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The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion
by
The Diamond Sutra has fascinated Buddhists for centuries because of its insights into dualism and illusion. It 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 relati
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Paperback, 160 pages
Published
July 6th 2010
by Parallax Press
(first published April 1st 1992)
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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
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"'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 nat ...more
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 nat ...more
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.
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.
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.
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Another book I'll never stop reading!!!
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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. ...more
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. ...more
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.
Great tiny book on Diamond Sutra. Sutra itself might be confusing when reading for the first time or so, but following commentaries attempt to guide the practitioner in the right way. And these commentaries are short and concise. It is possibly a book to be reread at some point, but at the same time, there are so many great others.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
This is an essential Buddhist sutra with an insightful commentary by Thich Nhat Hanh.
07/01/2020 first reading completed. now i'm on to reading it a second time so i can grasp it more deeply.
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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 ...more
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 ...more
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.
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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 communis
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 ...more
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 ...more
The book's focus is totally on the Sutras themselves, as they ought to be. The attempt to urge us to connect to Buddha directly first, before the commentary is very welcome. That spirit, one wishes, must become more prevalent.
And, Buddha does scintillate, with his insights. I am yet to complete the book. But, just for the lucid and effective translation of the original sutras, the book is worth a lot.
Buddha's 'shunya' is one of the most misunderstood, and there would be a great temptation to gi ...more
And, Buddha does scintillate, with his insights. I am yet to complete the book. But, just for the lucid and effective translation of the original sutras, the book is worth a lot.
Buddha's 'shunya' is one of the most misunderstood, and there would be a great temptation to gi ...more
What can I say? A table is not a table, which is why the Buddha calls it a table. The commentary has a few helpful bits, but nothing much deeper than cereal-box jargon. Unfortunately, there is little in the way of structural analysis and significant repetitions of formulae are passed over as insignificant.
Jan 10, 2008
Cherie
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liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
spirituality,
non-fiction
Really high level Buddhist text (The Diamond Sutra) is explained in Thich Nhat Hanh's beautiful language; I wish I had read this before I went to the Dala Lama's lectures on emptiness. Good as a way to see and embrace life.
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I gave this three stars because Hanh's commentary seemed very generic and mostly ineffective at helping the reader comprehend the Diamond sutra's more abstruse passages. The sutra itself is fascinating but the rest was of little use (to me, at least).
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Feb 18, 2013
Ian
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Buddhist
Recommended to Ian by:
Myself
This book is an excellent exposure to the Diamond Sutra especially for the first-time reader. This classical text is supported by Thich Nhat Hanh's commentary which provides translation to the Sutra's teachings.
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Thich Nhat Hanh cuts to heart of the Diamond Sutra, using simple English and accessible metaphors to clearly explain concepts that are often confusing to (and sometimes misinterpreted by) Americans who study Buddhism. I can't recommend this book highly enough!
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This is exactly what I needed right now. I was a bit baffled by the sutra itself, but Thich Nhat Hanh always interprets and explains things in a way I can understand, and with far less repetition!
Oct 11, 2016
Serena Long ﺕ
rated it
liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
thich-nhat-hanh,
spirituality
A very high level Buddhist text. Keep in mind... 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. An essential, difficult sutra.
way beyond my ability to practice
Excellent.. Read again and again.
Accessible, easy to read commentary on the sutra. Great short sections helpful to break into brief meditations.
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.
An essential, difficult, repetitive sutra. Hanh is a good guide.
Great commentary on a mind-bending text. Absolutely worth studying, reflecting, and meditating upon.
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Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who now lives 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
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“We must lead all beings to the shore of awakening, but, after these beings have become liberated, we do not, in truth, think that a single being has been liberated.”
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“In what spirit is this explanation given? Without being caught up in signs, just according to things as they are, without agitation.”
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