Diamond Sutra and Awakening of Faith: Toward Non-Discriminative Wisdom and Compassion

This essay presents a comparative study of two foundational Mahayana Buddhist texts: the Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) and the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana (Dasheng Qixin Lun). While the Diamond Sutra originates from early Prajñāpāramitā thought and emphasizes radical deconstruction of conceptual constructs, the Awakening of Faith integrates Yogācāra and Tathāgatagarbha doctrines to systematize the mind’s structure and realization of non-duality. Despite historical and doctrinal differences, both texts converge on the realization of non-dual awareness (advaya-jñāna) and cultivation of non-discriminative wisdom. Through detailed textual analysis of concepts such as signs (sāṅkhāra), non-abiding (wu su zhu), non-discriminative wisdom (mu fen bie zhi), and the “one mind” (yixin), this essay elucidates the shared Mahayana path toward enlightenment, its practical implications for meditation, and ethical expression in compassionate action.