The heart sūtra : revisiting its texts, history, and meaning / Henry C.H. Shiu.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shao, Songxiong, author.

Contributor:

Hong Kong University Press, publisher.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Tripiṭaka. Sūtrapiṭaka. Prajñāpāramitā. Hr̥daya--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Tripiṭaka.

Physical Description:

xiii, 285 pages : facsimile ; 23 cm

monochrome

facsimile

Place of Publication:

Hong Kong : HKU Press, [2025]

Summary:

"Investigates the historical origins of the Heart Sūtra, a significant Buddhist scripture. He compares the Sanksrit texts with their Chinese and Tibetan translations to analyse whether the Heart Sūtra 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 Sūtra in the larger context of the Perfection of Wisdom literature, which contains the essence of Mahāyāna 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 Sūtra"-- Page 4 of cover.

Contents:

The Heart sūtra (an English translation of Xuanzang's version)

Preface

1. Introduction. The reception of the Heart sūtra ; The throry of the Heart sūtra as a 'Chinese apocryphal text' ; Reactions in the Japanese academia ; Chinese scholarship ; On the term 'apocrypha'

2. Philological examination

3. Historical investigation

4. Dharmalogical reflection

5. Conclusion

Appendix 1. Corresponding Prajñāpāramitā-sūtras in Sanskrit and their Chinese and Tibetan translations

Appendix 2. The Chinese translations of the Heart sūtra from Sanskrit and Tibetan sources.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

ebook version :

ISBN:

9789888900961

988890096X

OCLC:

1559962590