Heart of Perfection of Wisdom (with commentary)

Heart of Perfection of Wisdom (prajnaparamita). Best viewed in expanded mode. Glossary: bodhisattva -a being who has generated the wish for enlightenment for himself and others. Sariputra -one of the Buddha disciples to whom the sutra is given, five aggregates - the five processes that constitute a person. These are: form, sensation, intellect, motivation and consciousness. emptiness - the lack of a "self" in things and people. nirvana -liberation from suffering. Nirvana literally means "without wind" and just as when there is no wind on a lake the surface is calm and reflects everything, so when all disturbances have been extinguished the mind is "without wind"and reflects all which appears without distortions. Three times -refers to the past, present and future. The buddhas of the three times are the buddhas of the past, present and future. mantra -literally "mind protection". An incantation meant to focus the mind intensely.