The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Thich Nhat Hanh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1995

The Heart of the Prajaparamita Sutra is regarded as the essence of Buddhist teaching. It is recited daily in Mahayana temples and practice centers throughout the world. This cassette, The Heart of Understanding is a recording of Thich Nhat Hanh's lecture on the Heart Sutra at the Green Gulch Zen Center in Muir Beach, California on April 19, 1987.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Parallax Press (November 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938077163
• ISBN-13: 978-0938077169
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,353,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese monk, a renowned Zen master, a poet, and a peace activist. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1967, and is the author of many books, including the best-selling The Miracle of Mindfulness.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an absolute gem, January 3, 2004

By 

Rinchen Choesang "Empty Seeker" (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra (Paperback)

In a very few words, Thich Nhat Hanh puts in very simple terms what many of us struggle to come to terms with - the esoteric Dharma-teachings on emptiness. Perhaps it's the Zen-born simplicity that makes this treatise so approachable and readable.

This would be a good book for newcomers to Buddhism who hear about emptiness and hairs stand up on the back of their neck. A gentle and skilful introduction to profundity.

A must read for anyone with an interest in emptiness as applied in our conventional world.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best commentary on the Heart Sutra I have ever read, January 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra (Paperback)

He explains the sometimes frightening truths of emptiness in a manner which melts the fears away with understanding. As you read this book, you can feel how much the author wants the reader to understand the text and how much he wants to benefit the reader. It's so easy to just allow your mind to relax and rest on the Sutra as you read through it. Very enjoyable and highly recommended.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible wisdom made accessible., June 29, 2002

By 

N. McGrath "sophist" (MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra (Paperback)

Thich Nhat Hanh sheds light on this superb Buddhist text. The paradoxical language of the scripture is important to convey the illusory qualities of emptiness and individual existence. Unfortunately this language makes it extremely difficult to understand. Hanh takes this esoteric teaching and explains it to a child. I recommend any of his sutra translations and commentaries.