In addition to the actual text of the diamond sutra this web site provides a diamond sutra background page which explains the origins of the diamond sutra and information about how this new translation was done. The diamond sutra is the worlds oldest printed book. One day before noon, the bhagavan put on his patched robe and picked up his bowl and entered the. The diamond sutra in sanskrit and english translated from the sanskrit by edward conze om namo bhagavatyai aryaprajnaparamitayai. A general explanation of the vajra prajna paramita sutra by dhyana master hsuan hua this translation has been prepared by the buddhist text translation society of the sinoamerican buddhist association, under the auspices of gold mountain dhyana monastery, 1731 15th street, san francisco. The diamond of perfect wisdom sutra 1 the diamond of perfect wisdom sutra chinese translation by tripitaka master kumarajiva. This excellent second edition of the diamond prajnaparamita sutra contains both the english and chinese text as well as annotations.
Homage to the perfection of wisdom, the lovely, the holy. The best known buddhist scripture bo re bo luo mi duo xin jing the heart sutra of prajna paramita. Written in chinese and featuring an illustrated frontispiece, the woodblock printed scroll is fivemetres long and dated 868ad. Like many buddhist sutras, the diamond sutra begins with the famous phrase, thus have i heard. The heart sutra every day for nine days, yet the heart sutra itself was never mentioned. Translated by tripitaka master hsuan tsang commentary by. In chinese characters with links to character translations. The diamond sutra played an important role in the life of huineng 6387, the sixth patriarch of chan. Chapter 02 after a time a most venerable monk named subhuti, who was sitting in the congregation, rose from his seat. Here then, form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form. Because of these lectures many of them now understand the heart sutra. The diamond sutra in sanskrit and english translated from. In the diamond sutra in chinese culture, venerable yong you examines the varied history of the diamond sutra and its profound effect upon chinese buddhism, as well as its wideranging impact on chinese religion, culture, art, literature, folklore, and technology.
Books fo guang shan international translation center. A copy of the chinese version of diamond sutra, found among. Cheng kuan, 53rd generation acharya of the shingon sect. Avatamsaka sutra the flower garland sutra practices and vows of the bodhisattva samantabhadra the first part of this document is an excerpt from one of the great buddhist sutras. Once, the buddha was staying in the anathapindadas park at jeta grove in shravasti, with a. The diamond sutra is the sutra on nonattachment or the perfection of wisdom. Diamond sutra a new translation of the classic buddhist text. Printed copy of the diamond sutra the british library. The diamond sutra read more the diamond sutra is one of the most important sutras in chinese buddhism, and it has had a great influence on chinese culture. The vajra prajna paramita sutra also known as the vajracchedika or diamond sutra based on audio recordings of lectures given by master hua at the buddhist lecture hall in san francisco, 1968 paperback price. The opening gatha was composed by thich nhat hanh to precede the translation. Lama zopa rinpoche advises students to recite the dedication prayer by mipham rinpoche, available below, after reciting or reading the vajra cutter sutra.
The buddha said this sutra may be known as the diamond that cuts through illusion. In this sutra buddha is teaching his followers to cut off their doubts about this thunderbolt mind in order to realize it. Translation for diamond sutra in the free englishchinese dictionary and many other chinese translations. The diamond sutra is one of the most influential mahayana buddhism. The heart sutra as recited in the triratna buddhist community the bodhisattva of compassion, when he meditated deeply, saw the emptiness of all five skandhas and sundered the bonds that caused him suffering. On 11th september thay completed a profound and beautiful new english translation of the heart sutra, one of the most important sutras in mahayana buddhism this new english translation is based on the new vietnamese translation that thay began working on three weeks ago at the european institute of applied buddhism in germany below the sutra you can read thays explanation of why he made. It has been considered the essential object of devotion and study in chan buddhism. That, of course, is putting it simply, as only buddhists can do.
In the lower lefthand corner, the buddhas disciple, subhuti, listens as the buddha. The diamond sutra and the sutra of huineng by huineng. The diamond prajnaparamita sutra the diamond sutra is one of the most influential mahayana buddhism. He uncovered his right shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, and as he joined his palms together he respectfully bowed and then addressed the buddha. It is recorded in huinengs autobiography that when he was an adolescent selling firewood in a marketplace, he heard someone reciting the. The vajra cutter sutra is a discourse on the buddhist concept of emptiness, the wisdom gone beyond. Beginning from the introduction of the diamond sutra in china until the song dynasty, venerable yong you delves deeply into the. To see more of the diamond sutra please go to our award winning turning the pages. Once the bhagavan was dwelling near shravasti at anathapindada garden in jeta forest together with the full assembly of 1250 bhikshus and a great many fearless bodhisattvas. For more information about the diamond sutra, visit ming zhen shakyas essay, the diamond and heart sutras. Translated into a variety of languages over a broad geographic range, the diamond sutra is one of the most influential mahayana sutras in east asia, and it is particularly prominent within the chan or zen tradition, along with the. Book one begins below buddha shakyamuni preached it in heaven shortly after his attainment of buddhahood.
The frontispiece depicts the buddha, surrounded by monks, devotees and deities. The diamond sutra is also available on our site translated into english reason of assembly request for teaching meaning of mahayana. Although words cannot express truth, they can be catalysts for the advent of awakening, as huineng describes his first hearing of the diamond sutra and as two friends and fellow students of richard rose found out in 1999, one upon reading something written by alfred pulyan, the other when reading something written by franklin merrellwolff. By way of the words of this title, you should receive and uphold it. The diamond sutra vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra translated from kumarajivas chinese t235 by charles patton. In preparation for that work, i worked out a punctuated version of the diamond sutra, and obtained therefrom a preliminary work called jin gang jing zhong yao jing ju fen lei classification of. This sutra appears in thich nhat hanh, chanting from the. It is called diamond sutra because the buddhas teachings within it are like a diamond that cuts away all delusion, reveals reality, and brings people to enlightenment.
Bhagavan sravastyam viharati sma jetavanenathapindadasyaarame mahata bhiksusamghena sarddham ardhatrayodasabhir. The diamond sutra, a sanskrit text translated into chinese, was one of 40,000 scrolls and documents hidden in the cave of a thousand buddhas, a secret library sealed up around the year 1,000. The diamond prajnaparamita sutra buddhist publications. The diamond sutra is the worlds earliest dated printed book. Full text of the diamond sutra chin kang ching, or, prajnaparamita see other formats. Master the sounds of mandarin chinese using the yoyo chinese interactive pinyin chart featuring video and audio demonstrations for each possible pinyin sound. The vajra cutter sutra also known as diamond cutter sutra or diamond sutra is one of most wellknown sutras of mahayana buddhism. It is an important buddhist text that has a long and profound history. The aim of this sutra is to reveal the buddhas thunderboltvajra mind. The master lectured in mandarin, and upasaka wang kai translated into cantonese, making the cantonese people very happy. It is one of the most profitable practices, because the root of all sufferings, yours and others, is the ignorance holding the i as truly existent, even though it is empty of that. It explains the emptiness of all phenomena and the importance of liberating all living beings without attachment.
Upon a time buddha sojourned in anathapindikas park by shravasti with a great company of bhikshus, even twelve hundred and fifty. Thus, whether or not others can see or hear, whether they are alive or long dead, if we chant sutras time and again with a great conviction to the visible and invisible worlds, we permeate everywhere and guide many to buddhism, saving all beings. The british library is part of the international dunhuang project, a groundbreaking collaboration which aims to make more than 100,000 manuscripts, paintings and artefacts from silk road sites available on the internet. Huineng, pinyin huineng, born 638, southwest kwangtung, chinadied 7, kwangtung, the sixth great patriarch of zen chan in chinese buddhism and founder of the southern school, which became the dominant school of zen, both in china and in japan as a young and illiterate peddler of firewood, huineng heard the chinkang ching diamond sutra and traveled 500 miles 800 km to. The oldest dated example of wood block printingproduced some six hundred years before gutenbergs. Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds.