philosophy reading question

In §6 of Part Two of his Commentary on the Diamond Sutra, Thich Nhat Hanh describes the “dialectics of prajñaparamita,” using the example of a rose (p. 67; p.102 on the pdf).

“When the Buddha sees a rose,” Hanh writes,” the rose he sees is a miracle. It is the rose of true being. The rose that you and I see may be one of being, still full of conceptualizations” (p.67.102 on the pdf).

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Explain what Hanh means when he says that the Buddha sees “the rose of true being” (in other words, explain the “dialectics of prajñaparamita; and note what Hanh says at the end of the paragraph in which the quote is found: “True emptiness is true being”).

Please write at least one full page.

Table

of Contents

Title Page

WELCOME

THE VAJRACCHEDIKA PRAJÑAPARAMITA SUTRA

COMMENTARIES

PART ONE –

THE DIALECTICS OF
PRAJÑAPARAMITA

Chapter 1 – THE SETTING

Chapter 2 – SUBHUTI’S QUESTION

Chapter 3 – THE FIRST FLASH OF LIGHTNING

Chapter 4 – THE GREATEST GIFT

Chapter 5 – SIGNLESSNESS

PART TWO –

THE LANGUAGE OF
NONATTACHMENT

Chapter 6 – A ROSE IS NOT A ROSE

Chapter 7 – ENTERING THE OCEAN OF REALITY

Chapter 8 – NONATTACHMENT

PART THREE – THE ANSWER IS IN
THE QUESTION

Chapter 9 – DWELLING IN PEACE

Chapter 10 –

CREATING A FORMLESS PURE
LAND

Chapter 11 – THE SAND IN THE GANGES

Chapter 12 – EVERY LAND IS A HOLY LAND

Chapter 13 –

THE DIAMOND THAT CUTS
THROUGH ILLUSION

Chapter 14 – ABIDING IN NON-ABIDING

Chapter 15 – GREAT DETERMINATION

Chapter 16 – THE LAST EPOCH

Chapter 17 – THE ANSWER IS IN THE QUESTION

PART FOUR – MOUNTAINS AND
RIVERS ARE OUR OWN BODY

Chapter 18 –

REALITY IS A STEADILY FLOWING
STREAM

Chapter 19 – GREAT HAPPINESS

Chapter 20 – THIRTY-TWO MARKS

Chapter 21 – INSIGHT-LIFE

Chapter 22 – THE SUNFLOWER

Chapter 23 – THE MOON IS JUST THE MOON

Chapter 24 – THE MOST VIRTUOUS ACT

Chapter 25 – ORGANIC LOVE

Chapter 26 – A BASKET FILLED WITH WORDS

Chapter 27 – NOT CUT OFF FROM LIFE

Chapter 28 – VIRTUE AND HAPPINESS

Chapter 29 – NEITHER COMING NOR GOING

Chapter 30 –

THE INDESCRIBABLE NATURE OF
ALL THINGS

Chapter 31 –

TORTOISE HAIR AND RABBIT
HORNS

Chapter 32 – TEACHING THE DHARMA

CONCLUSION

WELCOME

BROTHERS AND SISTERS, please read The Diamond
That Cuts through Illusion with a serene mind, a mind
free from views. It’s the basic sutra for the practice of
meditation. Late at night, it’s a pleasure to recite the
Diamond Sutra alone, in complete silence. The sutra is
so deep and wonderful. It has its own language. The
first Western scholars who obtained the text thought it
was talking nonsense. Its language seems mysterious,
but when you look deeply, you can understand.

Don’t rush into the commentaries or you may be
unduly influenced by them. Please read the sutra first.
You may see things that no commentator has seen. You
can read as if you were chanting, using your clear body
and mind to be in touch with the words. Try to

understand the sutra from your own experiences and
your own suffering. It is helpful to ask, “Do these
teachings of the Buddha have anything to do with my
daily life?” Abstract ideas can be beautiful, but if they
have nothing to do with our life, of what use are they?
So please ask, “Do the words have anything to do with
eating a meal, drinking tea, cutting wood, or carrying
water?”

The sutra’s full name is The Diamond That Cuts
through Illusion, Vajracchedika Prajñaparamita in
Sanskrit. Vajracchedika means “the diamond that cuts
through afflictions, ignorance, delusion, or illusion.” In
China and Vietnam, people generally call it the Diamond
Sutra, emphasizing the word “diamond,” but, in fact,
the phrase “cutting through” is the most important.
Prajñaparamita means “perfection of wisdom,”
“transcendent understanding,” or “the understanding
that brings us across the ocean of suffering to the other
shore.” Studying and practicing this sutra can help us
cut through ignorance and wrong views and transcend
them, transporting ourselves to the shore of liberation.

THE VAJRACCHEDIKA
PRAJÑAPARAMITA SUTRA

THE VAJRACCHEDIKA PRAJÑAPARAMITA
SUTRA

This is what I heard one time when the Buddha was
staying in the monastery in Anathapindika’s park in the
Jeta Grove near Shravasti with a community of 1,250
bhikshus, fully ordained monks.

That day, when it was time to make the round for

alms, the Buddha put on his sanghati robe and, holding
his bowl, went into the city of Shravasti to seek alms
food, going from house to house. When the almsround
was completed, he returned to the monastery to eat the
midday meal. Then he put away his sanghati robe and
his bowl, washed his feet, arranged his cushion, and sat
down.

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti stood up, bared his
right shoulder, put his knee on the ground, and, folding
his palms respectfully, said to the Buddha, “World-
Honored One, it is rare to find someone like you. You
always support and show special confidence in the
bodhisattvas.

“World-Honored One, if sons and daughters of good
families want to give rise to the highest, most fulfilled,
awakened mind, what should they rely on and what
should they do to master their thinking?”

The Buddha replied, “Well said, Subhuti! What you
have said is absolutely correct. The Tathagata always
supports and shows special confidence in the
bodhisattvas. Please listen with all of your attention and
the Tathagata will respond to your question. If
daughters and sons of good families want to give rise to
the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind, they should
rely on the following and master their thinking in the
following way.”

The Venerable Subhuti said, “Lord, we are so happy

to hear your teachings.”

The Buddha said to Subhuti, “This is how the
bodhisattva mahasattvas master their thinking. However
many species of living beings there are—whether born
from eggs, from the womb, from moisture, or
spontaneously; whether they have form or do not have
form; whether they have perceptions or do not have
perceptions; or whether it cannot be said of them that
they have perceptions or that they do not have
perceptions, we must lead all these beings to the
ultimate nirvana so that they can be liberated. And
when this innumerable, immeasurable, infinite number
of beings has become liberated, we do not, in truth,
think that a single being has been liberated.

“Why is this so? If, Subhuti, a bodhisattva holds on
to the idea that a self, a person, a living being, or a life
span exists, that person is not an authentic
bodhisattva.”

“Moreover, Subhuti, when a bodhisattva practices
generosity, he does not rely on any object—that is to
say he does not rely on any form, sound, smell, taste,
tactile object, or dharma—to practice generosity. That,
Subhuti, is the spirit in which a bodhisattva should
practice generosity, not relying on signs. Why? If a
bodhisattva practices generosity without relying on
signs, the happiness that results cannot be conceived of
or measured. Subhuti, do you think that the space in the
Eastern Quarter can be measured?”

“No, World-Honored One.”
“Subhuti, can space in the Western, Southern, and

Northern Quarters, above and below be measured?”

“No, World-Honored One.”
“Subhuti, if a bodhisattva does not rely on any

concept when practicing generosity, then the happiness
that results from that virtuous act is as great as space. It
cannot be measured. Subhuti, the bodhisattvas should
let their minds dwell in the teachings I have just given.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? Is it possible to grasp the
Tathagata by means of bodily signs?”

“No, World-Honored One. When the Tathagata
speaks of bodily signs, there are no signs being talked
about.”

The Buddha said to Subhuti, “In a place where there
is something that can be distinguished by signs, in that
place there is deception. If you can see the signless
nature of signs, then you can see the Tathagata.”

The Venerable Subhuti said to the Buddha, “In times to
come, will there be people who, when they hear these
teachings, have real faith and confidence in them?”

The Buddha replied, “Do not speak that way,
Subhuti. Five hundred years after the Tathagata has
passed away, there will still be people who enjoy the
happiness that comes from observing the precepts.
When such people hear these words, they will have
faith and confidence that here is the truth. We should
know that such people have sown seeds not only during
the lifetime of one Buddha, or even two, three, four, or
five Buddhas, but have, in truth, planted wholesome
seeds during the lifetimes of tens of thousands of
Buddhas. Anyone who, for only a second, gives rise to
a pure and clear confidence upon hearing these words of
the Tathagata, the Tathagata sees and knows that
person, and he or she will attain immeasurable
happiness because of this understanding. Why?

“Because that kind of person is not caught up in the
idea of a self, a person, a living being, or a life span.

They are not caught up in the idea of a dharma or the
idea of a non-dharma. They are not caught up in the
notion that this is a sign and that is not a sign. Why? If
you are caught up in the idea of a dharma, you are also
caught up in the ideas of a self, a person, a living being,
and a life span. If you are caught up in the idea that
there is no dharma, you are still caught up in the ideas
of a self, a person, a living being, and a life span. That is
why we should not get caught up in dharmas or in the
idea that dharmas do not exist. This is the hidden
meaning when the Tathagata says, ‘Bhikshus, you
should know that all of the teachings I give to you are a
raft.’ All teachings must be abandoned, not to mention
non-teachings.”

“What do you think, Subhuti, has the Tathagata arrived
at the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind? Does the
Tathagata give any teaching?”

The Venerable Subhuti replied, “As far as I have
understood the Lord Buddha’s teachings, there is no
independently existing object of mind called the highest,
most fulfilled, awakened mind, nor is there any
independently existing teaching that the Tathagata gives.
Why? The teachings that the Tathagata has realized and
spoken of cannot be conceived of as separate,
independent existences and therefore cannot be
described. The Tathagata’s teaching is not self-existent
nor is it nonself-existent. Why? Because the noble
teachers are only distinguished from others in terms of
the unconditioned.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? If someone were to fill
the 3,000 chiliocosms with the seven precious treasures
as an act of generosity, would that person bring much
happiness by this virtuous act?”

The Venerable Subhuti replied, “Yes, World-Honored
One. It is because the very natures of virtue and
happiness are not virtue and happiness that the
Tathagata is able to speak about virtue and happiness.”

The Buddha said, “On the other hand, if there is
someone who accepts these teachings and puts them
into practice, even if only a gatha of four lines, and
explains them to someone else, the happiness brought
about by this virtuous act far exceeds the happiness
brought about by giving the seven precious treasures.
Why? Because, Subhuti, all Buddhas and the dharma of
the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind of all
Buddhas arise from these teachings. Subhuti, what is
called Buddhadharma is everything that is not
Buddhadharma.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? Does a Stream-Enterer
think, ‘I have attained the fruit of Stream-Entry.’?”

Subhuti replied, “No, World-Honored One. Why?
Stream-Enterer means to enter the stream, but in fact
there is no stream to enter. One does not enter a stream
that is form, nor a stream that is sound, smell, taste,
touch, or object of mind. That is what we mean when
we say entering a stream.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? Does a Once-Returner
think, ‘I have attained the fruit of Once-Returning.’?”

Subhuti replied, “No, World-Honored One. Why?
Once-Returner means to go and return once more, but in
truth there is no going just as there is no returning. That
is what we mean when we say Once-Returner.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? Does a Non-Returner
think like this, ‘I have attained the fruit of No-
Return.’?”

Subhuti replied, “No, World-Honored One. Why?
No-Return means not to return to this world, but in fact
there cannot be any Non-Returning. That is what we

mean when we say Non-Returner.”
“What do you think, Subhuti? Does an Arhat think

like this, ‘I have attained the fruit of Arhatship.’?”
Subhuti replied, “No, World-Honored One. Why?

There is no separately existing thing that can be called
Arhat. If an Arhat gives rise to the thought that he has
attained the fruit of Arhatship, then he is still caught up
in the idea of a self, a person, a living being, and a life
span. World-Honored One, you have often said that I
have attained the concentration of peaceful abiding and
that in the community, I am the Arhat who has most
transformed need and desire. World-Honored One, if I
were to think that I had attained the fruit of Arhatship,
you certainly would not have said that I love to dwell in
the concentration of peaceful abiding.”

The Buddha asked Subhuti, “In ancient times when the
Tathagata practiced under Buddha Dipankara, did he
attain anything?”

Subhuti answered, “No, World-Honored One. In
ancient times when the Tathagata was practicing under
Buddha Dipankara, he did not attain anything.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? Does a bodhisattva
create a serene and beautiful Buddha field?”

“No, World-Honored One. Why? To create a serene
and beautiful Buddha field is not in fact creating a serene
and beautiful Buddha field. That is why it is called
creating a serene and beautiful Buddha field.”

The Buddha said, “So, Subhuti, all the bodhisattva
mahasattvas should give rise to a pure and clear
intention in this spirit. When they give rise to this
intention, they should not rely on forms, sounds,
smells, tastes, tactile objects, or objects of mind. They
should give rise to an intention with their minds not
dwelling anywhere.”

“Subhuti, if there were someone with a body as big as

Mount Sumeru, would you say that his was a large
body?”

Subhuti answered, “Yes, World-Honored One, very
large. Why? What the Tathagata says is not a large
body, that is known as a large body.”

“Subhuti, if there were as many Ganges Rivers as the
number of grains of sand in the Ganges, would you say
that the number of grains of sand in all those Ganges
Rivers is very many?”

Subhuti answered, “Very many indeed, World-
Honored One. If the number of Ganges Rivers were
huge, how much more so the number of grains of sand in
all those Ganges Rivers.”

“Subhuti, now I want to ask you this: if a daughter or
son of good family were to fill the 3,000 chiliocosms
with as many precious jewels as the number of grains of
sand in all the Ganges Rivers as an act of generosity,
would that person bring much happiness by her
virtuous act?”

Subhuti replied, “Very much, World-Honored One.”
The Buddha said to Subhuti, “If a daughter or son of

a good family knows how to accept, practice, and
explain this sutra to others, even if it is a gatha of four
lines, the happiness that results from this virtuous act
would be far greater.”

“Furthermore, Subhuti, any plot of land on which this
sutra is proclaimed, even if only one gatha of four lines,
will be a land where gods, men, and ashuras will come to
make offerings just as they make offerings to a stupa of
the Buddha. If the plot of land is regarded as that
sacred, how much more so the person who practices
and recites this sutra. Subhuti, you should know that
that person attains something rare and profound.
Wherever this sutra is kept is a sacred site enshrining
the presence of the Buddha or one of the Buddha’s great
disciples.”

After that, Subhuti asked the Buddha, “What should
this sutra be called and how should we act regarding its
teachings?”

The Buddha replied, “This sutra should be called The
Diamond that Cuts through Illusion because it has the
capacity to cut through all illusions and afflictions and
bring us to the shore of liberation. Please use this title
and practice according to its deepest meaning. Why?
What the Tathagata has called the highest, transcendent
understanding is not, in fact, the highest, transcendent
understanding. That is why it is truly the highest,
transcendent understanding.”

The Buddha asked, “What do you think, Subhuti? Is
there any dharma that the Tathagata teaches?”

Subhuti replied, “The Tathagata has nothing to teach,
World-Honored One.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? Are there many
particles of dust in the 3,000 chiliocosms?”

“Very many, World-Honored One.”
“Subhuti, the Tathagata says that these particles of

dust are not particles of dust. That is why they are
truly particles of dust. And what the Tathagata calls
chiliocosms are not in fact chiliocosms. That is why
they are called chiliocosms.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? Can the Tathagata be
recognized by the possession of the thirty-two marks?”

The Venerable Subhuti replied, “No, World-Honored
One. Why? Because what the Tathagata calls the thirty-
two marks are not essentially marks and that is why the
Tathagata calls them the thirty-two marks.”

“Subhuti, if as many times as there are grains of sand
in the Ganges a son or daughter of a good family gives
up his or her life as an act of generosity and if another
daughter or son of a good family knows how to accept,
practice, and explain this sutra to others, even if only a
gatha of four lines, the happiness resulting from
explaining this sutra is far greater.”

When he had heard this much and penetrated deeply

into its significance, the Venerable Subhuti was moved
to tears. He said, “World-Honored One, you are truly
rare in this world. Since the day I attained the eyes of
understanding, thanks to the guidance of the Buddha, I
have never before heard teachings so deep and
wonderful as these. World-Honored One, if someone
hears this sutra, has pure and clear confidence in it, and
arrives at insight into the truth, that person will realize
the rarest kind of virtue. World-Honored One, that
insight into the truth is essentially not insight. That is
what the Tathagata calls insight into the truth.

“World-Honored One, today it is not difficult for me
to hear this wonderful sutra, have confidence in it,
understand it, accept it, and put it

into practice.

But in
the future, in five hundred years, if there is someone
who can hear this sutra, have confidence in it,
understand it, accept it, and put it into practice, then
certainly the existence of someone like that will be great
and rare. Why? That person will not be dominated by

the idea of a self, a person, a living being, or a life span.
Why? The idea of a self is not an idea, and the ideas of a
person, a living being, and a life span are not ideas
either. Why? Buddhas are called Buddhas because they
are free of ideas.”

The Buddha said to Subhuti, “That is quite right. If
someone hears this sutra and is not terrified or afraid, he
or she is rare. Why? Subhuti, what the Tathagata calls
paramaparamita, the highest transcendence, is not
essentially the highest transcendence, and that is why it
is called the highest transcendence.

“Subhuti, the Tathagata has said that what is called
transcendent endurance is not transcendent endurance.
That is why it is called transcendent endurance. Why?
Subhuti, thousands of lifetimes ago when my body was
cut into pieces by King Kalinga, I was not caught in the
idea of a self, a person, a living being, or a life span. If,
at that time, I had been caught up in any of those ideas,
I would have felt anger and ill will against the king.

gives rise to the unequalled mind of awakening, he has
to give up all ideas. He cannot rely on forms when he
gives rise to that mind, nor on sounds, smells, tastes,
tactile objects, or objects of mind. He can only give rise
to that mind that is not caught up in anything.

“The Tathagata has said that all notions are not
notions and that all living beings are not living beings.
Subhuti, the Tathagata is one who speaks of things as
they are, speaks what is true, and speaks in accord with
reality. He does not speak deceptively or to please
people. Subhuti, if we say that the Tathagata has
realized a teaching, that teaching is neither graspable nor
deceptive.

“Subhuti, a bodhisattva who still depends on notions
to practice generosity is like someone walking in the
dark. He will not see anything. But when a bodhisattva
does not depend on notions to practice generosity, he is
like someone with good eyesight walking under the
bright light of the sun. He can see all shapes and colors.

“Subhuti, if in the future there is any daughter or son
of good family who has the capacity to accept, read,
and put into practice this sutra, the Tathagata will see
that person with his eyes of understanding. The

Tathagata will know that person, and that person will
realize the measureless, limitless fruit of her or his
virtuous act.”

“Subhuti, if on the one hand, a daughter or son of a good
family gives up her or his life in the morning as many
times as there are grains of sand in the Ganges as an act
of generosity, and gives as many again in the afternoon
and as many again in the evening, and continues doing
so for countless ages; and if, on the other hand, another
person listens to this sutra with complete confidence
and without contention, that person’s happiness will be
far greater. But the happiness of one who writes this
sutra down, receives, recites, and explains it to others
cannot be compared.

“In summary, Subhuti, this sutra brings about
boundless virtue and happiness that cannot be
conceived or measured. If there is someone capable of
receiving, practicing, reciting, and sharing this sutra with
others, the Tathagata will see and know that person,
and he or she will have inconceivable, indescribable, and
incomparable virtue. Such a person will be able to
shoulder the highest, most fulfilled, awakened career of
the Tathagata. Why? Subhuti, if one is content with the

small teachings, if he or she is still caught up in the idea
of a self, a person, a living being, or a life span, he or she
will not be able to listen, receive, recite, and explain this
sutra to others. Subhuti, any place this sutra is found is
a place where gods, men, and ashuras will come to make
offerings. Such a place is a shrine and should be
venerated with formal ceremonies, circumambulations,
and offerings of flowers and incense.”

“Furthermore, Subhuti, if a son or daughter of good
family, while reciting and practicing this sutra, is
disdained or slandered, his or her misdeeds committed in
past lives, including those that could bring about an evil
destiny, will be eradicated, and he or she will attain the
fruit of the most fulfilled, awakened mind. Subhuti, in
ancient times before I met Buddha Dipankara, I had
made offerings to and had been attendant of all 84,000
multi-millions of buddhas. If someone is able to receive,
recite, study, and practice this sutra in the last epoch,
the happiness brought about by this virtuous act is
hundreds of thousands times greater than that which I
brought about in ancient times. In fact, such happiness
cannot be conceived or compared with anything, even
mathematically. Such happiness is immeasurable.

and their minds might become disoriented. Subhuti, you
should know that the meaning of this sutra is beyond
conception and discussion. Likewise, the fruit resulting
from receiving and practicing this sutra is beyond
conception and discussion.”

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti said to the Buddha,
“World-Honored One, may I ask you again that if
daughters or sons of good family want to give rise to the
highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind, what should
they rely on and what should they do to master their
thinking?”

The Buddha replied, “Subhuti, a good son or daughter
who wants to give rise to the highest, most fulfilled,
awakened mind should do it in this way: ‘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.’ Why is this so?
Subhuti, if a bodhisattva is still caught up in the idea of
a self, a person, a living being or a life span, that person
is not an authentic bodhisattva. Why is that?

“Subhuti, in fact, there is no independently existing
object of mind called the highest, most fulfilled,
awakened mind. What do you think, Subhuti? In ancient
times, when the Tathagata was living with Buddha
Dipankara, did he attain anything called the highest,

most fulfilled, awakened mind?”
“No, World-Honored One. According to what I

understand from the teachings of the Buddha, there is
no attaining of anything called the highest, most
fulfilled, awakened mind.”

The Buddha said, “Right you are, Subhuti. In fact,
there does not exist the so-called highest, most fulfilled,
awakened mind that the Tathagata attains. Because if
there had been any such thing, Buddha Dipankara
would not have predicted of me, ‘In the future, you will
come to be a Buddha called Shakyamuni.’ This
prediction was made because there is, in fact, nothing
that can be attained that is called the highest, most
fulfilled, awakened mind. Why? Tathagata means the
suchness of all things (dharmas). Someone would be
mistaken to say that the Tathagata has attained the
highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind since there is not
any highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind to be
attained. Subhuti, the highest, most fulfilled, awakened
mind that the Tathagata has attained is neither graspable
nor elusive. This is why the Tathagata has said, ‘All
dharmas are Buddhadharma.’ What are called all
dharmas are, in fact, not all dharmas. That is why they

are called all dharmas.
“Subhuti, a comparison can be made with the idea of

a great human body.”
Subhuti said, “What the Tathagata calls a great human

body is, in fact, not a great human body.”
“Subhuti, it is the same concerning bodhisattvas. If a

bodhisattva thinks that she has to liberate all living
beings, then she is not yet a bodhisattva. Why? Subhuti,
there is no independently existing object of mind called
bodhisattva. Therefore, the Buddha has said that all
dharmas are without a self, a person, a living being, or a
life span. Subhuti, if a bodhisattva thinks, ‘I have to
create a serene and beautiful Buddha field,’ that person
is not yet a bodhisattva. Why? What the Tathagata calls
a serene and beautiful Buddha field is not in fact a
serene and beautiful Buddha field. And that is why it is
called a serene and beautiful Buddha field. Subhuti, any
bodhisattva who thoroughly understands the principle
of nonself and non-dharma is called by the Tathagata an
authentic bodhisattva.”

“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata have
the human eye?”

Subhuti replied, “Yes, World-Honored One, the
Tathagata does have the human eye.”

The Buddha asked, “Subhuti, what do you think?
Does the Tathagata have the divine eye?”

Subhuti said, “Yes, World-Honored One, the

Tathagata does have the divine eye.”

“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata
have the eye of insight?”

Subhuti replied, “Yes, World-Honored One, the
Tathagata does have the eye of insight.”

“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata
have the eye of transcendent wisdom?”

“Yes, World-Honored One, the Tathagata does

have
the eye of transcendent wisdom.”

The Buddha asked, “Does the Tathagata have the
Buddha eye?”

“Yes, World-Honored One, the Tathagata does have
the Buddha eye.”

“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Buddha see
the sand in the Ganges as sand?”

Subhuti said, “World-Honored One, the Tathagata
also calls it sand.”

“Subhuti, if there were as many Ganges Rivers as the
number of grains of sand of the Ganges and there was a
Buddha land for each grain of sand in all those Ganges
Rivers, would those Buddha lands be many?”

“Yes, World-Honored One, very many.”
The Buddha said, “Subhuti, however many living

beings there are in all these Buddha lands, though they
each have a different mentality, the Tathagata
understands them all. Why is that? Subhuti, what the
Tathagata calls different mentalities are not in fact
different mentalities. That is why they are called
different mentalities.

“Why? Subhuti, the past mind cannot be grasped,
neither can the present mind or the future mind.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? If someone were to fill
the 3,000 chiliocosms with precious treasures as an act
of generosity, would that person bring great happiness
by his virtuous act?”

“Yes, very much, World-Honored One.”
“Subhuti, if such happiness were conceived as an

entity separate from everything else, the Tathagata
would not have said it to be great, but because it is
ungraspable, the Tathagata has said that the virtuous act
of that person brought about great happiness.”

“Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Tathagata be
perceived by his perfectly formed body?”

“No, World-Honored One. What the Tathagata calls a
perfectly formed body is not in fact a perfectly formed
body. That is why it is called a perfectly formed body.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? Can the Tathagata be
perceived by his perfectly formed physiognomy?”

“No, World-Honored One. It is impossible to
perceive the Tathagata by any perfectly formed
physiognomy. Why? Because what the Tathagata calls
perfectly formed physiognomy is not in fact perfectly
formed physiognomy. That is why it is called perfectly
formed physiognomy.”

“Subhuti, do not say that the Tathagata conceives the
idea ‘I will give a teaching.’ Do not think that way.
Why? If anyone says that the Tathagata has something
to teach, that person slanders the Buddha because he
does not understand what I say. Subhuti, giving a
Dharma talk in fact means that no talk is given. This is
truly a Dharma talk.”

Then, Insight-Life Subhuti said to the Buddha,
“World-Honored One, in the future, will there be living
beings who will feel complete confidence when they
hear these words?”

The Buddha said, “Subhuti, those living beings are
neither living beings nor non-living beings. Why is that?
Subhuti, what the Tathagata calls non-living beings are
truly living beings.”

Subhuti asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One, is the
highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind that the Buddha
attained the unattainable?”

The Buddha said, “That is right, Subhuti. Regarding
the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind.”

“Furthermore, Subhuti, that mind is everywhere
equally. Because it is neither high nor low, it is called
the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind. The fruit of
the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind is realized
through the practice of all wholesome actions in the
spirit of nonself, non-person, non-living being, and non-
life span. Subhuti, what are called wholesome actions
are in fact not wholesome actions. That is why they are
called wholesome actions.”

“Subhuti, if someone were to fill the 3,000 chiliocosms
with piles of the seven precious treasures as high as
Mount Sumeru as an act of generosity, the happiness
resulting from this is much less than that of another
person who knows how to accept, practice, and explain
the Vajracchedika Prajñaparamita Sutra to others. The
happiness resulting from the virtue of a person who
practices this sutra, even if it is only a gatha of four
lines, cannot be described by using examples or
mathematics.”

“Subhuti, do not say that the Tathagata has the idea, ‘I
will bring living beings to the shore of liberation.’ Do
not think that way, Subhuti. Why? In truth there is not
one single being for the Tathagata to bring to the other
shore. If the Tathagata were to think there was, he
would be caught in the idea of a self, a person, a living
being, or a life span. Subhuti, what the Tathagata calls a
self essentially has no self in the way that ordinary
persons think there is a self. Subhuti, the Tathagata
does not regard anyone as an ordinary person. That is
why he can call them ordinary persons.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? Can someone meditate
on the Tathagata by means of the thirty-two marks?”

Subhuti said, “Yes, World-Honored One. We should
use the thirty-two marks to meditate on the Tathagata.”

The Buddha said, “If you say that you can use the
thirty-two marks to see the Tathagata, then the
Cakravartin is also a Tathagata?”

Subhuti said, “World-Honored One, I understand
your teaching. One should not use the thirty-two marks
to meditate on the Tathagata.”

Then the World-Honored One spoke this verse:

Someone who looks for me in form
or seeks me in sound
is on a mistaken path
and cannot see the Tathagata.

“Subhuti, if you think that the Tathagata realizes the
highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind and does not
need to have all the marks, you are wrong. Subhuti, do
not think in that way. Do not think that when one gives
rise to the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind, one
needs to see all objects of mind as nonexistent, cut off
from life. Please do not think in that way. One who
gives rise to the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind
does not contend that all objects of mind are nonexistent
and cut off from life.”

“Subhuti, if a bodhisattva were to fill the 3,000
chiliocosms with the seven precious treasures as many
as the number of sand grains in the Ganges as an act of
generosity, the happiness brought about by his or her
virtue is less than that brought about by someone who
has understood and wholeheartedly accepted the truth
that all dharmas are of selfless nature and are able to live
and bear fully this truth. Why is that, Subhuti? Because
a bodhisattva does not need to build up virtue and
happiness.”

Subhuti asked the Buddha, “What do you mean,
World-Honored One, when you say that a bodhisattva
does not need to build up virtue and happiness?”

“Subhuti, a bodhisattva gives rise to virtue and

happiness but is not caught in the idea of virtue and
happiness. That is why the Tathagata has said that a
bodhisattva does not need to build up virtue and
happiness.”

“Subhuti, if someone says that the World-Honored One
comes, goes, sits, and lies down, that person has not
understood what I have said. Why? The meaning of
Tathagata is ‘does not come from anywhere and does
not go anywhere.’ That is why he is called a Tathagata.”

“Subhuti, if a daughter or son of a good family were to
grind the 3,000 chiliocosms to particles of dust, do you
think there would be many particles?”

Subhuti replied, “World-Honored One, there would
be many indeed. Why? If particles of dust had a real
self-existence, the Buddha would not have called them
particles of dust. What the Buddha calls particles of
dust are not, in essence, particles of dust. That is why
they can be called particles of dust. World-Honored
One, what the Tathagata calls the 3,000 chiliocosms are
not chiliocosms. That is why they are called
chiliocosms. Why? If chiliocosms are real, they are a
compound of particles under the conditions of being
assembled into an object. That which the Tathagata calls
a compound is not essentially a compound. That is why
it is called a compound.”

“Subhuti, what is called a compound is just a
conventional way of speaking. It has no real basis. Only
ordinary people are caught up in conventional terms.”

“Subhuti, if anyone says that the Buddha has spoken of
a self view, a person view, a living-being view, or a life
span view, has that person understood my meaning?”

“No, World-Honored One. Such a person has not
understood the Tathagata. Why? What the Tathagata
calls a self view, a person view, a living-being view, or a
life span view is not in essence a self view, a person
view, a living-being view, or a life span view. That is
why he or she is called a self view, a person view, a
living-being view, or a life span view.”

“Subhuti, someone who gives rise to the highest,
most fulfilled, awakened mind should know that this is
true of all dharmas, should see that all dharmas are like
this, should have confidence in the understanding of all
dharmas without any conceptions about dharmas.
Subhuti, what is called a conception of dharmas, the
Tathagata has said is not a conception of dharmas. That
is why it is called a conception of dharmas.”

“Subhuti, if someone were to offer an immeasurable
quantity of the seven treasures to fill the worlds as
infinite as space as an act of generosity, the happiness
resulting from that virtuous act would not equal the
happiness resulting from a son or daughter of a good
family who gives rise to the awakened mind and reads,
recites, accepts, and puts into practice this sutra, and
explains it to others, even if only a gatha of four lines.
In what spirit is this explanation given? Without being
caught up in signs, just according to things as they are,
without agitation. Why is this?

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.

After they heard the Lord Buddha deliver this sutra,

the Venerable Subhuti, the bhikshus and bhikshunis,
laymen and laywomen, and gods and ashuras, filled with
joy and confidence, undertook to put these teachings

into practice.

COMMENTARIES

PART ONE

THE DIALECTICS OF
PRAJÑAPARAMITA

THE SETTING

This is what I heard one time when the Buddha
was staying in the monastery in Anathapindika’s
park in the Jeta Grove near Shravasti with a
community of 1,250 bhikshus, fully ordained
monks.

The first sentence of the sutra tells us that the Buddha
gave this discourse to 1,250 monks. It does not say that
innumerable bodhisattvas from different worlds
gathered to hear the Buddha. This detail demonstrates
that The Diamond that Cuts through Illusion is among
the earliest of the prajñaparamita sutras. Although the
Buddha mentions bodhisattvas in this sutra, the
audience at the time was almost entirely shravakas, his
noble disciples.

That day, when it was time to make the round for

alms, the Buddha put on his sanghati robe and,
holding his bowl, went into the city of Shravasti to
seek alms food, going from house to house. When
the almsround was completed, he returned to the
monastery to eat the midday meal. Then he put
away his sanghati robe and his bowl, washed his
feet, arranged his cushion, and sat down.

This activity was repeated day after day by the monks
in the Anathapindika Monastery, as well as in all of the
Buddha’s monasteries. The Buddha taught his monks
and nuns not to distinguish between rich and poor
homes when going for alms food, just to go from one
dwelling to the next. Seeking alms food is a way to
cultivate nondiscriminating mind and also to be in touch
with different classes of people to guide them in the
practices taught by the Buddha. Even if a monk knew
that the people in a particular house would be unkind
and not offer him food, he still had to go there and stand
still for a few minutes before moving along to the next
house.

SUBHUTI’S QUESTION

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti stood up,
bared his right shoulder, put his knee on the
ground, and, folding his palms respectfully, said to
the Buddha, “World-Honored One, it is rare to find
someone like you. You always support and show
special confidence in the bodhisattvas.”

The student, Subhuti, begins this discourse by praising
his teacher and then asking an important question. He
says that it is rare to find someone like the Buddha,
who always gives full support and shows special
confidence in the bodhisattvas.

Bodhisattvas are compassionate people whose
intention is to relieve their own suffering and the
suffering of their fellow beings. Just like a young
Vietnamese student who always makes the effort to

succeed so that he can take care of his parents and
siblings who are still in Vietnam, the bodhisattvas
practice not only for themselves, but for their families,
communities, and the entire society. One Vietnamese
college student in Bordeaux has a sign on his desk that
says, “I clench my teeth in order to succeed.” There are
so many temptations and distractions, and he knows
that if he is carried away by any of them, he will ruin
his parents’ hopes and expectations. Because of his firm
determination, he is like a bodhisattva and those on the
path of practice. When we meet someone like this,
compassion wells up in us. We want to help and
support him. It is a waste of energy to support those
who live only for themselves and forget about others. In
the mind and heart of the bodhisattva there exists a great
energy called bodhicitta. This is why the Buddha gives
special attention and offers care and support to those
with the mind and heart of a bodhisattva, those who
have a great vow and a great aspiration. It is not because
he is discriminating, but because he knows that it is a
good investment. Someone who has a great aspiration
can help many people.

I always invest in young people. It is not that I

discriminate against older people, but, in my country,
after many long and painful wars, the minds of the older
people are wounded and confused, and it is safer to
invest in the young people. Our people are less
beautiful than they were in the past. There is so much
suspicion, hatred, and misunderstanding. Weeds and
thorns have grown everywhere in the soil of their
minds. If we sow healthy seeds in such depleted soil,
perhaps a few will sprout, but if we sow the same seeds
in the fertile minds of young people whose wounds of
war are relatively few, most of them are likely to
sprout. This is a good investment. Of course, we should
also support the older people, but since our time and
energy are limited, sowing seeds in the most fertile land
has to be our priority.

In the Pali Canon, a layman asks the Buddha why he
gives more care and attention to monks and nuns than to
laypersons. The Buddha answers that he does so
because monks and nuns spend all of their time and
energy practicing the way. Their spiritual land is richer,
so the Buddha invests more of his time in cultivating it.
Subhuti, an elder monk with the title Mahathera, “Great
Elder,” notices that the Buddha has been paying special

attention to the bodhisattvas, and he asks him about it.
The Buddha confirms that he does give special support
to those whose determination is to help all living beings,
and he also gives them a lot of responsibility.

“World-Honored One, if sons and daughters of
good families want to give rise to the highest, most
fulfilled, awakened mind, what should they rely on
and what should they do to master their thinking?”

The Buddha replied, “Well said, Subhuti! What
you have said is absolutely correct. The Tathagata
always supports and shows special confidence in
the bodhisattvas. Please listen with all of your
attention and the Tathagata will respond to your
question. If daughters and sons of good families
want to give rise to the highest, most fulfilled,
awakened mind, they should rely on the following
and master their thinking in the following way.”

The Venerable Subhuti said, “Lord, we are so
happy to hear your teachings.”

Bodhi means “awake.” Sattva means “living being.” A
bodhisattva is an awakened being who helps other
beings wake up. Humans are only one kind of living

being. Other living beings also have the potential to
awaken. When we enter the path of awakening, our
mind is determined to practice. To give rise to a
bodhisattva mind, that is, to the deepest understanding
and the greatest ability to help others, where should our
mind take refuge and how can we master our thinking?
The Diamond Sutra is a response to this question.

THE FIRST FLASH OF LIGHTNING

The Buddha said to Subhuti, “This is how the
bodhisattva mahasattvas master their thinking.
‘However many species of living beings there are
—whether born from eggs, from the womb, from
moisture, or spontaneously; whether they have
form or do not have form; whether they have
perceptions or do not have perceptions; or
whether it cannot be said of them that they have
perceptions or that they do not have perceptions,
we must lead all these beings to the ultimate
nirvana so that they can be liberated.’”

The word maha means “great,” so mahasattva means “a
great being.” Liberation here means arriving at nirvana,
“extinction,” a joyful, peaceful state in which all causes
of afflictions have been uprooted and we are totally

free. The mahasattvas take the great vow to relieve the
suffering of all living beings, to bring all to absolute
nirvana where they can realize ultimate peace and joy.
Absolute nirvana is also called “nirvana without residue
of affliction,” as compared to nirvana with some residue
of afflictions. Some commentators explain that nirvana
with some residue of afflictions is a state in which the
body of the five aggregates (form, feelings, perceptions,
mental formations, and consciousness) still exists. They
regard the body as a residue of the afflictions of our
previous lives. After we die, they say, the body of the
five aggregates disintegrates completely, and we enter
“nirvana without residue of affliction,” leaving no trace
behind.

I do not fully agree. It is true that once we put an end
to the causes of suffering and transform them, we will
not bring about new consequences of suffering in the
future. But what has existed for a long time, even after it
is cut off, still has momentum and will continue for a
while before stopping completely. When an electric fan
is switched off, although the current has been cut, the
blades keep moving for a while longer. Even after the
cause has been cut off, the consequence of this past

cause continues for a while. The residue of afflictions is
the same. What comes to a stop is the creation of new
causes of suffering, not the body of the five aggregates.
One day, Devadatta threw a rock at the Buddha, and his
foot was wounded. The Buddha was no longer creating
new karma, but he experienced this karmic consequence
as the result of a past action that had some energy left
over before it could stop. This does not mean that the
Buddha had not realized complete extinction after he
passed away.

The Mahayana sutras say that bodhisattvas ride on
the waves of birth and death. Riding on the waves of
birth and death means that although birth and death are
there, they are not drowned by them. While traveling in
the ocean of birth and death, the bodhisattvas are in
perfect nirvana, that is, nirvana without any residue of
afflictions—not in the imperfect nirvana that has some
residue of afflictions. Although their bodies are there
and they are riding on birth and death, they do not
suffer. Therefore the residues of afflictions in the
imperfect nirvana are not the five aggregates themselves,
but rather the afflictions that remain as the karmic
consequence of past actions.

“‘However many species of living beings there are
—whether born from eggs, from the womb, from
moisture, or spontaneously; whether they have
form or do not have form; whether they have
perceptions or do not have perceptions; or
whether it cannot be said of them that they have
perceptions or that they do not have perceptions,
we must lead all these beings to the ultimate
nirvana so that they can be liberated.’”

The World Honored One answers him directly, saying
that an authentic bodhisattva is one who embodies two
factors in his being: the first is the great aspiration to
bring all beings to the shore of liberation; the second is
the wisdom of nondiscrimination. This sentence
exemplifies the bodhisattva’s Great Vow. It is the
prerequisite of becoming a bodhisattva, an awakened
person, a person for whom the work for enlightenment
is his or her life work, a person who is called a great
being, a person to whom the Buddha gives special
support and attention. This vow is not only the basic
condition of being a bodhisattva, it is also the primary
condition. It is the foundation of the highest, most

fulfilling wish of a bodhisattva.
When we read this passage, we must look at

ourselves and ask, “Is this vow at all related to my life
and the life of my community? Are we practicing for
ourselves or for others? Do we only want to uproot our
own afflictions, or is our determination to study and
practice to bring happiness to other living beings?” If
we look at ourselves, we will see if we are among the
bodhisattvas the Buddha is addressing, supporting, and
investing in. If we study and practice with a heart like
this, we won’t have to wait several years for others to
notice. They will see it right away by the way we treat
the cat, the caterpillar, or the snail. When we wash the
dishes, do we put the leftover food aside to feed the
birds? These kinds of small acts show our love for all
living beings. The great heart of a bodhisattva
mahasattva can be seen throughout his or her daily life.
While studying the bodhisattva’s actions in the
Mahayana sutras, we should also practice looking at
ourselves—the way we drink tea, eat our food, wash
the dishes, or tend our garden. If we observe ourselves
in this way, we will see whether we have the
understanding of a bodhisattva, and our friends will also

know.
The living beings mentioned in this sutra are not only

remote strangers. They are the brothers and sisters with
whom we study and practice the Dharma. They too
have joy and pain, and we must see them and be open
to them. If we are only an independent island, living in a
community but not seeing or smiling with the
community, we are not practicing as a bodhisattva.
Besides just our Dharma brothers and sisters, there are
also other species of animals, as well as the plants in the
garden and the stars in the sky. This sutra is addressing
all of them, and explaining how all are related to our
daily life and practice. If we are mindful, we will see.

“‘And when this innumerable, immeasurable,
infinite number of beings has become liberated, we
do not, in truth, think that a single being has been
liberated.’”

This is the first flash of lightning. The Buddha goes
directly to the heart of the prajñaparamita, presenting
the principle of formlessness. He tells us that a true
practitioner helps all living beings in a natural and
spontaneous way, without distinguishing between the

one who is helping and the one who is being helped.
When our left hand is injured, our right hand takes care
of it right away. It doesn’t stop to say, “I am taking
care of you. You are benefiting from my compassion.”
The right hand knows very well that the left hand is
also the right hand. There is no distinction between
them. This is the principle of interbeing—coexistence,
or mutual interdependence. “This is because that is.”
With this understanding—the right hand helping the left
hand in a formless way—there is no need to distinguish
between the right hand and the left hand.

For a bodhisattva, the work of helping is natural, like
breathing. When her brother suffers, she offers care and
support. She does not think that she has to help him in
order to practice the Dharma or because her teacher
says she should. It isn’t necessary to have an idea of
helping. We feel the need to do it, and we do it. This is
easy to understand. If we act in this spirit of
formlessness, we will not say, later on, “When my
brother was sick, I took care of him every day. I made
him soup and did many other things for him, and now
he is not at all grateful.” If we speak like that, our
actions were done in the spirit of form. That is not what

is called a good deed according to the teaching of
prajñaparamita. Formlessness is something concrete
that we can put into practice here and now.

If someone in your community is lazy and does not
work hard when everyone else does, you may think,
“She is awful. She stays in her room and listens to
music while I have to work hard.” The more you think
about her, the more uncomfortable you become. In that
state, your work does not bring happiness to you or
anyone else. You should be able to enjoy what you are
doing. Why should the absence of one person affect
your work so? If, when you are working, you do not
distinguish between the person who is doing the work
and the one who is not, that is truly the spirit of
formlessness. We can apply the practice of
prajñaparamita into every aspect of our lives. We can
wash the dishes or clean the bathroom in exactly the
way our right hand puts a Band-Aid on our left hand,
without discrimination.

When the Buddha says, “When innumerable,
immeasurable, infinite beings become liberated, we do
not think that a single being has been liberated,” these
are not empty words. The Buddha is encouraging us to

support and love all living beings. It would be
wonderful if those who study Buddhism understood
this one sentence. The teaching here is so complete and
profound.

“Why is this so? If, Subhuti, a bodhisattva holds
on to the idea that a self, a person, a living being, or
a life span exists, that person is not an authentic
bodhisattva.”

A person has to get rid of the four notions of self, a

person, a living being, and a life span in order to have
the wisdom of nondiscrimination.1* “Self” refers to a
permanent, changeless identity, but since, according to
Buddhism, nothing is permanent and what we normally
call a self is made entirely of nonself elements, there is
really no such entity as a self. Our concept of self arises
when we have concepts about things that are not self.
Using the sword of conceptualization to cut reality into
pieces, we call one part “I” and the rest “not I.”

The concept of “person,” like the concept of self, is
made only of non-person elements—sun, clouds, wheat,
space, and so on. Thanks to these elements, there is

something we call a person. But erecting a barrier
between the idea of person and the idea of non-person
is erroneous. If we say, for example, that the cosmos
has given birth to humankind and that other animals,
plants, the moon, the stars, and so forth, exist to serve
us, we are caught up in the idea of person. These kinds
of concepts are used to separate self from nonself and
person from non-person, and they are erroneous.

We put a lot of energy into advancing technology in
order to serve our lives better, and we exploit the non-
human elements, such as the forests, rivers, and oceans,
in order to do so. But as we pollute and destroy nature,
we pollute and destroy ourselves as well. The results of
discriminating between human and non-human are global
warming, pollution, and the emergence of many strange
diseases. In order to protect ourselves, we must protect
the non-human elements. This fundamental
understanding is needed if we want to protect our
planet and ourselves.

The concept of “living being,” sattva in Sanskrit,
arises the moment we separate living from non-living
beings. The French poet Alphonse de Lamartine once
asked, “Inanimate objects, do you have a soul?” to

challenge our popular understanding. But what we call
non-living makes what we call living beings possible. If
we destroy the non-living, we also destroy the living.

In Buddhist monasteries, during the Ceremony of
Beginning Anew, each monk and nun recites, “I vow to
practice wholeheartedly so that all beings, living and
non-living, will be liberated.” In many ceremonies, we
bow deeply to show our gratitude to our parents,
teachers, friends, and numerous beings in the animal,
plant, and mineral worlds. Doing this helps us realize
that there is no separation between the living and the
so-called non-living. Vietnamese composer Trinh Cong
Son wrote, “How do we know the stones are not
suffering? Tomorrow the pebbles will need one
another.” When we really understand love, our love will
include all beings, living and so-called non-living.

We usually think of “life span” as the length of our
life, beginning the moment we are born and ending when
we die. We believe that we are alive during that period,
not before or after. And while we are alive, we think
that everything in us is life, not death. Once again, the
sword of conceptualization is cutting reality into pieces,
separating one side, life, from the other side, death. But

to think that we begin our life at the moment we are
born and end it the moment we die is an erroneous view,
called the “view of life span.”

According to prajñaparamita, life and death are one.
We are born and die during every second of our life.
During one so-called life span, there are millions of
births and millions of deaths. Cells in our body cease to
be every day—brain cells, skin cells, blood cells, and
many, many others. Our planet is also a body, and we
are each a cell in that body. Must we cry and organize a
funeral every time one cell of our body or one cell of the
Earth’s body dies? Death is necessary for life to be. In
the Samyutta Nikaya, the Buddha says, “When causes
and conditions are sufficient, eyes are present. When
causes and conditions are not sufficient, eyes are absent.
The same is true of body and consciousness.” We love
life and grasp it tightly. We dread death and want to
hide from it. Doing this brings us much worry and
anxiety and is caused entirely by our view of life span.

The Sanskrit word for “perception” is samjña.
According to the Vijñanavada school of Buddhist
psychology, perception has two components—a
subject and an object of cognition. Walking in the woods

at night, if we see a snake, we will probably feel very
frightened. But if we shine our flashlight on it and see
that it is just a rope, we will feel a great relief. Seeing the
snake was an erroneous perception, and the Buddha
teaches us that the four notions (self, person, sentient
being, and life span) are four erroneous perceptions at
the root of our suffering.

We all enjoy leaving the city and going to the
countryside. The trees are so beautiful; the air is so
fresh. For me, this is one of the great pleasures of life.
In the countryside, I like to walk slowly in the woods,
look deeply at the trees and flowers, and, when I have
to pee, I can do so right in the open air. The fresh air is
so much more pleasant than any bathroom in the city,
especially some very smelly public restrooms. But I
have to confess that for years I was uneasy about
peeing in the woods. The moment I approached a tree, I
felt so much respect for its beauty and grandeur that I
couldn’t bring myself to pee right in front of it. It
seemed impolite, even disrespectful. So I would walk
somewhere else, but there was always another tree or
bush, and I felt equally disrespectful there.

We usually think of our bathroom at home, made of

wood, tile, or cement, as inanimate and we have no
problem peeing there. But after I studied the Diamond
Sutra and I saw that wood, tile, and cement are also
marvelous and animate, I began to even feel
uncomfortable using my own bathroom. Then I had a
realization. I realized that peeing is also a marvelous and
wondrous reality, our gift to the universe. We only have
to pee mindfully, with great respect for ourselves and
whatever surroundings we are in. So now I can pee in
nature, fully respectful of the trees, the bushes, and
myself. Through studying the Diamond Sutra, I solved
this dilemma, and I enjoy being in the countryside now
more than ever.

THE GREATEST GIFT

Why does the Buddha go from talking about the four
notions to talking about the practice of generosity?
Getting rid of notions is the practice of prajñaparamita,
also called insight or the perfection of wisdom. It’s the
last of the six paramitas, the six bodhisattva practices
for crossing to the other shore. The others are
generosity (danaparamita), mindfulness trainings
(silaparamita), endurance (kshantiparamita), diligence
(viryaparamita ), and meditation (dhyanaparamita).

Generosity is the first practice, so the Buddha uses it

as an example for the other five. He does mention
endurance in section 14, but not the other three
practices. However, the nature of all six practices is
prajñaparamita, wisdom; otherwise it’s not the highest
practice of generosity. If you practice generosity
without being caught by the four notions, then it’s the
highest practice of generosity. It’s the same with the
other five practices. When we practice the six
paramitas, we need to maintain our insight of
nondiscrimination.

I think you already understand this sentence from the
sutra, even if you are hearing it for the first time. While
working to relieve the suffering of others, you do it in
the spirit of signlessness, not distinguishing between
yourself and others. You do not base your work on the
perception of a self, a person, a living being, or a life
span. This spirit can be manifested in any act of
generosity, practicing the precepts, endurance, energy,
concentration, or understanding.

There are three kinds of gifts: material resources, the
Dharma, and non-fear. In the Heart Sutra, Avalokita
Bodhisattva offers us the gift of non-fear, or security.
When traveling on the high seas, many Vietnamese boat

people bring with them only a copy of the Heart Sutra.
When we recite this prajñaparamita text with our full
attention, we become fearless. Avalokita’s gift to us is
the greatest act of generosity one can offer.

When a bodhisattva practices generosity, he or she
always does so in the spirit of fearlessness, not bound
by the four wrong perceptions. In fact, the moment we
are not imprisoned by the four erroneous perceptions,
we are already in the world of non-fear. Erroneous
perceptions arise because of our ignorance about the
nature of perception. We do not see the true nature of
the forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile objects, and
objects of mind, and we are caught by them. If, on the
other hand, we see someone who is hungry and offer
him or her food without asking a lot of other questions
or saying that we are practicing generosity, we are truly
in the spirit of prajñaparamita and free from
misperceptions.

Many of us want to help other people and practice
generosity. But when we’re caught by the four notions,
the happiness that results from our generosity is not
very great. We’re still angry, jealous, sad; we still suffer
because we still believe in the idea of our separate self,

person, living being, and life span. If we practice
generosity according to the spirit of the Diamond Sutra,
using the wisdom of nondiscrimination as fuel for our
practice, then the happiness that results is great.

People usually think that forms are stable and real,
but according to the Buddha and modern science, form
is made only of empty space. Any mass of matter,
whether rock, iron, or wood, is composed of countless
molecules which are, in turn, composed of countless
atomic and subatomic particles, all of which are held
together by electromagnetic and nuclear forces. Atoms
are vast, empty spaces in which infinitely small
particles—protons, electrons, neutrons, and so on—are
in perpetual motion at enormous speeds. When we look
deeply into matter, we see that it is like a beehive
moving at a very great speed. Electrons travel around
their nucleus at 300,000 kilometers per second. How
erroneous was our concept of form! Physicists say that
when they enter the world of atomic particles, they can
see clearly that our conceptualized world is an illusion.
The Buddha uses the image of a bubble to make it clear
that there is space in matter, and he says the same is
true of sounds, smells, tastes, tactile objects, and

objects of mind. Due to our wrong perceptions about
these six sense objects, we develop erroneous
perceptions of a self, a person, a living being, and a life
span. Therefore, while practicing generosity, we must
go beyond our wrong perceptions and be free from
them, not holding on to anything. If we take refuge in
things that collapse easily, we too will collapse easily.

A meditation center, for example, is only a form. In
our daily life we need forms, but we do not need to cling
to them. We can study and practice meditation
anywhere. If Plum Village were not here, we could go
somewhere else. Once we see that, we become peaceful
and fearless and are able to use the objects of our six
senses freely. We know their true nature and are not
their slaves. We do not feel more faith when they come
together, and we do not feel less faith when they
dissolve.

It is not correct to think that it is only possible to
practice generosity when we have money. We can
always offer others our peace and happiness. Many
young people tell me, “Thây, I must get a job with a
good salary because I want to help others.” They study
to become doctors or engineers, and studying takes

most of their time now, so they do not have time to
practice generosity. Then, after they become doctors or
engineers, they are even busier and still do not have the
time to practice generosity, even to themselves.

“That, Subhuti, is the spirit in which a bodhisattva
should practice generosity, not relying on signs.
Why? If a bodhisattva practices generosity
without relying on signs, the happiness that results
cannot be conceived of or measured. Subhuti, do
you think that the space in the Eastern Quarter can
be measured?”

“No, World-Honored One.”
“Subhuti, can space in the Western, Southern,

and Northern Quarters, above and below be
measured?”

“No, World-Honored One.”
“Subhuti, if a bodhisattva does not rely on any

concept when practicing generosity, then the
happiness that results from that virtuous act is as
great as space. It cannot be measured. Subhuti, the
bodhisattvas should let their minds dwell in the
teachings I have just given.”

The happiness that results from practicing generosity

without relying on signs is boundless. We often say that
the fruits of practice are peace and liberation. If we are
washing dishes and thinking of others who are enjoying
themselves doing nothing, we cannot enjoy washing the
dishes. We may have a few clean dishes afterwards, but
our happiness is smaller than one teaspoon. If,
however, we wash the dishes with a serene mind, our
happiness will be boundless. This is already liberation.
The words in the sutra are very much related to our
daily life.

SIGNLESSNESS

“What do you think, Subhuti? Is it possible to
grasp the Tathagata by means of bodily signs?”

“No, World-Honored One. When the Tathagata
speaks of bodily signs, there are no signs being
talked about.”

The Buddha said to Subhuti, “In a place where
there is something that can be distinguished by
signs, in that place there is deception. If you can
see the signless nature of signs, then you can see
the Tathagata.”

Is it possible to grasp the Tathagata by the eighty

signs of beauty or the thirty-two marks of a great
person? Perceptions have signs as their object, and our
perceptions are often inaccurate and sometimes quite
erroneous. The accuracy of our perceptions depends on

our insight. When we achieve insight, our knowledge is
no longer based simply on perceptions, and we call this
knowledge prajña, wisdom or understanding beyond
signs.

In this passage, we encounter the dialectics of
prajñaparamita. Our usual way of perceiving is
according to the principle of identity: “A is A” and “A
is not B.” However, in this passage, Subhuti says, “A is
not A.” As we continue to study the Diamond Sutra,
we will see many other sentences like this.

When the Buddha sees a rose, does he recognize it as
a rose in the same way that we do? Of course he does.
But before he says the rose is a rose, the Buddha has
seen that the rose is not a rose. He has seen that it is
made of non-rose elements, with no clear demarcation
between the rose and those elements that are not the
rose. When we perceive things, we generally use the
sword of conceptualization to cut reality into pieces,
saying, “This piece is A, and A cannot be B, C, or D.”
But when A is looked at in light of dependent co-
arising, we see that A is comprised of B, C, D, and
everything else in the universe. “A” can never exist by
itself alone. When we look deeply into A, we see B, C,

D, and so on. Once we understand that A is not just A,
we understand the true nature of A and are qualified to
say “A is A,” or “A is not A.” But until then, the A we
see is just an illusion of the true A.

Look deeply at the one you love (or at someone you
do not like at all!) and you will see that she is not
herself alone. “She” includes her education, society,
culture, heredity, parents, and all the things that
contribute to her being. When we see that, we truly
understand her. If she makes us unhappy, we can see
that she did not intend to but that unfavorable
conditions made her do it. To protect and cultivate the
good qualities in her, we need to know how to protect
and cultivate the elements outside of her, including
ourselves, that make her fresh and lovely. If we are
peaceful and pleasant, she too will be peaceful and
pleasant.

If we look deeply into A and see that A is not A, we
see A in its fullest flowering. At that time, love becomes
true love, generosity becomes true generosity, practicing
the precepts becomes truly practicing the precepts, and
support becomes true support. This is the way the
Buddha looks at a rose, and it is why he is not attached

to the rose. When we are still caught in signs, we are
still attached to the rose. A Chinese Zen master once
said, “Before practicing Zen, mountains are mountains
and rivers are rivers. While practicing Zen, mountains
are no longer mountains and rivers are no longer rivers.
After practicing, mountains are mountains again and
rivers are rivers again.” These are the dialectics of
prajñaparamita.

You know that monks and nuns are very much
associated with signs. Their shaved heads, their robes,
the way they walk, stand, sit, and lie down, are
different from others, and, because of these signs, we
can recognize them as monks and nuns. But some
monks and nuns practice only for the form, so we
cannot pass any judgments, positive or negative, based
on signs. We must be able to see through the form in
order to be in touch with the substance. Recognizing the
Tathagata by means of the thirty-two marks or the
eighty signs of beauty is dangerous, because Mara and
the Wheel-Turning Kings (cakravarti-raja) also have
the same signs. “Do not look for the Tathagata by
means of bodily signs,” the Buddha said. He also said,
“Where there is sign, there is illusion.” That is, when

there is perception, there is deception. The substance of
any perception is its sign. Our task is to practice until
signs no longer deceive us and our perceptions become
insight and understanding.

Tathagata is the true nature of life, wisdom, love, and
happiness. Only when we can see the signless nature of
signs do we have a chance of seeing the Tathagata.
When we look at a rose without being caught by its
signs, we see the nature of non-rose and therefore we
begin to see the Tathagata in the rose. If we look into a
pebble, a tree, or a child in this way, we also see the
Tathagata in them. Tathagata means coming from
nowhere and going nowhere, showing no sign of coming
and no sign of going, no sign of being and no sign of
non-being, no sign of birth and no sign of death.

Before continuing, please read the first five sections
of the sutra again. All of the essentials have been
presented, and if you reread these sections, you will
come to understand the meaning of The Diamond That
Cuts through Illusion. Once you understand, you may
find the Diamond Sutra like a piece of beautiful music.
Without straining at all, the meaning will just enter you.

PART TWO

THE LANGUAGE OF
NONATTACHMENT

A ROSE IS NOT A ROSE

The Venerable Subhuti said to the Buddha, “In
times to come, will there be people who, when
they hear these teachings, have real faith and
confidence in them?”

The Venerable Subhuti understands deeply what the
Buddha has already explained. But he is concerned that
those in the future will not, since these teachings appear
to contradict common sense. It may not be difficult to
understand the teachings of the Buddha while he is
alive, but five hundred years after he has passed away,
those who hear these teachings may have doubts. So the
Buddha reassures Subhuti that there will still be people
in the future who are able to derive happiness from
following the precepts, and that these people, when
they hear the teaching of The Diamond that Cuts
through Illusion, will accept these teachings just as
Subhuti has accepted them. In fact, more than two
thousand years have passed since the Buddha has
entered parinirvana, and there are still many people who
practice the precepts and accept these teachings.

In Buddhism, we often say that our mind is like a
field, and every time we do something wholesome or
joyful, we sow a Buddha seed in that field. In this
passage, the Buddha says that people who understand
his teachings have planted wholesome seeds during the
lifetimes of tens of thousands of Buddhas.

“Anyone who, for only a second, gives rise to a
pure and clear confidence upon hearing these
words of the Tathagata, the Tathagata sees and
knows that person, and he or she will attain
immeasurable happiness because of this
understanding.”

There are two very important words in this sentence:

“see” and “know.” If, for one second, a person is
confident about these teachings, the Buddha will see and
know that person. To be seen and known by the
Buddha is a great inspiration and support for anyone on
the path of practice. If we have one close friend who
can understand us and know our aspirations, we feel
greatly supported. A good friend does not have to do
much. He or she only needs to see us and know that we
are here, and we feel greatly encouraged. Imagine if our
friend is the Buddha!

This sentence in the Diamond Sutra became clear to
me one day several years ago as I was reading a poem I
had written in 1967 for the brothers and sisters of the
School of Youth for Social Service. It was a pleasant
surprise to have insight into a sutra by reading or doing

something else. I discovered that reading a sutra is like
planting a tree inside our being. When we walk, look at
the clouds, or read something else, the tree grows and it
may reveal itself to us.

By 1967, the war in Vietnam had become so
terrifying and destructive that many of the young social
workers, monks, and nuns in the School of Youth for
Social Service had to evacuate villagers even as the
bombs were dropping. Already in exile, I received news
from time to time that a brother or a sister of our school
had been killed while doing this work. Neither the
communists nor the anticommunists accepted our
Buddhist movement. The communists thought that we
were backed by the CIA, and the pro-American side
suspected that we were communists. We would not
accept the killing by either side. We only wanted
reconciliation.

One evening, five young brothers were shot and four
died. The one survivor told Sister Chan Khong that the
killers had taken them to the riverbank, asked if they
were members of the School of Youth for Social Service,
and, when they said “Yes,” said, “We are very sorry,
but we have to kill you.”

When I heard the news, I cried. A friend asked me,
“Why do you cry? You are the commander-in-chief of a
nonviolent army working for love. There are certain
losses every army has to take. You are not taking the
lives of people; you are saving lives. Even for warriors
of love in a nonviolent army, casualties are inevitable.”

I told him, “I am not a commander-in-chief. I am just
a person. These young people joined the School in
response to my call, and now they are dead. Of course I
cry.”

I wrote a poem for the brothers and sisters at the
School and asked them to read it carefully. In that poem
I told them never to look at anyone with hatred, even if
they hate you, suppress you, kill you, or step on your
life as if you were a wild plant or an insect. If you die
because of violence, you must meditate on compassion
in order to forgive those who killed you. The title of the
poem is “Recommendation.” Our only enemies are
greed, violence, and fanaticism. When you die realizing
this state of compassion, you are truly a child of the
Awakened One. Before immolating herself to call for a
cease-fire between the warring sides, my disciple, Sister
Nhat Chi Mai, read the same poem into a cassette

recorder and left the tape for her parents.

Promise me,
promise me this day,
promise me now,
while the sun is overhead
exactly at the zenith,
promise me:

Even as they
strike you down
with a mountain of hatred and violence;
even as they step on you and crush you
like a worm,
even as they dismember and disembowel you,
remember, brother,
remember:
man is not our enemy.

The only thing worthy of you is compassion—
invincible, limitless, unconditional.
Hatred will never let you face
the beast in man.

One day, when you face this beast alone,
with your courage intact, your eyes kind,
untroubled
(even as no one sees them),
out of your smile
will bloom a flower.
And those who love you
will behold you
across ten thousand worlds of birth and dying.

Alone again,
I will go on with bent head,
knowing that love has become eternal.
On the long, rough road,
the sun and the moon
will continue to shine,
guiding my way.

Even if you are dying in oppression, shame, and
violence, if you can smile with forgiveness, you have a
great power. When I was rereading these lines, I
suddenly understood the Diamond Sutra: “Your courage
intact, your calm eyes full of love, even if no one knows

of your smile, blossoming as a flower in solitude and
great pain, those who love you will still see you, while
traveling through a thousand worlds of birth and death.”
If you die with compassion in your mind, you are a
torch lighting our path.

“Alone again, I will go on with my head bent down in
order to see you, know you, remember you. Your love
has become eternal. Although the road is long and
difficult, the light of the sun and the moon is still there
to guide my steps.” When there is a mature relationship
between people, there is always compassion and
forgiveness. In our life, we need others to see and
recognize us so that we feel supported. How much
more do we need the Buddha to see us! On our path of
service, there are moments of pain and loneliness, but
when we know that the Buddha sees and knows us, we
feel a great surge of energy and a firm determination to
carry on.

“Why? Because that kind of person is not caught
up in the idea of a self, a person, a living being, or a
life span. They are not caught up in the idea of a
dharma or the idea of a non-dharma. They are not

caught up in the notion that this is a sign and that
is not a sign. Why? If you are caught up in the idea
of a dharma, you are also caught up in the ideas of
a self, a person, a living being, and a life span. If
you are caught up in the idea that there is no
dharma, you are still caught up in the ideas of a
self, a person, a living being, and a life span.”

Sign here means concept. When we have a concept

about something, its image appears within that concept.
For example, when we have a concept of a table, we see
an image of that table, but we must remember that our
concept is not the thing itself. It is just our perception,
which might in fact be very different from the table. A
termite, for example, may perceive a table as a feast, and
a physicist may perceive it as a mass of rapidly moving
particles. Those of us on the path of Buddhist practice,
because we have been practicing looking deeply, might
have fewer erroneous views and our perceptions might
be closer to being complete and true, but they are still
perceptions.

In Buddhism, a dharma is commonly defined as any
phenomenon that can maintain its unique characteristics

and not be mistaken for another phenomenon. Anger,
sadness, worry, and other psychological phenomena are
ca l l ed citta dharma s. Chairs, tables, houses,
mountaintops, rivers, and other physical phenomena are
called rupa dharmas. Phenomena that are neither
psychological nor physical, such as gain, loss, being,
and nonbeing, are classified as cittaviprayukta-samskara
dharmas. Phenomena that are not conditioned by
anything are called asamskrita dharmas.

According to the Sarvastivada school of Buddhism,
space is an asamskrita dharma. It has a birthless and
deathless nature and is not formed by anything. But this
was just a way for them to offer an example. In fact,
space is made of such things as time and consciousness
and is, therefore, not really an unconditioned dharma.
The Sarvastivadins also call “suchness” an
unconditioned dharma, but if we look deeply, we can
see that suchness is not an unconditioned dharma either.
The concept of “suchness” exists because we have the
concept of “non-suchness.” If we think that suchness is
different from all other dharmas, our concept of
suchness is born from our concept of non-suchness.
When there is above, there is below; when there is

inside, there is outside; when there is permanence, there
is impermanence. According to the law of relativity, our
views are always defined by their opposites.

In the dialectics of prajñaparamita, however, we have
to say the opposite: “Because this is not what it is, it
really is what it is.” When we look into a dharma and
see everything that is not that dharma, we begin to see
that dharma. Therefore, we must not be bound to the
concept of any dharma or even to the concept of non-
dharma.

I am introducing the idea of non-dharma to help us go
beyond the idea of dharma, but please do not get caught
by the concept of non-dharma. When we see a rose, we
know that the rose is a dharma. To avoid being caught
by the concept “rose,” we must remember that this rose
cannot exist as a completely separate, independent
entity but is made up only of non-rose elements. We
know that rose is not a separate dharma, but once we
leave behind the concept of a rose that can exist
independently, we can be caught by the idea of non-
rose. We must also be free from the concept of non-
dharma.

In the dialectics of prajñaparamita, 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 prajñaparamita aims at helping us be free from the
concept of emptiness.

Before practicing meditation, we see that mountains
are mountains. When we start to practice, we see that
mountains are no longer mountains. After practicing for
a while, we see that mountains are again mountains.
Now the mountains are very free. Our mind is still with
the mountains, but it is no longer bound to anything.
The mountains in the third stage are not the same as
those in the first. In the third stage, the mountains
reveal themselves freely, and we call this “true being.” It
is beyond being and nonbeing. The mountains are there
in their wonderful presence, not as an illusion.

When the Buddha sees a rose, the rose he sees is a
miracle. It is the rose of true being. The rose that you
and I see may be one of being, still full of
conceptualizations. The notion of emptiness in the
prajñaparamita literature is very deep. It goes beyond
the illusory world of being and nonbeing, yes and no. It
is called “true emptiness.” True emptiness is not

emptiness. True emptiness is true being.
When we dwell in the world of duality, we are

conditioned by it. When we say, “My friend has passed
away,” and we cry, we are enslaved by the world of
coming and going. The world of conditions is filled with
erroneous views. It is only by learning to look deeply
into the nature of things that we become free of the
concepts of being and nonbeing and arrive in a world
where such concepts as coming and going, existence and
non-existence, birth and death, one and many, and above
and below vanish. Once we are free, this world is still
around us and inside us, but it is now the world of true
emptiness. The principle of identity is at the top of the
tree, but the world of true being is at the root. The
principle of identity is the basis of the concept of self.
Therefore, we have to break through the nets of both
dharma and non-dharma and go beyond perceptions and
non-perceptions.

“That is why we should not get caught up in
dharmas or in the idea that dharmas do not exist.
This is the hidden meaning when the Tathagata
says, ‘Bhikshus, you should know that all of the

teachings I give to you are a raft.’ All teachings
must be abandoned, not to mention non-teachings.”

The first sentence means that we should not get

caught up in being or nonbeing, because both are
illusory. When we no longer cling to these erroneous
ideas, we arrive at the wondrous world of true
emptiness.

At this point, the Diamond Sutra repeats what was
said in the Alaggadupama Sutta, The Snake Simile.
There the Buddha tells us that his teachings are like a
raft that needs to be abandoned when we reach the other
shore. The words “hidden meaning” are found only in
the Sanskrit version, not in the Chinese one. When the
Buddha offers teachings, it is possible that his listeners
will cling to these teachings even after they are no longer
appropriate or necessary. Listening to the teachings of
the Buddha is like catching a dangerous snake. If you
don’t know how to do it, you might take hold of the tail
first and the snake might turn around and bite you. If
you know how to catch a snake, you will use a two-
pronged stick to stop it, and then you will pick the
snake up by the neck so that it cannot bite you. The

same is true of the teachings of the Buddha—you can
get hurt if you are unskillful. You must be careful not to
get caught by the teachings. The ideas of emptiness,
impermanence, and selflessness are extremely helpful,
but if you use them without understanding them deeply
and clearly, you can suffer and cause harm to others.

ENTERING THE OCEAN OF
REALITY

“What do you think, Subhuti, has the Tathagata
arrived at the highest, most fulfilled, awakened
mind? Does the Tathagata give any teaching?”

The Venerable Subhuti replied, “As far as I have
understood the Lord Buddha’s teachings, there is
no independently existing object of mind called the
highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind, nor is there
any independently existing teaching that the
Tathagata gives. Why? The teachings that the
Tathagata has realized and spoken of cannot be
conceived of as separate, independent existences
and therefore cannot be described. The Tathagata’s
teaching is not self-existent nor is it nonself-
existent. Why? Because the noble teachers are only
distinguished from others in terms of the

unconditioned.”

The Buddha is testing Subhuti to see if he
understands what he has said concerning the dialectics
of prajñaparamita. In answering the question whether
the Tathagata has arrived at the highest, most fulfilled,
awakened mind and if there is any teaching that the
Tathagata gives, Subhuti demonstrates his
understanding by using the language of prajñaparamita.
He goes on to explain that the teachings of the
Tathagata can neither be grasped nor described. This is a
very wise reply.

The Buddha has already explained these points, and
now Subhuti repeats them in his own way by saying,
“There is no independently existing object of mind
called the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind.” If we
say that there is a dharma called the highest, most
fulfilled awakened mind, we are using the sword of
conceptualization to slice out a piece of reality and call
it the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind. We should
also be able to see the non-highest, non-most fulfilled,
non-awakened mind just as we saw the non-rose
elements while looking at a rose.

When Subhuti says that there is no independently
existing object of mind called “the highest, most
fulfilled, awakened mind,” he means that what is called
“the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind” has no
separate existence. Just as the rose cannot be separated
from clouds, sun, soil, and rain, the teaching of the
Buddha cannot be found outside of daily life. No
dharma—not “the highest, most fulfilled, awakened
mind,” suchness, nirvana, Tathagata, a rose, eating a
meal, washing the dishes, Subhuti, a friend, a house, a
horse, or the teachings the Tathagata has realized—can
be grasped or described.

The notion that things can exist independently of one
another comes from the perception that they have a
beginning and an end. But it is impossible to find the
beginning or end of anything. When you look at your
close friend, you may think that you understand her
completely, but that is difficult because she is a river of
reality. In every moment, dharmas that are not her enter
and leave her. You cannot take hold of her. By
observing her form, feelings, perceptions, mental
formations, and consciousness, you can see that she is
here sitting next to you, and she is elsewhere at the

same time. She is in the present, the past, and the
future. Your friend, the Tathagata, Subhuti, and the rose
cannot be grasped because they have no beginning and
no end. Their presence is deeply connected to all
dharmas, all objects of mind in the universe.

When we practice Zen, we may be assigned the koan
“What was your face before your parents were born?”
We cannot grasp or describe this because it transcends
forms. We have only our concepts, and we cannot grasp
these dharmas through our perceptions. It is like trying
to hold on to the air with our hand. The air slips out.
This is why Subhuti said, “The teachings that the
Tathagata has realized and spoken of cannot be
conceived of as separate, independent existences and
therefore cannot be described. The Tathagata’s teaching
is not self-existent nor is it nonself-existent.” It is not
correct to call the Tathagata’s teaching a dharma, since
by doing so we put it into a box, a pattern, and isolate it
from other things. But saying it is not a dharma is also
not correct, because it really is a dharma—not one that
can be isolated but one that transcends all perceptions.

Then Subhuti says that the noble teachers can be
distinguished from others only in terms of the

unconditioned. “Noble teachers” is a translation of the
Sanskrit term aryapudgala. Arya means honor. Pudgala
means person. Aryapudgala are those who have attained
the status of “Stream-Enterer” (sotapattiphala ), “Once-
Returner” (sakadagami-phala), “Never-Returner
(anagami-phala), or “the one who is free from craving
and rebirth” (arhat) . Asamskrita dharmas are
unconditioned. They transcend all concepts. The noble
teachers are liberated. They are distinguished from
others because they are in touch with and realize the
unconditioned dharmas. They are no longer imprisoned
by forms and concepts.

This section of the sutra shows that all dharmas are
without form and transcend conceptual knowledge.
When we realize the suchness of all dharmas, we are
freed from our conceptual prisons. In daily life, we
usually use our conceptual knowledge to grasp reality.
But this is impossible. Meditation aims at breaking
through all conceptual limitations and barriers so that
we can move freely in the boundless ocean of reality.

NONATTACHMENT

“What do you think, Subhuti? If someone were to
fill the 3,000 chiliocosms with the seven precious
treasures as an act of generosity, would that
person bring much happiness by this virtuous
act?”

The Venerable Subhuti replied, “Yes, World-
Honored One. It is because the very natures of
virtue and happiness are not virtue and happiness
that the Tathagata is able to speak about virtue and
happiness.”

Chiliocosm comes from two Greek words: chilioi,

meaning “a thousand,” and kosmos, meaning “universe.”
Three thousand chiliocosms means an innumerable
number of universes. The Buddha asks, “If someone
were to fill the 3,000 chiliocosms with the seven

precious treasures as an act of generosity, would that
person bring much happiness by this virtuous act?”
Subhuti replies, “Yes,” and goes on to show the Buddha
that he is not confined by language. Aware that there are
no separate objects of mind called “virtue” or
“happiness,” Subhuti is no longer imprisoned by words
and therefore can use them without any harm. But if we
do not see the nature of interbeing implied in each word,
they can be a kind of attachment or imprisonment. We
have to use words in a way that they do not enslave us.
This is why the Buddha is giving us The Diamond that
Cuts through Illusion.

The happiness brought about by this virtuous act is
boundless. It is the utmost, unconditioned
emancipation, not merely an accumulation of

conditioned happinesses.

“Why? Because, Subhuti, all Buddhas and the
dharma of the highest, most fulfilled, awakened
mind of all Buddhas arise from these teachings.”

This remarkable proclamation embraces the notion that
prajña, understanding, is the mother of all buddhas and
bodhisattvas.

“Subhuti, what is called Buddhadharma is
everything that is not Buddhadharma.”

Those who bring Buddhist practice to the West should
do so in this spirit. Since Buddhism is not yet known to
most Westerners, the essence of Buddhism won’t have
much chance to blossom in the West if the teachings
emphasize form too much. If you think that the
teachings of Buddhism are completely separate from the
other teachings in your society, that is a big mistake.
When I travel in the West to share the teachings of
Buddhism, I often remind people that there are spiritual
values in Western culture and tradition—Judaism,
Islam, and Christianity—that share the essence of

Buddhism. When you look deeply into your culture and
tradition, you will discover many beautiful spiritual
values. They are not called Buddhadharma, but they are
really Buddhadharma in their content.

In his last meal, for example, Jesus held up a piece of
bread and shared it with his students, saying, “Friends,
eat this bread which is my flesh. I offer it to you.”
When he poured the wine, he said, “Here is my blood. I
offer it to you. Drink it.” Many years ago, when I met
Cardinal Danielou in Paris, I told him, “I think Lord
Jesus was teaching his students the practice of
mindfulness.” In our life, we eat and drink many times a
day, but while doing so, our mind is usually wandering
elsewhere, and what we really eat are our worries,
thoughts, and anxieties. Eating in mindfulness is to be in
touch with life. Jesus spoke the way he did so that his
students would really eat the bread. The Last Supper
was a mindfulness meal. If the disciples could pierce
through their distractions and eat one piece of bread in
the present moment with their whole being, isn’t that
Buddhadharma? Words like “mindfulness” or
“meditation” may not have been used, but the fact that
thirteen people were sitting and eating together in

mindfulness is surely the practice of Buddhism.
Vietnamese King Tran Nhan Tong once said that eating
a meal, drinking water, and using the toilet are all
Buddhadharma. Buddhadharma is not something
different from so-called non-Buddhadharma.

The Diamond Sutra is not difficult to understand,
although it may sound strange until you get used to this
kind of language. It also may seem repetitive, but if you
read it carefully, you will find something new in every
sentence. Moreover, the Diamond Sutra helps us sow
many wholesome seeds into our consciousness, so
when a similar thought is repeated, good seeds are sown
into our store consciousness (alaya vijñana). In teaching
the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha is training Subhuti how
to use the language of nonattachment. As we become
conversant in this language, we are able to develop our
deepest understanding.

PART THREE

THE ANSWER IS IN THE QUESTION

DWELLING IN PEACE

“What do you think, Subhuti? Does a Stream-
Enterer think, ‘I have attained the fruit of Stream-
Entry.’?”

Subhuti replied, “No, World-Honored One.
Why? Stream-Enterer means to enter the stream,
but in fact there is no stream to enter. One does
not enter a stream that is form, nor a stream that is
sound, smell, taste, touch, or object of mind. That
is what we mean when we say entering a stream.”

According to traditional Buddhism, Stream-Entry is the
first of the four fruits of the practice. When you become
a Stream-Enterer, you enter the stream of awakened
mind, which always flows into the ocean of
emancipation. Is that stream a dharma that exists
independently from other dharmas? Subhuti’s reply is

very much in the language of the dialectics of
prajñaparamita.

“What do you think, Subhuti? Does a Once-
Returner think, ‘I have attained the fruit of Once-
Returning.’ ?”

Subhuti replied, “No, World-Honored One.
Why? Once-Returner means to go and return once
more, but in truth there is no going just as there is
no returning. That is what we mean when we say
Once-Returner.”

The nature of all dharmas is neither coming nor going.
There is no point in space from which they come, and
there is no point in space to which they go. They reveal
themselves only when conditions are sufficient. When
conditions are insufficient, they are latent. The same is
true of human beings. According to the traditional
definition, a Once-Returner is a person who, after death,
will return to the cycle of birth and death just one more
time before realizing the fruit of Arhatship (no birth, no
death). But in truth, we come from nowhere and we go
nowhere. That is why we say such a person is a Once-
Returner.

“What do you think, Subhuti? Does a Non-
Returner think like this, ‘I have attained the fruit of
No-Return.’?”

Subhuti replied, “No, World-Honored One.
Why? No-Return means not to return to this
world, but in fact there cannot be any Non-
Returning. That is what we mean when we say
Non-Returner.”

Those who realize the fruit of never returning do not
return after this life to this world. It is said that they go
to another world to practice until they realize the fruit
of Arhatship. Once again, Subhuti applies the language
of the dialectics of prajñaparamita. He says that the idea
of returning is already illusory, much less the idea of
non-returning.

“What do you think, Subhuti? Does an Arhat think
like this, ‘I have attained the fruit of Arhatship.’?”

Subhuti replied, “No, World-Honored One.
Why? There is no separately existing thing that can
be called Arhat. If an Arhat gives rise to the
thought that he has attained the fruit of Arhatship,
then he is still caught up in the idea of a self, a

person, a living being, and a life span. World-
Honored One, you have often said that I have
attained the concentration of peaceful abiding and
that in the community, I am the Arhat who has
most transformed need and desire. World-Honored
One, if I were to think that I had attained the fruit
of Arhatship, you certainly would not have said
that I love to dwell in the concentration of peaceful
abiding.”

Arana means the absence of struggle. Subhuti is well
known throughout the Buddha’s community as
someone who likes to dwell in the practice of arana,
peaceful abiding. He has no wish to compete with
anyone. He is regarded as an Arhat, one who has
transformed all afflictions and desires. Because Subhuti
is not caught by the idea that he has attained the fruit of
Arhatship, he is truly an Arhat. At Plum Village, we eat
vegetarian food without thinking of ourselves as
vegetarians. This is the essence of non-action or
formlessness. Because Subhuti practices non-action, he
is praised by the World-Honored One as a disciple who
loves to dwell in peace.

CREATING A FORMLESS PURE
LAND

The Buddha asked Subhuti, “In ancient times when
the Tathagata practiced under Buddha Dipankara,
did he attain anything?”

Subhuti answered, “No, World-Honored One. In
ancient times when the Tathagata was practicing
under Buddha Dipankara, he did not attain
anything.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? Does a
bodhisattva create a serene and beautiful Buddha
field?”

“No, World-Honored One. Why? To create a
serene and beautiful Buddha field is not in fact
creating a serene and beautiful Buddha field. That
is why it is called creating a serene and beautiful
Buddha field.”

Upon attaining enlightenment, all Buddhas and

bodhisattvas open a new world for people on the path
of realization who want to study and practice with
them. Every Buddha creates a pure land as a practice
center. A pure land is a fresh, beautiful place where
people are happy and peaceful. Creating a pure land is
called “setting up a serene and beautiful Buddha field.”
Teachers and students work together to make such a
place beautiful, pleasant, and fresh, so that many
people can go there to live and practice. The greater
their power of awakening and peace, the more pleasant
is their pure land.

Amitabha Buddha has a Pure Land in the Western
Paradise. Akshobya Buddha has a place called
Wondrous Joy. After a period of practice, if you have
some attainment and peace, you may wish to share
them with others and establish a small practice
community. But this should always be done in the
spirit of formlessness. Do not be bound by the practice
center you establish. “To create a serene and beautiful
Buddha field is not in fact creating a serene and beautiful
Buddha field,” means to do so in the spirit of

formlessness. Do not let yourself be devoured by your
Buddha field or you will suffer. Do not allow yourself
to be burnt out in the process of setting up a practice
center.

The Buddha said, “So, Subhuti, all the bodhisattva
mahasattvas should give rise to a pure and clear
intention in this spirit. When they give rise to this
intention, they should not rely on forms, sounds,
smells, tastes, tactile objects, or objects of mind.
They should give rise to an intention with their
minds not dwelling anywhere.”

Not dwelling anywhere means not relying on anything.
Giving rise to an intention means having the wish to
attain the highest awakening. Relying on forms, sounds,
smells, tastes, tactile objects, and objects of mind means
being caught by perceptions, ideas, and concepts. In
Section Two of this sutra, the first question Subhuti
asked the Buddha was, “If sons and daughters of good
families want to give rise to the highest, most fulfilled,
awakened mind, what should they rely on and what
should they do to master their thinking?” This passage
is the Buddha’s answer.

“Subhuti, if there were someone with a body as big
as Mount Sumeru, would you say that his was a
large body?”

Subhuti answered, “Yes, World-Honored One,
very large. Why? What the Tathagata says is not a
large body, that is known as a large body.”

The word “body” is a translation of the Sanskrit word
atmabhava , not the word kaya. Mount Sumeru is the
king of all mountains. In this paragraph, the teacher and
his student are still using the language of the dialectics
of prajñaparamita. When the Buddha asks, “Would you
say that his was a large body?” Subhuti answers, “Very
large,” because he understands clearly the Buddha’s
language. He is aware that the Buddha says “large”
because he is free of the concepts of large and small. If
we are aware of the way the Buddha uses words, we
will not be caught by any of his words. The teacher is
important, the director of the practice center is
important, but if the idea of being important becomes an
obstacle for the teaching and the practice, then the
meaning will be lost.

THE SAND IN THE GANGES

“Subhuti, if there were as many Ganges Rivers as
the number of grains of sand in the Ganges, would
you say that the number of grains of sand in all
those Ganges Rivers is very many?”

Subhuti answered, “Very many indeed, World-
Honored One. If the number of Ganges Rivers
were huge, how much more so the number of grains
of sand in all those Ganges Rivers.”

“Subhuti, now I want to ask you this: if a
daughter or son of good family were to fill the
3,000 chiliocosms with as many precious jewels as
the number of grains of sand in all the Ganges
Rivers as an act of generosity, would that person
bring much happiness by her virtuous act?”

Subhuti replied, “Very much, World-Honored
One.”

The Buddha said to Subhuti, “If a daughter or
son of a good family knows how to accept,
practice, and explain this sutra to others, even if it
is a gatha of four lines, the happiness that results
from this virtuous act would be far greater.”

The number of grains of sand in the Ganges means a
quantity that cannot be reached using mathematics. If
one were to fill the 3,000 chiliocosms with as many
precious jewels as there are grains of sand in the Ganges
as an act of generosity, the happiness that is brought
about by this virtuous act would still be less than the
happiness brought about by accepting, practicing, and
explaining the Diamond Sutra. The happiness resulting
from the study and practice of The Diamond That Cuts
through Illusion is so great that it has become an object
of worship, as can be seen in the next section of the
sutra.

EVERY LAND IS A HOLY LAND

“Furthermore, Subhuti, any plot of land on which
this sutra is proclaimed, even if only one gatha of
four lines, will be a land where gods, men, and
ashuras will come to make offerings just as they
make offerings to a stupa of the Buddha. If the
plot of land is regarded as that sacred, how much
more so the person who practices and recites this
sutra. Subhuti, you should know that that person
attains something rare and profound. Wherever this
sutra is kept is a sacred site enshrining the
presence of the Buddha or one of the Buddha’s
great disciples.”

Any ground on which this sutra, even one verse of

four lines, is proclaimed is a holy land that is worthy of
offerings by gods, men, and ashuras, as sacred and

precious as any stupa of the Buddha’s relics. If the plot
of land is sacred, how much more so the person who
practices and recites the sutra, for that means the sutra
has penetrated into the flesh, soul, and life of that
person. That person is now worthy of offerings by
gods, men, and ashuras.

In 1963 in Saigon, the bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc
immolated himself in order to awaken our country’s
dictators. When poet Vu Hoang Chuong visualized the
ground on which Thich Quang Duc had sat, he knew
that that ground was holy ground, and he said, “The
place you sit has become an eternal chef d’œuvre, your
compassion shines from the heart of invisibility.” Vu
Hoang Chuong may not have studied the Diamond
Sutra, but he arrived at the same insight. When a person
uses his body to save the lives of his fellow beings, his
compassion can transform the ground on which he sits
into a holy ground. Even though no statue or stupa is
there, it is still truly a holy ground and should be
considered a place for worship.

THE DIAMOND THAT CUTS
THROUGH ILLUSION

After that, Subhuti asked the Buddha, “What
should this sutra be called and how should we act
regarding its teachings?”

The Buddha replied, “This sutra should be
called The Diamond That Cuts through Illusion
because it has the capacity to cut through all
illusions and afflictions and bring us to the shore of
liberation. Please use this title and practice
according to its deepest meaning. Why? What the
Tathagata has called the highest, transcendent
understanding is not, in fact, the highest,
transcendent understanding. That is why it is truly
the highest, transcendent understanding.”

The Buddha asked, “What do you think,
Subhuti? Is there any dharma that the Tathagata

teaches?”
Subhuti replied, “The Tathagata has nothing to

teach, World-Honored One.”
“What do you think, Subhuti? Are there many

particles of dust in the 3,000 chiliocosms?”
“Very many, World-Honored One.”
“Subhuti, the Tathagata says that these particles

of dust are not particles of dust. That is why they
are truly particles of dust. And what the Tathagata
calls chiliocosms are not in fact chiliocosms. That
is why they are called chiliocosms.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? Can the
Tathagata be recognized by the possession of the
thirty-two marks?”

The Venerable Subhuti replied, “No, World-
Honored One. Why? Because what the Tathagata
calls the thirty-two marks are not essentially
marks and that is why the Tathagata calls them the
thirty-two marks.”

“Subhuti, if as many times as there are grains of
sand in the Ganges a son or daughter of a good
family gives up his or her life as an act of
generosity and if another daughter or son of a good

family knows how to accept, practice, and explain
this sutra to others, even if only a gatha of four
lines, the happiness resulting from explaining this
sutra is far greater.”

Subhuti asks what this sutra should be called and how
we should practice its teachings, and the Buddha
answers that it should be called The Diamond That
Cuts through Illusion. A diamond has the capacity to
cut through all ignorance and afflictions. He also says
that we should practice in an intelligent way, that we
should learn to look deeply so that we will realize that
even transcendent understanding is not an
independently existing dharma and that his teaching has
no separate nature. That is why Subhuti says, “The
Tathagata has nothing to teach.”

If someone were to grind the 3,000 chiliocosms into
dust, these particles of dust would be very, very many.
We should look deeply into the concepts of “many”
and “chiliocosms” with the eye of transcendent
understanding if we want to avoid being caught by these
concepts. The same is true of the concepts of “dust”
and “thirty-two marks.” Although such words are used,

we should not be caught by them. If someone were to
accept, practice, and explain these teachings, even if
only one verse of four lines, the happiness resulting
from this would be far greater than the happiness that
would result from any other virtuous act. Because the
practice of nonattachment as it is taught in the sutra can
liberate us completely from wrong views, the happiness
that results from this practice is far greater than any
kind of happiness. Virtuous acts still based on the
ground of self, person, living being, and life span may
bring some happiness, but compared to the happiness
of true liberation, it is still quite small. When a person is
absolutely free from wrong views, his or her actions will
greatly benefit the world. The practice of The Diamond
That Cuts through Illusion is thus the basis for all
meaningful action.

ABIDING IN NON-ABIDING

When he had heard this much and penetrated
deeply into its significance, the Venerable Subhuti
was moved to tears. He said, “World-Honored
One, you are truly rare in this world. Since the day
I attained the eyes of understanding, thanks to the
guidance of the Buddha, I have never before heard
teachings so deep and wonderful as these. World-
Honored One, if someone hears this sutra, has pure
and clear confidence in it, and arrives at insight into
the truth, that person will realize the rarest kind of
virtue. World-Honored One, that insight into the
truth is essentially not insight. That is what the
Tathagata calls insight into the truth.

“World-Honored One, today it is not difficult
for me to hear this wonderful sutra, have
confidence in it, understand it, accept it, and put it

into practice. But in the future, in five hundred
years, if there is someone who can hear this sutra,
have confidence in it, understand it, accept it, and
put it into practice, then certainly the existence of
someone like that will be great and rare. Why?
That person will not be dominated by the idea of a
self, a person, a living being, or a life span. Why?
The idea of a self is not an idea, and the ideas of a
person, a living being, and a life span are not ideas
either. Why? Buddhas are called Buddhas because
they are free of ideas.”

When he had heard this much and penetrated deeply

into its significance, the Venerable Subhuti was moved
to tears. Hearing something so profound or seeing a
view so beautiful, we too may be moved to tears of
happiness. Then Subhuti says, “Since the day I attained
the eyes of understanding, I have never before heard
teachings so deep and wonderful as these.” The eyes of
understanding mentioned here are not yet the eyes of
the deepest, all-embracing understanding of a Buddha.
They are only the eyes of an Arhat. This means that
Subhuti is beginning to see things more deeply after

hearing this much of the Diamond Sutra.
If someone hears this sutra, has confidence in it, and

arrives at insight into the truth, that person will have
pure, clear, and stable confidence without questions or
doubts. The Diamond that Cuts through Illusion came
into existence five hundred years after the Buddha
entered nirvana. This sutra is difficult to understand
because what is said is contrary to the common
perceptions of people. Therefore, anyone who can
understand the Diamond Sutra, at any time, should
know that he or she is of a very rare nature.

Subhuti goes on to say, “The idea of a self is not an
idea, and the ideas of a person, a living being, and a life
span are not ideas either. Why? Buddhas are called
Buddhas because they are free of ideas.” The English
word “view” is actually closer to the Chinese character
used here than the word “idea,” although views
themselves are ideas or perceptions. Any perception
has two parts: a viewer (subject) and that which is being
viewed (object). A self view, a person view, a living-
being view, and a life span view are all objects of
perception. They are neither independently existing nor
permanent. Like everything else, they are of the nature

of interbeing. The last line is a powerful statement:
“Buddhas are called Buddhas because they are free of
ideas.”

The Buddha said to Subhuti, “That is quite right. If
someone hears this sutra and is not terrified or
afraid, he or she is rare. Why? Subhuti, what the
Tathagata calls paramaparamita, the highest
transcendence, is not essentially the highest
transcendence, and that is why it is called the
highest transcendence.

“Subhuti, the Tathagata has said that what is
called transcendent endurance is not transcendent
endurance. That is why it is called transcendent
endurance. Why? Subhuti, thousands of lifetimes
ago when my body was cut into pieces by King
Kalinga, I was not caught in the idea of a self, a
person, a living being, or a life span. If, at that
time, I had been caught up in any of those ideas, I
would have felt anger and ill-will against the king.”

The Buddha uses transcendent endurance, one of the

six paramitas, as an example of the spirit of deep
understanding. According to the Prajñaparamita (known

as the “Mother of all Buddhas”) Sutras, prajñaparamita
is the clay pot that contains all the other paramitas. If
the clay has not been fired properly, liquids stored in it
will gradually leak out. That is why prajñaparamita is
the very foundation. The Buddha was able to practice
transcendent endurance because he had attained
transcendent understanding, prajñaparamita.

Thousands of lifetimes ago, when his body was cut
to pieces by King Kalinga, the bodhisattva who was to
become the Buddha was able not to get angry because
he already had transcendent understanding, that is, he
was not caught up in views. He was not caught up in
the idea of a self, a person, a living being, or a life span.
If the bodhisattva had still been caught up in views, he
would have had ill-will against the king and would not
have succeeded.

We can see that what is called transcendent endurance
is, in fact, not only transcendent endurance. It is, at the
same time, transcendent generosity and observing the
precepts, as well as everything else that is not
transcendent endurance. Just as a rose is not just a rose,
transcendent endurance cannot exist independently of
the other five paramitas. With this understanding, we

can call it transcendent endurance. As we begin to
follow the Buddha’s reasoning, we can see why he talks
about transcendent endurance in order to teach about
prajñaparamita, transcendent understanding.

“I also remember in ancient times, for five hundred
lifetimes, I practiced transcendent endurance by
not being caught up in the idea of a self, a person, a
living being, or a life span. So, Subhuti, when a
bodhisattva gives rise to the unequalled mind of
awakening, he has to give up all ideas. He cannot
rely on forms when he gives rise to that mind, nor
on sounds, smells, tastes, tactile objects, or objects
of mind. He can only give rise to that mind that is
not caught up in anything.”

A mind that still relies on one thing does not abide in

stillness. That is why the Buddha always says that the
bodhisattva should not rely on form to practice
generosity. In order to really benefit living beings, the
bodhisattva practices generosity without relying on
anything. In this section, the Buddha repeats what he
has already said several times in this sutra: A mind that
does not rely on anything is not caught by forms,

sounds, smells, tastes, tactile objects, or objects of
mind. When we take refuge in something that is
changing, we can never have peace. We need to abide in
what is stable. All objects of our six senses are
conditioned and continuously changing. If we abide in
them, we will not have stability.

Today, throughout the world, many single parents
are trying to raise children by themselves. It is difficult,
and many of them are not at peace. They are working
hard to give up the idea of needing a partner so they can
just rely on themselves. In the past they may have
relied on someone who lacked stability, and their
relationship fell apart. But I know that many of them
still wish to find another person to rely on.

There are many stable things we can rely on—the
earth, the air, the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha. It is
always best to take refuge in something that is stable.
Otherwise, if the object of our refuge changes or falls
apart, we too may fall apart. It’s most stable to abide in
non-abiding. Before Vietnamese Dhyana master Van
Hanh passed away, he asked his disciples, “Where do
you abide, my students? I abide in neither abiding nor
non-abiding.” A mind that abides in anything,

ultimately, cannot have peace. That is why the Buddha
often tells the bodhisattvas not to rely on form to
practice generosity. Because they truly wish to benefit
other beings, the bodhisattvas practice generosity in this
spirit.

“The Tathagata has said that all notions are not
notions and that all living beings are not living
beings. Subhuti, the Tathagata is one who speaks
of things as they are, speaks what is true, and
speaks in accord with reality. He does not speak
deceptively or to please people. Subhuti, if we say
that the Tathagata has realized a teaching, that
teaching is neither graspable nor deceptive.

“Subhuti, a bodhisattva who still depends on
notions to practice generosity is like someone
walking in the dark. He will not see anything. But
when a bodhisattva does not depend on notions to
practice generosity, he is like someone with good
eyesight walking under the bright light of the sun.
He can see all shapes and colors.

“Subhuti, if in the future there is any daughter or
son of good family who has the capacity to accept,

read, and put into practice this sutra, the Tathagata
will see that person with his eyes of
understanding. The Tathagata will know that
person, and that person will realize the
measureless, limitless fruit of her or his virtuous
act.”

The Buddha is saying that the truth he has realized is

not what we generally think it is. It lies in the middle
way, which is beyond the idea of graspable and the idea
of deceptive. We should understand this in light of the
teaching of the raft given earlier. The raft is to help us
cross over to the other shore. It is a wonderful, even
necessary instrument. But we should use the raft in an
intelligent way. We should not cling to it or carry it on
our back after we are done with it. The teaching is to
help us, not to be possessed by us. It is not meant to
deceive us, but we may be deceived by it because of our
own way of clinging to it. The finger that is pointing to
the moon is not the moon. We need the finger to see the
moon. The finger is not deceiving us, but if we cling to
it, we may miss the moon and feel that we have been
deceived by the finger.

As long as we are still caught up in ideas and signs,
we are blinded by them. When we walk in the dark, we
cannot see reality as it is. But when we are free of the
concepts of signs—of forms, sounds, smells, tastes,
tactile objects, and objects of mind—we are like those
with perfect vision walking in the midday sun. We can
see directly into the world of “wondrous reality,” where
everything reveals its true nature.

GREAT DETERMINATION

“Subhuti, if on the one hand, a daughter or son of a
good family gives up her or his life in the morning
as many times as there are grains of sand in the
Ganges as an act of generosity, and gives as many
again in the afternoon and as many again in the
evening, and continues doing so for countless ages;
and if, on the other hand, another person listens to
this sutra with complete confidence and without
contention, that person’s happiness will be far
greater. But the happiness of one who writes this
sutra down, receives, recites, and explains it to
others cannot be compared.

“In summary, Subhuti, this sutra brings about
boundless virtue and happiness that cannot be
conceived or measured. If there is someone capable
of receiving, practicing, reciting, and sharing this

sutra with others, the Tathagata will see and know
that person, and he or she will have inconceivable,
indescribable, and incomparable virtue. Such a
person will be able to shoulder the highest, most
fulfilled, awakened career of the Tathagata. Why?
Subhuti, if one is content with the small teachings,
if he or she is still caught up in the idea of a self, a
person, a living being, or a life span, he or she will
not be able to listen, receive, recite, and explain this
sutra to others. Subhuti, any place this sutra is
found is a place where gods, men, and ashuras will
come to make offerings. Such a place is a shrine
and should be venerated with formal ceremonies,
circumambulations, and offerings of flowers and
incense.”

Please take note of the phrase “writes down”

towards the end of the first paragraph. For more than
five hundred years, the texts of the Canon were
transmitted orally. They were not written on palm
leaves until the first century B.C.E. It was in that
period, perhaps twenty or thirty years earlier, that The
Diamond that Cuts through Illusion made its

appearance.
In this section, the Buddha mentions the “small

teachings.” These small teachings are authentic teachings
of the Buddha, but they are not his most profound
ones. The Buddha’s teachings can be seen as a house
with an outer room and many inner rooms. If we stay in
the outer room, we may only benefit from a table, a
chair, and a few other small comforts. We may have
come to the Buddha with the intention of relieving our
most profound suffering, but if we are content to stay
in this outer room, we will obtain only minimal relief.
When we feel calm enough, we may open the door and
go further into the inner rooms of the Buddha’s house.
We will discover many precious gems and treasures in
these rooms. As the heirs of the Buddha, we should
make the effort to receive his most precious gifts. They
can provide us with the energy and determination to
help many other people. These gifts are called the
“great Dharma.” The great Dharma is the heart of a
bodhisattva. “Small teachings” here means the teachings
offered only to shravakas and not to bodhisattvas.

THE LAST EPOCH

“Furthermore, Subhuti, if a son or daughter of good
family, while reciting and practicing this sutra, is
disdained or slandered, his or her misdeeds
committed in past lives, including those that could
bring about an evil destiny, will be eradicated, and
he or she will attain the fruit of the most fulfilled,
awakened mind. Subhuti, in ancient times before I
met Buddha Dipankara, I had made offerings to
and had been attendant of all 84,000 multi-millions
of buddhas. If someone is able to receive, recite,
study, and practice this sutra in the last epoch, the
happiness brought about by this virtuous act is
hundreds of thousands times greater than that
which I brought about in ancient times. In fact,
such happiness cannot be conceived or compared
with anything, even mathematically. Such

happiness is immeasurable.”

“Disdain” and “slander” are translations of the
Sanskrit word parimuta. This paragraph gives us the
impression that even as the Diamond Sutra was being
written down, it was already being condemned by some
who probably criticized these teachings as not being the
original words of the Buddha. Those who were reciting
this sutra were probably also being denigrated, so right
in the sutra it says that if anyone maintains confidence
in these teachings, their study and practice will give rise
to immeasurable virtue and happiness—their misdeeds
from the past will be absolved, including those that
could bring them to the three evil realms of hell-beings,
hungry ghosts, and animals, and they will attain the
highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind.

Today, Mahayana Buddhism has become a tradition,
and the number of people who condemn these teachings
is relatively few. But during that period, after a sutra
like this appeared, studying, reciting, practicing,
copying, and spreading it could make you a target for
attack. So the Buddha offers an example that in ancient
times, before he met Buddha Dipankara, he had already

made offerings to and had been attendant of 84,000 of
multi-millions of buddhas, yet the happiness brought
about by these virtuous acts was far less than the virtue
generated by someone who will be born at the end of
the last epoch who studies and practices this sutra.
“The end of the last epoch” means the time when the
deepest teachings of the Buddha will not have a chance
to spread anymore.

“Subhuti, the happiness resulting from the
virtuous act of a son or daughter of good family
who receives, recites, studies, and practices this
sutra in the last epoch will be so great that if I were
to explain it now in detail, some people would
become suspicious and disbelieving, and their
minds might become disoriented. Subhuti, you
should know that the meaning of this sutra is
beyond conception and discussion. Likewise, the
fruit resulting from receiving and practicing this
sutra is beyond conception and discussion.”

In the Ekottara Agama, the Buddha lists four things

that can neither be conceived of nor explained: (1) the
virtue of a Buddha, (2) the state of a person dwelling in

concentration, (3) the notions of karma and
consequence, and (4) the origin of the universe. Anyone
who thinks, “I have already explained this sutra
thoroughly and completely,” has not really understood
this sutra. Studying and practicing The Diamond that
Cuts through Illusion will result in the kind of peace,
joy, and action that will have the power to change the
world. The happiness it produces is beyond all
conception and discussion.

Even if we are only washing dishes, the peace and joy
experienced from the practice of the sutra while washing
the dishes cannot be described—they are beyond
conception and discussion. The merit produced by
washing dishes will be immeasurable.

THE ANSWER IS IN THE QUESTION

At that time, the Venerable Subhuti said to the
Buddha, “World-Honored One, may I ask you
again that if daughters or sons of good families
want to give rise to the highest, most fulfilled,
awakened mind, what should they rely on and
what should they do to master their thinking?”

The Buddha replied, “Subhuti, a good son or
daughter who wants to give rise to the highest,
most fulfilled, awakened mind should do it in this
way: ‘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.’ Why is this so? Subhuti,
if a bodhisattva is still caught up in the idea of a
self, a person, a living being or a life span, that
person is not an authentic bodhisattva. Why is

that?
“Subhuti, in fact, there is no independently

existing object of mind called the highest, most
fulfilled, awakened mind. What do you think,
Subhuti? In ancient times, when the Tathagata was
living with Buddha Dipankara, did he attain
anything called the highest, most fulfilled,
awakened mind?”

“No, World-Honored One. According to what I
understand from the teachings of the Buddha, there
is no attaining of anything called the highest, most
fulfilled, awakened mind.”

be mistaken to say that the Tathagata has attained
the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind since
there is not any highest, most fulfilled, awakened
mind to be attained. Subhuti, the highest, most
fulfilled, awakened mind that the Tathagata has
attained is neither graspable nor elusive. This is
why the Tathagata has said, ‘All dharmas are
Buddhadharma.’ What are called all dharmas are, in
fact, not all dharmas. That is why they are called
all dharmas.”

Here the Buddha repeats what was said in the

beginning of the sutra to help water the seeds that were
sown in our consciousness at that time. There are things
in this passage that are already clear, but certain things
still need to be reviewed.

Tathagata means suchness, the suchness of all objects
of mind, of all dharmas. All objects of mind have their
outer appearance which is called “illusory sign.” When
our mind holds on to this illusory form, it makes an
“erroneous perception.” The concepts of birth and
death, high and low, many and one are all erroneous. If
we can break through all erroneous perceptions and

penetrate directly into the true nature of all objects of
mind, we will be in touch with suchness. To be in touch
with the suchness of all dharmas is to see the Tathagata,
and to see the Tathagata is to be in touch with the
suchness of all dharmas. The Tathagata is the suchness
of all objects of mind.

“Someone would be mistaken to say that the
Tathagata has attained the highest, most fulfilled,
awakened mind since there is not any highest, most
fulfilled, awakened mind to be attained.” When we think
that we have something now that we did not have
before, we are caught up in the ideas of having and not
having, and we still do not see suchness. Through the
prism of our erroneous perceptions, we see being and
nonbeing, gain and loss, attainment and non-attainment,
and we fail to see the suchness of all dharmas.

“Subhuti, the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind
that the Tathagata has attained is neither graspable nor
elusive.” We may think that birth and death, one and
many, and gain and loss are erroneous but that suchness
is true. But suchness is free of all concepts like true and
false, graspable and deceptive. If we say that other
objects of mind are deceptive but that suchness is not

deceptive, that too is a mistake. Like all concepts,
deceptive and not deceptive are wrong perceptions and
are not at all related to suchness. This is why the
Tathagata can say, “All dharmas are Buddhadharma.”

As the Zen master King Tran Nhan Tong said,
“Eating, drinking, and going to the toilet are all
Buddhadharma.” Because Buddhadharma is made of
non-Buddhadharma elements, Buddhadharma cannot be
found outside of non-Buddhadharma. This is explained
clearly in the Ratnakuta Sutra. Those who bring
Buddhism to the West should understand this well.
They should be able to go into the world of Western
culture and see many values of the West as elements of
Buddhadharma. Drug addiction, alcoholism, and sexual
misconduct are ruining the lives of many young people,
but we can look deeply and see into their true nature,
we can transform them into Buddhadharma. When we
look directly into the suffering, we will find answers.
One philosopher said that a true question already
contains the answer in it. When a teacher gives you a
good math problem, the answer is already there.

When we say, “What gave birth to the cosmos?” no
answer is possible because we have not asked a true

question. In it is the assumption that the cosmos was
born of a single cause, and no phenomenon was ever
born of a single cause. Everything comes from
innumerable causes. In a flower, there are soil, clouds,
compost, consciousness, rain, and sun. Because “Who
gave birth to the cosmos?” is not a true question, the
answer cannot be found in it. If the sufferings of people
due to drug addiction, alcoholism, and sexual
misconduct can be correctly formed into a question, the
answers will be found in it. When there is a true
question, Buddhadharma is already there. The art of
posing a question is very important.

If those who teach Buddhism in the West keep in
mind that all dharmas are Buddhadharma, they will not
feel like a drop of oil in a glass of water. If Westerners
bring into their society an exotic expression of
Buddhism, thinking that this particular form of
Buddhism is the only true Buddhism, the oil will never
dissolve into the water. Buddhism will only succeed
here if it is built from your own experiences and with
your own cultural ingredients. If you practice in exactly
the same way we practice in Vietnam, Tibet, Thailand,
Burma, Sri Lanka, Japan, or Korea, the oil drops will

always remain separate from the water. As Western
Buddhists, please use the many elements of your own
culture to weave the fabric of Buddhadharma.

Although this part of the sutra sounds like the
previous sections, when we read it carefully we find
many new elements. “All dharmas are Buddhadharma”
is a short sentence, but it reveals the deepest teachings
of the Buddha.

“Subhuti, a comparison can be made with the
idea of a great human body.”

Subhuti said, “What the Tathagata calls a great
human body is, in fact, not a great human body.”
“Subhuti, it is the same concerning bodhisattvas. If
a bodhisattva thinks that she has to liberate all
living beings, then she is not yet a bodhisattva.
Why? Subhuti, there is no independently existing
object of mind called bodhisattva. Therefore, the
Buddha has said that all dharmas are without a self,
a person, a living being, or a life span. Subhuti, if a
bodhisattva thinks, ‘I have to create a serene and
beautiful Buddha field,’ that person is not yet a
bodhisattva. Why? What the Tathagata calls a

serene and beautiful Buddha field is not in fact a
serene and beautiful Buddha field. And that is why
it is called a serene and beautiful Buddha field.
Subhuti, any bodhisattva who thoroughly
understands the principle of nonself and non-
dharma is called by the Tathagata an authentic
bodhisattva.”

The Buddha says that all objects of mind are

concepts, even the object of mind called bodhisattva.
When we use the language of the dialectics of
prajñaparamita, we practice according to the principles
of nonself and non-dharma. All schools of Buddhism
talk about nonself. The Sarvastivada school said it this
way, “Even though the self does not exist, dharmas do
exist.” The existence of these objects of mind (dharmas)
gives the impression that the self exists. Mahayana
Buddhism opens a different door and proclaims that
even what we call objects of mind or dharmas are of a
selfless nature. The teaching of no-self is applied not
only to humans and so-called living beings but also to
other objects such as a table or a house. Self and dharma
are just concepts. They are like a game. We should begin

meditation practice by looking deeply into things and
not letting the mind entrap us in games of words,
reasoning, or speculation.

Not only is emptiness the nature of human beings
and other so-called living beings, but it is also the nature
of those things we call dharmas, things, or inanimate
objects. A true bodhisattva is one who sees no
demarcations between organic and non-organic, self and
nonself, living beings and non-living beings,
bodhisattvas and non-bodhisattvas.

PART FOUR

MOUNTAINS AND RIVERS ARE
OUR OWN BODY

REALITY IS A STEADILY FLOWING
STREAM

“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata
have the human eye?”

Human eye is the eye we all have that can see flowers,
the blue sky, and the white clouds. Does the Buddha,
the Awakened One, have the ordinary human eye?

Subhuti replied, “Yes, World-Honored One, the
Tathagata does have the human eye.”

The Buddha asked, “Subhuti, what do you
think? Does the Tathagata have the divine eye?”

“Divine eye” is the eye of gods that sees very near and
very far and also sees in darkness and through obstacles.

Subhuti said, “Yes, World-Honored One, the

Tathagata does have the divine eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the

Tathagata have the eye of insight?”

The “eye of insight” is the eye that can see the true
nature of nonself in living beings and the impermanent
nature of all objects of mind. It is the eye of the
shravakas and pratyeka buddhas.

Subhuti replied, “Yes, World-Honored One, the
Tathagata does have the eye of insight.

“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the
Tathagata have the eye of transcendent wisdom?”

The “eye of transcendent wisdom” is the eye of the
bodhisattvas that can see the true nature of the
emptiness of all objects of mind. It can see the nature of
awakened mind and of the great vow. A bodhisattva
with the eye of transcendent wisdom sees that he or she
and all beings share the same nature of emptiness, and
therefore his or her liberation is one with the liberation
of all beings.

“Yes, World-Honored One, the Tathagata does

have the eye of transcendent wisdom.”
The Buddha asked, “Does the Tathagata have

the Buddha eye?”
“Yes, World-Honored One, the Tathagata does

have the Buddha eye.”

“The Buddha eye” is the eye that can see clearly the
past, the present, and the future, as well as the minds of
all living beings in the past, the present, and the future.

These five questions and answers state that the
Buddha has not only the Buddha eye, but also the eyes
of the bodhisattvas, shravakas, gods, humans, and all
other living beings. The fact that the Buddha has a
human eye gives us a pleasant feeling. It makes us feel
closer to the Buddha. It means that what the Buddha
accomplished, we too have the ability to accomplish.

“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Buddha
see the sand in the Ganges as sand?”

Subhuti said, “World-Honored One, the
Tathagata also calls it sand.”

“Subhuti, if there were as many Ganges Rivers
as the number of grains of sand of the Ganges and
there was a Buddha land for each grain of sand in

all those Ganges Rivers, would those Buddha lands
be many?”

“Yes, World-Honored One, very many.”
The Buddha said, “Subhuti, however many

living beings there are in all these Buddha lands,
though they each have a different mentality, the
Tathagata understands them all. Why is that?
Subhuti, what the Tathagata calls different
mentalities are not in fact different mentalities.
That is why they are called different mentalities.”

Here, the Buddha begins to talk about the mind. This

teaching is developed more extensively in the Ratnakuta
Sutra, which made its appearance between the second
and third centuries, particularly in the chapter named
“The Manifestations of Consciousness.” It also talks
about the human eye, the divine eye, the eye of insight,
the eye of transcendent wisdom, and the Buddha eye.

This section of the Diamond Sutra briefly explains
the Buddha eye as the eye that can see into the minds of
all living beings. The Buddha has a very profound
insight into the mentality of all of these beings. The
Buddha says that if there were as many Ganges Rivers

as the number of grains in the sand of the Ganges and if
the number of worlds were as many as those grains of
sand, he knows the mentalities of all living beings in all
of these worlds. This means that the Buddha has a
profound understanding of the mind. The mind here
includes the mind understood by contemporary
psychology as well as the roots and nature of all
psychological phenomena, which are not conditioned by
the birth and death of psychological phenomena.

Modern psychology only studies psychological
phenomena at their surface level. In Buddhism, the
study of the mind begins at the roots, so the Buddha
sees both the phenomenal aspect of the different
mentalities and also their true nature. The Tathagata
understands all these different mentalities because what
we call different mentalities are not, in fact, only
different mentalities.

“Why? Subhuti, the past mind cannot be grasped,
neither can the present mind or the future mind.”

How can we have a true understanding of the mind if

we keep going after different psychological phenomena
trying to grasp them? This is why it is difficult for

modern psychology to truly grasp the mind. In the
practice of Buddhism, by means of direct experience,
one is able to be in touch with the true mind.
Psychological studies, research, theories, and
comparisons of different mental phenomena cannot
really grasp the mind, since the past mind cannot be
grasped, neither can the present mind or the future
mind. As soon as any mind arises, it immediately
dissolves.

In this sutra, we learn how to deal with words and
concepts. Words are used to name or describe concepts,
but as soon as we see things as they are, we understand
that both words and concepts are not the things
themselves. Words and concepts are rigid and
motionless, but reality is a steadily flowing stream. It is
impossible to contain a living reality in a rigid
framework. We should always bear this in mind when
we are trying to describe anything. There is always
some distance between our words or concepts and that
which is being described.

There is a famous story of a monk in China who was
on his way to visit Zen Master Sung Tin in Long Dam.
He stopped at the foot of the Zen master’s mountain to

spend the night in a small inn that was run by an old
lady. The monk arrived holding a copy of the Diamond
Sutra, and the old lady, who was well versed in the
sutra, noticed it.

After a night’s rest, the monk said, “Good morning,
madam. May I have something to point my mind?”
(“Pointing the mind” was the Chinese expression for
breakfast.)

The old woman asked back, “What kind of mind do
you want to point—the past mind, the present mind, or
the future mind?”

The monk was unable to answer. Feeling ashamed of
himself, he gave up his journey to meet the master and
headed back home. He felt that if he could not even
answer the question of an old innkeeper, how could he
confront a true master.

If she had asked me the same question, I would have
answered something like this: “I do not need past mind,
present mind, or future mind. I am hungry and only
want something to eat.” I could have touched my empty
stomach as I spoke. The idea that the past mind,
present mind, and future mind cannot be grasped is an
excellent idea, but it is still just an idea. We need to eat.

This is a living reality. When you are hungry, you need
your breakfast. Why should you be impressed by a
talkative innkeeper?

GREAT HAPPINESS

“What do you think, Subhuti? If someone were to
fill the 3,000 chiliocosms with precious treasures
as an act of generosity, would that person bring
great happiness by his virtuous act?”

“Yes, very much, World-Honored One.”
“Subhuti, if such happiness were conceived as

an entity separate from everything else, the
Tathagata would not have said it to be great, but
because it is ungraspable, the Tathagata has said
that the virtuous act of that person brought about
great happiness.”

This is to confirm the fact that it is possible to use

words and concepts for true communication, as long as
you are not caught by words and concepts. The way to
avoid being caught by words and concepts is to see the

nature of interbeing in everything.

THIRTY-TWO MARKS

“Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Tathagata
be perceived by his perfectly formed body?”

“No, World-Honored One. What the Tathagata
calls a perfectly formed body is not in fact a
perfectly formed body. That is why it is called a
perfectly formed body.”

“What do you think, Subhuti? Can the
Tathagata be perceived by his perfectly formed
physiognomy?”

“No, World-Honored One. It is impossible to
perceive the Tathagata by any perfectly formed
physiognomy. Why? Because what the Tathagata
calls perfectly formed physiognomy is not in fact
perfectly formed physiognomy. That is why it is
called perfectly formed physiognomy.”

According to legend, the Buddha’s perfect
physiognomy consists of thirty-two special marks. But
the Buddha and Subhuti both say that the Tathagata
cannot be perceived by any bodily form. As with all
other forms, bodily forms are given a name, but both
names and forms are framed by ideas and concepts and
therefore cannot contain the living, boundless reality.
The same teaching concerning the use of words and
concepts is found in the following sections.

INSIGHT-LIFE

“Subhuti, do not say that the Tathagata conceives
the idea ‘I will give a teaching.’ Do not think that
way. Why? If anyone says that the Tathagata has
something to teach, that person slanders the
Buddha because he does not understand what I
say. Subhuti, giving a Dharma talk in fact means
that no talk is given. This is truly a Dharma talk.”

Then, Insight-Life Subhuti said to the Buddha,
“World-Honored One, in the future, will there be
living beings who will feel complete confidence
when they hear these words?”

The Buddha said, “Subhuti, those living beings
are neither living beings nor non-living beings. Why
is that? Subhuti, what the Tathagata calls non-
living beings are truly living beings.”

When we can see the non-rose elements when looking
at a rose, it is safe for us to use the word “rose.” When
we look at A and see that A is not A, we know that A
is truly A. Then A is no longer a dangerous obstacle for
us.

“Insight-life” is a title given to noble teachers who
have attained transcendent understanding, such as
Insight-Life Subhuti, Insight-Life Sariputra, and so on.
If we keep in mind that reality cannot be framed by
words, concepts, speech, or symbols, we can easily
understand the Buddha’s teachings in these sections of
the sutra.

THE SUNFLOWER

Subhuti asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One,
is the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind that
the Buddha attained the unattainable?”

The Buddha said, “That is right, Subhuti.
Regarding the highest, most fulfilled, awakened
mind, I have not attained anything. That is why it
is called the highest, most fulfilled, awakened
mind.”

Here we come to the notion of non-attainment. If we

think that the Buddha has achieved an independently
existing attainment, this attainment cannot be called the
highest, most fulfilled awakened mind. The moment the
concept of highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind
arises, the essence of highest, most fulfilled, awakened
mind vanishes. This is why the Buddha says, “I have

not attained anything.”
Many years ago I wrote a poem about a sunflower.

The sunflower here is prajñaparamita, transcendent
understanding.

Come dear, with your innocent eyes,
look at the clear, blue ocean of the Dharmakaya,
and look at the green color,
the manifestation of suchness.

Even if the world is shattered,
your smile will never vanish.
What did we gain yesterday?
And what will we lose today?

Come dear, look right into existence,
adorned by illusion.

Since the sunflower is already there,
all flowers turn toward it and contemplate.

THE MOON IS JUST THE MOON

“Furthermore, Subhuti, that mind is everywhere
equally. Because it is neither high nor low, it is
called the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind.
The fruit of the highest, most fulfilled, awakened
mind is realized through the practice of all
wholesome actions in the spirit of nonself, non-
person, non-living being, and non-life span.
Subhuti, what are called wholesome actions are in
fact not wholesome actions. That is why they are
called wholesome actions.”

Now we come to the nature of equality, samata in

Sanskrit. Equality means “neither this nor that,” neither
liberating nor being liberated, neither I nor others,
neither many nor few, neither high nor low. All objects
of mind are equal and share the same nature of

interbeing.
The “highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind” cannot

exist independently of what is not the highest, most
fulfilled, awakened mind. There is no teapot that exists
independently of non-teapot elements. Clouds are
oceans; oceans are clouds. Clouds do not exist
independently of oceans, and vice versa. Because all
objects of mind are neither high nor low, this is called
“the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind.” 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.

THE MOST VIRTUOUS ACT

“Subhuti, if someone were to fill the 3,000
chiliocosms with piles of the seven precious
treasures as high as Mount Sumeru as an act of
generosity, the happiness resulting from this is
much less than that of another person who knows
how to accept, practice, and explain the
Vajracchedika Prajñaparamita Sutra to others. The
happiness resulting from the virtue of a person
who practices this sutra, even if it is only a gatha
of four lines, cannot be described by using
examples or mathematics.”

This section repeats the idea expressed in section 19.

Please refer to the commentaries offered in that section.

ORGANIC LOVE

Reflection is necessary for insight. The Diamond

That Cuts through Illusion has many repetitions such as
the ones above, and the more we chant or read this
sutra, the more deeply we penetrate its profound
significance. If we read it only once, we may think we
understand all of it, but this can be dangerous. Reading a
sutra is like doing massage. Time and energy are

necessary for success.
The Tathagata uses words and ideas in the same way

as others—a flower is a flower, garbage is garbage,
awakening is awakening, illusion is illusion, afflictions
are afflictions—but the Tathagata does not get caught in
names or ideas. We, on the other hand, are in the habit
of looking at these things as fixed entities, and we may
get caught up in our views. So the Tathagata chooses
language that can help us look deeply and, gradually,
become liberated.

Sometimes the Buddha speaks in a way that sounds
as if there is a self. For example, he said, “Ananda,
would you like to go up to Vulture Peak with me?”
When he uses the word “Ananda,” the idea of a person
is used. In the sentence, “Would you like to go up to
Vulture Peak with me?” the idea of a self is used.
Although the Tathagata uses words and ideas like
others, he is not caught by the words and ideas.

“Subhuti, what the Tathagata calls a self
essentially has no self in the way that ordinary
persons think there is a self. Subhuti, the Tathagata
does not regard anyone as an ordinary person.

That is why he can call them ordinary persons.”

This is a very deep and beautiful sentence. A person
is called an ordinary person but is, at the same time, a
Buddha. By calling him or her an ordinary person, the
Buddha is not being condescending. We say the word
Buddha with respect and admiration. We never imagine
that there could be an impure element in the body of a
Buddha or a bodhisattva, because we do not want to be
disrespectful. But the teachings of prajñaparamita say
that the Buddha’s five aggregates are also of an organic
nature. The Buddha is made of non-Buddha elements.
The pure is made of the impure.

In Buddhism, nonduality is the essential
characteristic of love. In love, the person who loves and
the person being loved are not two. Love has an organic
characteristic. In light of interbeing, all problems of the
world and of humankind should be solved according to
the principles of organic love and nondual
understanding. These principles can be applied to solve
the problems of the Middle East and the former Soviet
Union. The suffering of one side is also the suffering of
the other side. The mistakes of one side are also the

mistakes of the other side. When one side is angry, the
other side suffers, and vice versa. These principles can
also be applied to solve environmental problems, such
as climate change and the environmental degradation.
Rivers, oceans, forests, mountains, earth, and rocks are
all our body. To protect the living environment is also
to protect ourselves. This is the organic, nondualistic
nature of the Buddhist way of looking at conflicts, the
environment, and love.

A BASKET FILLED WITH WORDS

“What do you think, Subhuti? Can someone
meditate on the Tathagata by means of the thirty-
two marks?”

Subhuti said, “Yes, World-Honored One. We
should use the thirty-two marks to meditate on the
Tathagata.”

The Buddha said, “If you say that you can use
the thirty-two marks to see the Tathagata, then the
Cakravartin is also a Tathagata?”

Subhuti said, “World-Honored One, I
understand your teaching. One should not use the
thirty-two marks to meditate on the Tathagata.”

In Buddhism there are many different methods of

meditation. One is the meditation on the image of the
Buddha. According to this method, one visualizes the

Buddha with thirty-two serene and beautiful marks.
Sometimes the name of the Buddha is called so that the
image of the Buddha can appear more clearly in the
mind of the practitioner, who then feels peaceful and
calm. The monks were accustomed to this practice and
did it whenever they wanted to see the image of the
Tathagata. That is why Subhuti answers quickly, “Yes,
World-Honored One. We should use the thirty-two
marks to meditate on the Tathagata.”

A Cakravartin is a king who keeps the wheel of
righteousness turning throughout his reign. He, too, was
said to have the thirty-two marks of a great person. In
light of the Diamond Sutra, we should not identify the
body of thirty-two marks with the Buddha. In fact, we
should make just as great an effort to look for the
Buddha where the thirty-two marks are absent—in
stagnant water and in beggars who have leprosy. When
we can see the Buddha in these kinds of places, we have
a signless view of the Buddha. This is not to say that
the meditation on the Buddha through the thirty-two
marks is erroneous. To a new practitioner, this
meditation can bring confidence, stability, and peace of
mind.

The precious lotus is blooming on the throne of
awakening.
The Buddha’s light reaches in the ten directions.
His understanding envelops the realm of all
dharmas.
His love penetrates mountains and rivers.
On seeing the image of the Awakened One, I feel
all my afflictions vanish.
I praise his boundless merit and vow to study and
practice in order to attain the fruit of awakening.

While going through difficult moments in life, if we

contemplate the Buddha with the thirty-two marks, we
feel fresh and relaxed. The Diamond Sutra does not tell
us not to do that. It just teaches us to look more deeply
and to also meditate on the Buddha outside of the
thirty-two marks. The Buddha will suffocate if we
grasp him too firmly. One Zen master stopped using
the word “Buddha” because people overused the word
so. He told his community, “From now on, every time I
use the word ‘Buddha,’ I will go to the river and wash
my mouth out three times.” His statement is
completely in accord with the dialectics of

prajñaparamita, but when people heard his words, they
thought he was being disrespectful. Only one honored
guest in the community understood. He stood up and
said, “Venerable sir, I deeply appreciate your words.
Every time I hear you say the word ‘Buddha,’ I will
have to go to the river and wash out my ears three
times.” How wonderful! Both men were free of empty
words. Those of us who use Buddhist terms without
conveying the teaching of the Buddha should wash out
our mouths and ears. We must be cautious. The
Vietnamese musician Pham Duy wrote these words in
his song “Man Is Not Our Enemy”:

Our enemy wears the colors of an ideology.
Our enemy wears the label of liberty.
Our enemy has a huge appearance.
Our enemy carries a big basket filled with words.

Then the World-Honored One spoke this verse:

“Someone who looks for me in form
or seeks me in sound
is on a mistaken path
and cannot see the Tathagata.”

When we first learn to meditate, we may visualize the

Buddha with his thirty-two special marks. We may
even see the Buddha in our dreams. But once our
wounds are healed, we should leave those images and
see the Buddha in birth, sickness, old age, and death.
Nirvana is made of the same substance as attachment,
and awakening of the same substance as ignorance. We
should be able to sow the seeds of awakening right here
on Earth and not just in empty space. The beautiful
lotus grows out of the mud. Without afflictions and
suffering, we cannot make a Buddha.

This section of the sutra has taught us not to be
bound by the idea of the thirty-two marks. We may
come to think that the thirty-two marks are of no value,
but, in truth, the practice of mindfulness always gives
birth to beautiful marks. The fruits of practice—
serenity, peace, and happiness—are truly there, but
they cannot be seen in collections of views. They reveal
themselves only in the wondrous reality.

NOT CUT OFF FROM LIFE

“Subhuti, if you think that the Tathagata realizes
the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind and
does not need to have all the marks, you are wrong.
Subhuti, do not think in that way. Do not think
that when one gives rise to the highest, most
fulfilled, awakened mind, one needs to see all
objects of mind as nonexistent, cut off from life.
Please do not think in that way. One who gives
rise to the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind
does not contend that all objects of mind are
nonexistent and cut off from life.”

“Nonexistent” and “cut off from life” are also

attachments. When we look at a table, a flower, or the
highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind, if we see that
they exist independently of other objects of mind, we

are caught in the view of permanence. On the other
hand, if we think that everything is nonexistent, we are
caught in the view of annihilation. The middle way
taught by the Buddha is a way free of these two views.
Liberation is not to cut ourselves off from life or to try
to reach nonbeing.

VIRTUE AND HAPPINESS

“Subhuti, if a bodhisattva were to fill the 3,000
chiliocosms with the seven precious treasures as
many as the number of sand grains in the Ganges
as an act of generosity, the happiness brought
about by his or her virtue is less than that brought
about by someone who has understood and
wholeheartedly accepted the truth that all dharmas
are of selfless nature and is able to live and bear
fully this truth. Why is that, Subhuti? Because a
bodhisattva does not need to build up virtue and
happiness.”

Subhuti asked the Buddha, “What do you mean,
World-Honored One, when you say that a
bodhisattva does not need to build up virtue and
happiness?”

“Subhuti, a bodhisattva gives rise to virtue and

happiness but is not caught in the idea of virtue
and happiness. That is why the Tathagata has said
that a bodhisattva does not need to build up virtue
and happiness.”

Whatever a bodhisattva thinks, says, and does can

give rise to limitless virtue and happiness, but he or she
is not caught in this. This is why the Buddha says that
the bodhisattvas do not need to accumulate virtue and
happiness. When we volunteer to wash the dishes, if we
think that our work will bring us some happiness or
merit in the future, we are not true bodhisattvas. We
only need to live joyfully in each moment while we
wash them. After they are washed, we don’t need to tell
everyone that we have just finished washing their
dishes. If we do that, our work will have been a waste
of time. Washing the dishes just to wash the dishes, on
the other hand, brings us inestimable virtue and
happiness.

We all know people who cannot bear great suffering,
but we do not realize that to fully enjoy great happiness
also requires great strength and endurance. The Sanskrit
word for endurance is kshanti. It is one of the six

paramitas. Only those who can bear great truth and
great happiness are called mahasattvas. That is why in
this section of the sutra we see the phrase: “[someone]
who is able to live and bear fully this truth.”

NEITHER COMING NOR GOING

“Subhuti, if someone says that the World-Honored
One comes, goes, sits, and lies down, that person
has not understood what I have said. Why? The
meaning of Tathagata is ‘does not come from
anywhere and does not go anywhere.’ That is why
he is called a Tathagata.”

Sometimes the Tathagata is defined as coming from

suchness and going to suchness. This is meant to show
us the nature of no coming and no going of all things.
The ideas of coming and going cannot be applied to
suchness. Suchness is suchness. How can suchness
come and go?

So far the Buddha has talked about equality,
nonduality, attachment to the view of permanence, and
attachment to the view of annihilation. Now he tells us

that reality is neither coming nor going. This truth does
not apply only to the Tathagata. It applies also to all
dharmas, all objects of mind.

THE INDESCRIBABLE NATURE OF
ALL THINGS

“Subhuti, if a daughter or son of a good family
were to grind the 3,000 chiliocosms to particles of
dust, do you think there would be many
particles?”

Subhuti replied, “World-Honored One, there
would be many indeed. Why? If particles of dust
had a real self-existence, the Buddha would not
have called them particles of dust. What the
Buddha calls particles of dust are not, in essence,
particles of dust. That is why they can be called
particles of dust. World-Honored One, what the
Tathagata calls the 3,000 chiliocosms are not
chiliocosms. That is why they are called
chiliocosms. Why? If chiliocosms are real, they are
a compound of particles under the conditions of

being assembled into an object. That which the
Tathagata calls a compound is not essentially a
compound. That is why it is called a compound.”

“Subhuti, what is called a compound is just a
conventional way of speaking. It has no real basis.
Only ordinary people are caught up in
conventional terms.”

This passage is very important. At the time of the

Buddha, it was thought that matter was formed by the
coming together of atoms. Most people still think that
way. Under proper conditions, atoms come together to
form a table or a teapot. When we perceive a table or a
teapot, we have an image in our mind of atoms coming
together. That image is called a compound. Compound
and atom thus become two opposite concepts. Only by
seeing that atoms and compounds are not in themselves
really atoms and compounds can we be freed from our
erroneous concepts. If we think that anything is really a
self-existent composite, we are caught by our
attachment to that object of mind.

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.

TORTOISE HAIR AND RABBIT
HORNS

“Subhuti, if anyone says that the Buddha has
spoken of a self view, a person view, a living being
view, or a life span view, has that person
understood my meaning?”

“No, World-Honored One. Such a person has
not understood the Tathagata. Why? What the
Tathagata calls a self view, a person view, a living
being view, or a life span view are not in essence a
self view, a person view, a living being view, or a
life span view. That is why they are called a self
view, a person view, a living being view, or a life
span view.”

“Subhuti, someone who gives rise to the highest,
most fulfilled, awakened mind should know that
this is true of all dharmas, should see that all

dharmas are like this, should have confidence in the
understanding of all dharmas without any
conceptions about dharmas. Subhuti, what is called
a conception of dharmas, the Tathagata has said is
not a conception of dharmas. That is why it is
called a conception of dharmas.”

Those who have not penetrated deeply into the

meaning of the Diamond Sutra may think that the ideas
of a self, a person, a living being, and a life span are the
enemies of understanding, suchness, and the Tathagata.
Because of that, they may want to eliminate these four
ideas from reality. In this section, the Buddha gives us
an antidote to that kind of dualistic thinking. He says
that all dharmas—including self, person, living being,
life span, nonself, non-person, non-living being, and
non-life span—are concepts. We should not let go of
one set of concepts just to be caught by another. The
idea of nonself is born from the idea of self, just as a
rose needs non-rose elements in order to exist.

When we look deeply into the concept of self, we can
see the concept of nonself. Tortoise hair and rabbit
horns do not exist in reality, but the ideas of tortoise

hair and rabbit horns do. They are born from the ideas
of hair, horns, tortoises, and rabbits. It is possible to
look deeply into the reality of the ideas of tortoise hair
and rabbit horns to see the true nature of the world, the
true nature of suchness, and the true nature of the
Tathagata.

The Buddha teaches us not to discriminate against the
concepts of self, person, living being, and life span.
These concepts are as valuable as the concepts of
emptiness, suchness, Tathagata, and the highest, most
fulfilled, awakened mind. All concepts co-arise and are
empty of a separate self. If the highest, most fulfilled,
awakened mind is empty, then the ideas of self, person,
living being, and life span are also empty. So why
should we discriminate or be afraid of them? All
concepts are dharmas, objects of mind, signs. The
Buddha tells us that whenever there is a sign, there is
deception. The sign of self, person, suchness, or
Tathagata all are subject to deception.

In light of the teachings Of interbeing and dependent
coorigination, all dharmas depend on one another to be
born and develop. Look deeply into one dharma, and
you will see all dharmas. This is explained in the

Avatamsaka Sutra. Please keep in mind that to
discriminate against the concepts of self, person, living
being, and life span is to go after the opposite concepts.
Once we understand that a concept is just a concept, we
can go beyond that concept and be free of the dharma
that concept represents. Then we can begin to have a
direct experience of the wondrous reality that is beyond
concepts.

TEACHING THE DHARMA

“Subhuti, if someone were to offer an
immeasurable quantity of the seven treasures to fill
the worlds as infinite as space as an act of
generosity, the happiness resulting from that
virtuous act would not equal the happiness
resulting from a son or daughter of a good family
who gives rise to the awakened mind and reads,
recites, accepts, and puts into practice this sutra,
and explains it to others, even if only a gatha of
four lines. In what spirit is this explanation given?
Without being caught up in signs, just according to
things as they are, without agitation. Why is this?”

The Buddha is telling us how to teach this sutra to

others. He says that we should explain it according to
the way things are, without encouraging the listeners to

be caught up in signs. He adds that we should stay
calm, not agitated, while we teach.

If we observe someone who is sharing the sutra, we
can usually tell whether he or she is doing it in the spirit
of signlessness. By being observant, we can hear and
feel whether the explanations have in them the idea that
“I am the one who is teaching the sutra, and you are the
listeners.” In this way, we can tell to what extent the
instructor is still caught in the concepts of self, person,
living being, and life span. If he or she is heavily caught
by those four concepts, their insights about the
Diamond Sutra cannot be authentic. The spirit of the
transcendent understanding can only be revealed by
someone who is free of signs.

To explain the Diamond Sutra, a teacher must be in
touch with suchness, the nature of nonduality, the truth
that cannot be described. Being in touch with suchness
is like digging a well and reaching the point where the
water forces its way up. Once we can drink directly
from the well of understanding, we are no longer caught
by the signs of a self, a person, a living being, or a life
span. When we see that someone is free of those signs,
even if it is not yet complete, we know his or her

teaching is authentic. Even if such a teacher is criticized
or accused of explaining the sutra incorrectly, he or she
will remain happy and at peace, with no signs of anger
or agitation.

The Buddha offers us this gatha to end the Diamond
Sutra:

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.

Composed things are all objects of mind that are

conditioned to arise, exist for awhile, and then
disappear, according to the principle of dependent co-
arising. Everything in life seems to follow this pattern,
and, although things look real, they are actually more
like the things a magician conjures up. We can see and
hear them clearly, but they are not really what they
appear to be. A bubble, timira in Sanskrit, is an image
that we can use to describe appearances. Or if we rub
our eyes vigorously and see many stars, we may think
the stars are real, but they are not.

After reading this verse, we may think that the

Buddha is saying that all dharmas are impermanent—
like clouds, smoke, or a flash of lightning. The Buddha
is saying, “All dharmas are impermanent,” but he is not
saying that they are not here. He only wants us to see
the things in themselves. We may think that we have
already grasped reality, but, in fact, we are only
grasping its fleeting images. If we look deeply into
things, we will be able to free ourselves from the
illusion.

We can even use scientific research to prove, to some
extent, some sentences in this sutra. A table that looks
firm and real, for example, may be only space and
electrons moving like a swarm of bees at close to the
speed of light. Nuclear physicists have said that while
going into the subatomic world, they find our common,
daily perceptions funny. Regardless of that, a physicist
lives his ordinary life as other people do. He drinks tea,
and eats bread like the rest of us, even though he knows
that his piece of bread is made up mostly of space and a
very small number of particles of matter. The same is
true of the Buddha. The Buddha knows that all things
are like a dream, a phantom, a bubble, a flash of
lightning, but he still lives his life normally. He still eats

and drinks. The only difference is that the Buddha lives
his life in the spirit of signlessness and nonattachment.

After they heard the Lord Buddha deliver this
sutra, the Venerable Subhuti, the bhikshus and
bhikshunis, laymen and laywomen, and gods and
ashuras, filled with joy and confidence, undertook
to put these teachings into practice.

Reciting the Diamond Sutra is one of several methods

to practice and observe it. At night, you can sit quietly
and recite this sutra. Recitation is a way to water the
seeds of understanding that lie deep in the soil of our
mind. If these seeds are watered infrequently, they will
dry up. But if they are watered often, they will sprout
and develop. Occasionally, in totally unexpected
moments, you will come to a bright and profound
realization. Don’t be put off by the repetitive
conversations between the Buddha and Subhuti. There
are sayings that we need to repeat for ourselves
throughout our lives. There are songs that need to be
sung often. The more we sing them, the more we are
penetrated by their meaning.

It has been wonderful to study this sutra with a

group of friends. I am sure you will discover new things
in the sutra every time you study it. In our community,
whenever we complete a sutra study or recitation
session, we join our palms and chant this gatha together,
to show our gratitude to the Three Jewels: the Buddha,
the Dharma, and the Sangha. Let us do it now:

Reciting the sutras, practicing the way of
awareness, gives rise to benefits without limit.
We vow to share the fruits with all beings.
We vow to offer tribute to parents, teachers,
friends, and numerous beings, who give guidance
and support along the path.

CONCLUSION

BECOMING A MODERN BODHISATTVA

OFTEN PEOPLE ASK ME how the teachings in the
Diamond Sutra relate to our everyday lives and the
current environmental crisis. I have learned the lesson of
patience. Sometimes things and people need a lot of
time for transformation. The important thing is to be
planting good seeds. Sometimes a seed needs one
hundred years to bloom as a flower. As I see it, the
Diamond Sutra is a seed planted by the Buddha that is
now beginning to blossom. The Diamond Sutra is the
most ancient text on deep ecology. It is the basic
Buddhist teaching on the art of protecting ourselves and
protecting the environment.

When the Venerable Subhuti asks the Buddha: “If
good women and good men want to give rise to the

highest awakened mind, what should they rely on, and
what should they do to master their thinking?” He is
asking, “If I want to use my whole being to protect life,
what methods and principles should I use?” This is a
very practical question that we are all struggling with
today. How do we protect our health, the health of our
loved ones, and the health of our planet?

The Buddha’s answer to Subhuti’s question is very
direct: “We have to do our best to help every living
being cross the ocean of suffering.” Then he continues,
“But if a bodhisattva holds onto the idea that a self, a
person, a living being, a life span exists, that person is
not an authentic bodhisattva.” The essence of the
Diamond Sutra is in this sentence. If we can understand
this sentence about nondiscrimination then we can
understand how to use the Diamond Sutra in our daily
lives. It’s like splitting bamboo; only the first part is
difficult. Once we’ve made a crack, then the whole
length of bamboo can be split easily. If we can
understand this key sentence, understanding everything
else in the sutra will come easily.

An authentic bodhisattva is someone who embodies
two elements: the great aspiration to bring all beings to

the shore of liberation, and the wisdom of
nondiscrimination. The Diamond Sutra teaches us that
there is no distinction between the one who saves and
the living beings who are saved. This is a wonderful
lesson for many who care about the environment! We
don’t take care of it out of any moral righteousness, but
because there’s no distinction between us and the
plants, animals, and other sentient beings on the planet.
The wisdom of nondiscrimination, samatajñana, is the
wisdom that breaks the barrier of individualism. We
have to learn to look at the world in this way.

Practicing Nonself

All the media around us encourage us to focus on
ourselves. What is self? It is our imagining. The barrier
between self and nonself is created by deluded mind.
How do we remove that barrier and liberate ourselves
from the notion of self? The Buddha advises us to
meditate on the nonself nature of things. Whenever we
look at a leaf, a pebble, a cloud, a river, a baby, a
society, or a human being, we look deeply into it to see
its nonself nature, so we can liberate ourselves from the
notion of self. The meditation on nonself needs to be
practiced every day, in every moment of our daily lives.
Whether we’re eating, walking, sitting, working in the
garden, whenever we look at other people, the clouds,
the grass, we see that we are in those elements and
those elements are in us; we are not separate.

We often forget that the human being is a creature
that evolved from animals, plants, and minerals and that
humans appeared only recently in the evolution of life
on Earth. When we think we have the right to do
anything we want, and that other animals, plants, and

minerals are only the means for us to get what we want,
then we have a very wrong notion about what it is to be
a human being. We haven’t understood that humans are
made of non-human elements; that is the true nature of
the human being. We need to remove the barrier
between human beings and the non-human elements:
animals, plants, and minerals. We know that human
beings cannot survive without animals, plants, and
minerals, yet we continue to discriminate and to destroy
them, the elements of our environment.

In our daily life, we can practice mindfulness in order
to understand the relationship between the human and
non-human. If we can protect the non-human elements,
including the non-living beings, then we protect
ourselves. We think of living beings as having feelings,
perceptions, and so on, and that in this way they’re
different from non-living beings. But living beings are
made of so-called non-living beings—of plants and
minerals. We need to live our daily life in a way that
nourishes our understanding of the relationship between
living and non-living beings. As human beings are made
of non-human elements, so living beings are made of
non-living beings.

Part of our misperception about how to help protect
living and non-living beings comes out of the way we
look at our own lives. We think our life span is seventy,
eighty, or one hundred years. We think that we exist
from the time we’re born to the time we die, and that
this is our life span. We think that before we’re born we
don’t exist, and that after we die we’re nothing. This is
a very wrong notion. We have a great fear of being cut
off from life, we have a fear of nothingness.

The notion of life span has to be removed in order for
us to see that reality is free from all notions, including
the notions of birth and death, being and nonbeing, and
so on. The notion of life span is the basis for all the
other notions. So if we look deeply into life span, we
discover that this is only a manifestation. If we get
caught in our perception, in the form, then we miss the
whole thing. We’re not seeing reality as it is: free from
birth and death, coming and going, same and different.
Our life span is not limited by time.

When we walk in autumn and see the dead leaves, we
might have a feeling of sadness. But if we look deeply at
the leaves we see that they’re only pretending to die.
The true nature of a leaf also goes beyond notions of

birth and death, being and nonbeing, coming and going,
permanence and annihilation. The leaf becomes the soil
to later on become another leaf or a flower. We are like
the leaf. We have to look deeply at being young, being
old, being born, dying, coming, going, being, nonbeing,
so we can see that all of these are just notions.

Accepting Ourselves

Because we can get stuck in the notion of self, when we
look at ourselves, we often see many things we don’t
like and many behaviors we’re not satisfied with. In
each of us there’s a judge and there’s the person being
judged. There are many of us who disagree with
ourselves, cannot accept ourselves, and feel we are so
bad, we have so many shortcomings. We are judgmental
toward ourselves. We have so many weaknesses, and
we don’t want them. We want to transcend them,
transform them, but we can’t. So we start to despise
ourselves.

If we can’t accept ourselves, how can we accept
others? How can we help change the world around us?
We have to learn to accept ourselves first. The Buddha
said that we will learn to accept ourselves by looking
deeply at ourselves. We are made of elements that are
not us. When we look deeply, we see the many
elements that brought us into being. There are the many
genetic elements we received from our parents,
grandparents, and ancestors. There’s our society, our

traditions, the nation we live in, the people around us,
our economic situation, and our educational background.
When we see all these things, we see the many non-us
elements in us. So we feel less judgmental and won’t
tend to criticize ourselves so much.

Becoming a Bodhisattva

We have to look deeply and ask: are we growing every
day? Are we happier every day? Are we more in
harmony with ourselves and with the others around us
every day, the unlovable people as well as the lovable
people? We need to take care of ourselves and try our
best to really help people. Becoming a bodhisattva, we
make the vow to give rise to a lot of energy in order to
transform our shortcomings and those of the people
around us. Sometimes when we see someone’s
shortcomings, we point them out unskillfully and scold.
Sometimes we behave in such a way as to create friction
and anger around us. 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.

When our true mind can see there is no difference
between self and other, then we’re a bodhisattva, a fully
awakened person. But usually it’s our deluded mind
that’s in contact with the appearance, creating a wrong
perception. Deluded mind is based on ignorance, avidya.

When we’re in this mind, many afflictions manifest.
Greed, anger, and ignorance cloud our perception so that
when we’re in contact with something, we can’t see it’s
real nature, and so we create an image of it. Therefore,
when we’re angry or upset, we’re upset at our image
and not the thing in itself.

We have the tendency to blame the other person. But
if we look deeply, we can see the many elements in him
that are not him. Then we can see why he behaves as he
does, and we can accept him more easily and start to
find a way to undo the difficulties and make peace. We
can see that the other person has acted in such a way
partly because of us. We have to see how much
responsibility we have for the manifestation of that
behavior and how much responsibility the other person
has. When we look into ourselves and into the other
person, we see the nonself elements in ourselves and in
the other person. Even if only one of us is liberated
from the notion of self, and is able not to be upset by
what the other person does or says, then gradually the
other person will change.

Making Our Home in the Sangha

By ourselves we can get caught in laziness and our own
negative habit energy. But in a Sangha, people remind us
to practice mindfulness. In a Sangha, people reflect our
negative energy back to us and remind us to let it go
once, twice, three times, and then we have to try to
transform. If we live alone and there is no one to reflect
our energy back to us, our negative energy can grow
stronger and stronger. Without a mindful community, a
holy person can one day become a monster. The only
way to help ourselves keep and strengthen our positive
energy is to be with a Sangha.

In a healthy Sangha, everyone gives us a lot of
happiness and we give everyone a lot of happiness
without effort. If we’re still jealous and still feel hurt by
others, then it’s because we’ve created a frontier, a
boundary. If there’s no effort it’s because we have
succeeded in dismantling the frontier between them and
ourselves. Having the frontier, we feel hurt; not having
the frontier, we’re not hurt. Even if we can recite many
sutras by heart or buy many books to read, that’s not

what others need from us. They only need our
transformation, they only need that source of joy and
peace radiating from us. If we have the habit of not
being able to communicate with the people around us,
we have to look deeply into ourselves to see why. The
practice of the Diamond Sutra is to try to dismantle the
shell that separates us from others in order to live
happily with ourselves, happily with people around us,
and happily with our planet.

Being Bodhisattvas in a Difficult Society

There are people whom we tend to think of as “bad,”
but we’re also responsible to a certain degree for their
actions and behaviors. If they’re caught by drink or
drugs, if they’re caught up in crime, then we’re also
responsible, because we have organized society in such
a way and taken care of our young generation in such a
way that they turn to drugs, alcoholism, or crime. They
may live in an environment in which people are violent,
unkind, self-centered. If we had been born into such a
situation, we would be exactly like them. If we look into
those whom we think of as bad and see that they are us,
they are our responsibility, then we will be able to love
them and help change society.

In the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha doesn’t call
anyone a bad person even though they’ve behaved
badly. So there is love, there is deep understanding,
there is no discrimination, no blaming. We know that
the person who is doing something wrong is ourselves.

We know that the problems with our environment
cannot be fixed by ourselves alone, but they also cannot

be fixed without us. One drop of water will not arrive at
the ocean. One drop of water will evaporate along the
way. But if the drop of water joins the river, then the
whole river will go to the ocean. Alone, we cannot go
anywhere. But if we have a community on the same
path, a Sangha, then we can go anywhere. We can
transform an ocean. We can transform the planet.

1
* Samjña is the Sanskrit word for perception, notion,
idea, or concept. The Chinese character of the word
“notion” has two parts: the upper part means
“appearance” or “mark” and the lower part means
“mind.” In our mind there’s a mark and we catch that
mark and we think it’s the reality of the thing in itself.
The Chinese characters for “mark” and “perception” are
closely connected because “mark” is the object of
perception, and “perception” in turn is the subject of
“mark”; so we have a perception when our mind is
grasping a mark. In Sanskrit object of mind is lakshana,
and mind is citta. When those two are combined we
have the word samjña, notion or perception.

Parallax Press
P .O. Box 7355

Berkeley, California 94707

Parallax Press is the publishing division of Unified Buddhist Church,

eISBN : 978-1-937-00601-3
1. Tripitaka. Sutrapitaka. Prajnaparamita. Vajracchedika—
Commentaries. I. Laity, Annabel. II. Nguyen, Anh Huong.

III. Tripitaka. Sutrapitaka. Prajñaparamita. Vajracchedika. English.
2010. IV. Title.

BQ1997.N4413 2010
294.3’85—dc22

2010010644

PART ONE – THE DIALECTICS OF PRAJÑAPARAMITA

Chapter 1 – THE SETTING
Chapter 2 – SUBHUTI’S QUESTION
Chapter 3 – THE FIRST FLASH OF LIGHTNING
Chapter 4 – THE GREATEST GIFT
Chapter 5 – SIGNLESSNESS

PART TWO – THE LANGUAGE OF NONATTACHMENT

Chapter 6 – A ROSE IS NOT A ROSE
Chapter 7 – ENTERING THE OCEAN OF REALITY
Chapter 8 – NONATTACHMENT

PART THREE – THE ANSWER IS IN THE QUESTION

Chapter 9 – DWELLING IN PEACE

Chapter 10 – CREATING A FORMLESS PURE LAND

Chapter 11 – THE SAND IN THE GANGES
Chapter 12 – EVERY LAND IS A HOLY LAND

Chapter 13 – THE DIAMOND THAT CUTS THROUGH ILLUSION

Chapter 14 – ABIDING IN NON-ABIDING
Chapter 15 – GREAT DETERMINATION
Chapter 16 – THE LAST EPOCH
Chapter 17 – THE ANSWER IS IN THE QUESTION

PART FOUR – MOUNTAINS AND RIVERS ARE OUR OWN BODY
Chapter 18 – REALITY IS A STEADILY FLOWING STREAM

Chapter 19 – GREAT HAPPINESS
Chapter 20 – THIRTY-TWO MARKS
Chapter 21 – INSIGHT-LIFE
Chapter 22 – THE SUNFLOWER
Chapter 23 – THE MOON IS JUST THE MOON
Chapter 24 – THE MOST VIRTUOUS ACT
Chapter 25 – ORGANIC LOVE
Chapter 26 – A BASKET FILLED WITH WORDS
Chapter 27 – NOT CUT OFF FROM LIFE
Chapter 28 – VIRTUE AND HAPPINESS
Chapter 29 – NEITHER COMING NOR GOING

Chapter 30 – THE INDESCRIBABLE NATURE OF ALL THINGS
Chapter 31 – TORTOISE HAIR AND RABBIT HORNS

Chapter 32 – TEACHING THE DHARMA
CONCLUSION
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