Most english translations of the diamond sutra are based on a single text, usually one of the traditional chinese versions. Now the full title of the work in the original sanskrit its a sanskrit buddhist text is. The diamond sutra prajnaparamita translated from the sanskrit by edward conze. Sutra on the original vows and the attainment of merits of ksitigarbha. The diamond sutra, along with the heart sutra also available translated by red pine, are arguably the two most popular works of the prajnaparamita group of sutras. The diamond sutra a general explanation of the vajra the diamond sutra, along with the heart sutra, are among the most popular works of the prajnaparamita group of sutra. The heart sutra, which monks recite all over the world, and the diamond sutra, which teaches the perfection of wisdom and cuts through all obstacles on the path of practice. One day before noon, the bhagavan put on his patched robe and picked up his bowl and entered the. Homage to the perfection of wisdom, the lovely, the holy. The title of the sutra in sanskrit is vajra cchedika prajna parmita sutra.
Reading them i realized that i was a buddhist, and always had been one. But buddhism has also inspired and accumulated some of the greatest philosophical texts of any religion. In the history of printing, the diamond sutra has special prominence as the first dated printed work that is has been found this date being 11th may. A general explanation of the vajra prajna paramita sutra. The diamond sutra, along with the heart sutra, are among the most popular works of the prajnaparamita group of sutras.
Text and commentaries translated from sanskrit and chinese book. The sutra illustrates how ksitigarbha became a bodhisattva with his great vows for the wellbeing of all living beings. Jun 25, 2015 this translation of the diamond that cuts through illusion, sometimes known simply as the diamond sutra, has been prepared by thich nhat hanh from the vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra in sanskrit, and the chinese taisho revised tripitaka, no. The diamond sutra and the heart sutra by edward conze and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In this sutra, the buddha shows even his most important teachings to be provisional. The diamond sutra in sanskrit and english translated from the. Medicine buddha is the buddha of healing in chinese buddhism, who is believed to cure all sufferings both physical and mental of living beings.
Two of the most wellknown of buddhas sutras, the diamond sutra and the heart sutra, are explained clearly and succintly in this concise volumne. But buddhism has also inspired some of the greatest philosophical. Red pines translation of the diamond sutra the diamond sutra is a spiritual treasure and a key text of mahayana buddhism. It was found in the dunhuang caves in china in 1900. Thich nhat hanh says the title means the diamond that cuts through afflictions, ignorance, illusion, or delusion. 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 is particularly prominent within the chan or zen tradition, along with the. Jun 25, 2019 the sutras title in sanskrit, vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra, could be very roughly translated as the diamondcutting perfection of wisdom sutra. Chapter 03 all living beings, whether born from eggs, from the womb, from moisture, or spontaneously. Audio reading of diamond sutra diamond sutra a new.
This finishes the first part of the diamond sutra as it is usually divided here and passes on to the second part. The diamond sutra and the sutra of hui neng pdf ebook. It is also sometimes called the diamond cutter sutra, or the vajra sutra. If i did, those who listen to it would lose their minds, cherish grave doubts, and not believe at all how beyond comprehension is the significance of this sutra and how also beyond comprehension the rewards are. Dec 19, 2010 heart, diamond and lankavatara sutras. The work, which offers meditations on illusion and perception, was originally written in sanskrit and first translated into chinese in 402 a. Aug 02, 2009 finding new meaning in one of the worlds oldest books since at least the fifth century, generations of buddhists have memorized and chanted the diamond sutra, a short mahayana buddhist scripture. This copy of the diamond sutra is the worlds earliest complete and dated, printed book. Diamond sutra, first printed book on 11 may 868 ce diamond sutra sanskrit. The buddha said this sutra may be known as the diamond that cuts through illusion. Like many buddhist sutras, the diamond sutra begins with the famous phrase, thus have i heard. It distills perfectly the teaching of nonattachment, which is the doctrine of emptiness. Hi, quick question can anyone point me to an online version of the diamond sutra in sanskrit or tibetan characters i.
The full sanskrit title of this text is the vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra. This translation of the diamond that cuts through illusion. Jun 28, 2016 the vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra has been translated from sanskrit into english variously as the diamond sutra, the diamond cutter sutra, the vajra sutra and the vajra cutter sutra. It is a key object of devotion and study in zen buddhism. Though i continued to have contact with christianity, at least from time to time, henceforth i was in contact with it. The diamond sutra may look like a book, but its really the body of the buddha. Soon i was spending much of my lunch hour, and most of saturday afternoon, browsing in the bookshops of charing cross road. It is an important buddhist text that has a long and profound history. Click the player below to hear the audio version of the diamond sutra. And the medicine buddhas great 12 vows are widely praised. 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 h. Prices version is still a classic, and better in terms of flow, pines edition expresses clearly the difficult teachings of emptiness, many of which are missed in more eloquent versions.
The opening gatha was composed by thich nhat hanh to precede the translation. The diamond sutra is a mahayana sutra from the prajnaparamita, or perfection of wisdom genre, and emphasizes the practice of nonabiding and nonattachment. Towards the end of the sermon, subhuti asks the buddha how the sutra should be known. The sanskrit text of the vajracchedika hereafter vaj has been translated into. The perfection of wisdom counterpoint, by red pine, the pen name of bill porter, an american who dropped out of his graduate studies in anthropology to become a buddhist scholar and the acclaimed translator of.
The diamond sutra even cuts through buddhist beliefs. Diamond sutra, first printed book on 11 may 868 ce ulta din. In this post i have grouped excerpts from the diamond. The diamond sutra 1 diamond sutra the full sanskrit title of this text is the vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra the vajra prajna paramita sutra. The heart sutra is a member of the perfection of wisdom prajnaparamita class of mahayana buddhist literature, and along with the diamond sutra, is perhaps the most prominent representative of the genre. Diamond sutra, first printed book on 11 may 868 ce history. Zen buddhism is often said to be a practice of mindtomind transmission without reliance on texts in fact, some great teachers forbid their students to read or. Thich nhat hanh from the vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra in sanskrit, and. This sutra a sanskrit word that means a religious teaching or sermon, in particular that of the buddha is commonly regarded as one of the most revered texts of mahayana.
I own a number of copies of the diamond sutra but this is my favourite. That, of course, is putting it simply, as only buddhists can do. Vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra is a mahayana sutra from the prajnaparamita sutras or perfection of wisdom genre. The title of this book is the vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra. Long before the gutenberg galaxy, the orient was already printing hidden gems of wisdom in the form of books. This audio reading of the diamond sutra was sent to me by ryan, a reader of this site who was inspired to make an audio version of this translation of the diamond sutra. In english a mere sixteen sentences, and a mere 262 characters in chinese, the heart sutra, as it is called in brief, is nothing less than a summation of the wisdom of the buddha. 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. Heart, diamond and lankavatara sutras download pdf ebook. The diamond sutra project gutenberg selfpublishing. In one of these i came across translations of the diamond sutra and the sutra of wei lang hui neng.
Apr 05, 2017 the diamond sutra has been rendered into english many times over the last 40odd years. Books buddhist publications fo guang shan international. Dharma master hsien gives onthespot translations of the masters lectures, and is herself currently delivering a lecture series on the wonderful dharma lotus blossom satra, based on the venerable masters commentary on that satra, for which she uses both the chinese and sanskrit texts in her preparation. It is a record of the sayings of gautam the buddha as recalled by his chief disciple, ananda. The text goes on in a similar strain through its remaining section. A general explanation of the vajra prajna paramita sutra by dhyana master. The original sanskrit title is vajracchedikaprajnaparamita sutra. The diamond sutra in sanskrit and english translated from.
Text and commentaries translated from sanskrit and chinese is a book that i recommend to readers who want to explore the various diamond sutra translations and exegesis that remains untranslated today. Though written in chinese, the text is one of the most important sacred works of the buddhist faith, which was founded in india, and was originally expressed in sanskrit. Diamond sutra a new translation of the classic buddhist text. This completes the diamond cutter of perfect wisdom. In this book, red pine presents a translation of the sutra based on his studies of the sanskrit and. Download the buddhist text the diamon sutra here as pdf ebook.
Estimates for its date of composition range from the second century b. The diamond sutra or prajna paramita pdf ebook download free. This statement, though, apparently, very nice, is also absurd, because there is no such thing as motion in a straight line. See this and more treasures of the british library. The sanskrit title of the diamond sutra translates as the perfection of wisdom which cuts like a thunderbolt. The diamond sutra in sanskrit and english translated from the sanskrit by edward conze om namo bhagavatyai aryaprajnaparamitayai. Discourses on the vajrachchedika prajnaparamita sutra of gautama the buddha. This and the heart sutra are the two most chanted sutras in zen. The diamond sutra, composed in india in the fourth century ce, is one of the most treasured works of buddhist literature and is the oldest existing printed book in the world. Vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra is a mahayana buddhist. He is told to call it the diamond of transcendent wisdom because its teaching will cut like a diamond blade through worldly illusion to illuminate what is real and everlasting. This sutra a sanskrit word that means a religious teaching or sermon, in particular that of the buddha is commonly regarded as one of the most revered. 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 is particularly prominent within the chan or zen tradition, along with the heart sutra. Im looking specifically for the part about the teaching being like a raft.
The diamond sutra is the worlds earliest dated printed book. Background and importance the diamond sutra is believed to have been composed sometime between 300 and 500 bce. Diamond sutra in sanskrit tibetan characters dharma wheel. The first english translation of the diamond sutra, chronologically speaking, is that of samuel beal, which was published more than one hundred years ago, published, to be precise, in the years 1864 to 65 in a journal, and the latest translation of the diamond sutra is that of charles luk, published in 1960. The diamond sutra is the sutra on nonattachment or the perfection of wisdom. Zen buddhism is often said to be a practice of mindtomind transmission without reliance on texts in fact, some great teachers forbid their students to read or write. In sanskrit, the diamond sutra is called the vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra, which means, the perfect wisdom that cuts like a thunderbolt. 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. Red pines translation of the diamond sutra, is, in my opinion, the best out there. May 11, 2016 smart news keeping you current five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest dated printed book printed over 1,100 years ago, a chinese copy of the diamond sutra at the british.
A copy of the chinese version of diamond sutra, found. The medicine buddha sutra is commonly chanted and recited in buddhist monasteries. The heart sutra comprises 25 and the diamond sutra 300 lines of sanskrit. At the core of this book is the heart of prajna paramita sutra itself. Talks on vajrachedika prajnaparamita sutra of gautama the buddha the sanskrit title of the diamond sutra translates as the perfection of wisdom which cuts like a thunderbolt. In a book ten times its length one could not fully praise its value as a key to the understanding of human life. Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds.
While often interesting and even beautiful, these translations fail to address the subtle and notsosubtle variants of interpretation found in other readings, some of. If you could take up a stone, and project it into space, and then live long enough, that stone would come back exactly to your hand. The text itself says that it can be considered to be the diamond that cuts through illusion and that understanding it will lead to the highest perfect wisdom. Chapter 02 after a time a most venerable monk named subhuti, who was sitting in the congregation, rose from his seat. Transforming the way we perceive the world by mu soenq gick here for the reluctant messenger host site the diamond sutra the walled city of dunhuang shachou was an. Other sutras in the prajnaparamita group include a 125,000line sutra and even a sutra of about one million lines, though legend has it that the latter was hidden in the oceans by the nagas sea serpents and has not yet been released to humanity. I studied this book on and off for 6 months and i will continue to come back to it as being definitive on the subject. In english a mere sixteen sentences, and a mere 262 characters in chinese, the heart sutra, as it is called in brief, is. Click the arrow to play the diamond sutra sung in english. Dec 15, 2010 download free pdf ebooks download pdfs. The brahma sutra is one third of the prasthana traya, the three sources or three institutes of vedanta, along with the upanishads, and the bhavagad gita.
Indeed they are among the most popular sutras within the mahayana cannon as a whole. English translation, by chung tai translation committee devanagari of the diamond sutra in the digital sanskrit buddhist canon. But its a body with nothing inside and nothing outside. Jan 07, 2018 the diamond sutra vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra is one of the prajnaparamita perfection of wisdom sutras of mahayana buddhism. The original vows of ksitigarbha bodhisattva sutra is the mahayana buddhist teachings on the ksitigarbha bodhisattva, who vows to attain the final enlightenment after the hell realm is emptied. Price and wong moulam the diamond of perfect wisdom sutra. The vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra has been translated from sanskrit into english variously as the diamond sutra, the diamond cutter sutra, the vajra sutra and the vajra cutter sutra. Edward conze translates directly from the original sanskrit with care and insight, skillfully combining deeply obtuse concepts with a gentle, sensitive rye sense of humor. Pdf everything you need to know about the ancient diamond.
The diamond sutra a general explanation of the vajra prajna paramita sutra by dhyana master hsuan hua. The diamond sutra is considered to be one of the most important and venerated of buddhist scriptures. The exact date of the composition of the diamond sutra in sanskrit is uncertainarguments for the 2nd and 5th centuries have been made. Diamond sutra a new translation of the classic buddhist text diamond sutra.
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