The Heart Sutra is the most popular Sutra amongst the Prajnaparamita scripts in Buddhism. It consists of only 262 characters in Chinese translation, however, it summarizes the essence of the concept of emptiness expounded in the great volume of Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, from which the Heart Sutra is extracted. There are many basic terms generally used in the Buddhist doctrine, thus the Sutra is suitable as an introduction to Buddhism by reciting it.

Apart from recitation in its popularity, the Sutra is also commonly used in copying scriptures as a religious Practice.