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From http://hsingyun.org/verses-of-the-diamond-sutra/
In the Diamond Sutra the four-line verse is mentioned several times as a small unit of the Diamond Sutra to compare practicing even a small part of the sutra as exceeding other grandiose acts of merit. This shows the importance of the four-line verse in the sutra, such that some of its most impactful moments are presented in this form. For example, one particularly notable verse is found in chapter thirty-two:
一切有为法，如梦幻泡影，如露亦如电，应作如是观
All conditioned phenomena
Are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows,
Like dew and like lightning;
One should contemplate them in this way.
The essence of the Buddha’s forty-nine years of teaching are contained within these four lines. All phenomena appear in the world as a combination of causes and conditions that is temporary by nature. When faced with any given phenomena, a moment of social interaction between oneself and others, or any current praise or blame, success or failure; if any of these abide in the mind then one can easily develop painful affliction and create all manner of distinctions and comparisons. Unhappiness in the past can plant the seed for scheming and prejudice, while even having positive or successful conditions in the present can set the stage for future worries and complaints when things do not work out as we hoped. How can the mind be purified?
The Buddha said that we should give rise to a mind that does not abide in anything. Similarly he says in the Diamond Sutra that, “The mind of the past cannot be obtained; the mind of the present cannot be obtained; and the mind of the future cannot be obtained.” In the Platform Sutra, Huineng says, “Within each thought, do not revisit past states. If past, present, and future thoughts are linked together thought by thought as a continuum, this is called being bound. When thought after thought does not abide in any phenomena, that is called being unbound.”
We must do our best in the moment, yet what is past is past. No matter thought we abide in, we become bound by affliction and a continuity of thought is formed. Only when the mind does not abide in anything can we be truly pure and free.
The “four notions” mentioned throughout the sutra, the notion of self, the notion of others, the notion of sentient beings, and the notion of longevity all arise from the notion of self. When we cling to our various desires we create a distinction between ourselves and others which gives rise to such notions. The notion of self arises as a result of the inability to control the five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness due to their conditional, illusory existence. Once we let go of the attachment to the notion of self, the three other notions will become undone accordingly. “Non-self” is prajna. In this instance too we must use the transcendental to practice what is worldly, and borrow from our worldly sense of self to practice towards non-self. Only when there is no self, no distinction, no true or false, no suffering, and no obstructions can the self manifest as true prajna.
From Master Sheng Yen.
因无所住而生其心 Without abiding anywhere, give rise to the mind. "Without abiding anywhere" means not to care about what other thinks or say or talk about me. Nor are we concerned with gain or loss. This is called "without abiding anywhere" but our mind remains crystal clear.
Any sutra can lead us to enlightenment if it corresponds with our mind and level. The key is not to cling to a subjective "I" and an objective "other", namely the notion of self, and to abide nowhere while keeping our mind very clear, which is the function of wisdom. 因无所住而生其心 Without abiding anywhere, give rise to the mind. "Without abiding anywhere" means not to care about what other thinks or say or talk about me. Nor are we concerned with gain or loss. This is called "without abiding anywhere" but our mind remains crystal clear.
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