How I Learned to Recite the Heart Sutra in Two Hours: The Method I Arrived At After Thinking 'Memorization Is Impossible!'

During the seasons of New Year's visits, Obon, and Ohigan, there are many opportunities to visit temples and graves. At such times, if you know the Heart Sutra, your formal worship will go smoothly.
But...

I'd like to introduce a mnemonic technique you should try when that happens!!

Could it be that I'm not cut out for memorization...

In May 2017, I had a memorial service, and with only the sutra text at hand, I decided to take the opportunity to challenge myself to memorize the Heart Sutra for the umpteenth time in my life.

The Heart Sutra is, I think, the representative example of what people generally think of as a Buddhist "sutra." Since I had been exposed to it during recitations since I was a child, I had always wanted to memorize it as a kind of intellectual training, like "reading aloud" as a kind of intellectual training, I had always wanted to memorize it. Until now, I had only tried reciting it over and over, but it never went well.
I thought I wasn't cut out for memorization.

The Heart Sutra is expressed in Chinese characters.There are 276 characters in total, and it is divided into phrases every few characters.

I was able to memorize each phrase, which are the parts to be memorized.
I could master the flow of the mouth for each phrase, but when I tried to assemble them and reproduce them as a continuous flow,the connections between the beginning and end would get mixed up as I continued to recite.There is such a trap in the Heart Sutra.

For example,"I hannya haramitta ko" appears twice, and there are several other phrases that appear twice.

Trying out mnemonic techniques

I changed my way of thinking and tried another mnemonic technique, themethod of loci.

I imagined sections like "do issai ku yaku" and "shiki soku ze ku" lined up one after another on the route from my house to my workplace, but it didn't go very well.

Like "shiki soku ze ku" and "ku soku ze shiki," there arethings that correspond or are similar, and they get mixed up. This is the same with simple reading aloud; I remember the individual phrases, but I end up skipping or jumping over their order.

For that reason, I decided to use yet another mnemonic technique, thechunking method.

Instead of applying it to my commute,I planned to divide the sutra text into many small chunks and refine the web of memory by perceiving the multilayered relationships they take.

First, I tried writing them out phrase by phrase on Post-its.

In the first place, I can manage to memorize up to "shiki soku ze ku" just by simple, dedicated reading aloud.

The problem is the "Mu" rush that comes after that, the"Mu"-rich domain. The area from "mu shiki mu ju so gyo shiki" to "mu u kyofu" was my weak point. I circled them in red in the photo, but there are just so many "Mu"s. I lose track of how far I've come.

I thought if I could just make it through to 'no fear,' the rest would somehow work itself out.
I divided the 'Mu' (No) rich domain into three parts,

I realized that I was specifically stumbling on the content of 1 and the transition to 2. I resolved this by applying techniques like reducing it to the increase and decrease in the number of characters in the phrases to grasp it and making forced associations.

This worked well this time.

In short, instead of using a simple path like the method of loci, I created a map to overlook the entire journey and set addresses as chunks. This suited my style of memory better.

The background to my being able to memorize the Heart Sutra in about two hours using the chunking method was, needless to say, largely due to the fact that I had previously repeatedly read it aloud. I had already memorized some
connections between phrases and the rhythm remained in my mouth. However, I can now say that the
chunking method was absolutely necessary to break through the overall sense and the stumbling blocks.

I am filled with the satisfaction of finally completing a mission that had been undigested for a long time in my life.

Afterward

After I memorized the Heart Sutra, I recited it every day for about a month, and it became smoother day by day.
Not only did it become smoother, but I also gradually began to grasp the meaning.

I also realized that the first chunk I made with Post-its was divided differently from its original meaning.
In the photo, I wrote 'Kukyo Nehan' (Ultimate Nirvana) and 'Sanze Shobutsu' (Buddhas of the Three Times) on one Post-it, but in terms of meaning, it seemed they should be placed in separate parts.

Some time after that, there was a period where I didn't recite it. However, I had the confidence that even if I forgot it, I could memorize it again using the same method.
In fact, when I looked at the photo of the Post-its above again, I was able to reconstruct the memory.

Now, it seems surprising that I was once unable to memorize the Heart Sutra.

[Added in 2026]

It has been almost 9 years since the memorization I tackled in this article, and while there are some parts that are a bit shaky, I basically remember it.
It's surprisingly tenacious.

Recently, I also challenged and achieved the memorization of the 'Successive Emperors' using a similar method.
I think you can also read this as an update using the latest NotebookLM.

I will continue to write about the 'grasping of meaning' that I touched upon above.
As for the overall structure, it is well known that the beginning is 'narrative text' that summons Kannon, and then Kannon's lines (speech bubble) appear, which become the content. The content is: 'I have arrived at the philosophy of Emptiness; in that philosophy, everything is Mu (not expressed as a symbol), it is Mu regardless; to reach that, say this (and then the parentheses begin) "Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha"'... and that is the end of the Heart Sutra.

I also want to write about the content of 'Mu' (No/Emptiness).
The idea of 'duration' by the French philosopher Bergson, which I had not read when I wrote the original, is actually close.

In terms of literal appearance, the same French philosopher Sartre might come up, but since I haven't read him, I will refrain from making a judgment on this.

About the Author

Hamachi, who wrote this article, is a biologist and Dr. Volvox, and writes not only about mnemonics but also about how complex things have structure, covering topics from biology, research abroad, child-rearing, conversation skills, and reading. If you are interested in the mechanisms of memory or the structure of learning, please take a look at these as well.

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