Finding the Heart Sutra
Guided by a Magician, an Art Collector and Buddhist Sages from Tibet to Japan
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- USD 10.99
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- USD 10.99
Descripción editorial
'An erudite and charming book . . . both a primer and a paean to one of the central texts of Buddhism, known as the Heart Sutra. . . Alex Kerr delves into the Japanese soul' Literary Review
The material world is itself emptiness.
Emptiness is itself the material world.
Powerful, mystical and concise, the Heart Sutra is believed to contain the condensed essence of all Buddhist wisdom. This brief poem on emptiness has exerted immense influence throughout Asia since the seventh century and is woven into the fabric of daily life. Yet even though it rivals the teachings of Laozi and Confucius in importance, this ancient Buddhist scripture remains barely known in the West.
During the many years he has spent living in Japan, Alex Kerr has been on a quest after the secrets of the Heart Sutra. Travelling from Japan, Korea, and China, to India, Mongolia, Tibet and Vietnam, this book brings together Buddhist teaching, talks with friends and mentors, and acute cultural insights to probe the universe of thought contained within this short but intense philosophical work.
'Marvellous ... a life's work ... a brilliant literary form, weaving reflections of the sutra with those on Alex's own magical mystery tour' Alexandra Munroe, Asian Art scholar and curator
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kerr (Lost Japan) delivers a meticulous and personal examination of the Heart Sutra, the influential Buddhist scripture from the seventh century CE. Kerr interprets the sutra line by line, tying its meaning to philosophical and historical discussions, and sprinkling in its connections to science and the natural world. Revered for its simplicity, Kerr writes, the Heart Sutra acts as a concentrated and elegant "primer of Buddhism" that speaks to the complex and enigmatic relationship between "emptiness" and the material world. Kerr finds the sutra's essence in the lines, "The material world does not differ from emptiness. Emptiness does not differ from the material world" and suggests that one should tack between emptiness and the material world to evade nihilism on one side and frivolity on the other. Throughout, Kerr offers academic commentary interspersed with personal anecdotes, including conversations with an American "mage," Japanese abbots, and a Tibetan monk, among others. Kerr's passion for his subject permeates his sophisticated analyses, but novices might find his granular level of scrutiny (sometimes focused "even on just one character") more than they bargained for. Still, the contemplative wisdom on offer impresses.
