Heart Sutra
Heart Sutra (Skt. prajñāpāramitā hṛdaya; Wyl. shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa'i snying po) — the most popular sutra of the prajñaparamita collection and indeed of the mahayana as a whole. Although the sutra primarily consists of a dialogue between Shariputra and the great bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, their words are inspired by the blessings of the Buddha, who remains absorbed in samadhi meditation until the end of the discussion. As with all the prajñaparamita sutras, the teaching took place at Vulture's Peak near Rajagriha.
Commentraies
Tibetan
- Taranatha, sher snying gi tshig 'grel bzhugs so
English
- The Dalai Lama, Essence of the Heart Sutra (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2002), includes a commentary by Jamyang Gawé Lodrö 1429-1503.
- Garchen Rinpoche, Oral Commentaries on the Heart Sutra in Relation to Shamatha and Vipassana Meditation And Seven Point Mind Training, San Francisco 2001 (San Francisco Ratna Shri Sangha).
- Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra (Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1988, 2009)
Translations
- Edward Conze, The Short Prajnaparamita Texts, London: Luzac & Co, 1973
Teachings on the Heart Sutra Given to the Rigpa Sangha
- Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Rigpa London, 19 October 1991
- Sogyal Rinpoche, Lerab Ling, April-May 1998
- Dzogchen Rinpoche, Lerab Ling, July 1998
- Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, using a commentary by Taranatha, Lerab Ling, 8-10 June 2010
Further Reading
- Donald S. Lopez, The Heart Sutra Explained: Indian and Tibetan Commentaries, SUNY
- Jonathan Silk, The Heart Sūtra in Tibetan: A Critical Edition of the Two Recensions Contained in the Kanjur, Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien, Universitāt Wien (Vienna 1994).