Commentary on the Heart Sutra

By Master Sheng-yen

The Heart Sutra or Hridaya Sutra is so called because it embodies the core or the heart of the Buddhadharma. It is also the heart of the Mahaprajnaparamita-sutra, and in fact , the full title— Mahaprajnaparamita-hridaya-sutra—is normally translated simply as Heart Sutra.

Prajna means the ‘wisdom of emptiness,’ a state of mind distinguishing an enlightened bodhisattva from an ordinary person who may already be on the path to enligthenment. To a Dharma practitioner, without the presence, guidance, and genuine practice of wisdom, Buddhadharma would be no more than philosophy. For this reason, the Heart Sutra describes the nature of wisdom— the root of Buddhadharma.