The Heart Sutra

XuanzangAug 2014

4.5

Word count: 12K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

The Heart Sutra, whose full title is the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra, also known as the Maha Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra and abbreviated to the Prajna Heart Sutra or simply the Heart Sutra, is a classic of concise words and rich meaning, broad and profound, which sketches the essentials of the Prajnaparamita sutras and is of the greatest importance. It is a Buddhist scripture recited daily by both monks and lay followers of Mahayana Buddhism. Among its translations, the Tang dynasty version by the Tripitaka Master Xuanzang is the most popular.

Editor's review

The Heart Sutra runs to just over 260 characters, yet it is the most widely circulated text in the Prajnaparamita canon. Xuanzang's translation is terse, with almost every sentence able to stand alone as a chant; formulations such as "form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form" compress complex doctrine into extremely short phrases with almost aphoristic force. Its value is not only religious: for readers who are not Buddhist, it is equally a classical text on how to regard gain and loss, fear and attachment. The whole text is very short and can be read in one sitting; the difficulty is coming back to it again and again—on a first reading you notice only the resounding cadence, and only on a second do you notice the logic by which the word "no" advances layer by layer. It suits a desk or a pocket, to be read silently in moments of emotional turbulence, letting the rhythm of the words settle the mind before you talk about understanding. One caveat: it is not an introductory text, and without background knowledge it is easy to stop at the literal surface.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Buddhist classics who want to start with a short text
People who need material for calming the mind, for daily silent reading, copying, and chanting
Students of Chinese or religious studies who need an introductory sample of Prajnaparamita literature
People engaged in calligraphy or seal carving who need short textual material

Not a good fit for

Readers who want a systematic understanding of Buddhist doctrine; this is only one outline classic
People seeking psychotherapy or solutions to real-life difficulties; scripture cannot replace professional help
Readers expecting sentence-by-sentence explanation and extensive annotation; this short text needs a separate annotated edition

Reading tips

First read it aloud three or five times to get the rhythm, then look at the literal meaning sentence by sentence without rushing to a single interpretation.
Read it alongside a reliable annotation or lecture; when you meet key terms such as "emptiness" and "no," note your questions first.
Copy a short passage each day, slowing down and focusing on the strokes and punctuation.
After finishing, wait a few days and reread, comparing the differences in your understanding and writing them down.

版权信息
目录
公版书总序
负笈关山百万重，履冰蹈火越西东——玄奘
菩提心尚在，勿使惹尘埃——《般若波罗密多心经》
正文
如是我闻
（一）佛学基础名词
（二）现代汉语中常见佛教用语
（三）佛门宗派
（四）藏传佛教与汉传佛教的区别
（五）佛教的六道轮回

FAQ

How many characters is the Heart Sutra, and how long does it take to read?

Xuanzang's main text is about 260 characters, and at normal speed a single recitation takes less than a minute. Short does not mean easy to understand; most people need repeated readings before they can begin to grasp the logic by which "emptiness" and "no" negate layer upon layer, so finishing it once should not be taken as completion.

Can someone who knows nothing about Buddhism understand it?

You can read it, but a layer will remain between you and the text. It helps first to know roughly that Prajnaparamita classics discuss breaking attachment to a fixed, inherent self-nature, and then to read the original; look up technical terms in Buddhist reference works. Treating it as a classical text for thinking about attachment is more practical than insisting on a complete doctrinal understanding.

Are the different translations very different?

Several Chinese translations survive; Xuanzang's is the most popular and the most concise. For comparison, you can find other translations and compare the wording of the same sentence to see the translator's choices; but for a first reading it is still best to stay with one text until you know it well, rather than getting drawn into textual comparison from the start.

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About the author

Xuanzang Author · Chinese

Xuanzang, whose secular surname was Chen and given name Yi, was a native of Goushi in Luozhou (present-day Yanshi, Henan). A renowned Tang-dynasty monk, Buddhist translator and traveler, he founded the East Asian Consciousness-Only school of Chinese Buddhism. His birth and death years are not recorded in the available data; the commonly cited dates are 602–664. He traveled west to India in search of Buddhist teachings for seventeen years and studied under Silabhadra at Nalanda. After returning home he directed the translation of Buddhist scriptures and, drawing on his journey, wrote the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, which documents the geography, customs and religious life of Central Asia and South Asia, making him a major figure in cultural exchange between China and other civilizations. Eleven of his works are held here, including the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, the Yogacarabhumi-sastra, the Cheng Weishi Lun, the Heart Sutra, the Bhaisajyaguru Sutra and the Samdhinirmocana Sutra, spanning travel, medicine and religion and showing the lasting influence of his translations and writings.