Mu Soeng

In this brilliant new translation and commentary on The Diamond Sutra--one of the sublime wisdom teachings of Mahayana Buddhism--Mu Soeng integrates this ancient wisdom teaching with current scientific and psychological thought. His clear and readable commentary traces the connections between these teachings and contemporary theories of quantum reality, explores the sutra within the framework of Buddhist meditation practices, and provides a comprehensive historical survey of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Mu Soeng's goal throughout is to reveal the inspiration and wisdom of The Diamond Sutra to today's reader in an accessible, engaging, and modern manner.… (meer)

This book consists of a longish introduction, then a translation of and commentary on The Diamond Sutra. The translation is, as Mu Soeng describes it, derived from various other translations with some editing by Mu Soeng. It works very well. It reads smoothly and has very few "translatese" affectations. It is interspersed with the commentary, but is handily repeated in an Appendix without the commentary. I think this may become my preferred Diamond Sutra translation.

The introduction and commentary, however, are a mixed bag. They have some very good parts, usually where the author is explaining Buddhist history or the specific meanings of words and sentences. They become weak when he is explaining philosophy or the deeper meaning of the sutra, where he is inconsistent in viewpoint, prone to go off on tangents, and too fond of New Age jargon.

The parts I found most unsatisfactory were his repeated lengthy attempts to explain the Buddhist concept of emptiness in terms of quantum physics. These are marred by his apparently inadequate grasp of quantum physics and consequent muddled accounts of it. Now meditation teachers are not expected to know quantum physics, so I don't blame the author for lack of expertise, just for failure of judgment. The passages are inaccurate and confusing, and try to make a point that is unconvincing. The partial correspondences between some popularized conclusions of quantum physics and the Buddhist Prajñaparamita teachings are interesting and suggestive, but go only so far. Sunyata (emptiness) is not strictly identifiable with quantum "reality" (as the author likes to call it). These passages should have been edited out. They end up contradicting the teaching of the sutra.

The part I liked best was the translation itself.… (meer)