Exploring theHeart Sutra offers readers an interdisciplinary philosophical approach to this much-loved Buddhist classic, with a new translation and commentary. Situating theHeart Sutra within a Chinese context, Sarah A. Mattice brings together voices past and present, Asian and Western, on topics from Buddhology, translation theory, feminism, religious studies, ethnography, Chinese philosophy, and more, in order to inspire readers to understand the sutra in a new light. Mattices argument for the importance of appreciating theHeart Sutra from a Chinese philosophical context includes a new hermeneutic paradigm for approaching composite texts; an argument for translating the text from the Chinese, rather than the Sanskrit; an extended discussion of the figure of Guanyin, bodhisattva of compassion and main speaker of theHeart Sutra, as a distinctively Chinese figure; an inquiry in to the history of womens practice, with a special focus on China; and a commentary on the text that draws on philosophical resources from Chinese Buddhist, Ruist, and Daoist traditions. Mattice presents theHeart Sutra in its depth and complexity, inviting readers to return to this classic text with fresh perspectives and new insights into its relevance for living well in the contemporary world.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
TheHeart Sutra
Chapter One: Sampling Authenticity
Chapter Two: Perspectives on Translation
Chapter Three: Guanyin
Chapter Four: Voices of Women
Chapter Five: A Chinese Interpretive Context
Chapter Six: Translation and Line Commentary
Bibliography
