Some very good books on Zen are going out of print or are already out of print which often become, as a result, out of the price range of some practitioners. One such book is Ch'an And Zen Teachings (first series) by Charles Luk which was originally published in 1960. This one book is interesting because it contains Zen master Han Shan’s excellent commentary to the Vajracchedika-Prajna-Paramita Sutra, better known as the Diamond Sutra. In a way that is helpful for the beginner, Han Shan’s commentary acts to decode the Diamond Sutra which can easily be misunderstood.

As I have mentioned numerous times before Zen teaches us to awaken to Mind. Mind is the alpha and omega of Zen, in other words. The Diamond Sutra is certainly about Mind although some translations don’t bring this fact out clearly enough. In line with this, if a person claims to have mastered Zen but ignores the study and realization of Mind, or the same, ignores Buddha Mind, he or she is not a master of Zen. What such a person has mastered are rituals, wearing a robe, and sitting meditation. Suffice it to say that such practices will get the practitioner nowhere. Such people are attached to where they should not be; and where they should be, they stubbornly refuse to go. This is unfortunate.

For those who have not read Zen master Han Shan’s commentary, here is his commentary on the title of the Sutra. I should mention that the full commentary is about 52 pages. What I have provided here is not quite even one full page. The brackets are mine.

“The full title Diamond [vajracchedika] Prajna-paramita indicates the teaching expounded in this sutra which aims at revealing the Buddha's Diamond Mind. Moreover, this Diamond Mind was the fundamental mind of the Buddha in His practice, as a cause, resulting in His enlightenment, as an effect. Now He appeared in this world to teach and convert living beings by using solely his mind. He taught Bodhisattvas to use this Diamond Mind as a cause in their practice so that they could enter the initial door of Mahayana. This is why He purposely taught them to cut off their doubts (about it). As this mind has nothing in common with the realm of feeling of living beings, people in this world did not know the Buddha. Moreover, the Buddha did not, in fact, belong to this world. When He came to the world, those who saw Him harboured doubts about Him. Since His daily activities did not conform with those of others, his talking being different, and all His practice and Dharma being in contrast with the world, these disparities aroused their doubts about Him. No wonder that the demon kings of the heavens wished to harm Him, Devadatta and Ajatusatru wanted to kill Him and all men slandered Him. For this reason He said: ‘When I appeared in this world, gods (devas), men, spirits (asuras), heretics and demon kings doubted with apprehension.’ Not only did men and devas suspect Him, but even His elder disciples, such as Mahkasyapa, were suspicious of Him, for when He expounded the Dharma, the Buddha use to mention now the non-existent, now the existing, now the right, now the wrong; either He praised or blamed; either He exhorted or scolded and He never used words on a fixed basis. The disciples who listened to His teaching, harboured doubts and did not believe Him. They said: ‘Is He not Mara who feigns to be a Buddha to annoy us and disturb our minds?’ With the elder disciples’ attitude being such, one can guess that of beginners, for it was difficult to believed and understand the Dharma expounded by the Buddha. Since he had appeared in this world, he had now expounded the Dharma for thirty years. As His disciples were still suspicious and unbelieving, they had done Him an injustice for a long time” (p. 154–155).

The entire commentary, itself, takes us through 27 doubts which Subhuti had, who is the Buddha’s interlocutor in this Sutra. The Sutra’s aim is to cut these doubts away and by doing so reveal the Buddha Mind which is free of all doubts. This is in accord with the Buddha’s fundamental vow to teach sentient beings, that is, to reveal to them his Buddha Mind which is transcendent.