The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Diamond Sutra

by Thich Nhat Hanh, Anh Huong Nguyen (Translator)

The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusions presents a dialogue between the Buddha and his disciple Subhuti which illuminates how our minds construct limited categories of thought. It offers us alternative ways to look at the world in its wholeness so we can encounter a deeper reality; develop reverence for the environment and more harmonious communities, families, and relationships; and act in the world skillfully and effectively.

Genres: Buddhism, Religion, Spirituality, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Zen, Self Help

120 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1992

About the author

Thích Nhất Hạnh was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who then lived in southwest France where he was in exile for many years. Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Thích Nhất Hạnh joined a Zen (Vietnamese: Thiền) monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name Thích Nhất Hạnh. Thích is an honorary family name used by all Vietnamese monks and nuns, meaning that they are part of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan. He was often considered the most influential living figure in the lineage of Lâm Tế (Vietnamese Rinzai) Thiền, and perhaps also in Zen Buddhism as a whole.

Reviews

[Catie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"'All composed things are like a dream,
a phantom, a drop of dew, a flash of lightning.
That is how to meditate on them.
That is how to observe them.'"

"In the dialectics of prajnaparamita, there are three stages: (1) A rose is (2) not a rose, therefore (3) it is a rose. The third rose is very different from the first. The notion "empty of emptiness" (shunyata) in the teaching of prajnaparamita aims at helping us be free from the concept of emptiness."

"We cannot make any statement about the true nature of reality. Words and ideas can never convey reality. This passage of the sutra describes the indescribable nature of all things. If we base our understanding of reality on our concepts of particles, atoms, or composites we are stuck. We must go beyond all concepts if we want to be in touch with the true nature of things."

"All concepts co-arise and are empty of a separate self."

"When we look deeply, we can see that the shortcomings of others are no different than the shortcomings in ourselves and we can respond in a skillful and compassionate way."

[Hardcover Hearts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book on the same vacation that I read The Alchemist. This book is a direct opposite of that smarmy book. Thich Nhat Hanhn helps to unravel the Diamond Sutra, which is the Buddhist lesson on emptiness. While the lessons on impermanence were easy to grasp, the concept of emptiness has always been more difficult for me, but his style and approach made this much more accessible for me. The first part is the actual translation, and the second is where he pulls it apart and you can get the commentary of a true master and poet.

I plan on reading this book every few years.

[Nguyễn Minh Hiếu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tất cả thế gian pháp đều là Phật pháp!
Bản thân là một người đọc nhiều và luôn có dục vọng đi đến tận cùng mọi câu hỏi của tri thức, nó được gọi là gì? nó tại sao sinh ra? nó vận hành thế nào? Nhưng càng biết nhiều càng thấy mình không biết đủ, như người bơi ngoài biển lớn vậy.
Đọc lại Kinh Kim Cương - một kinh văn xuất hiện có lẽ là sớm nhất trong văn học Bát Nhã, càng thấm thía bao nhiêu năm mình chỉ chạy theo các khái niệm, các pháp hữu vi, như hoa trong gương, trăng dưới nước. Lấy cái sinh mệnh hữu hạn để theo đuổi vô hạn thế gian pháp...
Cùng với sự diễn giải của Thầy, tôi dần buông bỏ được sự cố chấp và tập nghiên cứu lẫn thực hành theo một hướng khác, tập lấy cái vô vi để thử dung hội những cái hữu vi, xem liệu có được chăng?

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those elements that seems to resonate across religions is Wisdom. What is Wisdom? I think, when one is honest with oneself, the first thing that comes to mind in ineffability.

Thus shall we think of all this fleeting world:
A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading The Other Shore, and learning the existence of this Sutra, I knew I had to read this. Although the main concepts between the two are very much the same, it is also... different. I feel that the Diamond Sutra is a lot more difficult to grasp. I am determined, however, to learn it again when I finally get my hands on the paperback.

I've highlighted so many quotes from this book that I know are essential to the teaching. Once I return this book to the library, all of it will disappear. But I really do want to keep this paragraph at heart:

Clouds are oceans; oceans are clouds. Clouds do not exist independently of oceans, and vice versa. ... In our thoughts, the moon may be full or new, bright or dim, present or not present, but the moon itself has none of those characteristics. The moon is just the moon. All objects of the mind are equal.

[Sam Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Diamond Sutra is not for those just starting out with Buddhism and neither is Thích Nhất Hạnh's commentary on it. That said, it's one of the most straightforward and elucidating treatments of it. Just be ready for something that's closer to a scholarly work than a friendly novel, but definitely worth the effort to read it.

[Le Dat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tôi viết review nhưng sau khi nhấn ⭐rating thì đã mất review, do đó tôi không thể viết lại review như trước. Đức Phật cũng khuyên nên cho qua, hỷ xả.

[Matthew Vallely · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautifully written as always from Thich Nhat Kahn. Unfortunately, my low rating was less a reflection of his writing and articulation, and more of the fact that I do not think i’m ready to be able to conceptualize the intricacies of this teaching on the Diamond Sutra. As Thich even acknowledged, the words of this sutra can be misleading and are not expressed in a way that we can easily make sense of. I intend to revisit this explanation of the Diamond Sutra at a later time when I am in a better position to make sense of its teachings.

[Quang Nguyen Dinh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lần đầu thực sự đọc kinh Phật, đọc trước phần Kinh văn thấy không sao lĩnh hội được, không hiểu Phật đang giảng cái gì luôn. Đọc phần giảng của thầy Nhất Hạnh mới bắt đầu thấy sự "vi diệu" ở trong đó. Càng đọc càng thấy câu "tam giáo đồng nguyên" không phải là câu nói cho vui. Tất nhiên cái giảng của thầy Nhất Hạnh chưa chắc giống cái giảng của thầy khác, nhưng cũng là một lối mở ra để đào sâu thêm, lúc đầu mà không có người hướng dẫn có lẽ khó mà đi cho đúng đường, e lại quẩn quanh mãi trong đống ngôn từ khó hiểu.

[rey]

Your friends have just taken you out dancing.

You’re self-conscious. Your mind is clouded by the concept I am dancing, but—as we all know—anyone who thinks in order to dance is not really dancing.

Your friend—by means of a well-placed compliment or a shot of liquid courage—gives you the gift of non-fear. You start to enjoy yourself.

The concept I am dancing falls away. There is no longer an I dancing. There is just dancing.

—————————————————————————————

But, Rey, you haven’t reviewed the Diamond Sutra!

I know, but I had to call this something.

[DROPPING OUT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book I'll never stop reading!!!

[Rune · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion is one of the most fundamental sutras in the Buddhist canon, yet it is profound and so requires the sharp insight of a master to explore and discover.

[Justin Weigl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

This book is a great translation and explanation of the Sutra. I would recommend this book to anyone willing to change the way they see the world.

[David K. Glidden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an essential Buddhist sutra with an insightful commentary by Thich Nhat Hanh.

[Joel West · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book over and over on a regular basis. Too many layers to get into while typing with my thumbs. Want to begin to understand Buddhism? Start here.

[Niklas Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most clarifying commentaries I have ever read are by Thich Nhat Hanh. He has a way of relating everything to the modern experience, but not too pandering to childish explanations. His comments have shed a lot of light on the dense Diamond sutra. I highly recommend this book for anyone reading the Diamond sutra for the first time, or the hundredth time.

[dammydoc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il commento al Sutra del Diamante, fondamento del canone buddhista Mahayana, di Thich Nhat Hanh rende accessibile anche a chi sia imbevuto del dualismo tipico del pensiero occidentale il concetto della vacuità buddhista.

“Tutti i fenomeni composti sono come un sogno,
un fantasma, una goccia di rugiada, la luce di un lampo.
Ecco come meditare sui fenomeni,
Ecco come osservarli”

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The commentary was good up to 60% of the book, but after that, it felt really repetitive and so it was hard to continue reading. Read 70-80 pages and leave the book after because there's no more juice to squeeze out after that

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is going to take time to digest, but I do think I'll be coming back to it again. I liked the commentary more than the sutra itself.

[Kerrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book. Thich Nhat Hanh has a wonderful ability to break complex ideas down and allow you see the truth of them for yourself.

[Sokcheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

07/01/2020 first reading completed. now i'm on to reading it a second time so i can grasp it more deeply.

[Pro Mukherjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading this jewel, I am becoming aware of how I have changed since my first time - and the transformative nature of this teaching.

[Angelica Cervantes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot of new things as I wasn’t very knowledgeable about Buddhism. However those with better initial context and knowledge would probably take away more.

[Valentín Serrano García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and simple to grasp.
But I would recommend, instead, to read the Heart Sutra translation and comments. More depth and insightfull

[Calum Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tricky sutra to grasp but the commentary is excellent.

[Dinh An · Rating 5 out of 5]

đọc xong kinh có cảm giác tỉnh táo đến lạ thường.
phép biện chứng Bát Nhã, và kinh này không phải là thứ có thể đọc, học một lần là xong. Mỗi lần đọc lại, học lại sẽ khám phá thêm nhiều điều thú vị.

[Joshua Buhs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not equipped to really review this book.

I'll do my best.

The book is a commentary on the Buddhs's teaching called "The Diamond that Cuts Through Illusion." Thich Nhãt Hanh (Thay, for those in the know) is a Vietnamese monk who now lives at a retreat in France called Plum Village Famously, Martin Luther King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, although he has not won. He has written many books and a lot of poetry. He was actively involved in attempts to protest the Vietnam War, including as a confidante of those monks and nuns who self-immolated.

The DTCTI is one of the key sutras given by the Buddha, although it does not always seem . . . clear . . . to modern readers. Hence, these commentaries. But note, these are not scholarly. I expected a little bit more historical context and explanation (why does the disciple approach the Buddha by baring his right shoulder? Who knows!) and maybe a little more engagement with its intellectual history--uh, what's up with past lives? Thay cites a few sources but it is never clear how these help to make sense of the sutra. (For example: "According to such-and-such school of Buddhism . . ." But why should I listen to that school as compared to another.)

Like many of the most prominent interpreters of Buddhism to the West--Pema Chodron, Trungpa Chogyam--Thay is interested in translating seemingly abstract ideas into practical advice for everyday life. Still, while he is better at this than explaining the historically-situated meaning of these ideas, there is still a disconnect, and it never is quite clear how ideas of non-self and non-attachment can be translated into political or social action.

Enough of the troubles. The book is still worth a perusal. It's short, and, at the best of times, can flip perspective enough to make everything seem a little different.

According to Thay, the key sentence in the sutra is, "When innumerable, immeasurable infinite beings become liberated, we do not think that a single being has been liberated." This seems like a paradox, but it is not. One must understand it according tot he peculiar dialectical rules of the genre. (That's my inner scholar translating Thay.) Beings to become liberated--but the advanced Buddhist practitioner does not think of tit that way--because he or she already knows that individuals are not things. Everything is composed of everything else. In Thay's favored analogy, a rose is not a rose, but is made up of soil and water and sun. When we see a rose as a rose, we are trapped by perceptions. When we see it as composed of other things, we are letting those perceptions go. So although we should act to make everything liberated, we should not force the issue, not praise ourselves for doing so (there is no ourselveS: we are all interconnected).

But there can be problems with this way of thinking too, some of which Thay himself seems to slip into: superciliousness and pity. If we look at a jerky person and try to forgive him because of his, say, bad upbringing, we are reducing him, and also risk slipping from compassion into pity: poor bugger, if he only had it better, like me, he'd be better, like me. I'm not sure how to solve this problem, at least not from the text here.

There is also more to the dialectic. After one realizes that a thing is not a thing, but is composed of other things, the next step is then to treat it, again, like a thing. Non-self and non-attachment should not get int he way of communication, but should make it richer. First there was a mountain, then there was no mountain, then there was a mountain. The ideas are rafts for getting through difficult thought problems, but once on the other side, should be abandoned (96, 117).

There is also the difficulty--threat--(on page 134) that in running too fast from one set of concepts--self and attachment--we will reify its opposite, nonself and nonattachment, ironically making those the core of ourselves, becoming attached to them.

Much of the rest of the sutra is spent congratulating itself--if only people could see the world this way, everything would be better, even moresoe than if everyone were rich.

[Calysto du Masque · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thich Nhat Hanh (Hereafter venerated as Thiền Sư Nhất Hạnh) is perhaps the most prolific and accomplished Zen Master of modern times. This is all the more remarkable because Thiền Sư Nhất Hạnh is Vietnamese.

South-East Asia is predominately Theravadan; a Buddhist path far removed from the sect he has risen to great prominence in. Regrettably, the region has also suffered greatly from religious oppression at the hands of communist autocrats for decades.

Thiền Sư Nhất Hạnh has risen above all these challenges and, largely in exile, has combined traditional Zen wisdom with certain methodologies found in Theravadan Buddhism, Western Psychology, and greater Mahayana in general.

These credentials make him the perfect choice for teaching The Diamond Cutter Sutra. This, along with The Heart Sutra forms the core of Zen Buddhist dogma.

[Abe Something · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Diamond Sutra itself deserves 5 stars. Everyone should read it. This was the 4th time I had read the sutra, and I found it to be the clearest it had ever been. Either I was more receptive, or I had become accustomed to the strange way questions are asked and answered within, either way I came away with more clarity than I had in previous meetings with this work.

In a Kerouac book, maybe the Dharma Bums, or maybe I read this in book of koans, who knows, I once read that when one starts on the path to enlightenment they can see the mountains, as they make progress they realize they do not see mountains, or they see the mountains as upside down, when they have attained enlightenment they can see the mountains again as they always were. This finally makes sense to me. I never thought it would.

I am giving the book 3 stars because I found the commentaries to be lacking. They didn't provide me with any insight I hadn't gotten from my own close and careful reading of the text. I can see where these notes would be helpful to someone who isn't a strong reader, or is thrown by an introduction to an alien concept, but I don't think the commentaries were as insightful as they could have been. Maybe I just have high standards for extraneous materials after having read so many Norton Critical Editions :)

[Toan Huynh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nhân ngày tiếp nối sư ông Thích Nhất Hạnh ở Trạm Nhiên Buôn Mê Thuột, tôi có dịp được đọc lại Kim Kim Cương qua lời dịch của thầy Nhất Hạnh. So với một bản dịch khác tôi đã đọc cách đây mười lăm năm, bản dịch của thầy việt ròng hơn. Nơi nào có thể dùng tiếng Việt mà không cần dùng hán việt, thầy dùng tiếng Việt. Chỗ nào có thể dùng hán việt mà không cần dùng âm phạn, thầy dùng từ hán việt. Thành ra kinh văn dễ đọc dễ hiểu, mà cũng có chút xa lạ với người quen đọc kinh văn âm hán việt như tôi.

Ngoài hai mươi lăm trang kinh, phần còn lại là phần chú giải của sư ông. Mỗi người lĩnh ngộ kinh nghĩa có thể có phần khác nhau. Phần diễn giải của sư ông có thêm những kiến thức mà ông đọc hay trải qua trong đời. Ngoài kinh văn thì nó là những đoạn hay ho nên đọc để hiểu sâu hơn về phật giáo hiện đại trường phái Thích Nhất Hạnh.

Quay lại kinh Kim Cương, bộ kinh được sư ông đánh giá là kinh điển cốt tuỷ của thiền tập, chứa những tư tưởng căn bản: chúng sinh vô ngã, chư pháp vô vi, và hướng dẫn người hành thiền phát tâm vô sở trụ, tâm thức không nương tựa vào gì cả.


Như sao đêm, như mắt loạn, như ngọn đèn, như huyễn thuật, như sương mai, như bọt nước, như cơn mộng, như ánh chớp, như đám mây — những gì hữu vi nên được quán chiếu như vậy

https://t0an.blogspot.com/2020/10/kin...