ABOUT THIS BOOK

A nuanced reconsideration of the Heart Sutra, one of the most celebrated and widely chanted texts in Mahayana Buddhism.

In The Heart Sutra: Revisiting Its Texts, History, and Meaning, Henry C. H. Shiu investigates the historical origins of the Heart Sutra, a significant Buddhist scripture. He compares the Sanskrit texts with their Chinese and Tibetan translations to analyse whether the Heart Sutra might be a Chinese apocryphon, through detailed linguistic examination. To achieve this goal, Shiu thoroughly examines the primary sources from which the scripture was extracted. He emphasises the necessity of reading the Heart Sutra in the larger context of the Perfection of Wisdom literature, which contains the essence of Mahayana Buddhist teaching. In this monograph, Shiu successfully transcends the boundaries between the Chinese, Indian, and Tibetan Buddhist traditions and provides a revisionist interpretation of the Heart Sutra.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Henry C. H. Shiu is the Shi Wu De Professor in Chinese Buddhist Studies at Emmanuel College of Victoria University in the University of Toronto, Canada. His other Chinese publications include annotated studies of Nāgārjuna’s hymns and the Dharmadharmatāvibhāga.

REVIEWS

"This book challenges academic orthodoxies by revealing previously hidden aspects of the Heart Sūtra’s genesis, development and interpretation within the languages and cultures of India, China, Tibet and Central Asia. Shiu’s insightful textual, historical and Dharmalogical analyses update and greatly enrich our understanding of the Heart Sūtra’s complex origins, forms of cultural and political significance, contemplative and ritual functions, and profound spiritual truths."

— John Makransky, Boston College

“Henry Shiu's revisiting of the Heart Sutra shifts away from the conventional focus and delves into many points neglected by Western scholarship. Through philological, historical, and Dharmalogical approaches, this fascinating and comprehensive work will certainly deepen our understanding of this extremely well-known sutra within the broader context of the vast Prajñaparamita tradition.”

— Weirong Shen, Tsinghua University

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Heart Sutra (An English Translation of Xuanzang’s Version) viii
Preface ix
Acknowledgements xii
Abbreviations xiv
Chapter 1. Introduction 1
1.1. The Reception of the Heart Sutra 1
1.2. The Theory of the Heart Sutra as a ‘Chinese Apocryphal Text’ 6
1.2.1. Jan Nattier 6
1.2.2. Shì Huìfeng 9
1.2.3. Jayarava Attwood 10
1.3. Reactions in the Japanese Academia 11
1.3.1. Fukui Fumimasa 12
1.3.2. Harada Waso 15
1.3.3. Ishii Kosei 16
1.3.4. Saito Akira 18
1.3.5. Watanabe Shogo 19
1.3.6. Contributions of Japanese Scholars 20
1.4. Chinese Scholarship 21
1.4.1. Shen Jiucheng 21
1.4.2. Ji Yun 23
1.4.3. Fang Guangchang 24
1.5. On the Term ‘Apocrypha’ 25
1.5.1. The Meaning of ‘Apocrypha’ in Christian Circles 26
1.5.2. The Criteria for Buddhist Apocrypha Within Buddhist
Traditions 27
1.5.3. The Notion of ‘Buddhist Apocrypha’ in Relation to Indology 32
1.5.4. Sanskrit Editions of the Heart Sutra 37
1.6. Conclusion 41
Chapter 2. Philological Examination 45
2.1. Uncertainties Regarding the Phrase ‘Traversed All Suffering
and Woes’ 45
2.2. The Five Aggregates and Emptiness 50
2.3. ‘su¯nyata-lak?a?a’ and ‘sunyata-alak?a?a’ 54
2.4. What Is Being Negated? 57
2.5. No Attainment and Bodhisattvahood 61
2.6. Genuine Mantra 66
Chapter 3. Historical Investigation 70
3.1. Xuanzang’s Role in ‘Translating’ the Heart Sutra from Sanskrit 70
3.2. Intersections of Divine Resonance 82
3.3. Journey to the West 96
3.4. A New Theory on the Origins of the Heart Sutra 110
Chapter 4. Dharmalogical Reflection 127
4.1. Interpretative Approach 127
4.2. On the Title of the Heart Sutra 132
4.2.1. Delving into the Concept of ‘Heart’ in the Heart Sutra 132
4.2.2. The Interplay of ‘Heart’ and ‘Dhara?i’ 137
4.2.3. The ‘Dhara?i Gate of Forty-Two Syllables’ in the
Prajñaparamita-sutra 141
4.2.4. Interpreting the ‘Heart’ of the Heart Sutra Through
Chiasmus 151
4.3. Who Has Traversed All Suffering and Woes? 152
4.4. Revisiting the Six Statements on Form and Emptiness 164
4.5. The Eight Aspects and the Three Gates of Liberation 179
4.6. Dispelling Obstructions in Sequence 186
4.7. On ‘No Attainment’ and ‘Mental Hindrances’ 194
4.8. Prajña¯pa¯ramita as Vidya 199
Chapter 5. Conclusion 206
Appendix 1. Corresponding Prajñaparamita-sutras in Sanskrit and Their
Chinese and Tibetan Translations 209
Appendix 2. The Chinese Translations of the Heart Sutra from Sanskrit
and Tibetan Sources 222
6.1. Part I. Translations from Sanskrit into Chinese 222
6.2. Part II. Translations from Tibetan into Chinese 241
Selected Bibliography 261
Index 271