The Heart Sutra

Paper Summary:

Thich Nhat Hanh wrote "The Heart Of Understanding" as a commentary and evaluation of the Heart Sutra in Buddhist philosophy. The paper introduces the book as a synopsis of Hanh's interpretation of what has been described as the central sutra or philosophical teaching of Zen Buddhism. There has over the centuries been much discussion on the relevance of Buddhist teaching and the meanings held within each of the sutras. The paper discusses how a great deal of emphasis has been placed on the heart sutra, or "Prajnaparamita" sutra, as described in great detail in Hanh's work. According to Hanh and other religious scholars, this sutra is "the essence" of Buddhist teaching. The paper analyzes the book and reviews it from a westerner's perspective, showing that many of the ideas in the book are difficult to grasp and understand.

From the Paper:

"Hanh encourages the reader to meditate and argues that focusing on a mantra every day will assist the reader in eventually attaining enlightenment, which is likely to happen after several years of dedicated practice and conviction. Hahn finally leaves the reader with the following recommendation: "At the beginning of each meal, look at your plate and recite, My plate is empty now, but I know that it is going to be filled with delicious food in just a moment. Then think, at this very moment, many, many people around the world are also holding a plate, but their plate is going to be empty for a long time." (Hanh, 54). In this last section of the book, Hanh is encouraging the reader to gain a broader perspective of the world, realizing that not everyone has the same luxuries such as eating a full meal, encouraging the reader to understand that everyone's perspective of a mealtime is different. He claims ultimately, that "Understanding is the fruit of meditation, the basis of everything.""

More papers on The Heart Sutra:

• Descriptive Essay # 94142 : "The "Heart Sutra"
• Essay # 49019 : "The Lotus Sutra"
• Book Review # 67319 : "The Knitting Sutra"

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