Xuanzangs Heart Sultra - Essay Example

A Discussion of How Xuanzang’s Heart Sultra Changed the Chinese Buddhism By A Discussion of How Xuanzang’s Heart Sultra Changed the Chinese Buddhism Xuanzang was a Chinese Buddhist monk and a prolific Buddhist writer and translator. Xuanzang lived in the period between 602 AD- 664 AD. The Heart Sutra is one of the Xuanzang’s translations. Xuanzang translated the Heart Sutra so as to make the Heart Sutra available to the speakers of Chinese language, and also to summarize the main teachings or the main tenets of the original Heart Sutra. The Heart Sutra belongs to the Mahayana sect of Buddhism in China. This paper discusses how the Xuanzang’s Heart Sultra changed the Chinese Buddhism. A look at the history of Chinese Buddhism shows that the Buddhism underwent many changes during the Tang dynasty. Compared to the Nothern and the Southern Dynasties of China, there were far more changes, in Chinese Buddhism, in the Tang dynasty, than in the other two dynasties of China during that period of time. In my view, the many changes in the Chinese Buddhism during the Tang dynasty can be attributed to the Xuanzang’s Heart Sultra. Xuanzang’s Heart Sultra was Xuanzang’s outline of his beliefs in Buddhism. A look at Xuanzang ‘s version of Heart Sultra shows that the Heart Sultra is very close to the beliefs of Chinese People. Xuanzang’s Heart Sultra explains in very beliefly, but clear terms all the important teachings of Buddhism; the Heart Sultra also explains how the great wisdom will be like when we achieve it, the Xuanzang’s Heart Sultra also gives a guideline of how we can achieve that great wisdom . The main difference between the Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra and other Sutras lies in the fact that the Xuanzang’s Heart is a conversation, that is easy to read, and not just a Sutra like any other. In the discussion of how Xuanzang’s Heart Sultra changed the Chinese Buddhism, the paper is divided into three main parts. The first part focuses on the Heart Sultra and on the reasons why the Heart Sultra is so important to the Chinese Buddhism. This part will cover the main differences among the different branches of Chinese Buddhism, before and after the Heart Sultra. The second part of the paper looks at the changes in Chinese Buddhism that came after the Xuanzang’s Heart Sultra; this part looks at how the Heart Sultra affected the Chinese Buddhism. This part of the paper also looks at the reasons why the Heart Sultra is different from other Sultras and why it caused so many changes in the Chinese Buddhism. The last part, i.e. the third part of the paper looks at how the Heart Sultra affects the modern world Chinese Buddhism. This part focuses on how the Heart Sultra has influenced the beliefs and the worldview of the modern Chinese Buddhism. Let us begin by looking at the Heart Sultra and the reasons why the Heart Sultra is so important to the Chinese Buddhism. For better understanding of the importance of the Heart Sultra in Chinese Buddhism, it is important to look at the Heart Sultra in the context of Buddhism holy literature. In Buddhism, there is a vast of religious literature or Buddhist scriptures; there are indeed thousands of holy literatures in Buddhism (Religion Facts, web). For this reason, it is impossible for any individual to read and to master all the important Buddhist literature. Buddhist Holy Scriptures is referred to as Sultras (Sanskrit) or Suttas (Pali). Heart Sultra, therefore, is one of the many sultras of Buddhism. Due to the vast amount of Buddhist literature, Buddhist are sharply divided on which holy literature is the genuine expression or interpretation of Buddha’s teachings, and which one is not. For this reason, there are many schools of thoughts in Buddhism and indeed there are many branches of Buddhism. The history of Buddhism is actually characterized by various brances of Buddhism. The Heart Sultra is actually a part of the larger Prajnaparamita (perfection wisdom Sultra). Prajnaparamita consist of a collection of about 40 Sultras (Korahais, 2011). This collection of Sultras was composed between 100BCE and 500 CE. The actual author of Heart Sultra, however, is unkown. In Buddhism, there are many translation of the Heart Sultra. The most common, or the widely used translation of Heart Sultra, however, is Xuanzang’s translation. Xuanzang was a Chinese monk and he translated the Heart Sultra in the period between 596- 664 AD. Xuanzang was a devout and committed Chinese Buddhist monk and he had travelled all the way to India to bring back Buddhist holy literature. Xuanzang’s translation of the Heart Sultra is preferred by many Buddhists because of its brevity and it’s deep and subtle message. Having at the general meaning and the general origin of Heart Sultra, let us now look at the main reasons why Heart Sultra is very important to the Chinese Buddhism. The main reason why the Heart Sultra is so important to Chinese Buddhism and to Buddhism all over the world is that the Heart Sultra summarizes, in a very effective way, the main teachings of Buddhism. As we have already said, there is a vast of Buddhism literature and grasping all the teachings of the wide literature is not easy. Despite the vastness of Buddhism literature, however, there are some common principles and some common teachings that underlie the whole of the Buddhism literature. The Heart Sultra summarizes these common principles of Buddhism literature in a very effective way; the Heart Sultra provides a simpler way for the Buddhists to understand their religion better and to live it. A look at the Heart Sultra, especially Xuanzang’s version of Heart Sultra shows that the Heart Sultra is a brief summary of Buddhism literature. Xuanzang’s Heart Sultra contains only 260 Chinese characters. This fact shows that the Heart Sultra is indeed a very brief text. Despite its brevity, however, the Heart Sutra contains a very deep and subtle message that is not easy to understand. The Heart Sutra indeed contains everything that one may need to know about Buddhism, and everything that one may need to know about cosmic reality. The Heart Sultra, therefore, is a summary of the teachings of Buddhism. The Heart Sutra, therefore, is loved and highly valued by Chinese Buddhist, and indeed by many Buddhist all over the world, because of how it summarizes, in a very simple way. A look at some of the main teachings of the Heart Sutra proves that the Heart Sultra is indeed a simpler way of understanding and living Buddhism religion. For better understanding of how the Heart Sultra summarizes the teachings of Buddhism, let us look at the main teachings of the Heart Sutra. These teachings are: what is emptiness? All phenomena are empty? And The two truths, and No attainment. Understanding the teachings of the Heart Sutra is not easy and requires individual meditations. The explanations of the Heart Sutra that I am going to give below, therefore, is not in any way a deep explanation of the actual meaning of the Heart Sutra, but a shallow interpretation meant to show that the Heart Sutra encapsulates the main teachings of Buddhism in a very effective way. Let us begin by looking at the Heart Sutra teaching on emptiness. Emptiness, known in Sanskrit as shunyata, is actually a foundational doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism. The concept of emptiness is actually one of the most misunderstood and controversial doctrines in Buddhism; different branches of Buddhism hold different understanding of the meaning of the emptiness concept. In some cases, the emptiness concept is understood to mean that nothing exists; the doctrine of emptiness, however, doesn’t mean that nothing exists. This view is supported by his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama who says, “The existence of things and events is not in dispute; it is the manner in which they exist that must be clarified”. The concept of emptiness, therefore, as expressed in the Heart Sutra does not deny the existence of actual things in the world. What the concept of emptiness means is that things and events have no intrinsic existence, and they have no independent identity, except in our thoughts (The Heart Sutra, Web). The concept of emptiness is an important concept to all Buddhists because it is part of the four noble truths of Buddhism. In the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, the Buddha teaches that human stress and suffering originate from thinking that human beings have independent existence, i.e. thinking that we exist independently, with an intrinsic self, in exclusion of other things. Buddha also taught that understanding that independent existence is an illusion frees us from human distress and suffering. Having broadly looked at the Heart Sutra’s teaching on emptiness, let us look at the Heart Sutra’s teaching on all phenomena are empty. The Heart Sutra’s teaching on emptiness and on all phenomena is empty, are closely related. These two teachings are inseparable in the Heart Sutra and are based on Buddha’s teachings in the four noble truths. By stating that all phenomena are empty, the Heart Sutra explains and emphasizes Buddha’s teaching that there is no independent existence among things and events in the world. Stating that all phenomena is emptiness means that all phenomena lack independent existence or independent characteristics. The concept of emptiness, therefore, means that the characteristics of things are mere expressions of emptiness. The Heart Sutra’s teaching on emptiness, therefore, is simply an explanation and a summary of Buddha’s teaching in the, four noble truths, about existence of things and about human distress and human sufferings. For this reason, the Heart Sutra is loved by all the Buddhists because of summarizing and explaining the teachings of Buddha. Let us now turn to the Heart Sutra’s teaching on the two truths. The doctrine of two truths is another important doctrine of the Heart Sutra. The doctrine of the two truths is closely related with the doctrines of emptiness and all phenomena are empty. The two truths taught in the Heart Sutra are the conventional and the ultimate truth, or the relative and the ultimate truth. Conventional or the relative truth refers to the way we view the world as being full of diverse and distinctive things. The absolute or the ultimate truth, on the other hand, refers to the reality of things as they are; according to this truth, there are really no distinctive things and beings in the world, reality is ultimately one. The doctrine of the two truths, however, doesn’t mean that one of the truths is false, while the other truth is true. Many people tend to think that the conventional truth is false, while the ultimate truth is true. The Heart Sutra, however, teaches that these two forms of truths are genuine forms of truth. For this reason, individual things like, human eyes, in the sense that human eyes actually exists, but at the same time it is true to say that there are no eyes in the sense that no eyes exists in isolation of other things, i.e. eyes have no intrinsic self, or independent existence in isolation of other phenomena. This view, again, points to the view that phenomena are empty. The Heart Sutra’s teaching on the two truths, therefore, summarizes important teaching of Buddha, in the four noble truths, about the existence of things. For this reason, although different Buddhists or different groups of Buddhist may have different interpretations of the actual meaning of the two truths in the Heart Sutra, all Buddhists, however, are agreed that the two truths is a summary and a clear explanation of Buddha’s teaching on existence of things. For this reason, therefore, the Heart Sutra is loved and highly valued by many Buddhists. Lastly, let us briefly look at the Heart Sutra’s teaching on No Attainment. The Heart Sutra’s teaching on no attainment is actually one of the most difficult concepts of the Heart Sutra, and indeed, concept of Buddhism, to understand; a clear understanding of this doctrine requires supreme enlightenment. Different groups of Buddhism hold different views on the actual meaning of no attainment. Despite these differences in interpretations, however, Buddhists are, however, agreed that no attainment doesn’t mean that human beings cannot achieve anything in the world through their efforts. For better and clearer understanding of the meaning of No Attainment doctrine, it is important to look at the doctrine in the context of the doctrines of Emptiness, All phenomena are Empty, and the doctrine of the two truths. For this reason, therefore, since reality is one and different individual aspects of reality are closely related, no individual thing can be said to achieve its own goal in isolation of the other phenomena, or the other whole reality. Just like the other important doctrines of the Heart Sutra that we have looked at, the doctrine of no attainment summarizes and clarifies one of the most important teachings of Buddha contained in the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism as taught by Buddha himself. For this reason, therefore, the Heart Sutra is loved and widely used by many Buddhists. Having looked at the reasons why the Heart Sutra is so important to the Chinese Buddhism, and indeed to all Buddhism of the world, let us now look at the changes that were brought about by the Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra to the Chinese Buddhism. For better understanding and appreciation of the changes, in Chinese Buddhism, that were brought about by Xuanzang’s version of the Heart Sutra, we should look at the uniqueness of Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra- what sets the Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra apart from other versions of the Heart Sutra. One of the unique quality of Zuanzang’s version of the Heart Sutra was that the Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra was so close to the original manuscript of the Heart Sultra. This is because a critical look at Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra shows that the Heart Sultra teachings are so close and absolutely in conformity with the teachings of Buddha. While the other versions of the Heart Sutras, also, are in conformity with the teachings of Buddha, no other version of the Heart Sutra is so close to the teachings of Buddha as the Xuanzang’s version of the Heart Sutra. For this reason, therefore, Zuanzang’s Heart Sutra was received with enthusiasm by the Chinese Buddhists because of its fidelity to the Buddha’s teachings. The Chinese Buddhist’s trust of the Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra as a verbatim translation of the original version of Heart Sutra made many Chinese Buddhists committed in studying it more and , hence, understanding the teachings of Buddhism better. This in effect led to many Chinese becoming more committed in their religion. The second quality of Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra that set it apart from the other versions of Heart Sutra was that Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra was a terse, but clear summary of the main teachings of Buddhism written as a conversation. Although the other Sutras, and indeed, the other versions of the Heart Sutra summarized the main teachings of Buddhism, no other Sutra or version of the Heart Sutra was as exhaustive as the Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra in summarizing the important teachings of Buddhism. The Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra, therefore, was a very precise summary of the main teachings of Buddhism. For this reason, many Chinese Buddhists were able to understand their religion better and more easily, through reading the , therefore, to spread their religion, to other Chinese People, more easily because they could understand their religion better. The third aspect of the Xuanzang’s version of the Heart Sutra that made it different from the other versions of the Heart Sutra was that the Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra incorporated some values of the Chinese culture. A close reading of the Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra shows that the Heart Sutra incorporates many aspects of Chinese Philosophy and Chinese culture, more than any other version of the Heart Sutra. For this reason, the Chinese Buddhists were able to easily identify themselves with the teachings of the Heart Sutra, and this made them to easily embrace more Hinduism as their preferred religion. Having looked at how the Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra was different from other versions of the Heart Sutra, let us now look more deeply at the changes in Chinese Buddhism, that were brought about by the introduction of Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra in China. For better understanding of how the introduction of Xuanzang’s version of the Heart Sutra changed the Chinese Buddhism, it is important to look at the history of the Chinese Buddhism, since its beginning during Qin dynasty, up to the time of Tang dynasty, when the Xuanzang’s Heart was introduced in China. During the Tang dynasty, the Chinese Buddhism indeed underwent many changes due to the introduction of the Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra. The following is a brief history of the Chinese Buddhism. Buddhism is said to have started in China in the third century BC, during Qin dynasty; this is because there is sufficient evidence that emperor Qin of China ordered the destruction of Buddhism in China in around 213 BC (Buddhism in China, Buddhism in China Facts and History, web). Buddhism scriptures, therefore, is said to have reached China during the Han Empire. After the fall of the Han Empire, different empires and different kingdoms emerged in China. Following the development of many different empires and kingdoms, different sects of Buddhism were introduced to these empires and kingdoms. For this reason, Chinese Buddhism history is marked by different traditions and different sects of Buddhism. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), many changes took place in the dynasty, compared to the changes that took place in the Southern and the Northern Dynasties of China. In my view, these changes can be attributed to the Xuanzang’s version of the Heart Sutra. Let us look at the Changes that took place in the Tang dynasty and how the Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra influenced the changes. To begin with, it is important to note that Xuanzang was a Chinese Buddhist monk who travelled to India, during the Tang dynasty, with the aim of studying Buddhism more and bringing more Buddhism texts to China. At the end of the trip, Xuanzang came back to China with many Buddhist texts, including his own translation of the Heart Sutra. Xuanzang is said to have found the original manuscript of the Heart Sutra while in China and translated it. Following the introduction of the Xuanzang’s version of the Heart Sutra in China, therefore, many changes took place in Chinese Buddhism during the Tang dynasty, more than in any other dynasty of China during that period of time. One of the changes that took place in Chinese Buddhism during the Tang dynasty was that many Buddhist temples and shrines spread across the country. This fact shows that there was new enthusiasm about Buddhism as a religion in China, during the Tang dynasty. This enthusiasm about Buddhism as a religion in China can be attributed to the Xuanzang’s version of the Heart Sutra. This is because Xuanzang summarized the Buddhism teachings in his translation of the Heart Sutra, and made Buddhism quite accessible to many people in China. Given the fact that, there weren’t as many Buddhism temples and shrines in the Southern and the Nothern Dynasties of China, Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra must have aroused more enthusiasm about Buddhism as a religion in the Tang dynasty. The second main change that took place during the Tang dynasty in China was some form of unity among the various sects of Buddhism in the Tang dynasty. In my view, the unity among the various sects of Buddhism during the Tang dynasty can be attributed to the Xuanzang’s version of the Heart Sutra. This is because Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra summarized the main principles of Buddhism as a religion, and made the various sects of Buddhism in the Tang dynasty to realize that all Buddhists are essentially one, irrespective of the minor doctrinal differences that they may have. This, therefore, made the various sects of Buddhism in the Tang dynasty to be united. The third major change that took place in the Tang dynasty as a result of the introduction of Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra was may number of people entered monasteries as monks or nuns. This facts shows that many people in the Tang dynasty had embraced Buddhism as a religion and committed themselves to living the Buddhism faith heroically. In my view, I attribute the renewed commitment to living Buddhism ideals to the full, to the Xuanzang’s version of the Heart Sutra. This is because, since in his translation of the Heart Sutra Xuanzang had incorporated some aspects of the Chinese culture and philosophy to the translation, many Chinese Buddhist had sensed the conformity of Buddhism as a religion with their Chinese culture and Philosophy. This fact, therefore, made many Chinese Buddhists to commit themselves fully in living their Buddhism faith. The other important change brought about by Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra was that the Heart Sutra promoted the Mahayana branch of Buddhism in China. Ever since the Xuanzang’s Heart Sutra was published, many Chinese Buddhists joined the Mahayana sect of Buddhism. This fact has made Mahayana branch of Buddhism in China to be the predominant and the most common branch of Buddhism in China. In concluding this paper, let me briefly discuss how the Heart Sutra affects the modern world Chinese Buddhism. In my view, the Heart Sutra affects the modern world Chinese Buddhism in one fundamental way: the goal of human life or the goal of Buddhism in human life. The modern view of the aim of Buddhism in people’s lives is that the main aim of Buddhism is to help people to be happy in life. This view can be traced in the Heart Sutra. The Heart Sutra actually aims to help people to be happy in life. For this reason, therefore, the Heart Sutra has influenced the modern world Chinese Buddhism in this fundamental way. References About Religion. (n.d.) “The Heart Sutra: An Introduction to the Heart Sutra”. Web. Buddhism in China, Chinese Buddhism Facts and History. “Buddhism in China”. (n.d.). Web. Korahais, S.A. (2011). Flowing Zen. “The Heart Sutra: Buddhism in Nutshell”. Web. Read More