According to Reginald Ray,
The Sanskrit Buddhist term vipashyana , is composed of two parts: pashyana indicates “seeing” while the prefix vi- adds the meaning of “extraordinary.” Vipashyana means “to see things in an extraordinary way” – not as we think they are or want them to be but “as they truly are in and of themselves.” Vipashyana is thus the liberative insight that marks awakening and the sine qua non of enlightenment. In this sense, it is equivalent to prajna, the penetrating and immaculate experience of seeing things as they truly are (yathabhutam).
Edward Conze recommends intent gazing (vipashyana) on the written sanskrit letters of the heart sutra mantra to help encourage the constant presence of the mantra in your mind. In his book, Buddhist Wisdom, he has an illustration of this inspired by a woodblock print.
This is my rendition:
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.