The Diamond Sutra is so-called because the message cuts through anything standing in the way. Diamonds cut anything. The message of selflessness delivered by the Sutra, in the form of a conversation between the historical Buddha and one of his students, does in fact lay bare any concepts one might bring to bear.
Similarly, Katie conducts dialogs in the book, sometimes with students, sometimes with the co-author, her husband Stephen Mitchell. Katie's teaching, The Work, intertwines with the Diamond Sutra as they point to the same understanding. That understanding is not something that can be taught to another or explained, it can only be realized. So, the book, like the Sutra, finds itself circling back on itself rhetorically.
This understanding, central to peace of mind, is the cultivation of a mind that abides nowhere. The forgotten self, the itless it. This is the Is in Loving What Is. Words fail, yet words brought me to my understanding.
This book is a valuable addition to this genre of modern Dharma. It's readable. It's interesting, cogent and deeply human. I think is a valuable addition to the tools available to do self-inquiry.
Dogen said to study the self is to forget the self. He didn't mean that in a careless way, he meant that to study the self is to see that it doesn't exist. Suffering depends upon the existence of a self.
This Diamond realization will cut through any trace of self, and all that is left once the self disappears is gratitude, generosity and wisdom. The greatest gift you can give to the world is your own direct access to this.
The method, The Work, is deceptively simple. Do not deceive yourself.
