Diamond Sutra
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The Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedika-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra), "The Perfection of Wisdom Sutra that Cuts like a Thunderbolt," is a short Mahayana sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom genre, which teaches the practice of the avoidance of abiding in extremes of mental attachment. A copy of the Diamond Sutra, found sealed in a cave in China in the early 20th century, is the oldest known dated printed book, with a printed date of 868 CE.
Since it can be read in approximately forty minutes, the Diamond Sutra is often memorized and chanted in Buddhist monasteries. This sutra has retained a high degree of popularity in the Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition for over a millennium, especially in East Asia, and most importantly within the East Asian meditation (Chan/Seon/Zen/Thien) school, where it is recited, taught, and commented extensively, even today. The text resonates with a core aspect of Chan doctrine/praxis: the theme of "non-abiding."
There is a wood block printed copy in the British Library which, although not the earliest example of block printing, is the earliest example which bears an actual date. It was found in 1907 by the archaeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein in a walled-up cave near Dunhuang, in northwest China. The cave is known as "Caves of the Thousand Buddhas." The colophon, at the inner end, reads: Reverently [caused to be] made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his two parents on the 13th of the 4th moon of the 9th year of Xiantong (i.e. 11th May, CE 868). This is about 587 years before the Gutenberg Bible.
Contents
The Diamond Sutra, like many sutras, begins with the famous phrase "thus have I heard" (एवं मया श्रुतम्, evam maya shrutam). In this sutra the Buddha has finished his daily walk with the monks to gather offerings of food and sits down to rest. One of the more senior monks, Subhuti, comes forth and asks the Buddha question.
What proceeds from there is a lengthy, and often repetitive, dialogue regarding the nature of perception. The Buddha often uses cryptic phrases like "what is the highest teaching is in fact not the highest teaching; thus it can be called the highest teaching".
The Buddha is trying to help Subhuti unlearn his preconceived, and limited, notions of what reality is, the nature of Enlightenment, and compassion.
A particularly noteworthy part is when the Buddha teaches Subhuti that what makes a Bodhisattva so great is that the Bodhisattva does not take pride in his/her work to save others, nor is their compassion calculated or contrived. They practise sincere compassion that comes from deep within, without any sense of ego or gain.
In another section, Subhuti expresses concern that the Diamond Sutra will be forgotten 500 years after it is taught. The Buddha assures Subhuti that well after he is gone, there will still be some who can grasp the meaning of the Diamond Sutra and put it into practice.
It is often said in the Diamond Sutra that if a person can even commit 4 lines of the Sutra into practice, they will be blessed indeed.
External links
- [Diamond Sutra: English Translation,] by Charles Muller
- [Diamond Sutra - images of the original printed edition]
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