The Heart of Understanding

Sashin's notes

Have you heard of the Prajnaparamita Sutra?

It is considered the quintessential sutra of all of Mahayana Buddhism. Buddhists all over the world chant this regularly as a continual reminder as to what the true nature of reality is like.

"Prajna" translates to wisdom[1]. "Paramita" translates to perfection.

It is believed that simply understanding the meaning of this sutra, will bring you to a complete understanding of life itself.

Let me show you a most famous excerpt...

"Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form. Emptiness is none other than form. Form is none other than emptiness."

What do these words actually mean?

If your curiosity has been piqued, consider giving this book a read. It is the esteemed Vietnamese Monk Thich Nhat Hanh's interpretation of what is arguably one of the most popular sutras[2] in all of Buddhism.

  1. Thich Nhat Hanh prefers understanding as the translation for "Prajna". ↩︎

  2. A sutra is a piece of scripture. The term is used in both Buddhism and Hinduism. In Buddhism it is often in the form or a narrative or transcript of an oral teaching by the Buddha. ↩︎