Takamaro Shigaraki is a Buddhist priest and scholar who is recognized as one of the leading Shin Buddhist thinkers in the world today. This paperback was developed out of notes of lectures he gave at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in 1990. The translator David Matsumoto states that in comparison with other forms of Buddhism, Shin Buddhism has remained "under the radar" to both the general public and the academic community in the English-speaking world. Both the author and the translator hope that Heart of the Shin Buddhist Path will familiarize more people in the West with this brand of Buddhism.

In order to be born in the Pure Land and attain enlightenment, it is necessary to call the Buddha's name with a threefold mind of sincerity, entrusting, and desire for birth. The daily intoning of "I entrust myself to Amida Buddha" enables men and women to grow in the realization of the true self. Shigaraki examines the three minds — deep mind, true mind, and mind of aspiration — and their roles in transforming our lives little by little into the life of Buddha.

In the closing chapters, the author discusses salvation as the fulfillment of desire, salvation through self-control, and salvation as the establishment of personal subjectivity. Shigaraki believes that not taking life and the pursuit of harmonious living should serve as the starting points for Buddhist ethics.