The Heart Sà «tra is a popular sà «tra in MahÃÂyÃÂna Buddhism. In Sanskrit, the title ' translates as "The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom". It is traditionally associated with the Bodhisattva Avalokiteà Âvara (commonly known in East Asian Buddhism as Guanyin), who is the interlocutor of the sà «tra.
The sà «tra famously states, "Form is emptiness (à Âà «nyatÃÂ), emptiness is form." 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.
In the sà «tra, Avalokiteà Âvara addresses à Âaripà «tra, explaining the fundamental emptiness (à Âà «nyatÃÂ) of all phenomena, known through and as the five aggregates of human existence (skandhas): form (rà «pa), feeling (vedanÃÂ), volitions (saá¹ khÃÂra), perceptions (saá¹ÂjñÃÂ), and mind (vijñÃÂna). Avalokiteà Âvara famously states, "Form is Emptiness (à Âà «nyatÃÂ). Emptiness is Form", and declares the other skandhas to be equally emptyâÂÂthat is, dependently originated.
Avalokiteà Âvara 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 realityâÂÂthey are not reality itselfâÂÂand 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 MahÃÂprajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra to be the wisdom that perceives reality directly without conceptual attachment, thereby achieving nirvana.
The Heart Sà «tra 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 with the exception of Shin Buddhists and Nichiren Buddhists, apart from being recited by Yiguandao believers, who also worship Avalokiteà Âvara Bodhisattva, known as the "Ancient Buddha of the Southern Seas".
While the origin of the sà «tra is disputed by some modern scholars, it was widely known throughout South Asia (including Afghanistan) from at least the Pala Empire period (âÂÂ1200 CE) and in parts of India until at least the middle of the 14th century. The stature of the Heart Sà «tra 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 Sà «tra is extensively studied by the various Tibetan Buddhist schools, where the Heart Sà «tra 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 sà «tras 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.
There are two main versions of the Heart Sà «tra: 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. 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 sà «tras have. The introduction introduces the sà «tra 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 sà «tra 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.
The earliest version of the Heart Sà «tra may have been translated by Zhi Qian in 222âÂÂ250 CE. However, because it was already lost by Xuanzang's time, its contents are unknown. According to Conze, Kumarajiva's (fl 4th century CE) translation of the short version of the Heart Sà «tra (T250) is the earliest translation of the Heart Sà «tra; however he believes it should be attributed to one of Kumarajiva's disciples. John McRae and Jan Nattier have argued that this translation was created by someone else, much later, based on KumÃÂrajëva's MahÃÂprajñÃÂpÃÂramitÃÂupadeà Âa (Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom). The earliest extant copy of Kumarajiva's translation however, dates only to the Jin dynasty (1115âÂÂ1234). According to Huili's biography, Xuanzang learned the sà «tra from an inhabitant of Sichuan, and subsequently chanted it during times of danger on his journey to the West (i.e. India). Xuanzang however did not translate the Heart Sà «tra until some years after his return to China in 649 CE. Xuanzang's version of the Heart Sà «tra (T251) in the Chinese Tripiá¹Âaka is the first extant version to use the title "Heart Sà «tra" (). Fukui Fumimasa has argued that Heart Sà «tra may mean dhÃÂraá¹Âë sà «tra.
This sà «tra is classified by Edward Conze as belonging to the third of four periods in the development of the PrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàcanon, although because it contains a mantra (sometimes called a dhÃÂraá¹Âë), it does overlap with the final, tantric phase of development according to this scheme, and is included in the tantra section of at least some editions of the Kangyur. Conze estimates the sà «tra's date of origin to be 350 CE; some others consider it to be two centuries older than that.
The earliest extant dated text of the Heart Sà «tra is a stone stele dated to 661 CE. It was engraved three years before the death of Tripitaka Master Xuanzang and twelve years after its translation, by patrons from Yueyang County adjacent to Chang'an (today known as Xian) not far from where Xuanzang was doing his translation work at the time. It is part of the Fangshan Stone Sà «tra and located in Yunju Temple nearby Beijing. The second oldest extant dated text of the Heart Sà «tra is another stone stele located at Yunju Temple. It is dated to 669 CE. The third earliest extant dated text of the Heart Sà «tra is a stone stele dated to 672 CE; formerly believed to be the oldest extant text which now stands in the Beilin Museum, Xian. All of the above stone steles have the same descriptive inscription: "(Tripitaka Master) Xuanzang was commanded by Emperor Tang Taizong to translate the Heart Sà «tra."
A palm-leaf manuscript found at the Hà Âryà «-ji Temple is the earliest undated extant Sanskrit manuscript of the Heart Sà «tra. It is dated to c. 7thâÂÂ8th century CE by the Tokyo National Museum where it is currently kept.
According to Conze (1967), approximately 90% of the Heart Sà «tra is derivable from the larger Sanskrit PrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tras, including the Pañcaviá¹Âà ÂatisÃÂhasrikàPrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra (PrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra in 25,000 lines), the Aá¹£á¹ÂasÃÂhasrikàPrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra (PrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra in 8,000 lines), and the à ÂatasÃÂhasrikàPrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra (PrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra in 100,000 lines).
Nattier (1992) questions the Sanskrit origins of the Heart Sà «tra. 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 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.
Nattier further argues that it is unusual for Avalokiteà Âvara to be in the central role in a PrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàtext. Early PrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàtexts involve Subhuti, who is absent from both versions of the Heart Sà «tra. The Buddha is only present in the longer version of the Heart Sà «tra. Nattier claims the presence of Avalokitesvara in the Heart Sà «tra 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 PrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàtexts.
According to Nattier, only 40% of the extant text of the Heart Sà «tra is a quotation from the MahÃÂprajñÃÂpÃÂramitÃÂupadeà Âa (Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom), a commentary on the Pañcaviá¹Âà ÂatisÃÂhasrikàPrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra written by NÃÂgÃÂrjuna and translated by KumÃÂrajëva; while the rest was newly composed. Based on textual patterns in the extant Sanskrit and Chinese versions of the Heart Sà «tra, the MahÃÂprajñÃÂpÃÂramitÃÂupadeà Âa and the Pañcaviá¹Âà ÂatisÃÂhasrikàPrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra, Nattier has argued that the supposedly earliest extant version of the Heart Sà «tra, translated by KumÃÂrajëva (344âÂÂ413), 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 KumÃÂrajëva's Chinese translation of the MahÃÂprajñÃÂpÃÂramitÃÂupadeà Âa, 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 sà «tra was a translation of a Sanskrit text.
According to Nattier, excluding the new composition, Kumarajiva's version of the Heart Sà «tra (T250) matches the corresponding parts of KumÃÂrajëva's translation of the MahÃÂprajñÃÂpÃÂramitÃÂupadeà Âa 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 (i.e., Heart Sà «tra and PrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra in 25,000 lines), while agreeing in meaning, differ in virtually every word.
Nattier's hypothesis has been rejected by several scholars, including Harada Waso, Fukui Fumimasa, Ishii KÃ Âsei, 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 of Kuiji and Woncheuk, two important disciples of Xuanzang, that undermine Nattier's argument.
Li states that of the Indic Palm-leaf manuscript (patra sà «tras) 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 the Large Perfection of Wisdom Sà «tra (Pañcaviá¹Âà ÂatisÃÂhasrikàPrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra) with the alternate Sanskrit wording, allowing for an original Indian composition, which may still be extant, and located at the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.
Harada rejects Nattier's claims that the central role of Avalokiteà Âvara points to a Chinese origin for the Heart Sà «tra. Harada notes that the Aá¹£á¹ÂasÃÂhasrikàPrajñÃÂpÃÂramità("PrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra in 8,000 lines"), one of the two oldest prajñÃÂpÃÂramitàsà «tras, also has other speakers than the Buddha, namely Subhuti, Saripà «tra as well as Ananda. Harada also notes the blending of PrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàand Avalokiteà Âvara Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhist belief beginning from at least Faxian and Xuanzang's time (i.e. 4thâÂÂ5th century CE and 7th century CE); and therefore Avalokiteà Âvara's presence in the Heart Sà «tra is quite natural. Siu also notes that Avalokitesvara's presence as the main speaker in the Heart Sà «tra is justifiable on several bases.
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 to be the most convincing explanation.
The titles of the earliest extant manuscripts of the Heart Sà «tra all include the words "há¹Âdaya" or "heart" and "prajñÃÂpÃÂramitÃÂ" 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 Sà «tra contained the words "bhagavatë" or "mother of all buddhas" and "prajñÃÂpÃÂramitÃÂ".
Later Indic manuscripts have more varied titles.
In the western world, this sà «tra is known as the Heart Sà «tra (a translation derived from its most common name in East Asian countries). But it is also sometimes called the Heart of Wisdom Sà «tra. 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: ('), ; .
In other languages, the commonly used title is an abbreviation of PrajñÃÂpÃÂramitÃÂhá¹Âdayasà «traá¹ (i.e., the PrajñÃÂhá¹Âdaya Sà «tra or the Heart of Wisdom Sà «tra). For example, Korean: Banya Shimgyeong (); Chinese: Bore Xinjing (); Japanese: ; ().
Various commentators divide this text into different numbers of sections.
In the longer version, there exists the traditional opening "Thus have I heard" and Buddha along with a community of bodhisattvas and monks gathered with the bodhisattva of great compassion, Avalokiteà Âvara, and Saripà «tra, at Gridhakuta (a mountain peak located at Rajgir, the traditional site where the majority of the Perfection of Wisdom teachings were given). Through the power of Buddha, Saripà «tra asks Avalokiteà Âvara for advice on the practice of the Perfection of Wisdom.
The longer sà «tra then describes, while the shorter opens with, the liberation of Avalokiteà Âvara, gained while practicing the paramita of prajña (wisdom), seeing the fundamental emptiness (à Âà «nyatÃÂ) of the five skandhas: form (rà «pa), feeling (vedanÃÂ), volitions (saá¹ khÃÂra), perceptions (saá¹ÂjñÃÂ), and consciousness (vijñÃÂna).
Avalokiteà Âvara addresses à Âaripà «tra, 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. Avalokiteà Âvara famously states, "Form is empty (à Âà «nyatÃÂ). 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 realityâÂÂthey are not reality itselfâÂÂand that they are therefore not applicable to the ultimate truth that is by definition beyond mental understanding.
The specific sequence of concepts listed in lines 12âÂÂ20 ("...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 Sà «tra is specifically a response to Sarvastivada teachings that, in the sense "phenomena" or its constituents, are real. Lines 12âÂÂ13 enumerate the five skandhas. Lines 14âÂÂ15 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. Lines 17âÂÂ18 assert the emptiness of the Twelve NidÃÂnas, the traditional twelve links of dependent origination, using the same shorthand as with the eighteen dhatus. Line 19 refers to the Four Noble Truths.
The bodhisattva, as the archetypal Mahayana Buddhist, relies on the perfection of wisdom, defined in the Mahaprajnaparamita Sà «tra 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 final lines of the Heart Sà «tra can be read in two different ways, depending on the interpretation of the character Ã¥ÂÂ, zhòu, meaning either mantra (dharani), or "a superlative kind of practical knowledge or incantation (vidyÃÂ). According to Attwood, vidyàmay be misunderstood, and the concluding mantra may have been a later addition.
Therefore, the Perfection of Wisdom is the all powerful mantra/knowledge, the great enlightening mantra/knowledge, the unexcelled mantra/knowledge, the unequalled mantra/knowledge, able to dispel all suffering. This is true and not false.
The shorter sà «tra concludes with the following mantra:
This mantra has been recorded and transliterated into many languages, including:
Translations of this mantra vary, but include:
In the longer version, Buddha praises Avalokiteà Âvara for giving the exposition of the Perfection of Wisdom and all gathered rejoice in its teaching. Many schools traditionally have also praised the sà «tra by uttering three times the equivalent of "MahÃÂprajñÃÂpÃÂramitÃÂ" after the end of the recitation of the short version.
Two commentaries of the Heart Sà «tra 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 Kuiji and Woncheuk's commentaries approach the Heart Sà «tra from both a YogÃÂcÃÂra and Madhyamaka viewpoint; however, Kuiji's commentary presents detailed line by line Madhyamaka viewpoints as well and is therefore the earliest surviving Madhyamaka commentary on the Heart Sà «tra. 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 Kà Âbà  Daishi (9th Century, Japan), who provides a Shingon commentary by treating the text as a tantra, and Hakuin, who gives a Zen commentary.
There is also a Vietnamese commentarial tradition for the Heart Sà «tra. The earliest recorded commentary is the early 14th century Thiá»Ân commentary entitled 'Commentary on the PrajñÃÂhá¹Âdaya Sà «tra' by Pháp Loa.
All of the East Asian commentaries are commentaries of Xuanzang's translation of the short version of the Heart Sà «tra. Kà Âbà  Daishi's commentary is purportedly of KumÃÂrajëva's translation of the short version of the Heart Sà «tra; but upon closer examination seems to quote only from Xuanzang's translation.
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. à Ârësiá¹Âha). à Ârë MahÃÂjana's commentary has a definite "Yogachara bent". All of these commentaries are on the long version of the Heart Sà «tra. The Eight Indian Commentaries from the Kangyur are (cf first eight on chart):
There is one surviving Chinese translation of an Indian commentary in the Chinese Buddhist Canon. ÃÂryadeva's commentary is on the short version of the Heart Sà «tra.
Besides the Tibetan translation of Indian commentaries on the Heart Sà «tra, Tibetan monk-scholars also made their own commentaries. One example is TÃÂranÃÂtha's A Textual Commentary on the Heart Sà «tra.
In modern times, the text has become increasingly popular amongst exegetes as a growing number of translations and commentaries attest. The Heart Sà «tra was already popular in various East Asian Buddhist traditions such as Chan, Zen, Shingon and Tendai Buddhism, but it has also become a staple for Tibetan Buddhist Lamas as well.
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 Dadian Baotong () [c. 815 CE]. In 1881, Max Müller published a Sanskrit text based on the Hà Âryà «-ji manuscript along an English translation.
There are more than 40 published English translations of the Heart Sà «tra from Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan, beginning with Beal (1865). Almost every year new translations and commentaries are published. The following is a representative sample.
The Heart Sà «tra has been set to music a number of times. Many singers solo this sà «tra.
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 Sà «tra arose, of particular note being Journey to the West, which was written in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty. In chapter nineteen of Journey to the West, the fictitious Xuanzang learns by heart the Heart Sà «tra after hearing it recited one time by the Crow's Nest Chan Master, who flies down from his tree perch with a scroll containing it, and offers to impart it. A full text of the Heart Sà «tra 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 sà «tra. It involves the titular Hoichi having his whole body painted with the Heart Sà «tra 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 sà «tra into the wooden monastery deck to quiet his heart.
The Sanskrit mantra of the Heart Sà «tra 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 the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara in China. The film was filmed onsite on Mount Putuo and featured several segments where monks chant the Heart Sà «tra in Chinese and Sanskrit. Egaku, the protagonist of the film, also chants the Heart Sà «tra in Japanese.
In the 2015 Japanese film , 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 Sà «tra, he comes to an important realization.
Bear McCreary recorded four Japanese-American monks chanting the entire Heart Sà «tra in Japanese 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 .
Since 2010, a large number of musical arrangements of the Heart Sutra went viral on Japanese social media and video-sharing platforms, especially Nico Nico Douga. These mainly include rearrangements of the track featuring Hatsune Miku, a virtual Vocaloid idol, reciting the sutra in various musical styles, as well as vocal and instrumental covers.
Schopenhauer, in the final words of his main work, compared his doctrine to the à Âà «nyatàof the Heart Sà «tra. In Volume 1, ç 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." 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."