Reddit reviews The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra

We found 6 Reddit comments about The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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6 Reddit comments about The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra:

u/-JoNeum42 · 4 pointsr/Buddhism

u/ReturnOfMorelaak · 2 pointsr/TumblrInAction

If you want a good start on the feeling of Buddhism from a textual level, I'd start with Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen. It's about as straightforward as you can get, covers the history and the basics of Buddhist thought and is pretty thorough.

If you are more interested in Buddhism from a personal perspective, read literally anything by Pema Chodron or Thich Nhat Hanh. Especially Thich Nhat Hanh. He is one of the leading thinkers of these times, and beautifully eloquent.

In fact if you're going to, start with The Heart of Understanding. Its short (60 pages), beautifully profound and powerfully motivating.

u/genjoconan · 1 pointr/Buddhism

Lotus Sutra: I've only read the Watson translation, which is very good, but I've also heard good things about JC Cleary's translation, although that appears to only be available as an e-book.

Heart Sutra: I have read, and recommend, Karl Brunnholzl's The Heart Attack Sutra, Red Pine's translation, and TNH's Heart of Understanding. I've also got a copy of Kaz Tanahashi's exigesis on the shelf, which people speak very highly of.

u/Nemesis0320 · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I don't want to just talk about a book that moved me, I want to talk about one that quite literally altered my personal philosophy, and how I try to view everyday life. Last year I picked up a book called "The Heart of Understanding" by Thich Nhat Hanh. It is a really, really short read that took me all of an hour to read from cover to cover. The first time I read it, I was filled with an emotion that I find so hard to put into words. I want to say happiness, but that doesn't do it justice. I suppose compassionate towards others is pretty close. This small little paperback book had me wearing a smile for the entirety of the day, and brings it back every time that I pick it back up. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have stumbled upon it, and am insistent on spreading the word about it, and the author.

Seriously, if you are ever in a low point that just won't go away, in need of a pick me up, get a copy of this book. It's not a blind faith cure-all, it will help you understand just why you are feeling what you are feeling. The answer, the remedy, comes naturally afterwards. And if not for the purpose of entering into a contest, let's at least have a conversation about this book. This applies to anybody who has read or would be interested in reading the work.

u/okwaitno · 1 pointr/Buddhism

True, it is quite advanced. Nonetheless, it represents the essence of Mahayana.

A beginner alternative might be The Heart Sutra.

u/BearJew13 · 1 pointr/Buddhism

For an excellent, concise summary of the Tibetan view of death, I recommend the Dalai Lama's Mind of Clear Light. For the Heart Sutra, I recommend the Dalai Lama's Essence of the Heart Sutra which contains an extensive commentary and overview of Buddhism. Thich Nhat Han also has a nice short commentary on the Heart Sutra, but personally, I prefer Tibetan Buddhism over Zen. The only translation I've read of the Tibetan Book of the Dead is Thurman's and I would not recommend it in general.