Heart Sutra

CHINA; Yuan dynasty

This manuscript containing 39 lines was written by Wu Zhen during his later years. The Heart Sutra, with only 260 characters, is one of the most famous Buddhist scriptures; it was widely copied throughout history due to its short length. As most manuscripts were written with a sense of reverence and devotion, they were seldom produced in cursive script. Wu’s cursive attempt in this sutra copy is thus considered rare.
Wu Zhen was highly skilled and often produced works that were out of the ordinary. Not only did he write the Heart Sutra in cursive script, it was written with such swiftness that it could almost be qualified as wild cursive script. Although he was far from matching the accomplished wild cursive style of monk Huaisu, Wu was able to emerge from the shadow of Zhao Mengfu, the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) calligrapher whose influence was prevalent during Wu’s time.
Wu Zhen, who was also known as Zhong Gui or Meihua Daoren, was a Yuan dynasty calligrapher from Jiaxing, Zhejiang. He was well-versed in poetry, cursive calligraphy, and landscape ink painting. A sense of Chan understanding and Daoist influence can be observed in the majority of his works.