The Heart Sutra

by Red Pine

In ancient India, many schools of thought maintained, or at least paid homage to the idea, that sound vibrations are the ultimate constituents of reality. Thus, in order to preserve the spiritual potency of this mantra, those who have translated this sutra have preferred to transliterate or transcribe the mantra’s Sanskrit sounds into their respective written systems. Indian and Tibetan commentators have sometimes added the syllable om to the beginning of this mantra, apparently to balance the svaha at the end and to set this off as sacred space. However, om appears in only a handful of Sanskrit copies and is not present in any early translation, other than that of the Tantric master Amoghavajra (705-774). Hence, I have not included it. It should also be noted that this mantra appears in slightly different form in two other sutras translated into Chinese in the fifth and sixth centuries, and it is also listed in a seventh-century catalogue of mantras, suggesting its potency was recognized long before Hsuan-tsang encountered it.

  As for the meaning of the words that make up the mantra, gate is normally written gata, as in tatha-gata, in which case it is a past passive participle of gam (to go, to understand) and means “gone” or “understood.” But since it does not appear as gata in any Sanskrit copy of the Heart Sutra, the author must have had something else in mind. There are several possible readings that result from replacing the a with an e. As gate, it can be read as a feminine vocative (“O you—the goddess Prajnaparamita, I presume—who have gone / understood”) or as a locative absolute (“when gone / understood”). These two possibilities were noted by Conze, but he overlooked a third. Gate can also be read as a simple locative masculine (“into the gone / understanding”). Given the interpretation of this mantra as equivalent to the womb of Prajnaparamita, the locative masculine, leading us into her womb, is clearly preferable. Compared with this third possibility, which involves our active participation in this incantation, the feminine vocative seems primarily devotional, and the locative absolute overly abstract. Of course, the choice of gate over gata may have nothing to do with meaning. It may simply come down to the author’s awareness of the difference in the power of the two sounds. Or it could be both.

  The remaining words of the mantra tell us more about the “gone” or the “understanding” into which we are entering. Para means “beyond.” Thus, para-gate means “into the gone beyond” or “into the understanding beyond.” And para-san-gate means “into the gone completely beyond” or “into the understanding completely beyond.” Thus, the word around which this mantra, and the entire sutra, revolves is “beyond.” After negating the categories of the Abhidharma, this sutra refuses to set up another category or set of categories. Whatever it is, this teaching is beyond it, including itself. This is the function of this mantra: to go beyond language and the categories in which language imprisons us and to lead us into the womb of Prajnaparamita, which is the Gone, the Gone Beyond, the Gone Completely Beyond.

  The mantra concludes with bodhi svaha. While the first part of the mantra leads us into the womb, this last part gives us birth. Bodhi, which is case-free here and thus the magic seed of our rebirth, means “enlightenment,” and svaha is exclamatory: “at last,” “amen,” “hallelujah.” It was used at the end of Vedic rituals while making oblations to the gods and thus has the function of consecrating an offering.

  Having been left without a path to follow since line 19, Indian commentators, writing long after this sutra first appeared, have tried to find in the words of the mantra the five stages of practice as they conceived them in such texts as the Abhisamayalankara: accumulation, preparation, vision, meditation, and transcendence. Such commentators have then read back into the sutra these same five phases of progression. Lopez says, “This is the fantasy of the Heart Sutra’s mantra. It is imagined as a supplement to the sutra, augmenting it by adding a path to the proclamation of emptiness, by fulfilling emptiness, while at the same time displacing the sutra” (Elaborations on Emptiness, p. 185). The Heart Sutra teaches many lessons and satisfies many interpretations, and I wouldn’t want to deny anything that works. But putting this mantra in a cage is not as good as setting it free.

  Fa-tsang says, “There are two meanings to this mantra. First, it can’t be explained. This is because it is the secret language of buddhas and not dependent on one’s level of understanding. One simply chants or calls it to mind, and it eliminates obstructions and increases one’s blessings and does not need an explanation. Second, if we insist on an explanation, gate means ‘gone’ or to ‘ferry across,’ which is the effect of deep wisdom. The repetition of gate means to ‘ferry oneself and also ferry others.’ Paragate means ‘the other shore,’ which is the place one is ferried to. And the san in parasangate means ‘together,’ ‘everyone ferried across together.’ Bodhi tells us what kind of ‘other shore,’ namely that of enlightenment. And svaha means ‘right now.’”

  Hui-chung says, “A mantra like this points directly at the mind. Because it is neither moving nor still, you can’t use the mind to find the mind. Because the mind has no beginning or end, you can’t use the mind to put an end to the mind. Because there’s no inside, outside, or in between, if you look for the mind, there’s no place to find it. If there’s no place to find it, then you can’t find it. Therefore, you should realize there is no mind at all. And because there is no mind at all, demon realms can’t affect you. And because you can’t be affected, you subdue all demons. The sutras say, ‘Subduing demons is the place of enlightenment.’ Because you don’t waver, when you look at people who don’t understand their own mind, you can use this to cure their illnesses. If you see dharmas outside the mind, demon realms will appear before you, and your mind will belong to demons. How can you save others then? The sutras say, ‘If you can’t cure your own illness, how can you cure others?’ Even if you cure your karmic attachment to an illusory body, you still won’t leave the demon realm. You will still fear birth and death and won’t be able to escape the wheel of existence. Instead, you leave one life for another and take turns wronging each other. The Tathagata appeared in the world to save those who are completely lost and to help them awaken to their own mind. When you chant this mantra, don’t give rise to deluded thoughts. This is how you should uphold it.”

  Names, Terms, and Texts

  ALL SANSKRIT WORDS have been romanized without their usual diacritical marks. Also, to approximate actual pronunciation, the ṣ and ś have been written as sh, and the ṃ has not been distinguished from n. To avoid confusion with other words, I have left c unchanged, even though its usual pronunciation approximates English ch. I have sometimes used hyphens to clarify the breaks between words, and sometimes I have simply run the words together, as is more common in the romanization of Sanskrit. I continue to find Mainland China’s Pin-yin romanization system too cruel to use on uninitiated readers and have romanized all Chinese words according to the more traditional and somewhat less bizarre Wade-Giles system, except for place names, in which case I have deleted all apostrophes and dashes, except for the Chinese capital of Ch’ang-an.

  Abhidharma Sanskrit for “higher dharmas” or “dharmology,” dharmas being the basic building blocks of the mind comparable to the atomic elements of chemistry. Abhidharma also refers to texts that list or discuss such entities.

  Abhidharmakosha (bhasaya) . Considered the quintessential Abhidharma text, this work and its accompanying commentary were composed by Vasubandhu before his conversion to the Mahayana. Its arguments are mainly those of the Sautrantika sect, to which Vasubandhu belonged at the time, and are often critical of Sarvastivadin positions. There exists an English translation by Leo Pruden of de La Valle Poussin’s French translation. However, it is not readily available.

  Abhisamayalankara Shastra . Attributed to Asanga, this is one of the most influential commentaries on the Prajnaparamita among Indian and Tibetan Buddhists and is known for its use of both Yogacara and Madhyamaka interpretations. It also supplied the structure used by Conze in organizing his translation of the Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-five
Thousand Lines.

  Amoghavajra (705-774) . Indian Tantric monk and translator of numerous sutras into Chinese. Although he did not formally translate the Heart Sutra, he transcribed the Sanskrit sounds into Chinese, apparently to provide the Chinese with a version that possessed greater spiritual potency. He also included a Chinese translation of individual words. Copies of his transcribed version have been found in the Tunhuang Caves and also among the sutras preserved at Fangshan.

  Ananda (b. 432 B.C.) . Shakyamuni’s cousin and attendant, who is said to have repeated the Buddha’s sermons from memory at the First Council held in Rajgir several months after the Buddha’s Nirvana.

  Anathapindada Garden . Name of the retreat donated to the Buddha by Prince Jeta and the wealthy layman, Sudatta. It was located just outside Shravasti, the capital of the kingdom of Kaushala, and was the scene of many of the Buddha’s most important teachings, including the Diamond Sutra.

  arhan . The fourth and final stage of practice according to the early followers of the Buddha. It means “worthy of offerings” and was applied to those who had cut off all passions and who were thus free from further rebirth.

  Ashoka (d. 232 B.C.) . Son of Bindusara, whom he succeeded to the throne of the Mauryan dynasty in 268 B.C., and grandson of Candragupta. He is credited with making Buddhism the preeminent religion of the Indian subcontinent. In addition to convening a council of Buddhist elders to ensure the purity of the Order in 267 B.C., he also sent Buddhist missionaries to such border areas as Sri Lanka and Gandhara (Pakistan).

  Atthasalini. Ancient oral commentaries (atthakatha) edited into written form by Buddhaghosha. There is an English translation under the title The Expositor by Pe Maung Tin (London: Pali Text Society, 1976). For the story of the Buddha’s ascent to the summit of Mount Sumeru to teach his mother the Abhidharma, see pp. 18-21.

  Avalokiteshvara, aka Avalokitasvara . The interlocutor of the Heart Sutra and the most revered of Buddhism’s pantheon of bodhisattvas, with thirty-three manifestations, both male and female.

  Avatamsaka Sutra . The basic text of the Huayen school of Chinese Buddhism, this “king of sutras” recounts the visits of the youth Sumedha to a series of fifty-three teachers, from whom he learns the teaching of unity and multiplicity. There are two English translations, one by Thomas Cleary and another by the Buddhist Text Translation Society.

  Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana . Exposition of Mahayana philosophy attributed to one of several men named Ashvaghosha who lived in the third century. Some scholars have argued that it was composed in China and not India. Several English translations exist, including those of D.T. Suzuki and Yoshito Hakeda.

  Bagchi, S., editor. The Guhyasamaja Tantra (Darbhanga, India: The Mithila Institute, 1965).

  bhagavan . One of the ten titles of every buddha. It means “one who bestows prosperity.”

  Bimbasara . Ruler of the kingdom of Magadha and one of the Buddha’s earliest converts. He was later imprisoned and starved to death by his son, Ajatasatru.

  Bodhidharma (d. 528) . Indian monk who introduced Zen to China. I have quoted from my own translation of writings attributed to him: The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma (San Francisco: North Point, 1989). His name also appears as the author of a verse commentary to the Heart Sutra written several centuries after his death and preserved in the Supplement to the Tripitaka, vol. 113, pp. 942-944.

  Bodhiruchi (562-727), aka Dharmaruchi . Not to be confused with an earlier translator of the same name, he was invited to China by Emperor Kao-tsung. Although his translation of the Heart Sutra was listed as lost, the Kaiyuan Index of A.D. 730 notes: “It was similar to other translations, including Kumarajiva’s, and was translated at Foshouchi Temple in 693.”

  bodhisattva . A “spiritual warrior” who resolves to attain enlightenment in order to liberate all beings from suffering and who is thus the paragon of Mahayana Buddhism.

  Bodies of Awareness . The Five Skandhas.

  brahman . A member of India’s highest caste. The name was derived from the supreme god of the Vedantins. As hereditary priests, their primary function was the maintenance of ritual order, including the sacred fires.

  Buddhadasa (1906-1993). Theravadin monk who urged returning to pristine Buddhism as expressed in early Pali scriptures. Despite his lack of formal education, he was the author of numerous texts and commentaries and helped restore the purity of monastic practice in Thailand. See Paticcasamuppada: Practical Dependent Origination (Nonthaburi, Thailand: Vuddhidhamma Fund, 1992).

  Buddhaghosha (c. fifth century) . Author of the Visuddhimagga (The Path of Purity) and other systematic expositions of Buddhism based on the doctrines of the Sthaviravadin (Theravadin) sect.

  Chen-k’o (1543-1603) . Chinese monk known for his knowledge of Taoism and Confucianism as well as Buddhism. He was a close friend of Han-shan Te-ch’ing and is considered one of the four great monks of the Ming dynasty. Among his many accomplishments was the compilation of the Ming dynasty Tripitaka, which he published in 1595. Maligned by his enemies, he died in prison. For a selection of his writings in English, see Zibo: The Last Great Zen Monk in China by J. C. Cleary (Berkeley: Asian Humanities Press, 1989). His commentary on the Heart Sutra is preserved in the Supplement to the Tripitaka, vol. 41, pp. 810-820.

  Chia-shan (805-881), aka Shan-hui . One of the most prominent Zen masters of the late T’ang dynasty, famous for his use of tea as a means of instruction.

  Chih-ch’ien (fl. 190-250) . Born in Loyang to Yueh-chih parents, he became a monk as a young man and studied with Chih-liang, a disciple of Lokakshema. He was later invited to Nanching by Sun Ch’uan, the king of the state of Wu, and spent over thirty years there translating Buddhist texts before finally retiring to the mountains. Although proponents of the Chinese origin of the Heart Sutra dismiss his translation as having never existed, Hui-chiao’s Kaosengchuan (1), published in 519, lists the Heart Sutra (Prajnaparamita Dharani) among his translations, as does the Litai Sanpaochi (5) of 596.

  Chih-hsu (1599-1655) . One of the four great monks of the Ming dynasty. Although primarily known for his lectures and writings on Tientai Buddhism, he was also interested in Confucianism and even Christianity. His commentary is preserved in the Supplement to the Tripitaka, vol. 41, pp. 940-943.

  Chih-hui-lun (fl. 840-890), aka Prajnacakra . Indian Tantric monk who served as abbot of Tahsingshan Temple in Ch’ang-an. Although his translation of the longer version of the Heart Sutra, dated 861, disappeared in China, a copy was preserved in Japan and has since become part of the current Chinese Tripitaka.

  Chih-lou-chia-ch’an (fl. 150-190), aka Lokakshema . Yueh-chih monk who settled in Loyang and translated some of the first Mahayana scriptures into Chinese, including the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines.

  Chih-shen (609-702) . Student of Hsuan-tsang and also Hung-jen, the Fifth Zen Patriarch. In 696, Empress Wu Tse-t’ien gave Chih-shen the robe transmitted earlier by the Fifth Patriarch to the Sixth Patriarch. Much of Chih-shen’s commentary on the Heart Sutra incorporates the earlier work of Hui-ching. His commentary was originally lost, but several copies were found in the Tunhuang Caves. I have used the collated edition published by Fang K’uang- ch’ang, Po-jo hsin-ching yi-chu chich’eng, pp. 239-265.

  Ching-chueh (683-750) . Disciple of Shen-hsiu and Hsuanche, both of whom were disciples of Hung-jen, the Fifth Patriarch of Zen, and both of whom were considered founders of China’s Northern School of Zen. Ching-chueh was the author of one of the earliest accounts of the Northern School, an English translation of which appears in Zen Dawn by J. C. Cleary (Boston: Shambhala, 1986). Although his commentary, dated 727, disappeared soon after it was written, several copies were found in the Tunhuang Caves. I have used the collated edition published by Fang K’uang-ch’ang, ibid., pp. 336-361.

  Ching-mai (fl. 650) . Chinese monk who served for a number of years as a member of Hsuan-tsang’s translation staff. His commentary, which reflects the Yogacara views of his teacher, is preserved in the Supplemen
t to the Tripitaka, vol. 41, pp. 425-435.

  Chuang-tzu (369-286 B.C.) . Ranked after Lao-tzu in the Taoist pantheon of sages, he was the author of the collection of Taoist fables and allegories that bears his name. His book has been translated into English many times, including by Burton Conze, Edward (1904-1979). Western scholar of Buddhism who devoted most of his academic career to the study and elucidation of Prajnaparamita texts. His translation of the Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-five Thousand Lines is available as The Large Sutra of Perfect Wisdom (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1975). His editions and translations of the Heart Sutra are contained in his Buddhist Wisdom Books (London: Allen and Unwin, 1958) and Thirty Years of Buddhist Studies (Oxford: Bruno Cassirer, 1967). His discussion of Prajnaparamita texts can be found in The Prajnaparamita Literature (New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 2000).