The Heart of Prajna Paramita Sutra
First sentence
When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound prajna paramita, he illuminated the five skandhas and saw that they are all empty, and he crossed beyond all suffering and difficulty...
Description
The Heart Sutra is familiar to Buddhists everywhere. What makes this volume special are the standless verses composed by the late Venerable Master Hsuan Hua to annotate each section of the sutra. The verses take their name from the line of the verse of the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng that say, "The bright mirror has no stand." These standless verses, filled with the flavor of Chan meditation, delve into the deeper meanings of the sutra. The commentary of the Master, which covers both the sutra text proper and the standless verses, is rich in classic definitions of terms and concepts and sprinkled with stories and illustrations that both appeal to the people and the world of today and tomorrow.