The Heart Sūtra

In The Heart Sūtra: Revisiting Its Texts, History, and Meaning, Henry C. H. Shiu investigates the historical origins of the Heart Sūtra, a significant Buddhist scripture. He compares the Sanskrit 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.

Henry C. H. Shiu is Shi Wu De Professor in Chinese Buddhist Studies at Emmanuel College of Victoria University in the University of Toronto, Canada. He has published in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes on dementia care, disability, ecological ethics, chaplaincy, intercultural competencies, and the ritual of animal release, all examined from a Buddhist perspective, as well as on the history of Buddhism in Canada. In addition to his academic work in Buddhist studies, he is the author of several Chinese-language books on Western classical music. His other Chinese publications include annotated studies of Nāgārjuna’s hymns and the Dharmadharmatāvibhāga, reflecting his ongoing interest in both classical Buddhist philosophy and contemporary applications of the Dharma.

‘This book challenges academic orthodoxies by revealing previously hidden aspects of the Heart Sūtra’s genesis, development and interpretation within the languages and cultures of India, China, Tibet and Central Asia. Shiu’s insightful textual, historical and Dharmalogical analyses update and greatly enrich our understanding of the Heart Sūtra’s complex origins, forms of cultural and political significance, contemplative and ritual functions, and profound spiritual truths.’

— John Makransky, Boston College 

‘Henry Shiu's revisiting of the Heart Sūtra shifts away from the conventional focus and delves into many points neglected by Western scholarship. Through philological, historical, and Dharmalogical approaches, this fascinating and comprehensive work will certainly deepen our understanding of this extremely well-known sutra within the broader context of the vast Prajñāpāramitā tradition.’

— Weirong Shen, Tsinghua University