6
BUDDHISM WAS introduced from China to Korea in the fourth century, and from the southern Korean state of Baekje to Japan in 538. Some brief fragments of stories about the Heart Sutra have been attributed to this period. (I will examine the authenticity of these stories later in chapter 16, “Emergence and Expansion of the Heart Sutra.”)
The Japanese Book of Miraculous Stories (Nihon Ryoi Ki), compiled in 822, includes a story of the monk Gikaku from Baekje, Korea, who moved to Japan after his country was destroyed in war in 663. At midnight, one of his fellow monks noticed a shining light in Gikaku’s room, so he peeked in. Gikaku was sitting upright and chanting the Heart Sutra, and while he was doing so light shot out from his mouth. The monk was frightened and the next morning he told the whole assembly what he had seen.
Gikaku explained: “After reciting the sutra one hundred times, I opened my eyes. The walls in my room had disappeared, and I was in the midst of the garden. I made a walking meditation in it and looked at my room. The walls and doors were all closed. So I stayed outside and went back to chanting. This is a wonder of the Heart Sutra.”1
Here is another story from the same book: A drunken beggar was asleep on a street. As a joke, someone shaved his head and put a rope around his neck. A wealthy man brought him home, dressed him in a Buddhist robe, and asked him to expound the Lotus Sutra. The man said, “I only chant the Heart Sutra mantra while begging for food. I don’t know anything about the Lotus Sutra.” Nevertheless, the wealthy man insisted.
That night, a brown cow appeared in the beggar’s dream and said, “I am the mother of the owner of this house. Because I stole money from him, I have been turned into a cow as punishment. If you have any doubt, set up a seat for me at your dharma talk, and see what happens.” The next morning, the man said to the audience, “I know nothing. I sit here because my host wants me to. Let me just tell you about my dream.”
Hearing the beggar’s dream, the rich man prepared a seat for his mother, and called her. A brown cow came into the room and sat on the seat. The man said, “Indeed, you are my mother. I forgive you now.” Hearing him, the cow made a gasp and died. All those present began to weep.
The book’s author comments that this miracle was a result of the man’s love for his mother and the beggar’s power, accumulated from chanting the Heart Sutra mantra.2
According to the Documents of the Shoso-in Treasury (Shoso In Monjo), the earliest known recitation practice of the Heart Sutra in Japan took place in 732 and the earliest known copying practice in 757. Emperors ordered public recitation of the sutra in the years 759, 774, 808, 837, and 875.3
In a related way, as Buddhism in Japan had merged with indigenous Shintoism since the eighth century, it was not uncommon that the Heart Sutra was recited in Shinto shrines for rituals of healing or exorcism. In 1549, Japan was hit by a widespread epidemic. Emperor Gonara (r. 1526–1557) asked Buddhist monks to intensify their recitation of the Heart Sutra, which was believed to be the most effective remedy. The emperor made many copies of the sutra with gold ink on indigo paper and offered them to the head Shinto shrines of all provinces. It took him five years to complete his dedication. Seven copies remain among Japan’s important cultural properties.4
Emperor Gonara had his court ladies offer one thousand recitations of the sutra for his longevity every year on his birthday. Such recitations became customary in the palace. There is a record that during the reign of Emperor Gomizuno’o (r. 1621–1629), ladies in higher positions copied and read the sutra fifty times each, and those in lower positions twenty-five times, for a total of one thousand recitations. The ladies burned the copies in a sacred fire as part of the ritual. This custom of performing “the Heart Sutra ceremony” to remove calamity and invite happiness lasted until the Meiji Reformation of 1868, when Shintoism was separated from Buddhism and established as the national religion.5
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Countless monks and nuns have chanted the Heart Sutra throughout their lives. Hokiichi Hanawa (1746–1821), a scholar in literature, however, seems to hold the record for quantity of recitations. Although he lost his sight at age seven, Hokiichi became an outstanding expert in studies of historical documents. He wanted to collect and publish the best books, as well as materials from the past. In 1779, he vowed to create an unprecedented publication project called the Collection of Classified Books (Gunsho Ruiju). For success, Hokiichi chanted the sutra over one hundred times a day, until he had recited it one million times. According to his journal, he had chanted the Heart Sutra 1.9 million times by 1819, when he finished publication of the five-hundred-and-thirty-fascicle book. He continued his recitation until 1822, when a one-thousand-fascicle sequel was completed.6
Nowadays, Zen temples like the Gold Pavilion, the Silver Pavilion, and the famous rock gardens in Kyoto attract huge numbers of tourists. In their souvenir shops, you can find a copy of the Heart Sutra printed on many different objects, including round fans, folding fans, candles, miniature screens, calligraphy scrolls, handkerchiefs, neckties, wrapping cloths, hand towels, and teacups. At a subtemple of Mount Koya, the head monastery of the Shingon School, a friend was offered a blanket with the Heart Sutra printed on it. You can even buy a two-by-three-inch pocket-sized protector called “the Heart Sutra Talisman” at bookstores anywhere in Japan. (See the Selected Bibliography for a variety of Japanese publications on the sutra.)