The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion / Edition 2

by Thich Nhat Hanh

Overview

The Diamond Sutra, a mainstay of the Mahayana tradition, has fascinated Buddhists for centuries because of its insights into dualism and illusion: the "diamond" can cut through any obstacle on the road to enlightenment. In the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha responds to a disciple's question about how to become a Buddha. The Diamond that Cuts Through Illusion presents a dialogue between the Buddha and his disciple, Subhuti, which illuminates how our minds construct limited categories of thought. The answer: we must move beyond personal enlightenment to follow the path of the Bodhisattvas, fully enlightened beings who postpone Nirvana in order to alleviate the suffering of others. It offers us alternative ways to look at the world in its wholeness so we can encounter a deeper reality; develop reverence for the environment and more harmonious communities, families, and relationships; and act in the world skillfully and effectively.

This revised edition includes Thich Nhat Hanh’s translation of the Sutra from the Chinese and, in his commentaries, his own diamond sharp insight, including new work on the environmental implications of the Diamond Sutra. A beautiful edition of one of Buddhism's central texts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781935209447
Publisher:	Parallax Press
Publication date:	09/09/2006
Edition description:	Revised Edition
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Thich Nhat Hanh was a world-renowned spiritual teacher and peace activist. Born in Vietnam in 1926, he became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. Over seven decades of teaching, he published more than 100 books, which have sold more than four million copies in the United States alone. Exiled from Vietnam in 1966 for promoting peace, his teachings on Buddhism as a path to social and political transformation are responsible for bringing the mindfulness movement to Western culture. He established the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism in France, now the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and the heart of a growing community of mindfulness practice centers around the world. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 95 at his root temple, Tu Hieu, in Hue, Vietnam.

Table of Contents

Welcome 1

The Vajracchedika Prajñaparamita Sutra 5

Commentaries 33

Part 1 The Dialectics of Prajñaparamita 34

1 The Setting

2 Subhuti's Question

3 The First Flash of Lightning

4 The Greatest Gift

5 Signlessness

Part 2 The Language of Nonattachment 58

6 A Rose Is Not a Rose

7 Entering the Ocean of Reality

8 Nonattachment

Part 3 The Answer Is in the Question 78

9 Dwelling in Peace

10 Creating a Formless Pure Land

11 The Sand in the Ganges

12 Every Land Is a Holy Land

13 The Diamond That Cuts through Illusion

14 Abiding in Non-abiding

15 Great Determination

16 The Last Epoch

17 The Answer Is in the Question

Part 4 Mountains and Rivers Are Our Own Body 110

18 Reality Is a Steadily Flowing Stream

19 Great Happiness

20 Thirty-two Marks

21 Insight-life

22 The Sunflower

23 The Moon Is Just the Moon

24 The Most Virtuous Act

25 Organic Love

26 A Basket Filled with Words

27 Not Cut Off from Life

28 Virtue and Happiness

29 Neither Coming Nor Going

30 The Indescribable Nature of All Things

31 Tortoise Hair and Rabbit Horns

32 Teaching the Dharma

Conclusion: Becoming a Modern Bodhisattva 143