Popular Culture
In the centuries following the historical Xuanzang, an extended tradition of literature fictionalizing the life of Xuanzang and glorifying his special relationship with the Heart Sutra arose, of particular note being the Journey to the West (16th century/Ming dynasty). In chapter nineteen of Journey to the West, the fictitious Xuanzang learns by heart the Heart Sutra after hearing it recited one time by the Crow's Nest Zen Master, who flies down from his tree perch with a scroll containing it, and offers to impart it. A full text of the Heart Sutra is quoted in this fictional account. The mantra of the Heart Sutra was used as the lyrics for the opening theme song of the 2011 Chinese television series Journey to the West.
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“Popular culture is seductive; high culture is imperious.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)