Emperor Kangxi, as a wise emperor, created many miracles in his life. In copying the Heart Sutra, no matter the length of time span, the huge number and the wide spread, it is second to none among the emperors of past dynasties.
According to the record of the Secret Hall of Pearl Forest compiled by Qianlong Dynasty, the Heart Sutra written by Emperor Kangxi in Gan Qing Palace is as follows:
Album: 423 volumes, each volume is about 6 to 8 pages, and each page is about 8 inches high.
Handroll: 16 roll, some are 1 foot long, some are more than 4 feet long, and the height ranges from 4 inches to 8 inches.
Heart meridian tower: 14 axis, about 4 feet 7 inches high and 2 feet 5 inches wide.
Heart meridian fan: 1 handle.
The book Heart Sutra is also called Guanyin statue: Axis 1.
In fact, the Heart Sutra written by Emperor Kangxi should be more than that, because he sometimes gave the copied Heart Sutra to nearby ministers, or when he left the temple, he also gave it to the temple. These heart sutras are not hidden in the palace, so it is impossible to compile them into the secret room of the Pearl Forest.
The huge number of books originated from the long-term regular time of Emperor Kangxi. Emperor Qianlong wrote a postscript on the Heart Sutra copied by his grandfather:
Emperor Sheng Zuren, the ancestor of the emperor, wrote a scroll of Heart Sutra every time he met a new moon, a new moon, a birthday celebration and a Buddha bathing day. There are many treasures in Ouchi, compiled by the day, and there is almost no shortage. There is a reason for breaking the rules occasionally, and I will make up books later.
According to this postscript of Emperor Qianlong, Emperor Kangxi's copying of Heart Sutra began in Guiwei (forty-two years of Kangxi, 1703) and ended in Renyin (sixty-one years of Kangxi, 1722). The fixed time is the first and fifteenth day of each month, as well as the eighth day of Emperor Kangxi's birthday in March and the eighth day of Buddha's birthday in April. If you don't copy on time, you will definitely find another time to make up the copy.
In addition, The Heart Sutra, the book of Emperor Kangxi contained in The Secret Hall of Zhu Lin, was first published on the first day of May in the 14th year of Kangxi (1675), and then jumped to the 19th year of Kangxi (1680), during which it was not recorded in detail for about five years. After forty-one years of Kangxi (1702), the manuscripts of Heart Sutra gradually increased. The following year, I began to consciously copy the Heart Sutra on the first day, fifteenth day, birthday and Buddha's birthday of each month, and by the 43rd year, I had a relatively complete fixed reading day. The most complete copy of Heart Sutra is the last year of his life, that is, the sixty-first year of Kangxi.