Reviews

Lex's translation of the Prajnaparamita Sutras is wonderful. From my own knowledge of the Mahayana tradition, I can attest that Lex in no way interprets the text so as to distort it or to make it less than accurate. Rather, he takes the technical concepts and translates them into language that can reach a large number of people.

I give this text my highest recommendation. The British scholar Edward Conze has been translating the Prajnaparamita Sutras for 40 years, yet only scholars read his text. Lex phrases the concepts in a way people can hear with empathy and an undeniable spiritual quality. He makes these teachings available without diluting or violating their spirit. This book is much needed."

–Ken Wilber, author of
The Spectrum of Consciousness,
The Atman Project, Grace & Grit


"The jewel of this year's [Buddha's birthday] season, however, at least for most American readers, is Lex Hixon's Mother of the Buddhas published by Quest Books. The vibrancy of Hixon's language mixes with the simplicity of Sutra structure to create a book of great charm and sympathy."

–Publisher's Weekly


"Lex Hixon's book, in its daring extravagance and mystical passion, will bring any seeker from any tradition– if they allow themselves the luxury of expanding into the effortless space that Hixon and the Goddess of Wisdom open for them– into a more profound relationship with the Absolute."

–Andrew Harvey, author of
Hidden Journey


“Prajnaparamita is enlightened wisdom.
"When it takes the form of a Being, it is Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom; when it takes the form of Dharma, it is the Prajnaparamita, Sutra; when it takes the form of Dharmadhatu, it is the mother of all the enlightened.
"Once Gandhi-ji described his dream of India as being like a beautiful home, providing spiritual and material growth, where the fresh air of all cultures and religions freely flows. Lex Hixon's approach reminds me of this dream."

–Gelek Rinpoche



From his Foreword:

"Hixon has approached the text with reverence, as a scholarly intellectual and a spiritual practitioner. He has allowed the Mother of Buddhas herself to speak through him. And she has done so, with eloquence and beauty."

–Robert A. F. Thurman, Jay Tsong
Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Studies,
Columbia University


"Mother of the Buddhas: Meditation on the Prajnaparamila Sutra provides an accessible entry into a subject which is often presented in huge daunting volumes. Lex Hixon's treatment of unspeakably profound teachings brings the reader toward and possibly into a nonverbal experience which is the Mother of the Buddhas.

Tsultrim Allione, author, Women of Wisdom


"At the very moment in history when Christians discover in 'Lady Wisdom' thc neglected feminine principle of their tradition, Lcx Hixon presents to western readers 'Perfect Wisdom' as the feminine principle in Mahayana Buddhism. A remarkable coincidence and a most timely one.
"Mother of the Buddhas reveals common ground at the very heart of the Buddhist and the Christian tradition. More important still, the book points to that feminine fullness which, for both Buddhists and Christians alike, is pregnant with promise for an otherwise barren future.

–Brother David Steindl-Rast, author, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer



"Charming and stimulating book. Lcx's enthusiasm for spiritual awakening in himself and others shows clearly."

–Tara Dadak, Executive Director,
Tibetan Awareness Foundation of Minnesota


"Lex Hixon’s Mother of the Buddhas has made a great clarification of the Prajnapararmita as well as a precise essence message on the True Nature teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni. He has opened the door widely and brought the English-speaking world one step closer to the deeper meaning of the Prajnaparamita.

–Ven. Khenpo Palden Sberab Rinpoche
Director, NY Padmasambhava Buddhist Center



"Mother of the Buddhas: Meditation on the Prajnaparamita Sutra shines as a great contribution towards the awakening of our innate wisdom. Hixon is able to speak the unspeakable with clarity and conviction. He addresses his subject with an enlightened intelligence and a respect for the boddhisattva path."

–Anne Bancroft, author, Zen, Direct Pointing to Reality



"Spiritual texts are almost exclusively written by men, which means they lack the more devotional perception of a woman. There is no question that discipline has to be balanced with devotion and love for the Divine. Lex Hixon has the rare gift of approaching the Mother of the Buddhas in a way that is instructional and at the same time greatly inspirational. There is a wonderful devotional tone to the book.
“I bought a copy to give to some friends who were so much in the power of their intellects that the Mother of the Buddhas was the antidote needed to bring head and heart together.
"Academic works have their place for other academics. But to awaken people to the depths and beauty that can be found, one has to turn to other sources for something that stays in one's life, that touches the heart, and increases the longing for the Divine. Knowledge is not rare, but wisdom is. Lex Hixon comes through as a devotee and ambassador of the Most High."

–Swami Sivananda Radha, author,
Radha: Diary of a Woman's Search
Spiritual Director, Yasodhara Ashram



I read Lex's meditations on the Mother of the Buddhas with both joy and wonderment. The words felt like plum blossom buds opening one after the other. And yet, from beginning to end, one tree stood exposed."

–Bernard Tetsugen Glassman, Sensei
Director, Zen Community of NY
Founder & Pres., Greyston Foundation



"Lex Hixon's did Lex Hixon's beginning masterfully,

to not

nothingness ... radiant vivid Heart Prajnaparamita –

present

astounding,


intention meditations.





–Jackson Mac Low, poet




"Hixon's translation is eminently readable and enjoyable. He shows a masterly command of the subject matter and has produced a rendition which is both true to the traditional textual material and at the same time user-friendly. The fact that Hixon is himself a spiritual practitioner, rather than merely an intellectually distanced scholar, affords his translation the clarity and lightness needed to make it come alive in the mind of the reader.

"My own teacher, Kyabje Palden Sherab Rimpoche, who for many years held the most respected position of head of Higher Tibetan Studies at Varanasi Sanskrit University in India, asserts that the 8,000 line redaction of the Prajnaparamita-sutra, which is the subject matter of Lcx Hixon's translation, is unquestionably the single most valuable text in the extended Sutra collection of Buddhism. The reading of this text should therefore be essential for the Western student who wishes to grasp a true understanding of Tibetan Buddhism."

–Kunzang Palden She-rab-chen, the Kunpal Rimpoche,
San Francisco Padmasambhava Buddhist Center



"Lex has listened well to the ancient encoding -- what I call the "Wise Woman Tradition" -- and has sung her song in away that awakens the ancient wisdom in each of us. My deepest thanks."

--Susun Weed, author, Healing Wise
Director, Wise Woman Center


"Enlightening and enchanting in many ways, a great spiritual and intellectual experience."

--Professor Talat S. Halman
New York University, Dept. of Near Eastern Languages and Literatures


"Hixon has produced fine anthologies and commentaries on the Qur'an and Hindu works in the past. In this selection he has made accessible the important Wisdom tradition of the Buddhist again with deft selection and pertinent commentary which reaches to the universal core of this tradition."

“Rating: Excellent, General"
–The Reader's Review



"Teacher and poet Lex Hixon now opens up the mystery of the Heart Sutra for all to enter."

–Joan Halifax, Buddhist teacher, anthropologist,
author of The Fruitful Darkness



"A most accessible handle on the Prajnaparamita that will stand the test of foreseeable time, I am sure."

–Robert Aitken, Roshi, author, Taking the Path of Zen