The Heart Sutra : a comprehensive guide to the classic of Mahayana Buddhism

"An illuminating in-depth study of one of the most well-known and recited of all the Buddhist texts--by the renowned modern translator. The Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra is among the best known of all the Buddhist scriptures. Chanted daily by many Zen practitioners, it is also studied extensively in the Tibetan tradition, and it has been regarded with interest more recently in the West in various fields of study--from philosophy to quantum physics. In just a few lines, it expresses the truth of impermanence and the release of suffering that results from the understanding of that truth with a breathtaking economy of language. Kazuaki Tanahashi's guide to the Heart Sutra is the result of a life spent working with it and living it. He outlines the history and meaning of the text and then analyzes it line by line in its various forms (Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, Mongolian, and various key English translations), providing a deeper understanding of the history and etymology of the elusive words than is generally available to the nonspecialist--yet with a clear emphasis on the relevance of the text to practice. This book includes a fresh and meticulous new translation of the text by the author and Roshi Joan Halifax." --publisher description. Read more... Abstract: "An illuminating in-depth study of one of the most well-known and recited of all the Buddhist texts--by the renowned modern translator. The Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra is among the best known of all the Buddhist scriptures. Chanted daily by many Zen practitioners, it is also studied extensively in the Tibetan tradition, and it has been regarded with interest more recently in the West in various fields of study--from philosophy to quantum physics. In just a few lines, it expresses the truth of impermanence and the release of suffering that results from the understanding of that truth with a breathtaking economy of language. Kazuaki Tanahashi's guide to the Heart Sutra is the result of a life spent working with it and living it. He outlines the history and meaning of the text and then analyzes it line by line in its various forms (Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, Mongolian, and various key English translations), providing a deeper understanding of the history and etymology of the elusive words than is generally available to the nonspecialist--yet with a clear emphasis on the relevance of the text to practice. This book includes a fresh and meticulous new translation of the text by the author and Roshi Joan Halifax." --publisher description An illuminating in-depth study of one of the most well-known and recited of all the Buddhist texts--by the renowned modern translator. The Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra is among the best known of all the Buddhist scriptures. Chanted daily by many Zen practitioners, it is also studied extensively in the Tibetan tradition, and it has been regarded with interest more recently in the West in various fields of study--from philosophy to quantum physics. In just a few lines, it expresses the truth of impermanence and the release of suffering that results from the understanding of that truth with a breathtaking economy of language. Kazuaki Tanahashi's guide to the Heart Sutra is the result of a life spent working with it and living it. He outlines the history and meaning of the text and then analyzes it line by line in its various forms (Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, Mongolian, and various key English translations), providing a deeper understanding of the history and etymology of the elusive words than is generally available to the nonspecialist--yet with a clear emphasis on the relevance of the text to practice. This book includes a fresh and meticulous new translation of the text by the author and Roshi Joan Halifax. --publisher description. Machine generated contents note: pt. ONE The Heart Sutra Here and Now -- 1. A New Translation -- 2. Encountering the Enigma -- 3. Inspiration of the Sutra -- pt. TWO Story of the Sutra -- 4. Pilgrimage to the West -- 5. A Tiny Text by a Giant Translator -- 6. Talisman of Talismans -- 7. In Print for One Thousand Years -- 8. An Ancient Tower Resurrected -- pt. THREE Modern Scholarship (19th and 20th Centuries) -- 9. The Earliest Mahayana Scripture -- 10. Prajna Paramita as the Basis for the Heart Sutra -- 11. Versions of the Chinese Heart Sutra -- 12. Versions of the Hridaya -- pt. FOUR Most Recent Scholarship (1992 -- Present) -- 13. A Chinese Apocryphal Text? -- 14. Thoughts on the Apocryphon Theory -- 15. Roles of Ancient Chinese Translators -- 16. Emergence and Expansion of the Heart Sutra -- pt. FIVE Globalizing the Sutra -- 17. Chinese Enthusiasm -- 18. The Pan-Asian Experience -- 19. Japanese Interpretations -- 20. Scriptwise -- 21. Rituals in the Western World -- 22. Scientific Thinking -- pt. SIX Terms and Concepts -- Appendices -- 1. Texts for Comparison -- Earlier Texts -- Shorter Texts -- Longer Texts -- 2. Identical Expressions in the Chinese Texts -- 3. Names in Ideography. Kazuaki Tanahashi. Includes bibliographical references and index. Contents 8 Illustrations 10 Preface and Acknowledgments 14 Notes to the Reader 20 Publisher’s Note 20 PART ONE: The Heart Sutra Here and Now 22 1. A New Translation 24 2. Encountering the Enigma 26 3. Inspiration of the Sutra 29 PART TWO: Story of the Sutra 46 4. Pilgrimage to the West 48 5. A Tiny Text by a Giant Translator 56 6. Talisman of Talismans 60 7. In Print for One Thousand Years 63 8. An Ancient Tower Resurrected 70 PART THREE: Modern Scholarship (19th and 20th Centuries) 74 9. The Earliest Mahayana Scripture 76 10. Prajna Paramita as the Basis for the Heart Sutra 78 11. Versions of the Chinese Heart Sutra 82 12. Versions of the Hridaya 86 PART FOUR: Most Recent Scholarship (1992–Present) 92 13. A Chinese Apocryphal Text? 94 14. Thoughts on the Apocryphon Theory 98 15. Roles of Ancient Chinese Translators 106 16. Emergence and Expansion of the Heart Sutra 111 PART FIVE: Globalizing the Sutra 114 17. Chinese Enthusiasm 116 18. The Pan-Asian Experience 120 19. Japanese Interpretations 126 20. Scriptwise 129 21. Rituals in the Western World 142 22. Scientific Thinking 147 PART SIX: Terms and Concepts 156 Appendixes 226 1. Texts for Comparison 226 Earlier Texts 226 Shorter Texts 229 Longer Texts 241 2. Identical Expressions in the Chinese Texts 250 3. Names in Ideography 256 Notes 264 Selected Bibliography 276 Index of Names 280 Index of Terms and Syllables 285 The Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra is among the best known of all the Buddhist scriptures. Chanted daily by many Zen students, it is also studied extensively in the Tibetan tradition, and it has been regarded with interest more recently in the West in various fields of study-from philosophy to quantum physics. In just thirty-five lines, it expresses the truth of impermanence and the release from suffering that results from the understanding of that truth with a breathtaking economy of language. Kazuaki Tanahashi's guide to the Heart Sutra is the result of a life spent working with it and living it. He outlines the history and meaning of the text and then analyzes it line by line in its various forms (Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, Mongolian, and various key English translations), providing a deeper understanding of the history and etymology of the elusive words than is generally available to the nonspecialist-yet with a clear emphasis on the relevance of the text to practice. It includes a fresh and meticulous new translation of the text by the author and Roshi Joan Halifax