Essentials of the Diamond Sutra

Author: Chen Yanzhu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: The shining pearl in Buddhist scriptures, the Diamond Sutra, is also known as the "Perfection of Wisdom Sutra That Cuts Through Ill," one of the most important texts in the Mahayana Prajnaparamita genre. It means using the wisdom of the Diamond Sutra to cut away (afflictions and delusions), allowing all beings to escape the Three Realms and reach liberation on the other shore of the sea of suffering. Its main theme is to propagate the Buddhist doctrine of "emptiness and illusory existence." The four lines of verse at the end of the text, "All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, or a shadow; like dew or lightning, they should be perceived as such," encapsulate the essence of this scripture. It is a record of the discussions between Ananda, a disciple of the Buddha, and Subhuti about Buddhist teachings. This book follows the essence and research direction of the modern master Yinshun and the early Qing master Tongli, drawing on extensive references from ancient and modern commentaries for its data collection and comprehensive organization.