Ch'an Commentaries on the Heart Sutra".Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies.11(2): 87–115.
• McLeod, Ken(2007).An Arrow to the Heart.Victoria, BC, Canada: Trafford.ISBN978-1-4251-3377-1.Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-27.
• Thich, Nhat Hanh(1988).The Heart of Understanding.Berkeley, California: Parallax Press.ISBN978-0-938077-11-4.
• Rinchen, Sonam.(2003)Heart Sutra: An Oral CommentarySnow Lion Publications
• Schodt, Fred(2020).My Heart Sutra: A World in 260 Characters.San Francisco, California: Stone Bridge Press.ISBN978-1-61172-062-4.
• A Comprehensive Commentary on the Heart Sutra.Translated by Shih, Heng-ching. Berkeley, Calif.: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. 2001.ISBN1-886439-11-7.

External links

Documentary

• Journey of the HeartProduced by Ravi Verma

Translations

• "Multilingual Edition of The Heart Sutra".Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo. 2022-03-13.Retrieved2022-03-13.Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan, and English versions of The Heart Sutra in sentence-by-sentence reading format; facilitating easy comparison.
• "A Reader's Guide to the Heart Sutra".Shambhala Publications. 2018-09-16.Retrieved2018-09-18.A guide to some of the important translations and commentaries.
• "The Shorter Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya Sūtra".Lapis Lazuli Texts.Retrieved2010-08-30.From the Chinese version attributed to Xuanzang (T251).
• "The Shorter Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya Sūtra".Sutras Mantras.Retrieved2017-03-02.From the Chinese version attributed to Kumārajīva (T250).
• "The Longer Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya Sūtra".Lapis Lazuli Texts.Retrieved2010-08-30.From the Chinese translation byPrajñā(T253).
• "The Shorter Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya Sūtra".Fodian. Archived fromthe originalon 2017-04-20.Retrieved2017-03-02.Conze's translation from his Sanskrit edition (1948, rev. 1967).
• "The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom".LamRim.com.Retrieved2008-03-22.From the Tibetan text.
• The Heart Sutra in English - Translated by Gerhard Herzog.Translation from Chinese,Kaoshiung,Taiwan,1971.
• Diamond Sutra and Heart Sutrapublic domain audiobook atLibriVox
• An English translation by 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha