The Diamond Sutra: Transforming the Way We Perceive the World Paperback – 15 Jun. 2000

Having recently started meditating and bringing Buddhist teachings into my daily life this book was my perfect companion. Personally I did not find this book too scholarly even though I am a beginner, the overview of the historical context did pose some challenging new words but generally I understood what Soeng was saying. The highlight of this short book is obviously the commentary of the Sutra itself which is absolutely life changing to say the least. Bringing these teachings into your meditation leaves you with a far deeper and profound understanding of the Buddhas teachings and will therefore give you a very different way of viewing your life and your suffering. I read this book once in few days and am already considering re-reading it to refresh my memory of the Sutra for the benefit of myself and all others that I may pass these teachings onto.If you are choosing between this and Mu Soeng's commentary of the Heart Sutra I would choose this, its far more focused on the Buddhist teaching and history and draws less comparisons to Quantum Physics that at times create confusion due to the short explanations of very complex scientific theories.

I can only recommend Mu Soeng's book to anybody with a serious interest in Buddhism; it is a scholarly tome that is lucid and offers a penetrating insight to the Diamond Sutra.Western Buddhists often appreciate the Diamond Sutra has been held in esteem by Buddhists for centuries but I suspect have little understanding of the text. I'll admit it baffled me for years. My occasional dip into it usually left me wondering how to get a handle on it but appreciative of it's final, famous verse - Thus shall you think of this fleeting world etc.Having read `The Diamond Sutra: Transforming the Way We Perceive the World ` my understanding has developed and I'm grateful for it's enrichment. The author's writing style is the model of clarity and he is aware of the postmodern debate. This is most definitely not a new age book, no wooly thinking here, no devotional aspect either just philosophical logic.

A little dry for my tastes your need plenty of water with this one.