Understanding the nature of reality is the key to liberation. The Buddha's teachings on emptiness can lead us to this understanding-and the Heart Sutra, the most concise of the Perfection of Wisdom sutras, contains the essence of these teachings. This short gem of a book shows how distorted perceptions and disturbing emotions arising from our misunderstanding of reality an be completely uprooted, resulting in freedom from suffering. The author's long experience in teaching Western students at the Dalai Lama's Library of Tibetan Works and Archives makes the Heart Sutra an ideal introduction for westerners to this imprint subject.

Heart Sutra, Geshe Sonam Rinchen & Ruth Sonam, translator / editor, Snow Lion Publications, Paperback, 127 pp. $14.95

Sonam Rinchen teaches Buddhist philosophy and practice at the Library of TibetanWorks and Archives.

Ruth Sonam was raised in Ireland and graduated from Oxford University with an M.A. in Modern Languages. She began studying with Geshe Sonam Rinchen in 1978 and has worked as his interpreter since 1983.

Introduction	1
The Perfection of Wisdom Sutras	11
The Heart Sutra	17
The Prologue	27
The Question	35
Form Is Empty	43
The Eight Aspects	51
No Conventional Phenomena	55
The Mantra	69
The Conclusion and Colophon	83
The Root Text: The Heart Sutra	89
The Tibetan Text	95
Notes	99
Source Readings	127