The Heart Sutra
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Book Summary Information
Translator: Red PineEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); Chinese (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-08-09
ISBN: 1593760825
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Counterpoint
Book Reviews of The Heart Sutra
Book Review: Essential Practice
Summary: 5 Stars
I first encountered The Heart Sutra some 30 years ago at Eiheiji a Soto Zen temple in Fukui Prefecture Japan. It has been part of the background of my life ever since and the final mantra of "Gate gate, paragate, parasangate, bodhi svaha" often echoes in my mind. Part of the background, but not in the foreground. Like Red Pine I had more or less taken it for granted and treated it as a pointer to actions open in sunyata (or in Red Pine's orthography shunyata) rather than something important to study in its own right. In fact, I had taken Red Pine for granted, perhaps because of his Beat sounding pen name and a reluctance to take Beat translators seriously (this is not a fair judgment, but we often treat the generation immediately before us harshly and it can take many years to learn to weave in their work rather than oppose it). But one of my skeins this year is to deepen my understanding of Tang poetry and I happened to start with Red Pine's translation of Poems of the Masters. The quality of language, thought and understanding in these translations drew me in and I began to seek out his other work. With Red Pine at the front of my mind, The Heart Sutra caught my eye and I am glad it did. This little book has brought The Heart Sutra into the foreground. I have read the translation every morning this month, and find the repetition taking me deeper each day. But one reason it is taking me deeper is because of the wonderful expository of the book. Red Pine has done a masterful job of putting the text in its historical context and then unfolding the potentials of its language and grounding them in understanding. This book has become a large part of my own practice. It is probably not the easiest starting point for someone interested in prajnaparamita, but it is an essential book.
Summary of The Heart Sutra
The Heart Sutra is Buddhism in a nutshell. It has had the most profound and wide-reaching influence of any text in Buddhism. This short text covers more of the Buddha?s teachings than any other scripture, and it does so without being superficial or hurried. Although the original author is unknown, he was clearly someone with a deep realization of the Dharma.
For this new English translation, Red Pine, award-winning translator of Chinese poetry and religious texts, has utilized various Sanskrit and Chinese versions, refining the teachings of dozens of ancient teachers together with his own commentary to offer a profound word-for-word explication. Divided into four parts and broken into thirty-five lines to make it easier to study or chant, and containing a glossary of names, terms, and texts, The Heart Sutra is a wise book of deep teaching destined to become the standard edition of this timeless statement of Mahayana truth.
For this new English translation, Red Pine, award-winning translator of Chinese poetry and religious texts, has utilized various Sanskrit and Chinese versions, refining the teachings of dozens of ancient teachers together with his own commentary to offer a profound word-for-word explication. Divided into four parts and broken into thirty-five lines to make it easier to study or chant, and containing a glossary of names, terms, and texts, The Heart Sutra is a wise book of deep teaching destined to become the standard edition of this timeless statement of Mahayana truth.
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