Heart Sutra Explained

The Heart Sūtra is a popular sutra in Mahāyāna Buddhism. In Sanskrit, the title translates as "The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom".

The Sutra famously states, "Form is emptiness (śūnyatā), emptiness is form." It is a condensed exposition on the Buddhist Mahayana teaching of the Two Truths doctrine, which says that ultimately all phenomena are Śūnyatā (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, Avalokiteśvara addresses Śariputra, 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 the Four Noble Truths, and explains that in emptiness, none of these notions apply. This is interpreted according to the two truths doctrine as 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 the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra to be the wisdom that perceives reality directly without conceptual attachment, thereby achieving nirvana.

The sutra concludes with the mantra , meaning "gone, gone, everyone gone to the other shore, awakening, svaha."

Popularity and stature

The Heart Sutra is "the single most commonly recited, copied, and studied scripture in East Asian Buddhism."[1] It is recited by adherents of Mahayana schools of Buddhism regardless of sectarian affiliation with the exception of Shin Buddhists and Nichiren Buddhists.[2] [3]

While the origin of the sutra is disputed by some modern scholars, it was widely known throughout South Asia (including Afghanistan) from at least the Pala Empire period (–1200 CE) and in parts of India until at least the middle of the 14th century.[4] [5] 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'[6] 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 various Tibetan Buddhist schools, 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.[7] [8]

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 by Xuanzang is 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.[5] The short version has also been translated into Tibetan but it is not part of the current Tibetan 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 and Newar Buddhism.[9]

Dating and origins

Earliest extant versions and references to the Heart Sutra

The earliest extant dated text of the Heart Sutra is a stone stele dated to 661 CE located at Yunju Temple and is part of the Fangshan 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 died.[10] [11] [12] [13]

A palm-leaf manuscript found at the Hōryū-ji Temple 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 the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in 25,000 lines), the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in 8,000 lines), and the Śatasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in 100,000 lines).[14] [15]

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,[16] and she dates the first evidence (in the form of commentaries by Xuanzang's disciples Kuiji and Woncheuk, and Dunhuang 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.[17]

Nattier further argues that it is unusual for Avalokiteśvara to be in the central role in a Prajñāpāramitā text. Early Prajñāpāramitā texts involve Subhuti, who is absent from both versions of the Heart Sūtra. The Buddha is only present in the longer version of the Heart Sutra.[18] 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.[19]

According to Nattier, only 40% of the extant text of the Heart Sutra is a quotation from the Mahāprajñāpāramitāupadeśa (Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom), a commentary on the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra written by Nāgārjuna and translated by Kumārajīva; while the rest was newly composed.[20] Based on textual patterns in the extant Sanskrit and Chinese versions of the Heart Sūtra, the Mahāprajñāpāramitāupadeśa and the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, Nattier has argued that the supposedly earliest extant version of the Heart Sutra, translated by Kumārajīva (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 the Mahāprajñāpāramitāupadeśa, 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 the Mahāprajñāpāramitāupadeśa almost exactly; the other, Xuanzang's version (T251) are missing two lines with 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.[21]

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.[22] 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 of Kuiji and Woncheuk, two important disciples of Xuanzang, that undermine Nattier's argument.[23] [24] [25] [26]

Li states that of the Indic Palm-leaf manuscript (patra sutras) or sastras brought over to China, most were either lost or not translated.[27] Red Pine, a practicing American Buddhist, favours the idea of a lost manuscript of the Large Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) with the alternate Sanskrit wording, allowing for an original Indian composition,[28] which may still be extant, and located at the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.[29] [30]

Harada rejects Nattier's claims that the central role of Avalokiteśvara points to a Chinese origin for the Heart Sutra. Harada notes that the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā ("Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in 8,000 lines"), one of the two oldest prajñāpāramitā sutras, also has other speakers than the Buddha, namely Subhuti, Sariputra as well as Ananda.[31] Harada also notes the blending of Prajñāpāramitā and Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhist belief beginning from at least Faxian and 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.[32] Siu also notes that Avalokitesvara's presence as the main speaker in the Heart Sutra is justifiable on several basis.[33]

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

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 (), ; .[8]

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:Bo Re Xin Jing(Chinese: c=般若心经|p=bō rě xīn jīng );Japanese:Hannya Shingyō (Japanese: はんにゃしんぎょう / 般若心経); Vietnamese (Vietnamese: Bát nhã tâm kinh,般若心經).

Content

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 at Rajgir, the traditional site where the majority of the Perfection of Wisdom teachings were given), when through the power of Buddha, Sariputra asks Avalokiteśvara[34] [35] for advice on the practice of the Perfection of Wisdom. The sutra then describes the experience of liberation of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteśvara, as a result of vipassanā gained while engaged in deep meditation to awaken the faculty of prajña (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 Sarvastivadin Samyukta Agama; this sequence differs in comparable texts of other sects. On this basis, Red Pine has argued that the Heart Sūtra is 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 twelve ayatanas or abodes. Line 16 makes a reference to the 18 dhatus or elements of consciousness, using a conventional shorthand of naming only the first (eye) and last (conceptual consciousness) of the elements.[1] Lines 17–18 assert the emptiness of the Twelve Nidānas, the traditional twelve links of dependent origination, using the same shorthand as with the eighteen dhatus. Line 19 refers to the Four Noble Truths.

Avalokiteśvara addresses Śariputra, who was the promulgator of abhidharma according to the scriptures and texts of the Sarvastivada and other early 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 the two truths doctrine as 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 the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra to be the wisdom that perceives reality directly without conceptual attachment thereby 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!").[36] 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

The Heart Sūtra mantra in Sanskrit is (IAST: , IPA: pronounced as /ɡəteː ɡəteː paːɾəɡəteː paːɾəsəŋɡəte boːdʱɪ sʋaːɦaː/), meaning "gone, gone, everyone gone to the other shore, awakening, svaha."

Buddhist exegetical works

China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Vietnam

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.[37] Both Kuījī and Woncheuk's commentaries approach the Heart Sutra from both a Yogācāra and Madhyamaka viewpoint; however, Kuījī's commentary presents detailed line by line Madhyamaka viewpoints 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 in Silla, 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 by Kūkai (9th Century, Japan), who treats the text as a tantra,[38] and Hakuin, who gives a Zen commentary.

There is also a Vietnamese commentarial tradition for the Heart Sutra. The earliest recorded commentary is the early 14th century Thiền commentary entitled 'Commentary on the Prajñāhṛdaya Sutra' by Pháp Loa.[39]

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 of Kumārajīva'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 TitleTaisho Tripitaka No.[40] Author Dates School
1.Comprehensive Commentary on the Prañāpāramitā Heart Sutrahttp://www.bdkamerica.org/book/comprehensive-commentary-heart-sutra T1710 632–682 CE Yogācāra
2.Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sutra CommentaryT1711613–692 CE Yogācāra
3.Brief Commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sutra[41] T1712643–712 CE Huayan
4.A Commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā Heart SutraM522Jingmai c. 7th century[42]
5.A Commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā Heart SutraM521Huijing 715 CE
6.Secret Key to the Heart SutraT2203A774–835 CE Shingon
7.Straightforward Explanation of the Heart Sutra[43] M5421546–1623 CE Chan Buddhism
8.Explanation of the Heart SutraM1452 (Scroll 11)Zibo Zhenke 1543–1603 CE Chan Buddhism
9.Explanation of the Keypoints to the Heart SutraM555Ouyi Zhixu1599–1655 CE Pure Land Buddhism
10.Zen Words for the HeartB0211686–1768 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.[44] [45] [46] Author / Dates
1.Vast Explanation of the Noble Heart of the Perfection of WisdomNo. 5217Vimalamitra (b. Western India fl. c. 797 CE – 810 CE)
2,Atīśa's Explanation of the Heart SutraNo. 5222Atīśa (b. Eastern India, 982 CE – 1045 CE)
3.Commentary on the 'Heart of the Perfection of WisdomNo. 5221Kamalaśīla (740 CE – 795 CE)
4.Commentary on the Heart Sutra as MantraNo. 5840Śrīsiṃha (probably 8th century CE)
5.Explanation of the Noble Heart of the Perfection of WisdomNo. 5218Jñānamitra (c. 10th–11th century CE)[47]
6.Vast Commentary on the Noble Heart of the Perfection of WisdomNo. 5220Praśāstrasena
7.Complete Understanding of the Heart of the Perfection of WisdomNo. 5223Śrī Mahājana (probably c. 11th century)[48]
8.Commentary on the Bhagavati (Mother of all Buddhas) Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, Lamp of the MeaningNo. 5219Vajrāpaṇi (probably c. 11th century CE)
9.Commentary on the Heart of the Perfection of WisdomM526Āryadeva (or Deva) c. 10th century

There is one surviving Chinese translation of an Indian commentary in the Chinese 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 is Tāranātha'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 the Royal Asiatic Society in 1863 by Samuel Beal, and published in their journal in 1865. Beal used a Chinese text corresponding to T251 and a 9th Century Chan commentary by Dàdiān Bǎotōng (Chinese: [[:zh:大颠|大顛寶通]]) [c. 815 CE].[49] In 1881, Max Müller published a Sanskrit text based on the Hōryū-ji manuscript along an English translation.[50]

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.

AuthorTitlePublisherNotesYearISBN
Geshe RabtenEchoes of VoidnessWisdomIncludes the Heart Sutra with Tibetan commentary1983
Donald S. Lopez Jr.The Heart Sutra ExplainedSUNYThe Heart Sutra with a summary of Indian commentaries1987
Thich Nhat HanhThe Heart of Understanding Web site: Translation amended 2014. 13 September 2014. 2017-02-26. Parallax PressThe Heart Sutra with a Vietnamese Thiền commentary1988
Norman WaddellZen Words for the Heart: Hakuin's Commentary on the Heart SutraShambhala PublicationsHakuin Ekaku's commentary on Heart Sutra1996
Donald S. Lopez Jr.Elaborations on EmptinessPrincetonThe Heart Sutra with eight complete Indian and Tibetan commentaries1998
Edward ConzeBuddhist Wisdom: The Diamond Sutra and The Heart SutraRandom HouseThe Diamond Sutra and The Heart Sutra, along with commentaries on the texts and practices of Buddhism2001
Chan Master Sheng YenThere Is No Suffering: A Commentary on the Heart SutraDharma Drum PublicationsHeart Sutra with Modern Commentary on Heart Sutra from Major Chan Master From Taiwan China2001
Tetsugen Bernard GlassmanInfinite Circle: Teachings in ZenShambhala PublicationsTranslations and commentaries of The Heart Sutra and The Identity of Relative and Absolute as well as Zen precepts2003
Geshe Sonam RinchenHeart Sutra: An Oral CommentarySnow LionConcise translation and commentary from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective2003
Red PineThe Heart Sutra: the Womb of BuddhasCounterpointHeart Sutra with commentary2004
14th Dalai LamaEssence of the Heart SutraWisdom PublicationsHeart Sutra with commentary by the 14th Dalai Lama2005
Geshe Tashi TseringEmptiness: The Foundation of Buddhist ThoughtWisdom PublicationsA guide to the topic of emptiness from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective, with English translation of the Heart Sutra2009
Geshe Kelsang GyatsoThe New Heart of Wisdom: An explanation of the Heart SutraTharpa PublicationsEnglish translation of the Heart Sutra with commentary2012
Karl BrunnholzlThe Heart Attack Sutra: A New Commentary on the Heart SutraShambhala PublicationsModern commentary2012
Doosun YooThunderous Silence: A Formula For Ending Suffering: A Practical Guide to the Heart SutraWisdom PublicationsEnglish translation of the Heart Sutra with Korean Seon commentary2013
Kazuaki TanahashiThe Heart Sutra: A Comprehensive Guide to the Classic of Mahayana BuddhismShambhala PublicationsEnglish translation of the Heart Sutra with history and commentary2015
Peter Lunde JohnsonDelivering the Heart of Transcendental DiscernmentAn Lac PublicationsEnglish translations of all 9 Chinese versions of the sutra and the commentaries on it by Fazang (Huayan School) and Kukai (Shingon School)2020

Recordings

The Heart Sūtra has been set to music a number of times.[51] Many singers solo this sutra.[52]

Popular culture

In the centuries following the historical Xuanzang, an extended tradition of literature fictionalizing the life of Xuanzang and glorifying his special relationship with the Heart Sūtra arose, of particular note being the Journey to the West[61] (16th century/Ming dynasty). In chapter nineteen of Journey to the West, the fictitious Xuanzang learns by heart the Heart Sūtra after 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 the Heart Sūtra is quoted in this fictional account.

The 1782 Japanese text ", commonly known as Hoichi the Earless, because of its inclusion in the 1904 book, makes usage of this Sūtra. It involves the titular Hoichi having his whole body painted with the Heart Sūtra to 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 anthology Kwaidan.

In the 2003 Korean film Spring, 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.[62]

The Sanskrit mantra of the Heart Sūtra was used as the lyrics for the opening theme song of the 2011 Chinese television series Journey to the West.[63]

The 2013 Buddhist film Avalokitesvara, tells the origins of Mount 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 the Heart Sūtra in Chinese and Sanskrit. Egaku, the protagonist of the film, also chants the Heart Sūtra in Japanese.[64]

In the 2015 Japanese film I Am a Monk, Koen, a twenty-four year old bookstore clerk becomes a Shingon monk at the Eifuku-ji after the death of his grandfather. The Eifuku-ji is the fifty-seventh temple in the eighty-eight temple Shikoku Pilgrimage Circuit. He is at first unsure of himself. However, during his first service as he chants the Heart Sūtra, he comes to an important realization.[65]

Bear McCreary recorded four Japanese-American monks chanting in Japanese, the entire Heart Sūtra in his sound studio. He picked a few discontinuous segments and digitally enhanced them for their hypnotic sound effect. The result became the main theme of King Ghidorah in the 2019 film Godzilla: King of the Monsters.[66]

Influence on western philosophy

Schopenhauer, in the final words of his main work, compared his doctrine to the Śūnyatā of the Heart Sūtra. In Volume 1, § 71 of The 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 its suns and Milky Ways, is - nothing."[67] 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."[68]

See also

Sources

Further reading

External links

Documentary

Translations

Notes and References

  1. Pine 2004
  2. Book: 門信徒手帳(2023年版) . 本願寺出版社 . 37.
  3. Book: 令和5年日蓮宗檀信徒手帳 . 12.
  4. Lopez Jr. 1996
  5. Lin 2020
  6. Harada 2010
  7. Tai 2005
  8. Sonam Gyaltsen Gonta 2009
  9. Book: ne:प्रज्ञापारमिताहृदयसूत्र (मिलन शाक्य). Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (tr. from Sanskrit to Nepal Bhasa) . new . Shākya . Milan . 2003.
  10. Book: Ledderose . Lothar . Changing the Audience: A Pivotal Period in the Great Sutra Carving Project. Lagerway . John. Religion and Chinese Society Ancient and Medieval China . 1 . The Chinese University of Hong Kong and École française d'Extrême-Orient . 2006 . 395.
  11. Archives of Asian Art . Transmitting Buddhism to A Future Age: The Leiyin Cave at Fangshan and Cave-Temples with Stone Scriptures in Sixth-Century China . Lee . Sonya . 60 . 2010. 43–78 . 10.1353/aaa.2010.0003 . 192482846 .
  12. Web site: http://jinglu.cbeta.org/cgi-bin/jl_detail.pl?lang=&sid=zrvsm . CBETA . zh:佛經藏經目錄數位資料庫-般若波羅蜜多心經 . zh-hant . Digital Database of Buddhist Tripitaka Catalogues-Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra . Chinese: 【房山石經】No.28《般若波羅蜜多心經》三藏法師玄奘奉詔譯 冊數:2 / 頁數:1 / 卷數:1 / 刻經年代:顯慶六年[公元661年] / 瀏覽:目錄圖檔 [tr to English : Fangshan Stone Sutra No. 28 "Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya Sutra" Tripitaka Master Xuanzang translated by imperial decree Volume 2, Page 1, Scroll 1, Engraved 661 CE...].
  13. He 2017
  14. Conze 1967, p. 166 "We have been able to trace roughly nine-tenths of the Hrdaya to the longer Prajnaparamita Sutras."
  15. Conze 1967, cf pp 157-165 for sections of the text and corresponding attributions.
  16. Nattier 1992, pg. 173
  17. Nattier 1992, pp. 173-4
  18. Nattier 1992, pg. 156
  19. Nattier 1992
  20. Nattier (1992), pp 186-7.
  21. Nattier 1992, pp. 159, 167
  22. Harada 2002, pp.17-62, Harada 2010, Fukui 1987, Siu 2017 esp. pp 43-44 and pp 72-80
  23. Choo 2006
  24. Ishii 2015
  25. Harada 2002
  26. Lusthaus 2003 - While Lusthaus along with Choo, Harada and Ishii agree that Wonchuk consulted with a Sanskrit text of the Heart Sutra, he is unique in his hypothesis that the Sanskrit text may have been the Sanskrit text of the lost Chinese translation by Zhiqian.
  27. Web site: Zhōng guó zàng xué - Zhōng guó fàn wén bèi yè gài kuàng . zh:中国藏学-中国梵文贝叶概况 . Baidu文库 (Website tr. to English: Baidu Library) . China Tibet Studies-The State of Sanskrit Language Palm Leaf Manuscripts in China . Chinese . Li Xuezhu (李学竹) . 2017-11-10 . 在现存的汉文大藏经中,将近1500部6000卷佛教典籍译的梵文贝叶经,如果包括译后失专或未翻译的经典内,传到汉地的梵文贝叶经至少在5000部以上。(tr. to English: In the currently extant Chinese Tripitakas, there are close to 1500 sections of 6000 scrolls worth of Sanskrit patra sutras translated into Chinese. If we include the translations that are no longer extant and the sutras and sastras that were never translated, the Indic patra sutras and śāstras that arrived in China would be at the very least over 5000 sections of patra sutras / śāstras.) . 54.
  28. Pine 2004, pg. 25
  29. Web site: Zhōng guó zàng xué - Zhōng guó fàn wén bèi yè gài kuàng . zh:中国藏学-中国梵文贝叶概况 . Baidu文库 (Website tr. to English: Baidu Library) . China Tibet Studies-The State of Sanskrit Language Palm Leaf Manuscripts in China . Chinese . Li Xuezhu (李学竹) . 2017-11-10 . 所以有人猜想玄奘大师所取回的贝叶经可能就藏在大雁塔的地宫。(tr. to English: Therefore there are people (scholars) who conjecture that the (657) patra sutras Xuanzang brought back may be stored in an underground chamber of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.) . 55.
  30. Web site: Zhuān jiā: Xuánzàng dài huí de zhēn bǎo kě néng zàng yú Xī ān Dà yàn tǎ xià . zh:专家:玄奘带回的珍宝可能藏于西安大雁塔下 . 人民网图片 (Website tr. to English: people.cn) . Experts: Treasures Brought Back by Xuanzang Possibly Stored Underneath the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda . Chinese . Gěng cōng (耿聪) . 2017-11-28 . 2008-05-12 . 陕西)省社科院宗教研究所所长王亚荣日前介绍,和法门寺宝塔下有地宫一样,大雁塔下也藏有千年地宫。据推测,玄奘自印度取经归来后,所带回的珍宝有很多藏在大雁塔下的地宫里。...对于大雁塔有地宫一说,...解守涛介绍,去年,相关部门对大雁塔的内部结构进行探测时,探地雷达曾经探测出大雁塔地下有空洞...(tr. to English: (Shaanxi Province) Academy of Social Science Head of Religious Research Wang Yarong yesterday briefed underneath the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is an underground chamber over 1000 years old just like the one underneath Famen Temple's True Relic Pagoda. Based on her hypothesis, Xuanzang after returning from India, stored many of the treasures he brought back in the underground chamber of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda....Regarding the hypothesis on the underground chamber in the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Jie Shoutao mentioned last year, the relevant departments while investigating the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda using radar detected a hollow area underneath the pagoda...).
  31. Book: Harada Waso (原田和宗) . Hannya shingyō no seiritsu shiron . ja:般若心経成立史論 . History of the Establishment of Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtraṃ . ja. 73.
  32. Book: Harada Waso (原田和宗) . Hannya shingyō no seiritsu shiron . ja:般若心経成立史論 . History of the Establishment of Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtraṃ . ja . いずれにしても『陀羅尼集経』卷第一「釈迦仏頂三昧陀羅尼品」では<仏頂尊>信仰を核とする<般若波羅蜜多(般若菩薩)>信仰と<観音菩薩>信仰との併合が看取されるのは事実である。このこと、4‐5世紀のインドの大乗仏教徒たちが「般若波羅蜜」や「観世音菩薩」などを一緒に信仰し供養していた事実を伝える法顕による目擊談とも一致する。 (English tr to follow) . 77–78.
  33. Siu 2017, pp 72 "般若佛典中,內容常為佛陀與舍利子之對答,從中宣示教要,鮮見觀自在菩薩授法之片段,惟略本《心經》以觀自在為核心角色,豈非與一般般若之內涵不同?首先,般若經典中之教說,非純為佛陀所宣,亦非純記其與弟子之對答內容,實不乏菩薩眾發問及弘教(319),同得佛陀認記(320)。" (trans: The contents of the Prajnaparamita genre often has the Buddha answering questions from Sariputra thereby promulgating the essentials of the teachings, its only in the Heart Sutra where Avalokitesvara is the central speaker, why is this so? The teachings of the Prajnaparamita genre are not purely the promulgation of the Buddha nor purely record the discourse between Buddha and his disciples; in fact its not out of the ordinary for bodhisattvas to ask questions and propagate the Dharma, with the approval of the Buddha.) and pp 73 "該菩薩不但名揚中土,天竺各地敬奉者眾多(322)" (trans: [Avalokitesvara] was not only popular in China but was popular throughout the different regions of India.) and footnote 322 in summary states Those promoting the back-translation theory (cf Nattier p 176) often raise the issue that the presence of Avalokitesvara in the extant text of the Heart Sutra is because of the popularity of Avalokitesvara in China at the time, and when creating the sutra [in China] made Avalokitesvara to be the main speaker. This is really untrue. Faxian notes the Mahayana worship of Prajnaparamita, Manjusri and Avalokitesvara in the early 5th century CE [in Mathura, Northern India]. Guṇabhadra on his sea voyage from Sri Lanka [this suggests Avalokitesvara worship was present in Southern India as well as Sri Lanka] to China encountered difficulties which were resolved by the crew and him beseeching Avalokitesvara (early 5th century CE). Xuanzang [in his travelogue] notes several places where Avalokitesvara had famous shrines (located throughout all regions of India) (early 7th century CE).
  34. Powers, 1995
  35. Keenan 2000
  36. Web site: Prajñaparamita mantra: Gate gate paragate parasaṃgate bodhi svaha . wildmind.org . Gate gate pāragate pārasamgate bodhi svāhā... The words here do have a literal meaning: "Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone utterly beyond, Enlightenment hail! . 2018-08-10.
  37. Shih and Lusthaus, 2006
  38. Dreitlein 2011
  39. Nguyen 2008
  40. If listing starts with 'T' and followed by number then it can be found in the Taisho Tripitaka; if listing starts with 'M' and followed by number then it can be found in the Manjizoku Tripitaka; If listing starts with 'B' and followed by number then it can be found in the Supplement to the Great Tripitaka
  41. Minoru 1978 (cf references)
  42. Foguangshan 1989
  43. Luk 1970
  44. On a Peking Edition of the Tibetan Kanjur Which Seems to be Unknown in the West . Journal of International Association of Buddhist Studies . von Staël-Holstein . Baron A. . Silk, Jonathan A. . 1999 . 22 . 1 . 216 . cf footnote (b)-refers to copy (ed.) of Peking Tripitaka which according to Sakurabe Bunkyō, was printed in China 1717/1720..
  45. Web site: http://www.twtds.com/?page_id=249 . 全球龍藏館 [Universal Sutra of Tibetan Dragon] . 11 March 2016 . zh:藏文大藏經 . The Tibetan Tripitaka . 2017-11-17 . Chinese: 北京版。又名嵩祝寺版。清康熙二十二年(1683)據西藏霞盧寺寫本在北京嵩祝寺刊刻,先刻了甘珠爾。至雍正二年(1724)續刻了丹珠爾。早期印本大部為硃刷,也稱赤字版。版片毀於光緒二十六年庚子之役。 (tr. to English: Beijing (Peking Tripitaka) ed., is also known as Songzhu Temple edition. In 1683, Beijing's Songzhu Temple first carved woodblocks for the Kangyur based on manuscripts from Tibet's Xialu Temple (Shigatse's Shalu Monastery). In 1724, they continued with the carving of woodblocks for the Tengyur. The early impressions were in large part, printed in vermilion ink and therefore are also known as the 'Vermilion Text Edition.' The woodblocks were destroyed in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion.).
  46. If listing starts with 'M' and followed by number then it can be found in the Manjizoku Tripitaka
  47. Fukuda 1964
  48. Liao 1997
  49. Beal (1865: 25–28)
  50. Müller (1881)
  51. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716022711/http://www.dharmanet.com.br/multimidia/mp3.php DharmaSound (in web.archive.org): Sūtra do Coração in various languages
  52. Web site: http://www.1ting.com/album/9b/album_15378.html . zh:心经试听下载, 佛教音乐专辑心经 - 一听音乐网 . lting.com . zh-hans.
  53. Web site: http://www.buda.idv.tw/list.asp?tablename=music&subclass=%A4%DF%B8g%B8s%ACP%AA%A9 . zh:佛學多媒體資料庫 . Buda.idv.tw . 2013-03-16.
  54. Web site: - YouTube . https://web.archive.org/web/20140523011637/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe3Z1Tdz_uk. 2014-05-23 . zh:經典讀誦心經香港群星合唱迴向1999年, 台灣921大地震 . Youtube.com . 2012-08-10 . 2013-03-16 .
  55. Web site: Buddhist Channel | China. www.buddhistchannel.tv.
  56. News: http://dailynews.sina.com/bg/ent/film/sinacn/20100728/20331692815.html . zh:《大地震》片尾曲引爭議 王菲尚雯婕誰是主題曲 . Sina Daily News . 2010-07-28 . zh-hans.
  57. Web site: http://buddha.goodweb.cn/music/musictxt/boruo.asp . zh:般若波罗密多心经 . 2015-05-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150428184025/http://buddha.goodweb.cn/music/musictxt/boruo.asp . 2015-04-28 .
  58. Web site: http://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0421/c1012-28294137.html . zh:黄晓明《大唐玄奘》MV曝光 王菲版《心经》致敬 . People.com.cn Entertainment . 2016-04-21 . zh-hans.
  59. Web site: Lou Harrison obituary . Esperanto magazine . 2003 . December 15, 2014. (text in Esperanto)
  60. Web site: Aya Dances 3 Earthly Desires in Gate of Living-Ringo Sheena . en.cabin.tokyo . 2019-05-22 . 2019-09-03.
  61. Yu, 6
  62. Web site: Ehrlich. Dimitri. Doors Without Walls. . 2004. August 3, 2019.
  63. 西遊記 (2011年電視劇) . Episode 1 . Chen . Xiaolin (陳小琳) . Chen . Tong (陳彤) . zh . This prelude song was not used in the television series shown in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The mantra as sung here is Tadyatha Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha..
  64. zh:不肯去观音 . Avalokitesvara . zh . In the first five minutes, there are two chantings of the Heart Sutra. The first time, Buddhist monks chant in Chinese blessing the making of a statue of Avalokitesvara bodhisattva for the benefit of a disabled prince. (The prince is later healed and becomes the future Emperor Xuānzong.) The second time, we hear the singing of the mantra of the Sanskrit Heart Sutra in the background. Shortly after the Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī is chanted. The Chinese version of the Eleven-Faced Guanyin Heart Dharani is also chanted. Egaku chants the Heart Sutra in Japanese in a later segment. The film is a loose retelling of the origin of Mount Putuo. . 2013.
  65. ja:ボクは坊さん。 . I Am a Monk . ja . 2015.
  66. Web site: McCreary . Bear . Godzilla King of the Monsters . Bear McCreary . Bear's Blog . June 15, 2019 . May 6, 2023.
  67. ...ist denen, in welchen der Wille sich gewendet und verneint hat, diese unsere so sehr reale Welt mit allen ihren Sonnen und Milchstraßen—Nichts.
  68. Dieses ist eben auch das Pradschna - Paramita der Buddhaisten, das 'Jenseit aller Erkenntniß,' d.h. der Punkt, wo Subjekt und Objekt nicht mehr sind. (Isaak Jakob Schmidt, "Über das Mahâjâna und Pradschnâ-Pâramita der Bauddhen". In: Mémoires de l'Académie impériale des sciences de St. Pétersbourg, VI, 4, 1836, 145–149;