The Prajñāpāramitā-hṛdaya sūtra is a religious document of the first importance. It carried Yüan-tsang through the Gobi desert,' was reproduced, in writing, on stones, in recitation throughout Asia from Kabul to Nara, and formed one of the main inspirations of the Zen school, occupying in Buddhist mysticism about the same place that the "Mystical Theology" of Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita occupied in Christian. Unlike other very short Prajñāpāramitā-sūtras, the Hṛdaya is of great philosophical interest. The Svalpākṣarā, and other abbreviations, were designed to bring the benefits of Prajñāpāramitā within the reach of those unable to either study or understand it. The Hṛdaya alone can be said to have gone really to the heart of the doctrine. The historical analysis of its sources can contribute to the understanding of this sūtra, by restoring its component parts to their context within the larger Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
The text of the Hṛdaya even in extenso is short. The editions of Max Muller, D. T. Suzuki, and Shaku Hannya obscure the progress of the argument, and the manuscripts and the Chinese translations throw light on the history and meaning of this sūtra. The Hṛdaya, as is well known, is transmitted in a longer form (about twenty-five ślokas), and a shorter form (about fourteen ślokas). The introduction and end of the longer form are here left unnumbered, while, to facilitate reference, I have introduced numbered subdivisions in the short version of the sūtra.
Conze (1967, 148-149)
(848a4)大明太祖高皇帝御製般若心經 (5)序(6)二儀久判。萬物備周。子民者君。君育民者。法(7)其法也。三綱五常。以示天下。亦以五刑輔弼(8)之有等。凶頑不循教者。往往有趨火赴淵之(9)爲。終不自省。是凶頑者。非特中國有之。盡天(10)下莫不亦然。俄西域生佛。號曰釋迦其爲佛(11)也。行深願重。始終不二。於是出世間。脱苦(12)趣。爲其效也。仁慈忍辱。務明心以立命。執(13)此道而爲之意。在人皆在此。利濟群生。今時(14)之人。罔知佛之所以毎云法空。虚而不實。何(15)以導君子。訓小人。以朕言之。則不然。佛之(16)教。實而不虚。正欲去愚迷之虚。立本性之實。(17)特挺身苦行。外其教而異其名。脱苦有情。昔(18)佛在時侍從聽從者。皆聰明之士。演説者乃三(19)綱五常之性理也。既聞之後。人各獲福。自佛(20)入滅之後。其法流入中國。間有聰明者。動演(21)人天小果。猶能化凶頑爲善。何況聰明者。知(22)大乘而識宗旨者乎。如心經毎言空不言實。(23)所言之空。乃相空耳。除空之外。所存者本性(24)也所以相空有六。謂口空説相。眼空色相。耳(25)空聽相。鼻空嗅相。舌空味相。身空樂相。其六(26)空之相。又非眞相之空。乃妄想之相。爲之(27)空相。是空相。愚及世人。禍及今古。往往愈(28)墮彌深。不知其幾。斯空相。前代帝王被所(29)惑。而幾喪天下者。周之穆王。漢之武帝。唐之(848b1): 玄宗。蕭梁武帝。元魏主燾。李後主。宋徽宗。(2)此數帝。廢國怠政。惟蕭梁武帝宋之徽宗。以(3)及殺身。皆由妄想飛升。及入佛天之地。其佛(4)天之地。未嘗渺茫。此等快樂。世嘗有之。爲人(5)性貪而不覺。而又取其樂。人世有之者何。且(6)佛天之地。如爲國君及王侯者。若不作非。爲(7)善能保守此境非佛天者。何如不能保守而(8)僞爲用妄想之心。即入空虚之境。故有如是。(9)斯空相富者被纒。則婬欲並生喪富矣貧者(10)被纒。則諸詐並作殞身矣。其將賢未賢之人(11)被纒。則非仁人君子也。其僧道被纒。則不能(12)立本性而見宗旨者也。所以本經題云心經(13)者。正欲去心之邪念以歸正道。豈佛教之妄(14)耶。朕特述此。使聰明者。觀二儀之覆載。日月(15)之循環。虚實之孰取保命者何如。若取有道。(16)保有方。豈不佛法之良哉。色空之妙乎
(20)般若波羅蜜多心經序(21) 唐釋慧忠撰 (22)夫法性無邊。豈藉心之所度。眞如非相。詎假(23)言之所詮。是故衆生浩浩無窮。法海茫茫何(24)極。若也廣尋文義。猶如鏡裏求形。更乃息念(25)觀空又似日中逃影。玆經喩如大地。何物不(26)從地之所生。諸佛唯指一心。何法不因心之(27)所立。但了心地。故號總持。悟法無生。名爲(28)妙覺。一念超越豈在繁論者爾
T.251 (Introduction to Xuánzàng's 玄奘 translation)
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Vimalamitra and Rin chen sde (8th century CE; revised by Dge blo and Nam mkha'), Bcom ldan 'das ma shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa'i snying po (Tibetan translation of Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya), Kg 21, shes phyin sna tshogs, ka 144b1-146a3.
Xuánzàng 玄奘 (649), 般若波羅蜜多心經 (Chinese translation of Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya), in T.251.
Input by Jens Braarvig and Fredrik Liland, 2010-2022
