The Masters

Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra

The Maka Hannya Haramita Shingyo - often referred to as the Heart Sutra - is the most ubiquitous sutra of the Mahayana canon. It forms part of a much longer work called the Prajnaparamita Sutra - the Sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom - which was composed between 100 BCE and 500 CE. The Heart… Continue reading Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra

Book Bits

Taisen Deshimaru and the Doctrine of Emptiness

The concepts of form and emptiness - shiki and ku - as put forward in the Heart Sutra - the Hannya Shingyo - are among the most difficult ideas in Zen, especially for new students. Here, they are tackled by Taisen Deshimaru, the monk who travelled from Japan to Paris in the 1960s and eventually… Continue reading Taisen Deshimaru and the Doctrine of Emptiness