Finding the Heart Sutra

February 7, 2022
Kerr (Lost Japan) delivers a meticulous and personal examination of the Heart Sutra, the influential Buddhist scripture from the seventh century CE. Kerr interprets the sutra line by line, tying its meaning to philosophical and historical discussions, and sprinkling in its connections to science and the natural world. Revered for its simplicity, Kerr writes, the Heart Sutra acts as a concentrated and elegant “primer of Buddhism” that speaks to the complex and enigmatic relationship between “emptiness” and the material world. Kerr finds the sutra’s essence in the lines, “The material world does not differ from emptiness. Emptiness does not differ from the material world” and suggests that one should tack between emptiness and the material world to evade nihilism on one side and frivolity on the other. Throughout, Kerr offers academic commentary interspersed with personal anecdotes, including conversations with an American “mage,” Japanese abbots, and a Tibetan monk, among others. Kerr’s passion for his subject permeates his sophisticated analyses, but novices might find his granular level of scrutiny (sometimes focused “even on just one character”) more than they bargained for. Still, the contemplative wisdom on offer impresses.