Heart Sutra


The Heart Sūtra is a popular sutra in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Its Sanskrit title, , can be translated as "The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom".
The Sutra famously states, "Form is empty, emptiness is form.". It is a condensed exposé on the Buddhist Mahayana teaching of the Two Truths doctrine, which says that ultimately all phenomena are sunyata, empty of an unchanging essence. This emptiness is a 'characteristic' of all phenomena, and not a transcendent reality, but also "empty" of an essence of its own. Specifically, it is a response to Sarvastivada teachings that "phenomena" or its constituents are real.
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 of all phenomena, known through and as the five aggregates of human existence : form, feeling, volitions, perceptions, and consciousness. Avalokiteśvara famously states, "Form is Emptiness. 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." It is recited by adherents of Mahayana schools of Buddhism regardless of sectarian affiliation.
While the origin of the sutra is disputed by some modern scholars, it was widely known in Bengal and Bihar during the Pala Empire period in India, where it played a role in Vajrayana Buddhism. 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.
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.
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 has a total of 260 Chinese characters. Some Japanese versions have an additional 2 characters. 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 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.

Dating and origins

Earliest extant versions

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 ; made three years before Xuanzang passed away.
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.

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. 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 Mother of all Buddhas Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom.
In the Tibetan text the title is given first in Sanskrit and then in Tibetan: भगवतीप्रज्ञापारमिताहृदय, English translation of Tibetan title: Mother of All Buddhas Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom.
In other languages, the commonly used title is an abbreviation of Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtraṃ : i.e. The Prajñāhṛdaya Sūtra ). They are as follows: e.g. Korean: Banya Shimgyeong ; Japanese: ; Vietnamese: Bát-nhã tâm kinh.

Content

Various commentators divide this text into different numbers of sections. In the long version, we have the traditional opening "Thus have I heard" and Buddha along with a community of bodhisattvas and monks gathered with Avalokiteśvara and Sariputra at Gridhakuta , when through the power of Buddha, Sariputra asks Avalokiteśvara 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. The insight refers to apprehension of the fundamental emptiness of all phenomena, known through and as the five aggregates of human existence : form, feeling, volitions, perceptions, and consciousness.
The specific sequence of concepts listed in lines 12–20 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 and last of the elements. Lines 17–18 assert the emptiness of the Twelve Nidānas, the traditional twelve links of dependent origination. 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. 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 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". 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 IAST is , Devanagari: गते गते पारगते पारसंगते बोधि स्वाहा, IPA:, meaning "gone, gone, everyone gone to the other shore, awakening, svaha."

Buddhist exegetical works

China, 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. 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, who treats the text as a tantra, 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.
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.
#English Title Taisho Tripitaka No.Author / Dates /
1.Comprehensive Commentary on the Prañāpāramitā Heart SutraT1710Kuiji
2.Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sutra CommentaryT1711Woncheuk or
3.Brief Commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā Heart SutraT712Fazang
4.A Commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā Heart SutraM522Jingmai c. 7th century
5.A Commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā Heart SutraM521Huijing 715 CE
6.Secret Key to the Heart SutraT2203AKūkai
7.Straightforward Explanation of the Heart SutraM542Hanshan Deqing
8.Explanation of the Heart SutraM1452 Zibo Zhenke
9.Explanation of the Keypoints to the Heart SutraM555Ouyi Zhixu
10.Zen Words for the HeartB021Hakuin Ekaku

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. 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 :
#English TitlePeking Tripitaka No.Author / Dates
1.Vast Explanation of the Noble Heart of the Perfection of WisdomNo. 5217Vimalamitra
2,Atīśa's Explanation of the Heart SutraNo. 5222Atīśa
3.Commentary on the 'Heart of the Perfection of WisdomNo. 5221Kamalaśīla
4.Commentary on the Heart Sutra as MantraNo. 5840Śrīsiṃha
5.Explanation of the Noble Heart of the Perfection of WisdomNo. 5218Jñānamitra
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
8.Commentary on the Bhagavati Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, Lamp of the MeaningNo. 5219Vajrāpaṇi
9.Commentary on the Heart of the Perfection of WisdomM526Āryadeva 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 . 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. 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
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

Recordings

The Heart Sūtra has been set to music a number of times. Many singers solo this sutra.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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 Sutra in Chinese and Sanskrit. Egaku, the protagonist of the film, also chants the Heart Sutra in Japanese.
In the 2015 Japanese film :ja:ボクは坊さん。#映画|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 Sutra, he comes to an important realization.
Bear McCreary recorded four Japanese-American monks chanting in Japanese, the entire Heart Sutra 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 .

Influence on western philosophy

, 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 has turned and has denied itself, this very real world of ours, with all its suns and Milky 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."

Documentary