Chinese buddhism or han buddhism has shaped chinese culture in a wide variety of areas including art, politics, literature, philosophy, medicine and material culture the translation of a large body of indian buddhist scriptures into chinese and the inclusion of these translations together with works composed in china into a printed canon had farreaching implications for the dissemination of. The buddha said this sutra may be known as the diamond that cuts through illusion. Upon a memorable occasion, the lord buddha sojourned in the kingdom of shravasti, lodging in the grove of jeta, a park within the royal domain which jeta, the heirapparent, had bestowed upon sutana, a minister of state renouned for his charities and benefactions. Liutsu tanching, important text from the chan school of chinese buddhism, most likely composed in the 8th century ce. By way of prajna paramita, the bodhisattvas mind is free from hindrances. The former usageis usually denominated lei and the latter le2in grammartexts. Mandarinrocks m k ba bo pa po ma mo me fa fo a ka cl shi bai pal mal dai tai nai lai gal kai hai zai zhai chai shai bei pel mel dei tei nel gel kei hei zei zhei shei bao pao mao ciao tao nao lao gao kao hao zao cao sao zhao chao shao rao pou mou fou dou tou nou iou gou kou hou zou cou sou zhou chou shou rou ban. The high master hsuan hua, professor of the tripitaka tripitakacarya and of the. At one time the buddha was staying in the jeta grove of the garden of the benefactor of orphans and the solitary together with a gathering of great bhiksus, twelve hundred fifty in all. This sermons name is the diamond perfection of wisdom vajra prajnaparamita. By way of the words of this title, you should receive and uphold it. The diamond sutra in sanskrit and english translated from the sanskrit by edward conze om namo bhagavatyai aryaprajnaparamitayai. 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.
Books fo guang shan international translation center. 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 sutra vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra translated from kumarajivas chinese t235 by charles patton. The opening gatha was composed by thich nhat hanh to precede the translation. Apart from its function as atensemarkingparticle, iet canalso serve asamoodmarkingpartic1e. Diamond sutra by charles muller, the vajra prajna paramita sutra by the buddhist text translation society, the diamond sutra. In basing a translation on a combination of these two manuscriptsjoining the. The diamond sutra is one of the most influential mahayana buddhism. The pinyin system was developed in the mid 20th century for creating latin script readings for chinese script ideographic characters. Cheng kuan, 53rd generation acharya of the shingon sect. The diamond sutra three major aspects of the diamond sutra the sutra is a record of a dialogue between the buddha and one of the ten great disciples, subhuti, in front of 1,250 buddhas followers. This excellent second edition of the diamond prajnaparamita sutra contains both the english and chinese text as well as annotations. In indian sanskrit language, arya vajracchedika nama prajnaparamita mahayana sutra in tibetan, phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa rdo rje gcod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen poi mdo in english, the noble mahayana sutra on the wisdom gone beyond called the diamond cutter i bow to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. The master lectured in mandarin, and upasaka wang kai translated into cantonese, making the cantonese people very happy.
In this sutra buddha is teaching his followers to cut off their doubts about this thunderbolt mind in order to realize it. 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. Price and wong moulam section one the convocation of the assembly. The heart sutra, which monks recite all over the world, and the diamond sutra. The diamond sutra in sanskrit and english translated from. The heart sutra every day for nine days, yet the heart sutra itself was never mentioned. Beginning from the introduction of the diamond sutra in china until the song dynasty, venerable yong you delves deeply into the. Diamond sutra a new translation of the classic buddhist text. Bhagavan sravastyam viharati sma jetavanenathapindadasyaarame mahata bhiksusamghena sarddham ardhatrayodasabhir. Translation for diamond sutra in the free englishchinese dictionary and many other chinese translations. The diamond sutra played an important role in the life of huineng 6387, the sixth patriarch of chan.
Often translated as diamond sutra or diamond cutter. The heart sutra 2 no ignorance or ending of ignorance, and so forth, up to no aging and death or ending of aging and death. Sutra, considered an introduction to the lotus sutra, shakyamuni says. 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. The diamond perfection of wisdom sutra the vajracchedikaprajnaparamita sutra thus have i heard. Commentary on chapter 1 the reasons for the dharma assembly thus i have heard. 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. 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 and the sutra of huineng by huineng. Homage to the perfection of wisdom, the lovely, the holy.
It is attributed to the sixth patriarch of the chan tradition, huineng 6387, although it is most likely the work of subsequent disciples who sought to legitimate their school by devising a lineage of dharma masters leading back to. The title properly translated is the diamond cutter of perfect wisdom although it is usually just called the diamond sutra. This sutra appears in thich nhat hanh, chanting from the. It has been considered the essential object of devotion and study in chan buddhism. To see more of the diamond sutra please go to our award winning turning the pages. But buddhism has also inspired and accumulated some of the greatest philosophical texts of any religion. Upon a time buddha sojourned in anathapindikas park by shravasti with a great company of bhikshus, even twelve hundred and fifty. Once upon a time, the buddha sojourned in the jetavana park near sravasti with an assembly of twelve hundred and fifty bhiksus. One day before noon, the bhagavan put on his patched robe and picked up his bowl and entered the. One day, at the time for breaking fast, the worldhonored one enrobed, and carrying his. Also known by its sanskrit title vajracchedika, the diamond sutra states that something is what it is only because of what it is not. 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 diamond sutra is one of the most historically important texts in buddhism, in part because a copy of it is the oldest surviving dated printed book in the world 868 a.
A general explanation of the vajra prajna paramita sutra by dhyana master. It explains the emptiness of all phenomena and the importance of liberating all living beings without attachment. But in these more than forty years, i have not yet revealed the truth the lotus sutra and its opening and closing sutras, p. Free shipping get free shipping free 58 day shipping within the u. Diamond sutra is a sutra beyond religion, as it penetrates inside our mind by revealing the subtle reality of nature. In the flower adornment sutras practices and vows of samantabhadra bodhisattva chapter.
Diamond sutra explained has been added to your cart add to cart. Chapter 02 after a time a most venerable monk named subhuti, who was sitting in the congregation, rose from his seat. The buddha having finnished propounding this sutra, the venerable. Other than the heart sutra, the diamond sutra is probably the most popular among the texts of prajnaparamita, which is the body of sutras and commentaries. In the diamond sutra the teachings are not confined to negative expressions that guide one to escape from delusion and to renounce grasping. How to write mandarin chinese verbs in hanyu pinyin. The diamond sutra is the worlds earliest dated printed book.
The text challenges the common belief that inside each and every one of us is an. For more information about the diamond sutra, visit ming zhen shakyas essay, the diamond and heart sutras. Of these, only the vowel is always present as, for example, in the sentencefinal particle that is simply an untoned. The diamond sutra 1 diamond sutra the full sanskrit title of this text is the vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra the vajra prajna paramita sutra. 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.
Books buddhist publications fo guang shan international. The pinyin written syllable can also be usefully analyzed in terms of an initial and a rhyme. Preaching the law in various different ways, i made use of the power of expedient means. The diamond sutra chinkangching, or, prajnaparamita. Translated by tripitaka master hsuan tsang commentary by. 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. The aim of this sutra is to reveal the buddhas thunderboltvajra mind. Dharma lotus blossom satra, the nirvaoa satra, the buddha. Full text of the diamond sutra chin kang ching, or, prajnaparamita see other formats. It replaces the wadegiles system of romanization specified in earlier editions of the alalc romanization tables. In the diamond sutra, the buddha shows us that ultimately compassion and wisdom are one.
The diamond sutra translation and commentary by master hsuan huabtts but if you know how to observe yourself, you will discover your real nature, the primordial state, the state of guruyoga, and then all will become clear because you will have discovered everything. There is no suffering, no cause, no extinction, no path. Subhuti was known to best understand the true meaning of emptiness. This edition was discovered by sir aurel stein early in the 20th century and is currently on display at the british museum. The diamond sutra pdf reader required translated by geshe michael roach. Not just the buddhists, everyone should study the diamond sutra. Because of these lectures many of them now understand the heart sutra. In indian sanskrit language, arya vajracchedika nama. Like many buddhist sutras, the diamond sutra begins with the famous phrase, thus have i heard. When the buddha dharma was transmitted to china, the great patriarchs certified translations into chinese. Opening the way for the enlightenment of all people t. The diamond sutra provided by the dharma treasury of the mandala society. It is recorded in huinengs autobiography that when he was an adolescent selling firewood in a marketplace, he heard someone reciting the diamond sutra and immediately became enlightened. The diamond sutra project gutenberg selfpublishing.