Diamond Sutra

The Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra

 

History   ...   Bibliography   ...   Links   ...  Text   ...   Comments

 

 

 

 

 

The Diamond Sutra
The Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra
Introduction, History

 

 

The Diamond Sutra
The Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra
Bibliography, Links, Resources

 


Buddhist Door Sutras


The Diamond Cutter
.   Paraphrased by Josh Pritikin.  24Kb.  Index  


The Diamond Perfection of Wisdom Sutra.  34Kb.  


Diamond Sutra
   A Chinese version of the Diamond Sutra is the world’s earliest complete 
survival of a dated block printed book, made in 868 CE.  This rare document is now in 
the British Museum collection of early printed books.  

 

 

Diamond Sutra - Chinese Block Printed Book (868 CE)

The Diamond Sutra - A Chinese Block Printed Book (868 CE)

 

 


The Diamond Sutra.  Translated by Charles Muller.  96Kb.  Includes Chinese text.


The Diamond Sutra.  Translated by Charles Patton.  109Kb.  HTML and PDF Version.


The Diamond Sutra.  Translated by Edward Conze.  29Kb.


Diamond Sutra
.  Translated by F. A. Price.  


The Diamond Sutra and the Sutra of Hui-Neng.  Translated by A. F. Price and 
Wong Mou-lam.  Forewords by W. Y. Evans-Wentz and Christmas Humphreys.
Boston, Shambhala, 1990.  Notes, 168 pages.  ISBN: 0877730059.  


Google Search on "Diamond Sutra"  


Heart Sutra


The Vagrakkhedika or Diamond-Cutter Sutra.  64Kb


Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra   47Kb


Zen and the Art of Insight.  Selected and Translated by Thomas Cleary.  
Boston, Shambhala, 1999.  Notes, sources, 159 pages.  ISBN: 1570625166. 

 


 

 

The Diamond Sutra
The Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra
Text and Comments

If one sees me in forms,
If one seeks me in sounds,
He practices a misleading way.
He cannot see the essence of creeds:

All conditioned creeds
are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows,
like dew drops and a lightning flash:
contemplate them thus.  

Doctrines and creeds are like a raft
to carry one to the other shore,
and then to give away.    
Neither cling to the raft forever,
or reject it when drowning.  
Even better,
become a strong swimmer.

Source: The Diamond Sutra
Paraphrased and modified by Mike Garofalo

 

 

 

You should know that such people will have planted good roots
With not just one Buddha, two Buddhas, three, four or five Buddhas,
But will have planted good roots with measureless millions of Buddhas.
All who hear such phrases and produce even one thought
Of pure faith are completely known and completely seen by the Tathagata.
Such living beings thus obtain measureless blessings and virtue.
And why?
Those living beings have no further mark of self, of others, of living beings,
Or of a life;
No mark of dharmas and no mark of no dharmas.
If your hearts grasp at marks, then that is attachment to self, 
to others, to living beings, and to a life.
For that reason you should not grasp at dharmas, 
nor should you grasp at no dharmas.
All you Bhiksus should know that the dharma which I speak is like a raft.
Even dharmas should be relinquished, how much the more so no dharmas.
-   The Buddha, The Diamond Sutra

 

 

"As I understand what the Buddha has said, there is no concrete dharma called 
Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, and there is no concrete dharma which the Tathagata 
has spoken. And why? The dharmas spoken by the Tathagata cannot be grasped 
and cannot be spoken. They are neither dharmas nor no dharmas. And why? 
Unconditioned dharmas distinguish worthy sages."
Diamond Sutra

 

'Tathagata' means thusness of all dharmas.

 

 

 

 

 

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Prepared by Michael P. Garofalo

 

The Diamond Sutra
Available on the Net since December 1, 2005.

 

 

 

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