The Heart Sutra

by Red Pine

  Nagarjuna (fl. A.D. 175-200) . The founder of the Madhyamaka school of Indian Buddhism and author of several seminal texts that refute standpoints advocating existence or non-existence. In their place, he advocated shunyata, or emptiness, as the true nature of things. Thus, the Heart Sutra is often seen as deriving from Nagarjuna or his disciples or possibly even his teachers.

  Nakamura, Hajime (1912-present). The doyen among Japanese scholars specializing in Indian Buddhism. For his works in English, see his Indian Buddhism (Tokyo: Sanseido Press, 1980) and Gotama Buddha (Rutland, Vt.: Tuttle, 2001).

  Nattier, Jan. “The Heart Sutra: A Chinese Apocryphal Text?” in The Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, 1992, pp. 153-223; A Few Good Men: The Bodhisattva Path According to the Inquiry of Ugra (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2003).

  nirmana-kaya . The body manifested by a buddha for use in teaching others. However, this body is still subject to karma and is not a buddha’s real body, or dharma-kaya.

  nirvana . Interpreted as referring to a flame (namely, the flame of passion) that has been blown out, this was the word used to describe the goal of early Buddhists. It was used as an equivalent for liberation but also for death followed by no further rebirth. Thus, it was the focus of such sects as the Sarvastivadins but was replaced by enlightenment among later Mahayana Buddhists, whose goal was to stay in the world and help others.

  Nyaya Sutras . A series of early works on logic (nyaya means “sound argument”) attributed to Gautama Akshapada (c. second century A.D.) and on the basis of which a school of philosophy of the same name developed. Several English translations are available.

  Padoux, Andre. In Understanding Mantras (Harvey Alper, editor, Albany: State University of New York Press, 1989).

  Pao-t’ung (732-824) . Student of Shih-t’ou (700-790), the patriarch of Japan’s Soto Zen sect, and a close friend of Han Yu, the greatest Confucian figure of the T’ang dynasty. The stupa containing Pao-t’ung’s tongue still stands at Lingshan Temple south of Chaochou in Kuangtung province. His commentary on the Heart Sutra is preserved in the Supplement to the Tripitaka, vol. 42, pp. 67-70.

  Patisambhidamagga . One of the earliest Abhidharma texts in the Pali Canon, it is attributed to Shariputra. However, its initial composition probably took place a hundred years later in the third century B.C. It was later incorporated into the Khuddaka Nikaya. There is an English translation available from the Pali Text Society, and it also exists in Chinese.

  Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines, Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra . Considered the earliest of the Prajnaparamita sutras. Chinese translations include those by Lokakshema in A. D. 180, Kumarajiva in A. D. 382, and Hsuan-tsang in A.D. 660. There are several English translations: The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines & Its Verse Summary by Edward Conze (San Francisco: Four Seasons Foundation, 1973) and Mother of the Buddhas by Lex Hixon (Wheaton, Ill.: Quest Books, 1993).

  Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines, Shatasahasrika Prajnaparamita . This is the longest of all Prajnaparamita texts. It is extant in Sanskrit as well as in Chinese and Tibetan, and is the first of the sixteen sutras that make up the Maha Prajnaparamita Sutra.

  Perfection of Wisdom in Twenty-five Thousand Lines, Pancavimshatisahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra . One of the most comprehensive treatments of the teaching of Prajnaparamita. This text was translated into Chinese on four occasions: by Dharmaraksha in A. D. 286, by Mokshala in A. D. 291, by Kumarajiva in A.D. 404, and by Hsuan-tsang in A.D. 663. For an English translation from the Sanskrit, see The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom by Edward Conze (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1975).

  Potter, Karl, editor. Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies (New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1996, vol. 7).

  Prajna (fl. 790) . Indian monk who translated the longer version of the Heart Sutra together with Li-yen in 790. This is also the word for “wisdom” or “insight” and is the focus, along with compassion, of Mahayana practice.

  Prajnaparamita . This is the name of the teaching that formed the basis of Mahayana Buddhism. It is also the name of the goddess who embodies the teaching, and thus reality. The Sanskrit means “transcendent wisdom” or “perfection of wisdom,” depending on how one parses the word paramita.

  pratyeka-buddha . A religious practitioner who achieves enlightenment by and for himself.

  Pravaradevaraja Paripriccha Sutra . Translated into Chinese in 565 by Upashunya and a hundred years later by Hsuan-tsang as part of his Maha Prajnaparamita Sutra, this sutra records the Buddha’s exposition of the meaning and practice of Prajnaparamita in answer to the questions of the deva Pravara.

  Pure Land . Buddhist sect that encourages practitioners to put their faith in Amitabha Buddha, who has created a paradise where they will be reborn if they will only invoke that buddha’s name. And once reborn in his paradise, they will more easily understand the Dharma and achieve liberation.

  Purnaprabhasa Samadhimati Sutra . Translated into Chinese by Chih-yao in A.D. 185.

  Rajgir .Capital of the kingdom of Magadha in North-east India and the scene of many of the Buddha’s sermons.

  Ratnagunasancaya Gatha . One of the earliest known examples of the Prajnaparamita teaching, usually given a date of c. 100 B.C.

  Realm of Desire . The lowest of the Three Realms (Triloka) of existence (psychic or otherwise), the other two being the Realms of Form and Formlessness far above Mount Sumeru. Existence in the Realm of Desire is dominated by desire for food, sex, and sleep. At its base this realm is the home of sinners, hungry ghosts, animals, and humans. Above this is a series of six heavens. The first heaven, halfway up Mount Sumeru, is occupied by asuras and the Four Guardians. The second heaven is the Trayatrinsha Heaven, the abode of Indra and thirty-two other devas, at the summit of Mount Sumeru. And the remaining four heavens above Mount Sumeru are the abode of Yama (Judge of the Dead), the abode of future buddhas (Tushita), the abode of those born in bliss (Nirmanarati), and the abode of Shiva and Mara (Paranirmita-vashavarin).

  Red Pine . The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma (Berkeley: North Point Press, 1987); Lao-tzu’s Taoteching (San Francisco: Mercury House Press, 1996); The Diamond Sutra (Washington, D. C.: Counterpoint Press, 2001).

  samadhi . The state in which the mind is focused on one, or even no, object.

  Samyukt Agama . One of several sutra collections of the Sarvastivadins containing the early teachings of the Buddha. Similar, but not identical, to the Samyutta Nikaya of the Sthaviravadins (Theravadins), it only exists in Chinese, into which it was translated by the Indian monk Gunabhadra between the years 435 and 445 in Nanching. Gunabhadra also translated the Lankavatara Sutra and was considered by some to be the First Patriarch of Zen in China.

  sanbhoga-kaya . The body that is created by every bodhisattva and buddha upon vowing to liberate all beings. Such a body, however, is not fully realized until enlightenment. As with the nirmana-kaya, it, too, is still subject to karma and is not a buddha’s real body.

  Sangitipar yaya . A commentary on the Sangiti Sutra, which is the ninth of the thirty sutras that make up the Dhirgha Agama. The Chinese attribute this expository work to Shariputra, while Yashomitra and Bu-ston ascribe it to Kaushthila. Organized around numerical lists of dharmas, this was probably the earliest known attempt at a systematic presentation of the Sarvastivadin Abhidharma. The only extant version is a Chinese translation by Hsuan-tsang.

  Sankasya . Location in India where the Buddha descended to earth following his summer-long sojourn in the Trayatrinsha Heaven teaching his mother the Abhidharma. One of King Ashoka’s pillars marks the spot not far from Pakhra on the train line that runs through modern Farrukhabad. sansara . Life and death, the place where all suffering takes place. The paramitas, or perfections, are often viewed as taking us from this shore of sansara to the other shore of nirvana.

  Santushita . After her death, the Buddha’s mother was reborn as this deva in the Trayatrinsha Heaven at the summit of Mount Sumeru
. The name means “perfect bliss.”

  Sarvastivada . The teaching that “all entities are real.” This was also the name of one of the most prominent and widespread early Buddhist sects in Northern and Central India as well as Central Asia. It is this teaching with which the first half of the Heart Sutra is contrasted. Unfortunately, much of our knowledge of this sect is based on texts, such as Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakosha, that are critical of it. Although there is very little in English on this sect or its teaching, for a useful survey of the literature see Sarvastivada Buddhist Scholasticism by Charles Willemen, Bart Dessein, and Collett Cox (Leiden: Brill, 1998), as well as the works by Frauwallner and Potter cited earlier.

  Sautrantikas . Buddhist sect that developed from the Darshtantikas. As their name suggests, they only accepted the sutras as the authentic teaching of the Dharma.

  Seng-chao (384-414) . The most prominent disciple of Kumarajiva and the author of a set of philosophical works known collectively as the Chaolun, which has been translated into English by Walter Liebenthal and others.

  Shakyamuni . The “sage of the Shakyas,” the Shakyas being the clan into which the Buddha was born.

  Shariputra . The “son of Shari” and companion of Maudgalyayana, he was considered the wisest of the Buddha’s disciples and the author of the earliest texts on the Abhidharma, which is why he appears in this sutra.

  shastra Exposition of Buddhist doctrine by later followers of the Buddha.

  Shen-hsiu (605-706) . Although he was the foremost disciple of Hung-jen, the Fifth Zen Patriarch, later Zen tradition traced the patriarchship through Hui-neng, who became leader of the Southern School of Zen, while Shen-hsiu was viewed as leader of the Northern School.

  Shih-hu (fl. 985), aka Danapala . Monk from the Northern Indian kingdom of Udyana (Swat). He arrived in the Sung dynasty capital of Kaifeng in 980 together with the Indian monk T’ien-hsi-tsai (d. 1000) and worked on translations of mostly Tantric texts at Kuohsing Temple. His translation of the Heart Sutra was that of the longer version.

  Shikshananda (652-710). Khotanese monk who worked on translations of the Avatamsaka and Lankavatara sutras between 695 and 705 at Foshouchi Temple in Loyang. In the Kaiyuan Index of 730, his translation of the Heart Sutra was already listed as missing.

  shravaka Sanskrit term meaning “hearer,” it originally referred to the immediate disciples of the Buddha who “heard” him speak. Later, it was used to refer to any follower of the sects denigrated by the Mahayana as Hinayana and used in contrast to the bodhisattva. Thus, the goal of shravakas is nirvana and not enlightenment.

  Shravasti . The capital of the kingdom of Kaushala and the largest city in India during the Buddha’s day. This is where the Buddha spent many of his monsoon seasons, and it was from here that he ascended to the summit of Mount Sumeru, where he taught his mother the Abhidharma during the seventh monsoon following his Enlightenment.

  shunyata Sanskrit for “emptiness.” The meaning is not “space” but just the opposite: the absence of the falsely conceived space between entities of the mind or those of the material world created by discrimination.

  Six Perfections, sad paramita . The practices that guide a bodhisattva’s quest for enlightenment: generosity (dana ), morality (shila ), forbearance (kshanti ), vigor (virya ), meditation (dhyana ), and wisdom (prajna ).

  Sixth Patriarch . See Hui-neng.

  skandhas . See Five Skandhas.

  srota-apanna . The first of the four stages on the shravaka path that leads to nirvana. It means “to find the river,” the river of impermanence.

  Sthaviravadins . One of the two major Buddhist sects that formed during the century following the Buddha’s Nirvana in 383 B.C. The other sect was the Mahasanghikas. The Sthaviravadins subsequently split into a dozen sects, among which were the Sarvastivadins. The Theravadin sect of Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia also traces its ancestry to the Sthaviravadins.

  Sumeru . The mountain that forms the axis of every world and that is often used as a metaphor for the self. See Mount Sumeru.

  Supplement to the Tripitaka . Monumental compilation of Chinese Buddhist works by Japanese Buddhists completed in Kyoto in 1915. It includes a number of texts lost in China but preserved in Japan. The edition I have used was published in Taipei in 1994 by Hsinwenfeng in a set of 150 volumes. I have quoted mostly from volume 41, which contains 36 commentaries on the Heart Sutra.

  sutra . A sermon attributed to the Buddha, one of his immediate disciples, or someone empowered by a buddha to speak on his or her behalf.

  Suzuki, Shunryu (1904-1971). Japanese monk who arrived in America in 1959 and established Soto Zen practice in the San Francisco area. His teachings have been edited into a number of volumes, the best known of which is Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (Tokyo: Weatherhill, 1970). See also Not Always So (New York: HarperCollins, 2002).

  Tao-lung (1213-1278) . Buddhist monk noted for his work in transmitting Zen to Japan.

  tathagata . One of every buddha’s ten titles. It can mean “one who has gone thus” or “one who has come thus,” “thus” referring to that state that is ineffable and beyond language.

  Te-ch’ing (1546-1623), aka Han-shan. One of the four great Buddhist monks of the Ming dynasty and instrumental in reviving the practice of Zen in China. His voluminous writings include commentaries on Confucian and Taoist works as well as Buddhist texts. His Heart Sutra commentary is preserved in the Supplement to the Tripitaka, vol. 41, pp. 842-847.

  Testament Sutra . Translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva, this text relates the Buddha’s final instructions before entering Nirvana. There is also a commentary by Vasubandhu extant in Chinese.

  Three Insights, tri-vidya . The insights into the essential characteristics of all dharmas: impermanence, suffering, and no self.

  Three Realms . See Realm of Desire.

  Trayatrinsha . The name of the second of the six heavens in the Realm of Desire. This heaven is located at the very summit of Mount Sumeru and is the residence of Indra, King of the Devas. It was also where the Buddha taught the deva Santushita the Abhidharma.

  Tripitaka . The Buddhist Canon of received scriptures. Although many Sanskrit texts still exist, the largest collections are in Chinese, Pali, and Tibetan.

  Tunhuang Caves, aka Mokao Caves . Series of shrines carved into a hillside outside the Silk Road oasis of Tunhuang in Northwest China. Thousands of manuscripts sealed in a side cave were discovered by a Taoist priest at the turn of the last century and sold to foreign collectors such as Aurel Stein (S) and Paul Pelliot (P), whose copies are preserved in their respective national archives in London and Paris. A number of copies also made their way to libraries and private collections in Japan and America as well as Beijing.

  Twelve Abodes of Sensation, dvadashanga ayatana . The Six Powers of Sensation: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, along with the Six Domains of Sensation: color and shape, sound, smell, taste, feeling, and thought. An early formula used in meditation to view our experience as a set of transitory, interdependent elements.

  Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, dvadashanga pratitya-samutpada , aka dvadashanga nidana . Ignorance, memory, consciousness, name and form, six senses, contact, sensation, thirst, attachment, existence, birth, old age and death. A formula used in meditation to understand the nature of our experience by viewing it as a series of interdependent states dependent on other states and thus without a permanent, independent self.

  Two Paths/Vehicles . Another reference to the Hinayana Path, which it divides into the path of the shravakas and the path of the pratyeka-buddhas.

  Vasubandhu (316-396) . Indian monk and younger brother of Asanga. He was the author of the Abhidharmakosha as well as the Abhidharmakoshabhasaya, which was a commentary on the former. Together these two works present the Sarvastivadin view of the Abhidharma, though from the standpoint of the Sautrantika sect. Apparently, Vasubandhu belonged to the Sarvastivadin and Sautrantika sects before his brother convinced him of the superiority of the Mahayan
a.

  Vibhanga . Early Pali work similar to the Sanskrit Dharmaskandha of the Sarvastivadins and among the earliest attempts to enumerate the dharmas of the Abhidharma.