The Tree of Enlightenment

the Mahayana tradition. It is also the name of a large number
of Mahayana sutras that are collectively called the Perfection of
Wisdom literature or Prajnaparamita sutras.
is class of texts includes discourses such as the Diamond
Sutra (Vajrachchhedika) as well as the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra
in Eight ousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra),
the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra in Twenty-five ousand Lines
(Panchavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra), and the Heart
of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra),
which runs to a little over one page. It is generally agreed that
each of these is either an expansion or an abridgment of a fundamental
text of the Perfection of Wisdom discourses, presented
in different versions and lengths to suit the tastes of different
readers.
It is generally accepted by modern scholars that the Perfection
of Wisdom discourses date to the beginning of the common era,
and that they were among the first Buddhist texts translated
into Chinese in the second century c.e. On the basis of this and
additional evidence from India, we can confidently say that the
Perfection of Wisdom literature is among the oldest available to
us from any of the Buddhist traditions.
e particular example we will discuss here is the Heart
of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, or the Heart Sutra for short,
which is an excellent example of the essence of the Perfection
of Wisdom teachings. ere are three prominent figures who
participate in the conversation in this sutra – the Buddha, the
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, and the disciple Shariputra. e
presence of Shariputra is another indication of the continuity
in the Buddhist tradition because, just as Shariputra figures
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