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The Heart Sūtra (Sanskrit: प्रज्ञापारमिताहृदय Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya; Chinese: 般若波羅蜜多心經) is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. Its Sanskrit name Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya literally translates to 'Heart of the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom'.<br/><br/> The Heart Sūtra is often cited as the best known and most popular of all Buddhist scriptures. The core teaching is the remphasis of sunyata / dependent origination as the cardinal doctrine of Buddhism.<br/><br/> The Pāla Empire was one of the major middle kingdoms of India and existed from 750–1174 CE. It was ruled by a Buddhist dynasty from Bengal in the eastern region of the Indian subcontinent, all the rulers bearing names ending with the suffix Pala (Modern Bengali: পাল pāl), which means protector. The Palas were often described by opponents as the Lords of Gauda. The Palas were followers of the Mahayana and Tantric schools of Buddhism.
Prajñāpāramitā (Sanskrit Prajñāpāramitā; Tibetan sherchin) means 'Perfection of (Transcendent) Wisdom'. Prajñāpāramitā is a central concept in Mahāyāna Buddhism and its practice and understanding are taken to be indispensable elements of the Bodhisattva Path. The practice of Prajñāpāramitā is elucidated and described in the genre of the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, which vary widely in length and exhaustiveness.<br/><br/> The monk Xuanzang returned to China from India with three copies of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra which he had secured from his extensive travels. Xuanzang, with a team of disciple translators, commenced translating the voluminous work in 660 CE using the three versions to ensure the integrity of the source documentation. Xuanzang was being encouraged by a number of the disciple translators to render an abridged version. After a suite of dreams quickened his decision, Xuanzang determined to render an unabridged, complete volume, faithful to the original of 600 fascicles.
The Heart Sutra is a member of the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita) class of Mahayana Buddhist literature, and along with the Diamond Sutra, is the most prominent representative of the genre. The Essence of Wisdom Sutra (Heart Sūtra) is much shorter than the other Perfection of Wisdom sutras but it contains explicitly or implicitly the entire meaning of the longer Sutras. This sutra is classified by Edward Conze as belonging to the third of four periods in the development of the Perfection of Wisdom canon. Conze estimates the sutra's date of origin to be 350 CE. Recent scholarship is unable to verify any date earlier than the 7th century CE. The Chinese version is frequently chanted by the Chan (Zen/Seon/Thien) sects during ceremonies in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam respectively. It is also significant to the Shingon Buddhist school in Japan, whose founder Kūkai wrote a commentary on it, and to the various Tibetan Buddhist schools, where it is studied extensively.
The Heart Sutra is a member of the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita) class of Mahayana Buddhist literature, and along with the Diamond Sutra, is the most prominent representative of the genre. The Essence of Wisdom Sutra (Heart Sūtra) is much shorter than the other Perfection of Wisdom sutras but it contains explicitly or implicitly the entire meaning of the longer Sutras. This sutra is classified by Edward Conze as belonging to the third of four periods in the development of the Perfection of Wisdom canon. Conze estimates the sutra's date of origin to be 350 CE. Recent scholarship is unable to verify any date earlier than the 7th century CE. The Chinese version is frequently chanted by the Chan (Zen/Seon/Thien) sects during ceremonies in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam respectively. It is also significant to the Shingon Buddhist school in Japan, whose founder Kūkai wrote a commentary on it, and to the various Tibetan Buddhist schools, where it is studied extensively.
The Heart Sutra is a member of the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita) class of Mahayana Buddhist literature, and along with the Diamond Sutra, is the most prominent representative of the genre. The Essence of Wisdom Sutra (Heart Sūtra) is much shorter than the other Perfection of Wisdom sutras but it contains explicitly or implicitly the entire meaning of the longer Sutras. This sutra is classified by Edward Conze as belonging to the third of four periods in the development of the Perfection of Wisdom canon. Conze estimates the sutra's date of origin to be 350 CE. Recent scholarship is unable to verify any date earlier than the 7th century CE. The Chinese version is frequently chanted by the Chan (Zen/Seon/Thien) sects during ceremonies in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam respectively. It is also significant to the Shingon Buddhist school in Japan, whose founder Kūkai wrote a commentary on it, and to the various Tibetan Buddhist schools, where it is studied extensively.
Mahayana Buddhism took root in ancient Java at the Sailendra court in the 8th century CE. The Mahayana reverence for female Buddhist deities started with the cult of Tara enshrined in the 8th century Kalasan temple in Central Java. Some of Prajnaparamita's important functions and attributes can be traced to those of the goddess Tara. Tara and Prajnaparamita are both referred to as mothers of all Buddhas, since Buddhas are born from wisdom.<br/><br/> The statue of Prajnaparamita from Singhasari is probably the most famous depiction of the goddess of transcendental wisdom. It was discovered in almost perfect condition in the Cungkup Putri ruins near Singhasari temple, Malang, East Java. Local tradition links the statue to Queen Ken Dedes the first queen of Singhasari, probably as a deified portrayal of the queen. Another opinion links the statue with Queen Gayatri, the consort of Kertarajasa the first king of Majapahit. The statue was discovered in 1818 or 1819 by D. Monnereau, a Dutch East Indies official. Today the beautiful and serene statue is displayed on 2nd floor Gedung Arca, Indonesian National Museum, Jakarta.
Mahayana Buddhism took root in ancient Java at the Sailendra court in the 8th century CE. The Mahayana reverence for female Buddhist deities started with the cult of Tara enshrined in the 8th century Kalasan temple in Central Java. Some of Prajnaparamita's important functions and attributes can be traced to those of the goddess Tara. Tara and Prajnaparamita are both referred to as mothers of all Buddhas, since Buddhas are born from wisdom.<br/><br/> The statue of Prajnaparamita from Singhasari is probably the most famous depiction of the goddess of transcendental wisdom. It was discovered in almost perfect condition in the Cungkup Putri ruins near Singhasari temple, Malang, East Java. Local tradition links the statue to Queen Ken Dedes the first queen of Singhasari, probably as a deified portrayal of the queen. Another opinion links the statue with Queen Gayatri, the consort of Kertarajasa the first king of Majapahit. The statue was discovered in 1818 or 1819 by D. Monnereau, a Dutch East Indies official. Today the beautiful and serene statue is displayed on 2nd floor Gedung Arca, Indonesian National Museum, Jakarta.
Mongolian Buddhism: Gilded stupa and a prajnaparamita ('Heart of Perfect Wisdom') text from the 18th century CE. Photo by Gryffindor (CC BY-SA 3.0 License).