The Essence of the Diamond Sutra

The overarching theme throughout the entire Diamond Sutra is to shatter appearances, shatter appearances, shatter appearances—to shatter all appearances, beginning with the shattering of the four notions (of self, others, sentient beings, and a life span), and to shatter all dharmic appearances. The scope of these dharmic appearances is immeasurably vast and boundless. Whatever sentient beings can touch, see, think, conceive, or discuss is non-appearance. This includes all dharmas and all appearances within the three realms of the mundane world: the notions of self, others, sentient beings, and a life span; the appearances of śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas; the thirty-two marks and the fully adorned bodily form of a Buddha; the appearance of Tathāgata, the great body; the appearance of lands, particles of dust, worlds, the unitary composite appearance; the mental appearances of sentient beings, the appearance of bodhisattvas arousing the bodhi mind, the appearance of bodhisattvas adorning lands, the appearance of bodhisattvas liberating sentient beings, the appearance of Buddhas expounding the Dharma, the appearance of Buddhas attaining the Dharma, the appearance of Buddhas attaining bodhi, the appearance of bodhisattvas practicing the six pāramitās; even the appearance of Prajñāpāramitā, the appearance of the Buddha Dharma, the appearance of the true nature of all dharmas, and so on and so forth. All appearances are non-appearances, neither appearances nor non-appearances, neither dharmas nor non-dharmas.
And what is the basis for shattering all these appearances? The basis is the indestructible vajra mind, which neither arises nor ceases. Because of this indestructible vajra mind, all dharmic appearances that arise are non-appearances, or more comprehensively, neither appearances nor non-appearances. Therefore, it is said that the Vajra Prajñā Mind is also called the Great Dhāraṇī Method of the One Mark Without Marks, which holds all appearances, encompasses all dharmas, causing all dharmas to be without self-nature and without inherent appearance. All dharmas are neither dharmas nor non-dharmas; the world is empty, still, void, and illusory.
The process and result of shattering appearances in the Diamond Sutra resonate distantly with the Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva's method of perfect penetration through the faculty of hearing. It empties everything that can be emptied, leaving only the indestructible Vajra Prajñā Mind on the other shore—neither the other shore nor not the other shore—solitary and without companion, yet it is the True Dharma Realm.

The Diamond Sutra also resonates distantly with all Prajñā scriptures and Mahāyāna scriptures, mutually affirming one another without the slightest discord. Apart from emptiness, there is only emptiness. Emptiness to the ultimate end is neither emptiness nor non-emptiness. Can worldly people understand this? Can they realize it? If realized, do any appearances remain in their minds? Do they still grasp at anything? Of course, in between lies the path of realization spanning three asamkhyeya kalpas to traverse. It requires shattering one appearance after another, shattering completely to return to the origin, returning home to sit securely. Yet by that time, there is no home to return to, no place to sit, and no body to sit securely. Is this not an utterly naked, perfectly empty great liberation method? Worldly people, discard one appearance after another as soon as possible! Free yourselves from the suffocating feeling of entanglement as soon as possible! Cast off all burdens as soon as possible!