The Diamond Sutra
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE 2018 THORNTON WILDER PRIZE FOR TRANSLATION
A masterful translation of the Diamond Sutra, an essential Zen Buddhist scripture—with insightful commentary and helpful historical context
Zen Buddhism is often said to be a practice of mind–to–mind transmission without reliance on texts—in fact, some great teachers forbid their students to read or write. But Buddhism has also inspired some of the greatest philosophical writings of any religion, and two such works lie at the center of Zen: The Heart Sutra, which monks recite all over the world, and The Diamond Sutra, said to contain answers to all questions of delusion and dualism.
This is the Buddhist teaching on the perfection of wisdom and cuts through all obstacles on the path of practice. As Red Pine explains: The Diamond Sutra may look like a book, but it’s really the body of the Buddha. It’s also your body, my body, all possible bodies. But it’s a body with nothing inside and nothing outside. It doesn’t exist in space or time. Nor is it a construct of the mind. It’s no mind. And yet because it’s no mind, it has room for compassion. This book is the offering of no mind, born of compassion for all suffering beings. Of all the sutras that teach this teaching, this is the diamond.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The Diamond Sutra 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 Perfection of Wisdom, Red Pine offers his translation of the text from both Sanskrit and Chinese, as well as commentary throughout. He also provides an interesting introduction to the history of the text's transmission, explaining that since the Sutra was originally in verse, he has tried to preserve its poetic coherence. This is a useful and beautiful translation of one of Buddhism's central texts.
