[One Thousand Characters a Day] Diamond Sutra for Humanities Readers <4>

Editor's NoteHow can it be that while I eat, breathe, and think, existing so clearly, there is no such thing as 'I'? But it's not just 'I'. Whatever the object, if the mind clings and dwells on it, it moves further away from the truth. The Diamond Sutra, which tells us to break all concepts of form and name and see the true nature of the world, even tells us to abandon the concept of 'Buddha's Dharma.' This means not to be bound by the absolute words of the Buddha, the one and only truth spoken by the Buddha. The Buddhist teaching of '응무소주 이생기심 (應無所住 而生其心 · giving rise to the mind without dwelling anywhere)' and the essence of the concept of emptiness (空) are contained in the Diamond Sutra. Word count: 752.

When we dream for a night, there are exciting and joyful dreams, but also dreams so sad they bring tears. Once we wake up, everything disappears. Similarly, the events we experience during our lives are like 'dreams.' Because we believe our mind and thoughts are real, we fail to recognize them as dreams. Like being deceived by a mirage, we happily believe joy will last forever, and suffer as if pain will never end. Just as everything vanishes upon waking from a dream, our joys and sufferings disappear like 'bubbles.' It is like a 'shadow' play on the stage called life. Like 'dew' that vanishes when the sun rises, or 'lightning' that disappears as soon as it flashes.

Joy, sadness, love, and hatred are all creations of the mind. They are events arising from causes and conditions. Since they are made, they inevitably disappear. When causes and conditions change, so do my feelings and thoughts. Therefore, to desire and cling as if they were eternal is foolish.

All discrimination is inevitably a projection of one's own mind. We live in a world edited around 'me.' The world as I see it does not exist as it appears. Like an illusion, like a shadow, its essence is emptiness. Ultimately, the wisdom conveyed by the Diamond Sutra, its most powerful weapon, is the awareness of 'no essence' and 'emptiness.' Although the term 'emptiness' (공) never appears, the entire scripture overflows with the concept of emptiness.

- Kim Seongok, Diamond Sutra for Humanities Readers, Bulgwang Publishing, 16,000 KRW