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Diamond Sutra Explained

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I, also, have read all the available translations of Master Nan's work. In fact, when I picked up Working Towards Enlightnment some 25 years ago, it changed my life. I have read it 6 times so when I heard that another series of lectures were going to be published, especially on a sutra much praised by the Master, I wanted to read it. Talk about grasping!

I was not disappointed. Master Nan's awakening is obvious throughout. He will dispell the scholars misconception as to wether this sutra is about emptiness or not. And he will challenge the meditator in his practice to go beyond appearances and concepts.

His great humility translates into wonderful humor and his teaching skills develop into the Roar of the Lion.

A must have for anyone serious in their practice or research.

The Diamond Sutra is easy to read and the behind the scenes explanations and stories from Master Nan make this a treasure for all to enjoy. More comes out of the page (and of you!) every time you're lucky enough to read it. I pull this out all the time and my copy is marked, underlined and highlighted with notes throughout.

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the books of teacher Nan Huai Chin about spirituality are the best and the most difficult,
many consider him the last great oriental teacher with the most unusual and great wisdom
all his books surely are indispensable for the serious student of the Way and they cannot be matched by anyone in profoundity and clarity
they are the best companian volumes with the excellent books of Bill Bodri about meditation

It was 12 years ago when I first read this book in a book store in China. I picked it up and just read through a few lines and the words in it struck me like lightening bolt - that's what you call Zen experience. At the time I left my wallet at home, and I bought the book right on the spot nevertheless by trading off my college food stamps. Material food for spiritual food, what a bargain!

Diamond Sutra is a key scripture in Zen Buddhism and very difficult to read and comprehend without an advanced Zen master's guidance and instruction. This book essentially captures the Zen Buddhism in a nut shell. It tought me step-by-step, how to detach one from his own ego and how ego-less non-differentiating self is truely fullfiled self. Nan's knowledge, humor and wisdom is fully illustrated in this book.

Aside from being the most in-depth and profound commentary available on the Diamond Sutra, the translation of the Diamond Sutra included in it is the best English translation currently available. It is the one most capable of capturing both the smoothness and subtlety of Bodhisattva Kumarajiva's original translation from Sanskrit. Also provided are Master Nan Huaijin's 32 gathas for each chapter of the Diamond Sutra, composed in one night several decades years ago, summing up the entire meaning of the Diamond Sutra, Buddhism, and Zen. He gives a simple explanation for each of them, but the more depth of understanding you have, the deeper you will see that they are, with all sorts of profound and hidden meanings that unfold as you progress.

As for Master Nan himself, he is simply the greatest living authority on Buddhism. It may seem that this is a big claim, since he is relatively little known in the West. However, to anyone who has read his books, this statement will not surprise them in the slightest. There are simply no other authors qualified to speak with such depth of understanding. I am unaware of any other living cultivators who have actually walked the stages of the path so far, or attained the fruits of it as he has. No one can speak so easily on the most profound or the most practical aspects, or draw upon the entire teachings of Buddhism, quoting sutras left and right with such ease, and with such clarity of purpose, as Master Nan can. In fact, there are many Buddhists who have studied a great deal, and still have difficulty even grasping the easier things he teaches.

Fortunately, this commentary on the Diamond Sutra is less rigorous than some of his other teachings, and is eminently accessible for western readers. There is not a single better book available on the Diamond Sutra than this. It really does have it all: the best translation from Kumarajiva's original, the 32 chapter divisions of Prince Zhaoming, the 32 gathas of Master Nan, and a wonderfully deep explanation filled with profound and practical insights as well as fascinating stories. I highly recommend this book for anyone, as I believe that it is a veritable treasure chest with a great deal to offer any reader. You could buy hundreds of books on Buddhism, and this book would still be among the very, very best.

Master Nan Huai Chin is as always a breath of fresh air when it comes to unraveling Buddha's discourses - When I first read the Diamond Sutra w/o Masten Nan's explanation, I frankly did not get much out of it. However, after a throughout explanation from Master Nan, it makes all the sense in the world....Master Nan's easy manner and humorous passages makes an otherwise dry reading into an enjoyable journey of self-discovery...so don't dwell on it and just enjoy it! ;)