English
The Vajra Sutra (Diamond Sutra)
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Translator’s Preface
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"...The Diamond Sutra! Why is it also called the Vajra Sutra? What happened? Is it because the full name of the sutra is Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra, and it was shortened to Vajra Sutra? ..."
Prologue, 24 July 2021
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"...Lamdre is very difficult to explain, and in this modern era, no one has explained it in depth. Many masters have discussed the Vajra Sutra, but I consider the Vajra Sutra even more difficult to explain than Lamdre..."
Vajra Sutra Discourse 1, 25 July 2021 - The Meaning of the Sutra's Name
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"...if you had become a buddha, say, Adharma Buddha, Vairocana Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, Medicine Tathagata, Aksobhya Buddha, Ratnasambhava Buddha or Amogasiddhi Buddha, would you still practice the buddhadharma every day? ..."
Vajra Sutra Discourse 2, 31 July 2021 - Chapter One—The Setting of the Dharma Teaching
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“...We learn from physics that the earth has gone through seven transformations in the past seven hundred million years. The mountains became fields, the fields became mountains; the oceans became mountains, and the mountains became the seas. As time goes, nothing stays. Everything will be annihilated. Kalachakra or the wheel of time also annihilates everything...”
Vajra Sutra Discourse 3, 1 August 2021 - Chapter One—The Setting of the Dharma Teaching (continued)
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"...When the Buddha returned, she was the first one that ran to the Buddha and said, “I’m the first one to greet you on your return.” Sakyamuni Buddha said, “No, it wasn’t you.” She replied, “I got here first! Why are you saying it wasn’t me?”..."
Vajra Sutra Discourse 4, 7 August 2021 - Chapter One—The Setting of the Dharma Teaching (continued)
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"...There's deeper meaning to eating. The Buddha said, “one person only begged from poor people while the other only begged from the rich. Neither had the mind of equality, they were partial." One was partial towards the poor whilst the other was partial towards the rich. They were both wrong. One eats whatever is offered. This should be the mindset of a practitioner. One should not discriminate. Remember, if one discriminates, one is on the wrong track..."
Vajra Sutra Discourse 5, 8 August 2021 - Chapter One—The Setting of the Dharma Teaching (continued)
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"...The life of the Buddha seems exactly the same as that of an average person, eating and sleeping; however, it is very different. Even though on the surface, it is the act of eating and sleeping, in its deepest meaning, it differs from what mundane people do..."
Vajra Sutra Discourse 6, 14 August 2021 - Chapter Two—Subhuti’s Request
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"...I will tell you something that no one else knows, only Grandmaster knows; it is not even written in the Avadanasataka Sutra. People talk about three lifetimes of the past, present and future. I talk about four lifetimes. Only Grandmaster Lu knows about Subhuti’s earliest lifetime..."
Vajra Sutra Discourse 7, 15 August 2021 - Chapter Two—Subhuti’s Request (continued)
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"...Learn from Subhuti! He practiced the endurance paramita and he returned everything to emptiness. He discarded all the garbage from his heart and mind. Why do you keep garbage inside you? What for? Throw them out, empty your heart and mind. Nothing is the matter..."
Vajra Sutra Discourse 8, 21 August 2021 - Chapter Two—Subhuti’s Request (continued)
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"...The Buddha put his whole heart into teaching Subhuti, observing Subhuti’s past lifetimes. I have mentioned that in his past lives, Subhuti was an extremely angry person. Therefore, the Buddha’s first lesson to Subhuti was the endurance paramita..."
Vajra Sutra Discourse 9, 22 August 2021 - Chapter Two—Subhuti’s Request (continued)
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”...Good men and good women refer to upasaka and upasika, not just kind people with good hearts. Do not mistake it. You may think that “good men” refers to a man with a good heart, and “good women” refers to a kind woman. No, good men and good women refer to upasaka and upasika—the ones purposedly trained in the authentic buddhadharma; the ones that will attain the highest enlightenment in the future...“
Vajra Sutra Discourse 10, 28 August 2021 - Chapter Two (continued) and Chapter Three—The Right and Ultimate Meaning of the Great Vehicle
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”...The Vajra Sutra is exceedingly profound. It reveals that ultimately all phenomena are intrinsically empty, which is the right equality. The Vajra Sutra talks about two wisdoms; the wisdom of the nature of equality which is the right equality and the perfect mirror-like wisdom which is the enlightening reality. These two wisdoms are extremely important concepts in Buddhism...“
Vajra Sutra Discourse 11, 29 August 2021 - Chapter Three—The Right and Ultimate Meaning of the Great Vehicle (continued)
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"...Who defined time? It is defined by human beings. No view of lifespan means there is no time dimension. Time does not exist. If time does not exist anymore, how can there be any coexistence of causes and conditions?..."
Vajra Sutra Discourse 16, 18 September 2021 - Chapter Six—The Right Faith is Extremely Rare
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"...People in this world are attached to appearances, forms or phenomena. People in the world don’t have the right faith. Why? Because they are attached to appearances, forms or phenomena. Look at the young unmarried men these days. All of them want to marry beautiful wives. Is there anyone who wants to marry an ugly one? Ugly women cannot find marriage partners. They all want beautiful wives but not ugly ones because they are still attached to appearances. Whether they are ugly or beautiful, they are all non-appearances. They are all aggregates of the earth, water, fire and wind elements..."
Vajra Sutra Discourse 17, 19 September 2021 - Chapter Six—The Right Faith is Extremely Rare (continued)
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"...To hold the view of dharma… What is dharma? In this case, “dharma” refers to the mountains, the rivers, the great earth, everything really. If you think that everything exists, you “hold” the view of dharma. If you do not think that they exist, you “hold” the view of non-dharma. In both cases, you still attach yourself to self, others, sentient beings and lifespan; you are attached to phenomena..."
Vajra Sutra Discourse 28, 30 October 2021 - Chapter Ten—Magnificent Pureland
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“...Buddhanature is already within the mind of each sentient being.”
Vajra Sutra Discourse 29, 31 October 2021 - Chapter Ten—Magnificent Pureland (continued)
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“Subhuti, what do you think? Do the bodhisattvas adorn the buddhaland?”
Vajra Sutra Discourse 30, 6 November 2021 - Chapter Ten—Magnificent Pureland (continued)
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“A very famous phrase is in today’s excerpt: “Should give rise to the mind which does not dwell on anything.”
There is a story behind this famous phrase. The Sixth Patriarch Huineng heard his neighbor chanting the Vajra Sutra. When he heard the phrase should give rise to the mind which does not dwell on anything, he was awakened and immediately gained an understanding…”
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“...The Buddha said in the most important and final statement, “The one who is in union with the Dao is the greatest.” This is the intangible! It’s so big that there is no exterior, yet small enough that there is no interior. No outside, no inside—only then would this be the real “big”! The Dao is like that, it’s so big that there is no exterior, but also so small that there is nothing inside. This is what “big” really means. Non-body is without forms and without appearances. Only then would it be called “big.” Anything with an appearance would be small!...”
"...We should not only revere the sutra but also uphold and recite it. Reciting the sutra and upholding the non-phenomena of self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan is the first and foremost, unexcelled, and rare dharma to allow one to reach attainment. The four non-phenomena of self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan are the first and foremost, unexcelled, and rare dharma. That is why the Vajra Sutra is also revered as the first and foremost, unexcelled, and rare sutra.
At the place where this sutra is... wherever there is a Vajra Sutra, there is a buddha..."
The Buddha told Subhuti, “This sutra shall be called Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita. You shall uphold this name. Why? Subhuti, the prajnaparamita as spoken by the Buddha is not prajnaparamita; it is called prajnaparamita. Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata speak on the dharma?”
Subhuti replied, “World-honored One, the Tathagata has not spoken.”
“Subhuti, in comparison to good men and good women who devote their lives as an act of giving amounting to the grains of sand in the Ganges River, a person who accepts and upholds this sutra, even if only the four-line verse, will still have greater blessings.”
Vajra Sutra Discourse 38, 4 December 2021 - Chapter Fourteen—Extinction Upon Abandoning Phenomena
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“Subhuti understood its profundity upon hearing this sutra and was moved to tears.”Vajra Sutra Discourse 39, 5 December 2021 - Chapter Fourteen—Extinction Upon Abandoning Phenomena (continued)
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“Subhuti said that he had attained his wisdom eyes long ago, yet he had never heard of such a deep sutra before. Vajra Sutra is indeed a very deep, profound sutra. Why is it profound? Why did he say that the Vajra Sutra is very profound?”Vajra Sutra Discourse 40, 11 December 2021 - Chapter Fourteen—Extinction Upon Abandoning Phenomena (continued)
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“…pure faith involves practice. It is of utmost importance! Faith is pure only when it is put into practice… By applying the non-view of self, non-view of others, non-view of sentient beings, and non-view of lifespan! Only then would it be true purity. Simply believing in the buddhas is not it, as this is only superficial… by having pure faith, one reaches unhindered boundlessness throughout the three times across all ten directions.”
Vajra Sutra Discourse 41, 12 December 2021 - Chapter Fourteen—Extinction Upon Abandoning Phenomena (continued)
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“World-honored One, it is easy for me to believe, comprehend, accept, and uphold this sutra immediately upon hearing it.”
Vajra Sutra Discourse 42, 18 December 2021 - Chapter Fourteen—Extinction Upon Abandoning Phenomena (continued)
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“…the notion of the non-phenomena of self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan is indeed extremely rare. Only Sakyamuni Buddha would make such a statement, no other religious founders have ever done so.”
Vajra Sutra Discourse 43, 19 December 2021 - Chapter Fourteen—Extinction Upon Abandoning Phenomena (continued)
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“… the Buddha explains that these appearances do not really exist! I do not exist, you do not exist, they do not exist. When sentient beings learn about this notion of the non-existence of everything, they would become bewildered, and even frightened.”
Vajra Sutra Discourse 44, 25 December 2021 - Chapter Fourteen—Extinction Upon Abandoning Phenomena (continued)
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“... endurance paramita—the highest kind of endurance—is not endurance paramita. It is because one holds no notion of self. If there is no self, who is there to endure?
“… Both Sakyamuni Buddha and Jesus Christ have equally mastered the endurance paramita. It was when Sakyamuni Buddha was dismembered by King Kalinga and when Jesus was crucified. They were truly remarkable.”
Vajra Sutra Discourse 45, 26 December 2021 - Chapter Fourteen—Extinction Upon Abandoning Phenomena (continued)
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“...like what Jesus said, “Do not let the left hand know the good deeds done by the right hand.” You do not keep it in mind… Do not dwell on the idea that you want to do good deeds… Just do it! Once you do it, forget about it. Do it, forget it.”
Vajra Sutra Discourse 46, 1 January 2022 - Chapter Fourteen—Extinction Upon Abandoning Phenomena (continued)
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“…the Tathagata said that all phenomena are non-phenomena… Everything will pass and everything will disappear… sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and everything is momentary. Whatever you see, whatever situation that you encounter, whatever realm you are in, they are all transient. They only exist for a very short period of time and will eventually pass.”
Vajra Sutra Discourse 47, 2 January 2022 - Chapter Fourteen—Extinction Upon Abandoning Phenomena (continued)
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“The sutra speaks about the true reality—the absence of phenomena… Anything that changes is not true reality because Absolute Reality never changes.”
“…as a spiritual cultivator, you want to discard, you want to discard everything. Every day, you would throw away the garbage in your mind. Once you empty your garbage, you will become pure. Gradually, you would get rid of your afflictions, hindrances, habitual tendencies, greed, anger, delusions, doubt, and pride until they are completely gone. One by one, you will empty yourself… Only after everything has been emptied would you be one with the Dao…”
~ To be continued... ~
