The way
63-730: The "goal" Background Chinese texts Classical Post-classical Contemporary Zen in Japan Seon in Korea Thiền in Vietnam Western Zen The Heart Sūtra is a popular sutra in Mahāyāna Buddhism . In Sanskrit, the title Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya translates as "The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom ". The Sutra famously states, "Form is emptiness ( śūnyatā ), emptiness
126-514: A sutta or sutra constitutes a segment of the canonical literature. These early Buddhist sutras, unlike Hindu texts, are not aphoristic; rather, they tend to be quite lengthy. The Buddhist term sutta or sutra likely derives from Sanskrit sūkta ( su + ukta ), meaning "well spoken," reflecting the belief that "all that was spoken by the Lord Buddha was well-spoken". They embody the essence of sermons conveying "well-spoken" wisdom, akin to
189-561: 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 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. Nattier claims the presence of Avalokitesvara in the Heart Sutra could be considered evidence that
252-608: A Jain text that includes monastic rules, as well as biographies of the Jain Tirthankaras . Many sutras discuss all aspects of ascetic and lay life in Jainism. Various ancient sutras particularly from the early 1st millennium CE, for example, recommend devotional bhakti as an essential Jain practice. The surviving scriptures of Jaina tradition, such as the Acaranga Sutra ( Agamas ), exist in sutra format, as
315-747: 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. Nattier's hypothesis has been rejected by several scholars, including Harada Waso, Fukui Fumimasa, Ishii Kōsei, and Siu Sai Yau, on
378-583: A distilled collection of syllables and words, any form or manual of "aphorism, rule, direction" hanging together like threads with which the teachings of ritual, philosophy, grammar, or any field of knowledge can be woven. A sūtra is any short rule, states Moriz Winternitz, in Indian literature; it is "a theorem condensed in few words". A collection of sūtras becomes a text, and this is also called sūtra (often capitalized in Western literature). A sūtra
441-679: A distinct type of literary composition, a compilation of short aphoristic statements. Each sutra is any short rule, like a theorem distilled into few words or syllables, around which teachings of ritual, philosophy, grammar, or any field of knowledge can be woven. The oldest sutras of Hinduism are found in the Brahmana and Aranyaka layers of the Vedas . Every school of Hindu philosophy , Vedic guides for rites of passage, various fields of arts, law, and social ethics developed respective sutras, which help teach and transmit ideas from one generation to
504-557: 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, which may still be extant, and located at the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda . Harada rejects Nattier's claims that the central role of Avalokiteśvara points to a Chinese origin for
567-530: 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 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 . The bodhisattva, as
630-552: 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
693-599: Is currently kept. 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). Nattier (1992) questions
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#1732776719757756-400: Is different from other components such as Shlokas , Anuvyakhayas and Vyakhyas found in ancient Indian literature. A sūtra is a condensed rule which succinctly states the message, while a Shloka is a verse that conveys the complete message and is structured to certain rules of musical meter, an Anuvyakhaya is an explanation of the reviewed text, while a Vyakhya is a comment by
819-594: 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 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
882-458: 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. The specific sequence of concepts listed in lines 12–20 ("...in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, ... no attainment and no non-attainment")
945-1027: 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
1008-410: Is no proof that it is not. (Sutra 1, Book 6) This different from body, because of heterogeneousness. (Sutra 2, Book 6) Also because it is expressed by means of the sixth case. (Sutra 3, Book 6) With Vijnanabhiksu's commentary bhasya filled in: Soul is, for there is no proof that it is not, since we are aware of "I think", because there is no evidence to defeat this. Therefore all that is to be done
1071-469: 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
1134-493: Is the Tattvartha Sutra , a Sanskrit text accepted by all four Jainism sects as the most authoritative philosophical text that completely summarizes the foundations of Jainism. Newar Buddhism New branches: Tantric techniques : Fourfold division: Twofold division: Thought forms and visualisation: Yoga : Newar Buddhism is a form of Vajrayana Buddhism practiced by
1197-485: 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
1260-514: Is to discriminate it from things in general. (Sutra 1, Book 6) This soul is different from the body because of heterogeneousness or complete difference between the two. (Sutra 2, Book 6) Also because it, the Soul, is expressed by means of the sixth case, for the learned express it by the possessive case in such examples as 'this is my body', 'this my understanding'; for the possessive case would be unaccountable if there were absolute non-difference, between
1323-593: 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 Sutra." 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
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#17327767197571386-492: The Jain Agamas as well as some later (post-canonical) normative texts. The Sanskrit word Sūtra ( Sanskrit : सूत्र, Pali : sutta , Ardha Magadhi : sūya ) means "string, thread". The root of the word is siv , "that which sews and holds things together". The word is related to sūci (Sanskrit: सूचि) meaning "needle, list", and sūnā (Sanskrit: सूना) meaning "woven". In the context of literature, sūtra means
1449-545: The Newar people of the Kathmandu Valley , Nepal . It has developed unique socio-religious elements, which include a non-monastic Buddhist society based on the Newar caste system and patrilineality . Its caste system has a non-celibate religious clergy caste formed of vajracharya (who perform rituals for others) and shakya (who perform rituals mostly within their own families). Other Buddhist Newar castes like
1512-482: The Pala Empire period ( 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
1575-528: The Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra written by Nāgārjuna and translated by Kumārajīva; while the rest was newly composed. 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,
1638-563: The Urāy act as patrons. Urāy also patronise Tibetan Vajrayana, Theravadin , and even Japanese clerics. It is the oldest known sect of the Vajrayana tradition outdating the Tibetan school of Vajrayana by more than 600 years. Although there was a vibrant regional tradition of Buddhism in the Kathmandu Valley during the first millennium, the transformation into a distinctive cultural and linguistic form of Buddhism appears to have taken place in
1701-692: The chaitya (stupa), Baha and Bahi monastic courtyards, statues, paubha scroll paintings and mandala sand paintings, and by being a storehouse of ancient Sanskrit Buddhist texts , many of which are now only extant in Nepal . According to the authors of Rebuilding Buddhism: The Theravada Movement in Twentieth-Century Nepal : "Today traditional Newar Buddhism is unquestionably in retreat before Theravada Buddhism." Chachā (Charyā) ritual song and dance and Gunlā Bājan music are other artistic traditions of Newar Buddhism. Although Newar Buddhism
1764-530: The " weft ". The oldest manuscripts that have survived into the modern era that contain extensive sutras are part of the Vedas , dated from the late 2nd millennium BCE through to the mid 1st millennium BCE. The Aitareya Aranyaka , for example, states Winternitz, is primarily a collection of sutras . Their use and ancient roots are attested by sutras being mentioned in larger genre of ancient non-Vedic Hindu literature called Gatha , Narashansi , Itihasa , and Akhyana (songs, legends, epics, and stories). In
1827-546: The Heart Sutra (T251) in the Chinese Tripiṭaka is the first extant version to use the title "Heart Sūtra" (心經 xīnjīng ). Fukui Fumimasa has argued that 心經 or Heart Sutra may mean dhāraṇī sutra . This sutra is classified by Edward Conze as belonging to the third of four periods in the development of the Prajñāpāramitā canon, although because it contains a mantra (sometimes called a dhāraṇī ), it does overlap with
1890-461: 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. In the western world, this sutra
1953-415: 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. The titles of the earliest extant manuscripts of
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2016-637: 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 . 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
2079-682: The Jain sutras. In Chinese, these are known as 經 ( pinyin : jīng ). These teachings are organized as part of the Tripiṭaka , specifically referred to as the Sutta Pitaka . Numerous significant or influential Mahayana texts, such as the Platform Sutra and the Lotus Sutra , are termed sutras despite being attributed to much later authors. In Theravada Buddhism , suttas constitute
2142-586: 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: Bo Re Xin Jing ( Chinese : 般若心经 ; pinyin : 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 ). Various commentators divide this text into different numbers of sections. In
2205-544: The Perfection of Wisdom). The earliest extant copy of Kumarajiva's translation however, dates only to the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) . According to Huili's biography, Xuanzang learned the sutra 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 Sutra until some years after his return to China in 649 CE. Xuanzang's version of
2268-405: 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 disciples Kuiji and Woncheuk , and Dunhuang manuscripts ) of Chinese versions to the 7th century. Nattier believes that the corroborating evidence supports
2331-696: The Vedic era to be necessary for reading the Veda, the second two for understanding it, and the last two for deploying the Vedic knowledge at yajnas (fire rituals). The sutras corresponding to these are embedded inside the Brahmana and Aranyaka layers of the Vedas. Taittiriya Aranyaka, for example in Book 7, embeds sutras for accurate pronunciation after the terse phrases "On Letters", "On Accents", "On Quantity", "On Delivery", and "On Euphonic Laws". The fourth and often
2394-515: 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 final lines of the Heart Sutra can be read in two different ways, depending on
2457-580: 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 sutras) or sastras brought over to China, most were either lost or not translated. Red Pine ,
2520-552: The body or the like, and the Soul to which it is thus attributed as a possession. (Sutra 3, Book 6) – Kapila in Samkhya Sutra , Translated by James Robert Ballantyne Reality is truth ( prāma , foundation of correct knowledge), and what is true is so, irrespective of whether we know it is, or are aware of that truth. – Akṣapada Gautama in Nyaya Sutra , Translated by Jeaneane D Fowler In Buddhism,
2583-518: The fifteenth century, at about the same time that similar regional forms of Indic Buddhism such as those of Kashmir and Indonesia were on the wane. Newar Buddhism has a group of nine Sanskrit Mahayana sutras called the Navagrantha, these are considered the key Mahayana sutra texts of the tradition. They are: Newar Buddhism is characterized by its extensive and detailed rituals, a rich artistic tradition of Buddhist monuments and artwork like
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2646-685: 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 sutra'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 Sutra 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
2709-420: The history of Indian literature, large compilations of sutras, in diverse fields of knowledge, have been traced to the period from 600 BCE to 200 BCE (mostly after Buddha and Mahavira), and this has been called the "sutras period". This period followed the more ancient Chhandas period , Mantra period and Brahmana period . (The ancient) Indian pupil learnt these sutras of grammar, philosophy or theology by
2772-496: The internet. 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. The short version has also been translated into Tibetan but it
2835-412: The interpretation of the character 咒, zhòu, meaning either mantra ( danini ), or "a superlative kind of practical knowledge or incantation ( vidyā ). According to Attwood, vidyā may 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,
2898-1001: The last layer of philosophical, speculative text in the Vedas, the Upanishads, too have embedded sutras such as those found in the Taittiriya Upanishad . The compendium of ancient Vedic sutra literature that has survived, in full or fragments, includes the Kalpa Sutras , Shulba Sutras , Srauta Sutras , Dharma Sutras , Grhya Sutras , and Smarta traditions . Other fields for which ancient sutras are known include etymology, phonetics, and grammar. Example of sutras from Vedanta Sutra अथातो ब्रह्मजिज्ञासा ॥१.१.१॥ जन्माद्यस्य यतः ॥ १.१.२॥ शास्त्रयोनित्वात् ॥ १.१.३॥ तत्तुसमन्वयात् ॥ १.१.४॥ ईक्षतेर्नाशब्दम् ॥ १.१.५॥ — Brahma Sutra 1.1.1–1.1.5 Some examples of sutra texts in various schools of Hindu philosophy include Sutra, without commentary: Soul is, for there
2961-444: 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, 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). Through the power of Buddha, Sariputra asks Avalokiteśvara for advice on
3024-450: The next. In Buddhism, sutras, also known as suttas , are canonical scriptures , many of which are regarded as records of the oral teachings of Gautama Buddha . They are not aphoristic, but are quite detailed, sometimes with repetition. This may reflect a derivation from Vedic or Sanskrit sūkta (well spoken), rather than from sūtra (thread). In Jainism, sutras, also known as suyas , are canonical sermons of Mahavira contained in
3087-587: The other shore, awakening, svaha ." 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 with the exception of Shin Buddhists and Nichiren Buddhists . While the origin of the sutra is disputed by some modern scholars, it was widely known throughout South Asia (including Afghanistan) from at least
3150-429: The practice of the Perfection of Wisdom. The longer sutra then describes, while the shorter opens with, the liberation of Avalokiteśvara, gained while practicing the paramita of prajña (wisdom), seeing the fundamental emptiness ( śūnyatā ) of the five skandhas : form ( rūpa ), feeling ( vedanā ), volitions ( saṅkhāra ), perceptions ( saṃjñā ), and consciousness ( vijñāna ). Avalokiteśvara addresses Śariputra , who
3213-652: The reviewer. Sutras first appear in the Brahmana and Aranyaka layer of Vedic literature. They grow in number in the Vedangas, such as the Shrauta Sutras and Kalpa Sutras. These were designed so that they can be easily communicated from a teacher to student, memorized by the recipient for discussion or self-study or as reference. A sutra by itself is condensed shorthand, and the threads of syllable are difficult to decipher or understand without associated scholarly Bhasya or deciphering commentary that fills in
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#17327767197573276-622: The rules of musical meters for Samaveda chants and songs. A larger collection of ancient sutra literature in Hinduism corresponds to the six Vedangas, or six limbs of the Vedas . These are six subjects that said in the Vedas to be necessary for complete mastery of the Vedas. The six subjects with their own sutras were "pronunciation ( Shiksha ), meter ( Chandas ), grammar ( Vyakarana ), explanation of words ( Nirukta ), time keeping through astronomy ( Jyotisha ), and ceremonial rituals (Kalpa). The first two, states Max Muller, were considered in
3339-475: The same mechanical method which fixes in our (modern era) minds the alphabet and the multiplication table. Traditional Some of the earliest surviving specimens of sutras of Hinduism are found in the Anupada Sutras and Nidana Sutras . The former distills the epistemic debate whether Sruti or Smriti or neither must be considered the more reliable source of knowledge, while the latter distills
3402-533: The second "basket" (pitaka) of the Pāli Canon . Rewata Dhamma and Bhikkhu Bodhi describe the Sutta Pitaka as: The Sutta Pitaka, the second collection, brings together the Buddha's discourses spoken by him on various occasions during his active ministry of forty-five years. In the Jain tradition, sutras are an important genre of "fixed text", which used to be memorized. The Kalpa Sūtra is, for example,
3465-416: 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 . The earliest version of the Heart Sutra may have been translated by Zhi Qian in 222-250 CE. However because it
3528-528: 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 the Mahāprajñāpāramitāupadeśa (Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom), a commentary on
3591-509: 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 gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā , meaning "gone, gone, everyone gone to
3654-614: The unequalled mantra/knowledge, able to dispel all suffering. This is true and not false. Sutra Sutra ( Sanskrit : सूत्र , romanized : sūtra , lit. 'string, thread') in Indian literary traditions refers to an aphorism or a collection of aphorisms in the form of a manual or, more broadly, a condensed manual or text. Sutras are a genre of ancient and medieval Indian texts found in Hinduism , Buddhism and Jainism . In Hinduism, sutras are
3717-526: 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
3780-479: 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 Sutra (T250) is the earliest translation of the Heart Sutra; 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 Kumārajīva's Mahāprajñāpāramitāupadeśa (Great Treatise on
3843-547: Was doing his translation work at the time. It is part of the Fangshan Stone Sutra and located in Yunju Temple nearby Beijing. The second oldest extant dated text of the Heart Sutra is another stone stele located at Yunju Temple. It is dated to 669 CE. The third earliest extant dated text of the Heart Sūtra is a stone stele dated to 672 CE; formerly believed to be the oldest extant text which now stands in
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#17327767197573906-506: 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
3969-594: 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
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