Thich Nhat Hanh vs. Red Pine - Diamond Sutra/Heart Sutra

[DanielR]

Hello,

which version would you recommend by these two people, or would you recommend someone else completely?

I'm looking for a good translation of the Heart and Diamond Sutra! I own both by Red Pine, they are okay I guess but I was wondering if Thich Nhat Hanh's version was better?

Which versions do you use?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Buddha Dharma]

Thich Naht Hanh- because while his translations tend to be more basic and readable, he has authentic lineage and tends to preserve the Buddhist meaning inherent in the texts.

For example, even though his Diamond Sutra translation is very elementary for westerners, he preserves the sense of real paradoxical nature inherent in the text as a Prajna-paramita work.

He's retained the Buddha's words to Venerable Subhuti at the end, that he is not to be supposed as saying the marks on a Buddha's body and such are of no great importance.

I don't know if Red Pine has lineage or not, but I've noted his translations aren't always entirely faithful to the spirit of Mahayana.

 

[DanielR]

Thich Naht Hanh- because while his translations tend to be more basic and readable, he has authentic lineage and tends to preserve the Buddhist meaning inherent in the texts.

For example, even though his Diamond Sutra translation is very elementary for westerners, he preserves the sense of real paradoxical nature inherent in the text as a Prajna-paramita work.

He's retained the Buddha's words to Venerable Subhuti at the end, that he is not to be supposed as saying the marks on a Buddha's body and such are of no great importance.

I don't know if Red Pine has lineage or not, but I've noted his translations aren't always entirely faithful to the spirit of Mahayana.

thank you!

I'm trying to go through Red Pine's Diamond Sutra right now, and I must say it's very convoluted (hmm, very difficult to understand for me), I don't know if I truly understand what the Diamond Sutra is really about!

Gonna check out Hanh's versions now

 

[Buddha Dharma]

I don't know if I truly understand what the Diamond Sutra is really about

Well don't be discouraged if you don't. The Buddha said many things in parable. He did his best to put his gnosis into human language, but it didn't all translate over well. Mahayana tends to see Nirvana as paradoxical, so only someone enlightened like the Lord is prone to understand every detail.

It'd be surprising to most Mahayanists if anyone claimed they entirely understood the Sutras.