Mother of the Buddhas: Meditations on the Prajnaparamita Sutra [Paperback]

Lex Hixon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1993

Lex Hixon's "contemplative expansion" of forty passages from the Prajnaparamita Sutra, the basic scripture of all schools of Mahayana Buddhism, yields a text of devotional beauty that is at once dramatic and uplifting. The text sets forth the Bodhisattva path to enlightenment. Features a foreword by renowned American Buddhist scholar Dr. Robert A. Thurman.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Quest Books (May 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0835606899
• ISBN-13: 978-0835606899
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Requires Work - But Work It, February 15, 2001

By 

Netman1 (Between Here and There) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mother of the Buddhas: Meditations on the Prajnaparamita Sutra (Paperback)

The Prajnaparamita sutra is a central text in Mahayana Buddhism and considered by some to be the foundation text.

Lex Hixon has compiled a series of selections based on the 8,000 line version of the Sutra, drawing upon his background as an academic (Ph.D. in Comparative Religions, Columbia) and as a practicing mystic (Shaikh in the Havleti-Jerrahi Sufi order).

The root message of the Sutra is non-duality - that is, there is no "me" and "you", no "object" and "observer", no "known" and no "knower".

This fundamental unity of all being leads to a universal approach to enlightenment - working for the enlightenment of all beings not just one's own.

Understanding this fundamental truth is in effect what enlightenment is about. And thus, the sobriquet, "Mother of the Buddhas" is well deserved.

The text and arguments are dense in parts. This is not a quick read, nor a book for those looking for the sixty-second guide to enlightenment.

It requires work and probably more than one reading.

Is it worth it? Yes.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I cannot recommend it highly enough, January 13, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Memphis, Tennesse, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mother of the Buddhas: Meditations on the Prajnaparamita Sutra (Paperback)

This is in many ways my favorite of all books. I cannot heap enough praise upon it. Lex Hixon has taken forty of the best segments of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra in Eight Thousand Lines and translated them into sublime and ecstatic prose, resulting in forty "meditations" that instruct and uplift. This sutra is the seminal work of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism, and is so revered that it is often depicted sitting on a flower by the left ear of some of the Holy Beings associated with wisdom, such as Manjushri, Prajnaparamita (The Mother of the Buddhas of the title, whose picture adorns the cover), and the Tibetan master Je Tsongkhapa. An old translation of the complete sutra by the late scholar Edward Conze is once again in print, but it is very poorly written, and except for its completeness it pales miserably in comparison to Mother of the Buddhas. While I so wish that Lex Hixon had translated the entire sutra, what he has done is just so exquisite that I cannot complain. Sometimes upon reading it I just want to cry, my heart is so filled to overflowing by the shear beauty of these most holy words.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Scripture, November 8, 2002

By 

rachelcat "tarotist" (University Park, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mother of the Buddhas: Meditations on the Prajnaparamita Sutra (Paperback)

Finding ones way around Buddhist scriptures can be a bit confusing. After much reading of introductions and notes in other books and many Amazon searches, I figured out that the Prajanaparamita Sutra in 8000 Lines is an older, basic precursor to the Heart Sutra. I bought the translation by Conze and began earnestly reading it. However, because of its density and quirky translation of certain terms, it is more academically inspiring than spiritually inspiring! Then I saw this book and splurged for another "translation." Don't be turned off because it is "only" a modern paraphrase. The transparency of modern language lets the true meaning of emptiness shine through and affect the way you see everything. Truly beautiful. Thank you, Bodhisattva Lex Hixon.