Inspire yourself to practice sutra copying
of the Heart Sutra

Kim Chong-hui, 1786-1857, Korea.

Back to the sutra copying page.

At the beginning of my calligraphy training I spent many hours a day copying the Heart Sutra. In this way I acquired a good mastery of the brush movement, which led to some of the original Heart Sutra calligraphies you can see at the Shodo Art Gallery.

I like the personal and light character of this model. This regular script has an elegant balance and the overall pattern is smooth. The shaping of the characters requires some mastery of the brush movement, but the style does not present any further problems. The model is also pleasing to the eye. Some examples of sutra copying are perfectly written, but sometimes they lack expression and appear somewhat boring.

I would like to draw your attention to some details of this Heart Sutra. The calligrapher omitted some characters, which were added in the margin later on. In column 11, mu and shiki, in 18, iko and in 22, issai. In column 6 he probably changed the order of the two first characters by mistake. The small arrows on the right indicate the correction.

If you can copy the model perfectly, that is wonderful. But do not be too afraid of making mistakes that you become stiff; do not force yourself as if you were a scribe having to pass an official test. Rather do sutra copying as a dynamic meditation, full of awareness and mindfulness. Perfection lies in this attitude.

In my sutra copying page I show you how to write the Heart Sutra. Feel free to print or download this example of the Heart Sutra for personal use.

A unique copy of the Heart Sutra in seal script