Alex Kerr discusses the Heart Sutra

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Culture critic Alex Kerr is interviewed by Ken Rodgers of Kyoto Journal about his 40-year passion for the Heart Sutra, which is a condensed essence of Buddhist thought.

“Finding the Heart Sutra”
Alex’s book Finding the Heart Sutra (Nov 2020) is the result of a forty year quest after the secrets of the Heart Sutra. One of the shortest of all Buddhist writings, it consists of 272 Chinese characters coming to just 56 lines. You can recite the whole thing in about one minute. And yet the Heart Sutra is thought to contain the essence of all Buddhist wisdom. The Heart Sutra’s theme is “Emptiness,” but it’s full of weird paradoxes that have fascinated sages and commentators since it first appeared around 645 AD. It has become the most popular philosophical writing in all of East Asia, with a huge effect from Tibet to Japan.

Hosted by Writers in Kyoto. Zoom managed by Lisa Wilcut.
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This was a great pleasure to do. Thanks to Writers in Kyoto. For those interested in the book, it's titled "Finding the Heart Sutra" (Allen Lane / Penguin, published Nov 26, 2020).

alexakerr
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A few years late to this but just wanted to thank everyone for putting it together - have read the book several times and this helped give it new life - and inspire further inquiry into the other books too - thank you Lisa and Alex and Ken!

adweezy
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Thank you for that - most interesting and accessible. I shall forward this link to various friends into Buddhism and / or Japan.

stewartdorward
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My first introduction to the "Heart of Sutra", I really enjoyed this, thank you all!I ordered the book, ready to dive into the Heart of Sutra.

ΜΑΡΙΑΠΑΠΑΤΖΕΛΟΥ-ιο
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Nice talk, Alex. I just ordered the book on Amazon.

PaulHoff
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Very enjoyable and will share with others. Thanks to Alex, Ken and WIK for making this happen!

kyotojoel
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Somehow I didn't catch Alex's question about Ajanta – yes, I have been there, and nearby Ellora, both superb sites. Also other rock-cut Buddhist temple "caves" in Dunhuang (Mogao and Yulin) and the 5-6th century Yungang caves outside Datong, Shanxi province. Mogao's "Library Cave" is a good example of another aspect that was mentioned — scriptures being hidden and rediscovered (in this case after around 900 years). Not sure if archaeologist Aurel Stein qualifies as a tertön, in the Tibetan tradition, but among the recovered items was the earliest dated printed book, a Diamond Sutra from 868. I have also seen "collected" wall paintings from the Bezeklik grottoes, in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.

iwakuraken
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'Rupa' the material world? Rupees-money-material world?

weaksignal
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