Heart Sutra Stele

Heart Sutra Stele

The Heart Sutra Stele is a protected cultural relic of Jiangsu Province.

The Heart Sutra Stele is located in the Guanyin Hall of Yi Garden, east of Zhongshan Park in Jiangyin City.

The Heart Sutra Stele was inscribed by the Tang Dynasty monk Dao Song. Originally, the stele was embedded in the wall behind the shrine of the large iron Buddha in the Maitreya Hall of Qianming Guangfu Chan Temple. It was destroyed in a fire during the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era. The current stele is a recarving from a traced copy made in the third year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1798), and it is now preserved in the Guanyin Hall, east of Zhongshan Park in Jiangyin City, embedded in the northern wall.

The stele is composed of six large rectangular bluestones, with an overall height of 2.87 meters and a width of 5.12 meters. It features the entire text of the "Heart Sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom" (Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra), comprising 279 characters arranged in 13 vertical lines. The script is in wild cursive style, with strokes flowing like dragons and serpents, exhibiting a grand and vigorous momentum, strict structure, and diverse character forms. Among them, the stroke of the character “多” (duō) measures 2.07 meters in length; the character “声” (shēng) has a horizontal width of up to 55 centimeters, with the thinnest stroke being only 1 centimeter wide and the thickest reaching 7 centimeters. Six characters in the entire text have strokes exceeding 2 meters in length. The characters vary in size and orientation, interconnecting vertically and horizontally, creating a seamless flow. The calligraphy is bold and powerful, with ancient yet graceful forms, as well as smooth and fluid strokes. At first glance, the characters may appear to be written in reverse, but they are actually upright—a marvelously unique feature. This stele is not only remarkable for its high artistic value in calligraphy, but also for its exquisite carving techniques. Under light refraction, the engraved characters give a three-dimensional bas-relief effect, making it one of the finest surviving ancient stone steles in China, and a treasured masterpiece of ancient Chinese calligraphy and engraving art.

Further Reading:

· First and Second Batches of Protected Cultural Relics of Jiangsu Province