Diamond Sutra Summary by Hanshan

[Astus]

"As all living things are deluded and upset by their views of forms and since their grasp is very hard to break, the Buddha used the Diamond mind wisdom to demolish these views one by one, in order to enable them to perceive the fundamental wisdom of the Dharma-kaya's body.

At first they clung to the forms of the five aggregates (skandhas) of body and mind and. to the six sense data. They were attached to these forms while giving alms (dana) to seek merits in their quest of Buddhahood. The World Honoured One broke up this by the doctrine of non-attachment.
Next, they clung to the form of Bodhi and the Buddha broke it up by the doctrine of gainlessness.
Next, they clung to the form of Buddha lands adorned by almsgiving (dana) and the Buddha broke it up by declaring that there are no lands which can be adorned.
Next, they clung to merits which would result in the appearance of the Reward body (or Sambhoga-kaya) and the Buddha broke it up by stating that it is not in fact the completely perfect form body (Rupa-kaya).
Next, they clung to the appearance of the Trikaya which the Tathagata possessed and the Buddha broke it up by declaring that the Nirmanakaya is not real and that Sambhoga-kaya is beyond forms.
Next, they clung to the view that the Dharma-kaya must have forms, and the Buddha broke this up by declaring that the Dharma-kaya has none.
Next, they clung to the existence of a true ego in the Dharma-kaya and the Buddha broke it up by declaring that all things are egoless.
Next, they clung to the view that the Tathagata possessed the forms of the Trikaya and the Buddha broke up this by declaring that the real is neither monistic nor pluralistic.

Thus all their false views were broken up successively one after the other, and with the elimination of all idea of form and appearance, the mind had nowhere to alight."

(Hanshan Deqing: The Diamond Cutter of Doubts, in Lu K'uan Yü: "Ch'an and Zen Teaching", first series, p 203-204)

[Anonymous X]

Good stuff.