Special Topics
The Ever-Popular Prajnaparamita
The Heart Sutra expresses how Avalokitesvara (Guanyin) Bodhisattva practices the Prajnaparamita. The practitioner described in the sutra is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The fruit of this practice is to have "perceived that all five skandhas are empty, thereby transcending all sufferings." The method of practice is the Prajnaparamita, and the phrase "practicing deeply" in the sutra conveys that one must engage prajna wisdom at the most profound level. ■ Zhang Jinde (...
How to Practice the Heart Sutra
The practice of the Heart Sutra centers on three methods: reciting the sutra, copying it by hand, and reciting it while doing prostrations. Regardless of the approach, the most important element is the mind. Throughout the process of practice, one passes through the states of a scattered mind, a focused mind, and a unified mind. In the end, one realizes the emptiness of both self and phenomena. As a result, the mind is free from attachment, thereby experiencing the emptiness taught in the Hea...
Mantra Section: Unraveling the Mantra of the Heart Sutra
“Therefore, one should know that the Prajna-Paramita (Perfection of Wisdom) is the great divine mantra…the unequalled mantra…” Is the Heart Sutra fundamentally a sutra, or is it also a mantra? Why does the Heart Sutra, which expounds the Mahāyāna doctrine of emptiness and prajna (wisdom), contain a mantra? What is the relationship between the mantra of the Heart Sutra and the teaching of emptiness in prajna? How should Buddhist practitioners regard and cultivate ...
Mantra Box: Methods for Practicing the Heart Sutra Mantra
Mantra recitation can help focus and collect the mind. In the practice of Esoteric Buddhism, the recitation of mantras has long been regarded as a skillful means for awakening wisdom. Indeed, the recitation of the Heart Sutra mantra is viewed by the Dalai Lama as "preparation for the journey toward Buddhahood." In “The Essence of the Heart Sutra”, the Dalai Lama not only elucidates the esoteric significance of the five-line mantra (Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Sv...