The translation activity of Buddhist scripture has continuously flourished in ancient China for over a thousand years. Do the translated texts show any differences from the original texts since the translation activity, either orally or writtenly, occurs under the manipulation of power? This papaer studies 15 versions of Chinese translated Heart Sutra from the perspective of translation theory. It observes the linguistic differences and changes in its narrative structure and furthermore, examines the possibilities of being faithful to the original text. The translation activity is truly intriguing and complex; the choice of dictions reveals power struggle or ideological bias. Via the medium of translation, new thoughts and cultures integrate with the old ones, adding vitality to the original cultures through the process of substitution, domestication or foreignization. Differences exist in translation. By translation, the life and identity of a culture are constantly renewed. By the efforts of translators, such as absorbing, rewriting or reinterpreting the source text, the original text is also created anew, unceasingly reborn into an eternal life of its own.
