SUTRA DEL DIAMANTE

El Sutra del Diamante chino, el libro impreso ms antiguo conocido del mundo, impreso en el noveno ao de la Era Xiantong de la Dinasta Tang, es decir, 868 A.D. British Library.

El Sutra del Diamante es un sutra Mah y na breve del gnero de la Perfeccin de la Sabidura, el cual ensea la prctica de la abstencin de permanecer en los extremos del apego mental. Una copia del Sutra del Diamante, encontrado sellado en una cueva en China en el siglo XX temprano, es el libro impreso ms antiguo que se conoce, fechado en el 868.

Etimologa El Sutra se conoce en Snscrito como : Vajracchedik -praj p ramit -s tra; Chino: o abreviado , pinyin: j n g ng b r -b lumdu j ng o j n g ng j ng; Japons: kongou hannya haramita kyou o abreviado kongyou kyou; Vietnamita Kim

C ng Bt Nh Ba La M t Kinh o Kim C ng Kinh; Tibetano (Wylie): Phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa rdo rje gcod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po i mdo; "El Sutra de la Perfeccin de la Sabidura del Diamante que Corta a Travs de la Ilusin". Contenido El Sutra del Diamante, como muchos sutras, comienza con la famosa frase "As he odo" ( , eva may rutam). En este sutra el Buda ha terminado su paseo diario con los monjes para recoger ofrendas de alimento y se sienta a descansar. Uno de los monjes ms veteranos, Subhuti, se adelanta y le plantea una pregunta al Buda. Lo que acontece a partir de ah es un dilogo extenso, a menudo repetitivo, sobre la naturaleza de la percepcin. El Buda emplea con frecuencia frases paradjicas como "Lo que se denomina como la enseanza suprema no es la enseanza suprema". El Buda trata de ayudar a Subhuti a desaprender sus nociones preconcebidas y limitadas de lo que es la realidad, la naturaleza de la Iluminacin, y la compasin. Una parte especialmente notable es cuando el Buda le ensea a Subhuti que lo que hace tan grande a un Bodhisattva es que el Bodhisattva no se enorgullece de su trabajo para salvar a los otros, ni es su compasin calculada o forzada. El Bodhisattva practica la compasin sincera que procede de lo ms hondo del ser, sin ningn sentido del ego o provecho. En otra seccin, Subhuti expresa su preocupacin de que el Sutra del Diamante sea olvidado 500 aos despus de su enseanza (alternativamente, durante los ltimos 500 aos de esta era). El Buda le asegura a Subhuti que mucho despus de que se haya marchado, seguirn habiendo algunos que puedan obtener el significado del Sutra del Diamante y ponerlo en prctica. Esta seccin parece reflejar una preocupacin que se encuentra en otros textos budistas que las enseanzas del Buda eventualmente se difuminaran y corromperan. Un concepto budista popular, conocido como mapp en japons, tambin refleja esta misma ansiedad. En la prctica Debido a que puede ser ledo en aproximadamente cuarenta minutos, el Sutra del Diamante es a menudo memorizado y cantado en monasterios budistas. Este Sutra ha conservado un alto grado de popularidad en la tradicin budista Mah y na por ms de un milenio, especialmente en Asia oriental, y lo que es ms importante, dentro de la escuela de meditacin (Zen/Chan/Seon/Thien) de Asia oriental, donde es extensamente recitado, enseado y comentado, incluso en la actualidad. El texto resuena con un aspecto fundamental de la doctrina o praxis del Chan (Zen): el tema de la no-permanencia (no se debe confundir con el concepto de Impermanencia). A menudo se dice en el Sutra del Diamante que si una persona logra poner en prctica al menos cuatro lneas del Sutra, ser bendecido en gran medida. Referencias Notas Diamond Sutra, Sec. 8, Subsec. 5 Bibliografa

Thich Nhat Hanh: The Diamond that Cuts Through Illusion: Commentaries on the Prajaparamita Diamond Sutra. Berkeley, CA, USA: Parallax Press, 1992 ISBN 0-938077-51-1 LIBROS HISTRICOS Y DEL MISTERIO: SUTRA DEL DIAMANTE (BUDISMO) (1) Esto es lo que he odo. Una maana, cuando el Buddha estaba cerca de Shravasti, en el bosque de Jeta, en el estado de Anathapindika, l y Su congregacin de mil doscientos cincuenta monjes fueron a la ciudad para mendigar el desayuno; cuando regresaron y terminaron de comer guardaron las tnicas y los cuencos y se lavaron los pies. Entonces el Buddha tom Su asiento y los dems se sentaron ante l. (2) De entre la asamblea se levant el Venerable Subhuti. Se desnud el hombro derecho, se arrodill sobre su rodilla derecha, y juntando las palmas de las manos se inclin ante el Buddha. "Seor! -dijo- Tathagata! Honorado-por-todo-el-mundo! Qu maravilloso es que seamos protegidos e instruidos por Su misericordia! Seor, cuando hombres y mujeres anuncian su deseo de seguir el Camino del Bodhisattva, y nos preguntan cmo deberan proceder, qu deberamos decirles?" (3) "Bien Subhuti! -contest el Buddha- cuando alguien dice, 'Quiero seguir el Camino del Bodhisattva porque quiero salvar a todos los seres; sin importarme que sean criaturas que hayan sido formadas en un tero o incubadas en un huevo; que sus ciclos vitales sean tan observables como el de los gusanos, insectos o mariposas, o que aparezcan tan milagrosamente como las setas o los dioses; que sean capaces de pensamientos profundos, o de ningn tipo de pensamientos; hago el voto de conducir a cada uno de los seres al Nirvana; y hasta que no estn todos all seguros, no recoger mi recompensa y entrar en el Nirvana.!' entonces, Subbhuti, debes recordar como uno-que-ha-tomado-los-votos, que incluso si tal incontable nmero de seres fueran liberados, en realidad ningn ser habra sido liberado. Un Bodhisattva no se aferra a la ilusin de una individualidad separada, una entidad egtica o una identificacin personal. En realidad no hay "yo" que libere, ni "ellos" que sean liberados. (4) "Adems, Subhuti, un Bodhisattva debe estar liberado de todo deseo, ya sea de ver, oir, oler, tocar o gustar algo, o de conducir multitudes hacia la iluminacin. Un Bodhisattva no alberga ambicin. Su amor es infinito y no puede ser limitado por las ataduras personales o las ambiciones. Cuando el amor es infinito sus mritos son incalculables. "Dime Subhuti, puedes medir el cielo oriental?" "No, Seor, no puedo." "Puedes medir el espacio que se extiende hacia el sur, el oeste, el norte, o hacia arriba o abajo?" "No, Seor, no puedo." "Tampoco puedes medir los mritos de un Bodhisattva que ama, trabaja y da sin deseo o ambicin. Los Bodhisattvas deberan prestar una atencin particular a esta enseanza." (5) "Subhuti, qu piensas? Es posible describir al Tathagata? Puede ser reconocido

mediante caractersticas materiales?" "No, Seor, no es posible someter al Tathagata a diferenciaciones o comparaciones." Entonces dijo el Seor, "Subhuti, en el fraude del Samsara todas las cosas son distintamente consideradas o atribuidas, pero en la verdad del Nirvana ninguna diferenciacin es posible. No se puede describir al Tathagata. "Aquel que comprende que todas las cualidades no son de hecho cualidades determinadas, percibe al Tathagata." (6) Subhuti le pregunt al Buddha, "Honorado-por-todo-el-mundo, habr siempre hombres que comprendan esta enseanza?" El Seor respondi, "Subhuti, nunca lo dudes! Siempre habr Bodhisattvas virtuosos y sabios; y en los eones que vienen, estos Bodhisattvas echarn su raices de mrito bajo muchos rboles Bodhi. Recibirn esta enseanza y respondern con fe serena, siempre habr Buddhas que los inspiren. El Tathagata los ver y reconocer con Su ojo-Bdico, ya que en estos Bodhisattvas no habr obstrucciones, ni percepcin de un yo individual, ni percepcin de un ser separado, ni percepcin de un alma, ni percepcin de una persona. Y estos Bodhisattvas no considerarn las cosas como si fueran contenedores de cualidades intrnsecas, ni como si estuvieran desprovistas de cualidades intrnsecas. Tampoco discriminarn entre bien y mal. La discriminacin entre conducta virtuosa y no virtuosa debe utilizarse al igual que una balsa. Una vez que lleva a uno-que-cruza-la-corriente hasta la otra orilla se abandona. (7) "Dime Subhuti, ha logrado el Tathagata la Iluminacin Perfecta que Trasciende las Comparaciones? De ser as, hay algo sobre ella que el Tathagata pueda ensear? Subhuti respondi, "Tal como entiendo la enseanza, la Iluminacin Perfecta que Trasciende las Comparaciones no puede ser alcanzada ni atrapada, como tampoco puede ser enseada. Por qu? Porque el Tathagata ha dicho que la Verdad no es una cosa que pueda ser diferenciada o contenida, y por lo tanto, la Verdad no puede ser atrapada ni expresada. La Verdad ni es ni no es. (8) Entonces el Seor pregunt, "Si alguien llenara tres mil galaxias con los siete tesoros -oro, plata, lapislzuli, cristal, perlas rojas y cornalina- y lo diera todo como regalos de caridad, obtendra mucho mrito?" Subhuti respondi, "Seor, en efecto adquirir gran mrtio, aunque en verdad, no tiene una existencia separada a la que el mrito pueda acumularse." Entonces dijo el Buddha, "Suponte que alguien haya comprendido solamente cuatro lneas de

nuestro Discurso, pero a pesar de eso se ve movido a explicrselas a otro; entonces, Subhuti, su mrito ser mayor que el de aquel que pratica la caridad. Por qu? Porque este Discurso puede producir Buddhas! Este Discurso revela la Iluminacin Perfecta que Transciende las Comparaciones!" (9) "Dime, Subhuti, un discpulo que comienza a cruzar la Corriente se dir a s mismo, 'soy merecedor de los honores y recompensas de uno-que-entra-en-la-Corriente'?" "No, Seor. Un verdadero uno-que-entra-en-la-Corriente no pensar en s mismo como una entidad egtica separada que pueda ser digna de algo. Solo se puede decir que verdaderamente ha entrado en la Corriente aquel discpulo que no diferencia entre l mismo y los dems, que no toma en consideracin nombre, forma, sonido, olor, gusto, tacto, o cualquier otra cualidad." "Un adepto que est sujeto a tan solo un renacimiento ms se dir a s mismo, 'soy merecedor de los honores y recompensas de uno-que-solo-va-a-renacer-una-vez'?" "No, Seor. 'Uno-que-solo-va-a-renacer-una-vez' es tan solo un nombre. No hay dejar de existir, tampoco comenzar a ser. Solo se puede llamar adepto a alguien que haya comprendido esto." "Un Venerable que no volver a renacer como mortal se dir a s mismo, 'soy merecedor de los honores y recompensas de uno-que-no-va-a-volver.'?" "No, Honorado-por-todo-el-mundo. 'Uno-que-no-va-a-volver' es tan solo un nombre. No hay retorno ni no retorno." "Dime Subhuti, se dir un Buddha a s mismo, 'he alcanzado la Iluminacin Perfecta.'?" "No, Seor. No hay una Iluminacin Perfecta que alcanzar. Seor, si un Buddha Perfectamente Iluminado se dijera, 'as soy yo', estara admitiendo una identidad individual, un yo y una personalidad independientes, y en tal caso no sera un Buddha Perfectamente Iluminado." "Oh, Honorado-por-todo-el-mundo! Ha declarado que yo, Subhuti, sobresalgo entre Sus hombres santos en el conocimiento de la bienaventuranza del samadhi, en estar prefectamente contento en soledad, y en estar libre de pasiones. Pero no me digo, "as soy yo", porque si alguna vez pensara en m mismo de tal manera, no sera verdad que he escapado de la ilusin del ego. S que en realidad no existe Subhuti y que por lo tanto Subhuti no mora en ninguna parte, que ni conoce ni ignora la bienaventuranza, que ni es libre ni es esclavo de las pasiones." (10) Dijo el Buddha, "Subhuti, qu piensas? En el pasado, cuando el Thatagata estuvo con

Dipankara, el Completmente Iluminado, aprend alguna doctrina de l?" "No, Seor. No existe una doctrina que pueda ser aprendida." "Subhuti, date cuenta tambin de que si un Bodhisattva dijera, "crear un paraiso", estara hablando falsamente. Y por qu? Porque un paraiso no puede ser creado ni no creado. "Date cuenta entonces, Subhuti, que todos los Bodhisattvas, grandes o menores, experimentarn la mente pura que sigue a la extincin del ego. Una mente como esta no discrimina haciendo juicios sobre sonido, sabor, tacto, olor, o cualquier otra cualidad. Un Bodhisattva debera desarrollar una mente que no forme ataduras ni aversiones hacia nada. "Suponte que un hombre estuviera dotado de un cuerpo grande, tan grande como el de Sumeru, rey de las montaas. Sera grande su cuerpo?" "S, Seor. Sera grande, pero 'cuerpo' es tan solo un nombre. En realidad, l ni existira ni no existira." (11) "Subhuti, si hubiese tantos ros Ganges como granos de arena hay en el lecho del Ganges, seran muchos los granos de arena de todos ellos?" "S, muchos, Honorado-por-todo-el-mundo. Sera imposible contar todos los ros Ganges, y mucho ms sus granos de arena!" "Subhuti, te dir una gran verdad. Si alguien llenara tres mil galaxias con los siete tesoros por cada grano de arena de todos esos ros Ganges, y las diera como caridad, obtendra un gran mrtiro?" "Realmente grande, Seor." Entonces el Buddha declar, "Subhuti, si alguien estudia nuestro Discurso y comprende solamente cuatro lneas, pero se las explica a otro, el mrito conquistado ser mucho ms grande." (12) "Adems, Subhuti, en cualquier lugar que sean pronunciadas estas cuatro lneas, ese lugar debera ser venerado como un Santuario del Buddha. Y la veneracin debera ser mayor cuanto mayor fuera el nmero de lneas explicadas! "Alguien que comprenda y explique este Discurso en su totalidad alcanza la ms alta y ms maravillosa de todas las verdades. Y dondequiera que la explicacin sea dada, all, en ese lugar, deberas conducirte como si estuvieras en presencia del Buddha. En ese lugar deberas hacer reverencia y ofrecer flores e incienso."

(13) Entonces Subhuti prengunt, "Honorado-por-todo-el-mundo, cmo se debera llamar este Discurso?" El Buddha respondi, "Este discurso deber ser conocido como El Vajracchedika Prajna Paramita - El Diamante Cortador de Sabidura Trascendental - porque la Enseanza es fuerte y afilada como un diamante que corta a travs de los malos enjuiciamientos y la ilusin." (14) En ese momento el impacto del Dharma provoc lgrimas en Subhuti. Entonces, mientras se limpiaba la cara, dijo, "Seor, qu precioso es que vos pronunciis este profundo Discurso! Hace tiempo que se abri mi ojo de la sabidura por primera vez; pero desde entonces hasta ahora nunca haba escuchado un explicacin tan maravillosa sobre la naturaleza de la Realidad Fundamental. "Seor, s que en aos venideros habr muchos hombres y mujeres que, aprendiendo de nuestro Discurso, lo recibirn con fe y entendimiento. Sern liberados de la idea de una identidad egtica, liberados de la idea de un alma personal, liberados de la idea de un ser individual o una existencia separada. Qu memorable logr ser esta libertad!" (16) "Subhuti, aunque en este mundo ha habido millones y millones de Buddhas, y todos merecedores de gran mrito, el mrito ms grande de todos le corresponder al hombre o mujer que, al final de nuestra poca Bdica, en el ltimo periodo de quinientos aos, reciba este discurso, lo considere, ponga su fe en l, y entonces se lo explique a otro, salvando as nuestra Buena Doctrina del colapso final." (17) "Seor, cmo deberamos entonces instruir a aquellos que desean tomar los votos de Bodhisattva?" "Decidles que si desean alcanzar la Iluminacin Perfecta que Trasciende las Comparaciones deben ser resueltos en sus actitudes. Deben estar decididos a liberar a cada uno de los seres vivos, aunque en realidad comprendan que no hay seres individuales o separados. "Subhuti, para ser llamado verdaderamente Bodhisattva, un Bodhisattva debe estar completamente desprovisto de cualquier concepcin de un s mismo. (18) "Dime, Subhuti. Posee el Tathagata el ojo humano? "S, Seor, lo tiene." "Posee el Tathagata el ojo divino?" "S, Seor, lo tiene." "Posee el Tathagata el ojo espiritual?" "S, Honorado-por-todo-el-mundo." "Y posee el ojo de la sabidura trascendetal? "S, Seor." "Y posee el Tathagata el ojo-Bdico de la omnisciencia?" "S, Seor, lo tiene." "Subhuti, aunque hay incontables Tierras Bdicas, e incontables seres de formaciones mentales muy diferentes en esas Tierras Bdicas, el Tathagata los comprende a todos con su

Mente que Todo lo Abarca. Pero en cuanto a sus formaciones mentales, simplemente se las llama "mentales". Tales formaciones mentes no tienen existencia real. Subhuti, es imposible retener estados mentales pasados, imposible mantener estados mentales presentes, e imposible aprehender estados mentales futuros, ya que en ninguna de sus actividades tiene la mente substancia o existencia." (32) "Y por ltimo, Subhuti, date cuenta de nuevo de que si un hombre da todo lo que tiene tesoro suficiente para llenar innumerables mundos- y otro hombre o mujer despierta al pensamiento puro de la Iluminacin y toma solamente cuatro lneas de este Discurso, las recita, las considera, las comprende, y entonces, para el beneficio de los dems, da a conocer estas lneas y las explica, su mrito ser el mayor de todos. "Ahora, cules deberan ser las formas de un Bodhisattva cuando explica estas lneas? Debera estar desprendido de las cosas fraudulentas del Samsara y debera morar en la verdad eterna de la Realidad. Debera saber que el ego es un fantasma y que tal engao no tiene que seguir existiendo. "Y as debera mirar el mundo temporal del ego"Como una estrella que cae, o Venus eclipsada por el alba, Un burbuja en una corriente, un sueo, La llama de una vela que chisporrotea y se va." Cuando el Buddha hubo terminado, el Venerable Subhuti y el resto de asamblea se llen de gozo con Su enseanza; y llevndola sinceramente en el corazn, emprendieron sus caminos. THE DIAMOND SUTRA (translated by A.F.Price) Section I. The Convocation of the Assembly Thus have I heard. Upon a time Buddha sojourned in Anathapindika's Park by Shravasti with a great company of bhikshus, even twelve hundred and fifty. One day, at the time for breaking fast, the World-honored One enrobed, and carrying His bowl made His way into the great city of Shravasti to beg for His food. In the midst of the city He begged from door to door according to rule. This done, He returned to His retreat and took His meal. When He had finished He put away His robe and begging bowl, washed His feet, arranged His seat, and sat down. Section II. Subhuti Makes a Request Now in the midst of the assembly was the Venerable Subhuti. Forthwith he arose, uncovered his right shoulder, knelt upon his right knee, and, respectfully raising his hands with palms joined, addressed Buddha thus: World-honored One, if good men and good women seek the

Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment, by what criteria should they abide and how should they control their thoughts? Buddha said: Very good, Subhuti! Just as you say, the Tathagata is ever-mindful of all the Bodhisattvas, protecting and instructing them well. Now listen and take my words to heart: I will declare to you by what criteria good men and good women seeking the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment should abide, and how they should control their thoughts. Said Subhuti: Pray, do, World-honored One. With joyful anticipation we long to hear. Section III. The Real Teaching of the Great Way Buddha said: Subhuti, all the Bodhisattva-Heroes should discipline their thoughts as follows: All living creatures of whatever class, born from eggs, from wombs, from moisture, or by transformation whether with form or without form, whether in a state of thinking or exempt from thought-necessity, or wholly beyond all thought realms -- all these are caused by Me to attain Unbounded Liberation Nirvana. Yet when vast, uncountable, immeasurable numbers of beings have thus been liberated, verily no being has been liberated. Why is this, Subhuti? It is because no Bodhisattva who is a real Bodhisattva cherishes the idea of an ego-entity, a personality, a being, or a separated individuality. Section IV. Even the Most Beneficent Practices are Relative Furthermore, Subhuti, in the practice of charity a Bodhisattva should be detached. That is to say, he should practice charity without regard to appearances; without regard to sound, odor, touch, flavor or any quality. Subhuti, thus should the Bodhisattva practice charity without attachment. Wherefore? In such a case his merit is incalculable. Subhuti, what do you think? Can you measure all the space extending eastward? No, World-honored One, I cannot. Then can you, Subhuti, measure all the space extending southward, westward, northward, or in any other direction, including nadir and zenith? No, World-honored One, I cannot. Well, Subhuti, equally incalculable is the merit of the Bodhisattva who practices charity without any attachment to appearances. Subhuti, Bodhisattvas should persevere onepointedly in this instruction. Section V. Understanding the Ultimate Principle of Reality Subhuti, what do you think? Is the Tathagata to be recognized by some material characteristic? No, World-honored One; the Tathagata cannot be recognized by any material characteristic. Wherefore? Because the Tathagata has said that material characteristics are not, in fact, material characteristics. Buddha said: Subhuti, wheresoever are material characteristics there is delusion; but whoso perceives that all characteristics are in fact no-characteristics, perceives the Tathagata. Section VI. Rare is True Faith

Subhuti said to Buddha: World-honored One, will there always be men who will truly believe after coming to hear these teachings? Buddha answered: Subhuti, do not utter such words! At the end of the last five-hundred-year period following the passing of the Tathagata, there will be self-controlled men, rooted in merit, coming to hear these teachings, who will be inspired with belief. But you should realize that such men have not strengthened their root of merit under just one Buddha, or two Buddhas, or three, or four, or five Buddhas, but under countless Buddhas; and their merit is of every kind. Such men, coming to hear these teachings, will have an immediate uprising of pure faith, Subhuti; and the Tathagata will recognize them. Yes, He will clearly perceive all these of pure heart, and the magnitude of their moral excellences. Wherefore? It is because such men will not fall back to cherishing the idea of an ego-entity, a personality, a being, or a separated individuality. They will neither fall back to cherishing the idea of things as having intrinsic qualities, nor even of things as devoid of intrinsic qualities. Wherefore? Because if such men allowed their minds to grasp and hold on to anything they would be cherishing the idea of an ego-entity, a personality, a being, or a separated individuality; and if they grasped and held on to the notion of things as having intrinsic qualities they would be cherishing the idea of an ego-entity, a personality, a being, or a separated individuality. Likewise, if they grasped and held on to the notion of things as devoid of intrinsic qualities they would be cherishing the idea of an ego-entity, a personality, a being, or a separated individuality. So you should not be attached to things as being possessed of, or devoid of, intrinsic qualities. This is the reason why the Tathagata always teaches this saying: My teaching of the Good Law is to be likened unto a raft. [Does a man who has safely crossed a flood upon a raft continue his journey carrying that raft upon his head?] The Buddhateaching must be relinquished; how much more so mis-teaching! Section VII. Great Ones, Perfect Beyond Learning, Utter no Words of Teaching Subhuti, what do you think? Has the Tathagata attained the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment? Has the Tathagata a teaching to enunciate? Subhuti answered: As I understand Buddha's meaning there is no formulation of truth called Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment. Moreover, the Tathagata has no formulated teaching to enunciate. Wherefore? Because the Tathagata has said that truth is uncontainable and inexpressible. It neither is nor is it not. Thus it is that this unformulated Principle is the foundation of the different systems of all the sages. Section VIII. The Fruits of Meritorious Action Subhuti, what do you think? If anyone filled three thousand galaxies of worlds with the seven treasures and gave all away in gifts of alms, would he gain great merit? Subhuti said: Great indeed, World-honored One! Wherefore? Because merit partakes of the character of no-merit, the Tathagata characterized the merit as great. Then Buddha said: On the other hand, if anyone received and retained even only four lines of this Discourse and taught and explained them to others, his merit would be the greater. Wherefore? Because, Subhuti, from this Discourse issue forth all the Buddhas and the

Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment teachings of all the Buddhas. Subhuti, what is called "the Religion given by Buddha" is not, in fact Buddha-Religion. Section IX. Real Designation is Undesignate Subhuti, what do you think? Does a disciple who has entered the Stream of the Holy Life say within himself: I obtain the fruit of a Stream-entrant? Subhuti said: No, World-honored One. Wherefore? Because "Stream-entrant" is merely a name. There is no stream-entering. The disciple who pays no regard to form, sound, odor, taste, touch, or any quality, is called a Stream-entrant. Subhuti, what do you think? Does an adept who is subject to only one more rebirth say within himself: I obtain the fruit of a Once-to-be-reborn? Subhuti said: No, World-honored One. Wherefore? Because "Once-to-be-reborn" is merely a name. There is no passing away nor coming into existence. [The adept who realizes] this is called "Once-to-be-reborn." Subhuti, what do you think? Does a venerable one who will never more be reborn as a mortal say within himself: I obtain the fruit of a Non-returner? Subhuti said: No, World-honored One. Wherefore? Because "Non-returner" is merely a name. There is no non-returning; hence the designation "Non-returner." Subhuti, what do you think? Does a holy one say within himself: I have obtained Perfective Enlightenment? Subhuti said: No, World-honored One. Wherefore? Because there is no such condition as that called "Perfective Enlightenment." World-honored one, if a holy one of Perfective Enlightenment said to himself "such am I," he would necessarily partake of the idea of an egoentity, a personality, a being, or a separated individuality. World-honored One, when the Buddha declares that I excel amongst holy men in the Yoga of perfect quiescence, in dwelling in seclusion, and in freedom from passions, I do not say within myself: I am a holy one of Perfective Enlightenment, free from passions. World-honored One, if I said within myself: Such am I; you would not declare: Subhuti finds happiness abiding in peace, in seclusion in the midst of the forest. This is because Subhuti abides nowhere: therefore he is called, "Subhuti, Joyful-Abider-in-Peace, Dweller-in-Seclusion-in-the-Forest." Section X. Setting Forth Pure Lands Buddha said: Subhuti, what do you think? In the remote past when the Tathagata was with Dipankara Buddha, did he have any degree of attainment in the Good Law? No, World-honored One. When the Tathagata was with Dipankara Buddha he had no degree of attainment in the Good Law. Subhuti, what do you think? Does a Bodhisattva set forth any majestic Buddha-lands? No, World-honored One. Wherefore? Because setting forth majestic Buddha-lands is not a majestic setting forth; this is merely a name. [Then Buddha continued:] Therefore, Subhuti, all Bodhisattvas, lesser and great, should develop a pure, lucid mind, not depending upon sound, flavor, touch, odor, or any quality. A Bodhisattva should develop a mind which alights upon no thing whatsoever; and so should he

establish it. Subhuti, this may be likened to a human frame as large as the mighty Mount Sumeru. What do you think? Would such a body be great? Subhuti replied: Great indeed, World-honored One. This is because Buddha has explained that no body is called a great body. Section XI. The Superiority of Unformulated Truth Subhuti, if there were as many Ganges rivers as the sand-grains of the Ganges, would the sand-grains of them all be many? Subhuti said: Many indeed, World-honored One! Even the Ganges rivers would be innumerable; how much more so would be their sand-grains? Subhuti, I will declare a truth to you. If a good man or good woman filled three thousand galaxies of worlds with the seven treasures for each sand-grain in all those Ganges rivers, and gave all away in gifts of alms, would he gain great merit? Subhuti answered: Great indeed, World-honored One! Then Buddha declared: Nevertheless, Subhuti, if a good man or good woman studies this Discourse only so far as to receive and retain four lines, and teaches and explains them to others, the consequent merit would be far greater. Section XII. Veneration of the True Doctrine Furthermore, Subhuti, you should know that wheresoever this Discourse is proclaimed, by even so little as four lines, that place should be venerated by the whole realms of Gods, Men and Titans as though it were a Buddha-Shrine. How much more is this so in the case of one who is able to receive and retain the whole and read and recite it throughout! Subhuti, you should know that such a one attains the highest and most wonderful truth. Wheresoever this sacred Discourse may be found there should you comport yourself as though in the presence of Buddha and disciples worthy of honor. Section XIII. How this Teaching should be Received and Retained At that time Subhuti addressed Buddha, saying: World-honored One, by what name should this Discourse be known, and how should we receive and retain it? Buddha answered: Subhuti, this Discourse should be known as "The Diamond of the Perfection of Transcendental Wisdom" - thus should you receive and retain it. Subhuti, what is the reason herein? According to the Buddha-teaching the Perfection of Transcendental Wisdom is not really such. "Perfection of Transcendental Wisdom" is just the name given to it. Subhuti, what do you think? Has the Tathagata a teaching to enunciate? Subhuti replied to the Buddha: World-honored One, the Tathagata has nothing to teach. Subhuti, what do you think? Would there be many molecules in [the composition of] three thousand galaxies of worlds? Subhuti said: Many indeed, World-honored One! Subhuti, the Tathagata declares that all these molecules are not really such; they are called "molecules." [Furthermore,] the Tathagata declares that a world is not really a world; it is

called "a world." Subhuti, what do you think? May the Tathagata be perceived by the thirtytwo physical peculiarities [of an outstanding sage]? No, World-honored One, the Tathagata may not be perceived by these thirty-two marks. Wherefore? Because the Tathagata has explained that the thirty-two marks are not really such; they are called "the thirty-two marks." Subhuti, if on the one hand a good man or a good woman sacrifices as many lives as the sandgrains of the Ganges, and on the other hand anyone receives and retains even only four lines of this Discourse, and teaches and explains them to others, the merit of the latter will be the greater. Section XIV. Perfect Peace Lies in Freedom from Characteristic Distinctions Upon the occasion of hearing this Discourse Subhuti had an interior realization of its meaning and was moved to tears. Whereupon he addressed the Buddha thus: It is a most precious thing, World-honored One, that you should deliver this supremely profound Discourse. Never have I heard such an exposition since of old my eye of wisdom first opened. World-honored One, if anyone listens to this Discourse in faith with a pure, lucid mind, he will thereupon conceive an idea of Fundamental Reality. We should know that such a one establishes the most remarkable virtue. World-honored One, such an idea of Fundamental Reality is not, in fact, a distinctive idea; therefore the Tathagata teaches: "Idea of Fundamental Reality" is merely a name. World-honored One, having listened to this Discourse, I receive and retain it with faith and understanding. This is not difficult for me, but in ages to come - in the last five-hundred years, if there be men coming to hear this Discourse who receive and retain it with faith and understanding, they will be persons of most remarkable achievement. Wherefore? Because they will be free from the idea of an ego-entity, free from the idea of a personality, free from the idea of a being, and free from the idea of a separated individuality. And why? Because the distinguishing of an ego-entity is erroneous. Likewise the distinguishing of a personality, or a being, or a separated individuality is erroneous. Consequently those who have left behind every phenomenal distinction are called Buddhas all. Buddha said to Subhuti: Just as you say! If anyone listens to this Discourse and is neither filled with alarm nor awe nor dread, be it known that such a one is of remarkable achievement. Wherefore? Because, Subhuti, the Tathagata teaches that the First Perfection [the Perfection of Charity] is not, in fact, the First Perfection: such is merely a name. Subhuti, the Tathagata teaches likewise that the Perfection of Patience is not the Perfection of Patience: such is merely a name. Why so? It is shown thus, Subhuti: When the Rajah of Kalinga mutilated my body, I was at that time free from the idea of an ego-entity, a personality, a being, and a separated individuality. Wherefore? Because then when my limbs were cut away piece by piece, had I been bound by the distinctions aforesaid, feelings of anger and hatred would have been aroused in me. Subhuti, I remember that long ago, sometime during my past five-hundred mortal lives, I was an ascetic practicing patience. Even then was I free from those distinctions of separated selfhood. Therefore, Subhuti, Bodhisattvas should leave behind all phenomenal distinctions

and awaken the thought of the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment by not allowing the mind to depend upon notions evoked by the sensible world - by not allowing the mind to depend upon notions evoked by sounds, odors, flavors, touch-contacts, or any qualities. The mind should be kept independent of any thoughts which arise within it. If the mind depends upon anything it has no sure haven. This is why Buddha teaches that the mind of a Bodhisattva should not accept the appearances of things as a basis when exercising charity. Subhuti, as Bodhisattvas practice charity for the welfare of all living beings they should do it in this manner. Just as the Tathagata declares that characteristics are not characteristics, so He declares that all living beings are not, in fact, living beings. Subhuti, the Tathagata is He who declares that which is true; He who declares that which is fundamental; He who declares that which is ultimate. He does not declare that which is deceitful, nor that which is monstrous. Subhuti, that Truth to which the Tathagata has attained is neither real nor unreal. Subhuti, if a Bodhisattva practices charity with mind attached to formal notions he is like unto a man groping sightless in the gloom; but a Bodhisattva who practices charity with mind detached from any formal notions is like unto a man with open eyes in the radiant glory of the morning, to whom all kinds of objects are clearly visible. Subhuti, if there be good men and good women in future ages, able to receive, read and recite this Discourse in its entirety, the Tathagata will clearly perceive and recognize them by means of His Buddha-knowledge; and each one of them will bring immeasurable and incalculable merit to fruition. Section XV. The Incomparable Value of This Teaching Subhuti, if on one hand, a good man or a good woman performs in the morning as many charitable acts of self-denial as the sand-grains of the Ganges, and performs as many again in the noonday and as many again in the evening, and continues so doing throughout numberless ages, and, on the other hand, anyone listens to this Discourse with heart of faith and without contention, the latter would be the more blessed. But how can any comparison be made with one who writes it down, receives it, retains it, and explains it to others! Subhuti, we can summarize the matter by saying that the full value of this Discourse can neither be conceived nor estimated, nor can any limit be set to it. The Tathagata has declared this teaching for the benefit of initiates of the Great Way; He has declared it for the benefit of initiates of the Supreme Way. Whosoever can receive and retain this teaching, study it, recite it and spread it abroad will be clearly perceived and recognized by the Tathagata and will achieve a perfection of merit beyond measurement or calculation - a perfection of merit unlimited and inconceivable. In every case such a one will exemplify the TathagataConsummation of the Incomparable Enlightenment. Wherefore? Because, Subhuti, those who find consolation in limited doctrines involving the conception of an ego-entity, a personality, a being, or a separated individuality are unable to accept, receive, study, recite and openly explain this Discourse. Subhuti, in every place where this Discourse is to be found the whole realms of Gods, Men and Titans should offer worship; for you must know that such a place is sanctified like a shrine, and

should properly be venerated by all with ceremonial obeisance and circumambulation and with offerings of flowers and incense. Section XVI. Purgation through Suffering the Retribution for Past Sins Furthermore, Subhuti, if it be that good men and good women who receive and retain this Discourse are downtrodden, their evil destiny is the inevitable retributive result of sins committed in their past mortal lives. By virtue of their present misfortunes the reacting effects of their past will be thereby worked out, and they will be in a position to attain the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment. Subhuti, I remember the infinitely remote past before Dipankara Buddha. There were 84,000 myriads of multimillions of Buddhas and to all these I made offerings; yes, all these I served without the least trace of fault. Nevertheless, if anyone is able to receive, retain, study and recite this Discourse at the end of the last [500-year] period, he will gain such a merit that mine in the service of all the Buddhas could not be reckoned as one-hundredth part of it, not even one thousand myriad multimillionth part of it - indeed, no such comparison is possible. Subhuti, if I fully detailed the merit gained by good men and good women coming to receive, retain, study and recite this Discourse in the last period, my hearers would be filled with doubt and might become disordered in mind, suspicious and unbelieving. You should know, Subhuti, that the significance of this Discourse is beyond conception; likewise the fruit of its rewards is beyond conception. Section XVII. No One Attains Transcendental Wisdom At that time Subhuti addressed Buddha, saying: World-honored One, if good men and good women seek the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment, by what criteria should they abide and how should they control their thoughts? Buddha replied to Subhuti: Good men and good women seeking the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment must create this resolved attitude of mind: I must liberate all living beings, yet when all have been liberated, verily not any one is liberated. Wherefore? If a Bodhisattva cherishes the idea of an ego-entity, a personality, a being, or a separated individuality, he is consequently not a Bodhisattva, Subhuti. This is because in reality there is no formula which gives rise to the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment. Subhuti, what do you think? When the Tathagata was with Dipankara Buddha was there any formula for the attainment of the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment? No, World-honored One, as I understand Buddha's meaning, there was no formula by which the Tathagata attained the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment. Buddha said: You are right, Subhuti! Verily there was no formula by which the Tathagata attained the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment. Subhuti, had there been any such formula, Dipankara Buddha would not have predicted concerning me: "In the ages of the future you will come to be a Buddha called Shakyamuni"; but Dipankara Buddha made that prediction concerning me because there is actually no formula for the attainment of the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment. The reason herein is that Tathagata is a signification implying all formulas. In case anyone says that the Tathagata attained the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment, I tell you truly, Subhuti, that there is no

formula by which the Buddha attained it. Subhuti, the basis of Tathagata's attainment of the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment is wholly beyond; it is neither real nor unreal. Hence I say that the whole realm of formulations is not really such, therefore it is called "Realm of formulations." Subhuti, a comparison may be made with [the idea of] a gigantic human frame. Then Subhuti said: The World-honored One has declared that such is not a great body; "a great body" is just the name given to it. Subhuti, it is the same concerning Bodhisattvas. If a Bodhisattva announces: I will liberate all living creatures, he is not rightly called a Bodhisattva. Wherefore? Because, Subhuti, there is really no such condition as that called Bodhisattvaship, because Buddha teaches that all things are devoid of selfhood, devoid of separate individuality. Subhuti, if a Bodhisattva announces: I will set forth majestic Buddha-lands, one does not call him a Bodhisattva, because the Tathagata has declared that the setting forth of majestic Buddha-lands is not really such: "a majestic setting forth" is just the name given to it. Subhuti, Bodhisattvas who are wholly devoid of any conception of separate selfhood are truthfully called Bodhisattvas. Section XVIII. All Modes of mind are Really Only Mind Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata possess the human eye? Yes, World-honored One, He does. Well, do you think the Tathagata possesses the divine eye? Yes, World-honored One, He does. And do you think the Tathagata possesses the gnostic eye? Yes, World-honored One, He does. And do you think the Tathagata possesses the eye of transcendent wisdom? Yes, World-honored One, He does. And do you think the Tathagata possesses the Buddha-eye of omniscience? Yes, World-honored One, He does. Subhuti, what do you think? Concerning the sand-grains of the Ganges, has the Buddha taught about them? Yes, World-honored One, the Tathagata has taught concerning these grains. Well, Subhuti, if there were as many Ganges rivers as the sand-grains of the Ganges and there was a Buddha-land for each sand-grain in all those Ganges rivers, would those Buddha-lands be many? [Subhuti replied]: Many indeed, World-honored One! Then Buddha said: Subhuti, however many living beings there are in all those Buddha-lands, though they have manifold modes of mind, the Tathagata understands them all. Wherefore? Because the Tathagata teaches that all these are not Mind; they are merely called "mind". Subhuti, it is impossible to retain past mind, impossible to hold on to present mind, and impossible to grasp future mind. Section XIX. Absolute Reality is the Only Foundation

Subhuti, what do you think? If anyone filled three thousand galaxies of worlds with the seven treasures and gave all away in gifts of alms, would he gain great merit? Yes, indeed, World-honored One, he would gain great merit! Subhuti, if such merit was Real, the Tathagata would not have declared it to be great, but because it is without a foundation the Tathagata characterized it as "great." Section XX. The Unreality of Phenomenal Distinctions Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Buddha be perceived by His perfectly-formed body? No, World-honored One, the Tathagata cannot be perceived by His perfectly-formed body, because the Tathagata teaches that a perfectly-formed body is not really such; it is merely called "a perfectly-formed body." Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Tathagata be perceived by means of any phenomenal characteristic? No, World-honored One, the Tathagata may not be perceived by any phenomenal characteristic, because the Tathagata teaches that phenomenal characteristics are not really such; they are merely termed "phenomenal characteristics." Section XXI. Words cannot express Truth. That which Words Express is not Truth Subhuti, do not say that the Tathagata conceives the idea: I must set forth a Teaching. For if anyone says that the Tathagata sets forth a Teaching he really slanders Buddha and is unable to explain what I teach. As to any Truth-declaring system, Truth is undeclarable; so "an enunciation of Truth" is just the name given to it. Thereupon, Subhuti spoke these words to Buddha: World-honored One, in the ages of the future will there be men coming to hear a declaration of this Teaching who will be inspired with belief? And Buddha answered: Subhuti, those to whom you refer are neither living beings nor notliving beings. Wherefore? Because "living beings," Subhuti, these "living beings" are not really such; they are just called by that name. Section XXII. It Cannot be Said that Anything is Attainable Then Subhuti asked Buddha: World-honored One, in the attainment of the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment did Buddha make no acquisition whatsoever? Buddha replied: Just so, Subhuti. Through the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment I acquired not even the least thing; therefore it is called "Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment." Section XXIII. The Practice of Good Works Purifies the Mind Furthermore, Subhuti, This is altogether everywhere, without differentiation or degree; therefore it is called "Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment." It is straightly attained by freedom from separate personal selfhood and by cultivating all kinds of goodness. Subhuti, though we speak of "goodness", the Tathagata declares that there is no goodness; such is merely a name.

Section XXIV. The Incomparable Merit of This Teaching Subhuti, if there be one who gives away in gifts of alms a mass of the seven treasures equal in extent to as many mighty Mount Sumerus as there would be in three thousand galaxies of worlds, and if there be another who selects even only four lines from this Discourse upon the Perfection of Transcendental Wisdom, receives and retains them, and clearly expounds them to others, the merit of the latter will be so far greater than that of the former that no conceivable comparison can be made between them. Section XXV. The Illusion of Ego Subhuti, what do you think? Let no one say the Tathagata cherishes the idea: I must liberate all living beings. Allow no such thought, Subhuti. Wherefore? Because in reality there are no living beings to be liberated by the Tathagata. If there were living beings for the Tathagata to liberate, He would partake in the idea of selfhood, personality entity, and separate individuality. Subhuti, though the common people accept egoity as real, the Tathagata declares that ego is not different from non-ego. Subhuti, those whom the Tathagata referred to as "common people" are not really common people; such is merely a name. Section XXVI. The Body of Truth has no Marks Subhuti, what do you think? May the Tathagata be perceived by the thirty-two marks [of a great man]? Subhuti answered: No, the Tathagata may not be perceived thereby. Then Buddha said: Subhuti, if the Tathagata may be perceived by such marks, any great imperial ruler is the same as the Tathagata. Subhuti then said to Buddha: World-honored One, as I understand the meaning of Buddha's words, the Tathagata may not be perceived by the thirty-two marks. Whereupon the World-honored One uttered this verse: Who sees Me by form, Who seeks Me in sound, Perverted are his footsteps upon the Way, For he cannot perceive the Tathagata. Section XXVII. It is Erroneous to Affirm that All Things are Ever Extinguished Subhuti, if you should conceive the idea that the Tathagata attained the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment by reason of His perfect form, do not countenance such thoughts. The Tathagata's attainment was not by reason of His perfect form. [On the other hand] Subhuti, if you should conceive the idea that anyone in whom dawns the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment declares that all manifest standards are ended andextinguished, do not countenance such thoughts. Wherefore? Because the man in whom the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment dawns does not affirm concerning any formula that it is finally extinguished.

Section XXVIII. Attachment to Rewards of Merit Subhuti, if one Bodhisattva bestows in charity sufficient of the seven treasures to fill as many worlds as there are sand-grains in the river Ganges, and another, realizing that all things are egoless, attains perfection through patient forbearance, the merit of the latter will far exceed that of the former. Why is this, Subhuti? It is because all Bodhisattvas are insentient as to the rewards of merit. Then Subhuti said to Buddha: What is this saying, World-honored One, that Bodhisattvas are insentient as to rewards of merit? [And Buddha answered]: Subhuti, Bodhisattvas who achieve merit should not be fettered with desire for rewards. Thus it is said that the rewards of merit are not received. Section XXIX. Perfect Tranquility Subhuti, if anyone should say that the Tathagata comes or goes or sits or reclines, he fails to understand my teaching. Why? Because Tathagata has neither whence nor whither, therefore is He called "Tathagata". Section XXX. The Integral Principle Subhuti, if a good man or a good woman ground an infinite number of galaxies of worlds to dust, would the resulting minute particles be many? Subhuti replied: Many indeed, World-honored One! Wherefore? Because if such were really minute particles Buddha would not have spoken of them as minute particles. For as to this, Buddha has declared that they are not really such. "Minute particles" is just the name given to them. Also, World-honored One, when the Tathagata speaks of galaxies of worlds, these are not worlds; for if reality could be predicated of a world it would be a self-existent cosmos and the Tathagata teaches that there is really no such thing. "Cosmos" is merely a figure of speech. [Then Buddha said]: Subhuti, words cannot explain the real nature of a cosmos. Only common people fettered with desire make use of this arbitrary method. Section XXXI. Conventional Truth Should be Cut Off Subhuti, if anyone should say that Buddha declares any conception of egoity do you consider he would understand my teaching correctly? No, World-honored One, such a man would not have any sound understanding of the Tathagata's teaching, because the World-honored One declares that notions of selfhood, personality, entity and separate individuality, as really existing, are erroneous - these terms are merely figures of speech. [Thereupon Buddha said]: Subhuti, those who aspire to the Consummation of Incomparable Enlightenment should recognize and understand all varieties of things in the same way and cut off the arising of [views which are mere] aspects. Subhuti, as regards aspects, the Tathagata declares that in reality they are not such. They are called "aspects". Section XXXII. The Delusion of Appearances

Subhuti, someone might fill innumerable worlds with the seven treasures and give all away in gifts of alms, but if any good man or any good woman awakens the thought of Enlightenment and takes even only four lines from this Discourse, reciting, using, receiving, retaining and spreading them abroad and explaining them for the benefit of others, it will be far more meritorious. Now in what manner may he explain them to others? By detachment from appearances - abiding in Real Truth. - So I tell you - Thus shall ye think of all this fleeting world: A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream; A flash of lightning in a summer cloud, A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream. When the Buddha finished this Discourse the venerable Subhuti, together with the bhikshus, bhikshunis, lay-brothers and sisters, and the whole realms of Gods, Men and Titans, were filled with joy by His teaching, and, taking it sincerely to heart they went their ways. Diamond Sutra Hidden for centuries in a sealed-up cave in north-west China, this copy of the Diamond Sutra is the world s earliest complete survival of a dated printed book. It was made in 868. Seven strips of yellow-stained paper were printed from carved wooden blocks and pasted together to form a scroll over 5m long. Though written in Chinese, the text is one of the most important sacred works of the Buddhist faith, which was founded in India. What is Buddhism? Buddhism is arguably more a philosophical outlook, or spiritual tradition, than a 'religion': it does not believe in a deity and does not look for a relationship between humanity and God. It centres on the search for Enlightenment through the practice and development of morality, meditation and wisdom, taking a 'middle way' through life's challenges. Compassion, and a regard for the interconnected nature of life, is central. Buddhism dates back 2,500 years to when Siddhartha Gautama, or 'the Buddha', achieved enlightenment under a fig tree. There are two main sects, Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, and many smaller ones. There are around 300-500 million Buddhists worldwide, including around 150,000 in Britain. Who was Siddhartha Gautama? The founder of Buddhism began his life in wealth and privilege. Siddhartha Guatama was born the son of an Indian prince in 566 BC. At his birth, a prophet declared he would become either a powerful king or a great spiritual leader. Mindful of this prophecy, his father kept him at court, shielding him from the harsh reality of the world by surrounding him with luxury: silken clothes, precious jewels and beautiful women. Then one day, when he was 29, Siddhartha was overcome by curiosity. He dressed in disguise and slipped away from the court. Beyond its walls he witnessed four sights that filled him with infinite sorrow: a decrepit old man, a diseased man, a dead man and a monk. Seeing such misery, he renounced his birthright and committed himself to a life of self-denial in order to find a way to end to human suffering.

Eventually he moderated his lifestyle of total deprivation and found the Middle Way . Sitting beneath a bodhi tree, according to tradition, he achieved a profound understanding of the cycle of birth and rebirth by intense meditation. Through this enlightenment, Siddhartha became the Buddha, or Awakened One . The Buddha preached for almost 50 years, providing his disciples with many sutras. What is a sutra? The word comes from Sanskrit, the ancient and sacred language of India. It means a religious teaching or sermon, and is most often used to describe the teachings of the Buddha. Sutras preached by the Buddha were committed to memory by his disciples and passed down from generation to generation. The illustration at the beginning of this Diamond Sutra shows the Buddha expounding the sutra to an elderly disciple called Subhuti. How did Buddhism get to China? It s assumed that Buddhism spread along the network of trade routes between northern India and China, usually known as the Silk Road. China s earliest Buddhists were probably foreigners from Central Asia, but rules for translating sacred texts from Sanskrit to Chinese were already in place by the first century AD. Most Chinese Buddhists followed the Mahayana tradition, which diverged from earlier Theravada Buddhism. Theravadan emphasis on monastic life and many hours of meditation made it a difficult path for the craftspeople and merchants of the Silk Road. Mahayan Buddhism interpreted the teachings of the Buddha in a wider way that could carry more people along the road to enlightenment, hence the name Mahayana, literally meaning the greater ox-cart . How did the Diamond Sutra get its name? The sutra answers that question for itself. Towards the end of the sermon, Subhuti asks the Buddha how the sutra should be known. 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. The original Sanskrit title is Vajracchedika-prajnaparamita-sutra . Around 400 AD, the sutra was translated into Chinese, by an Indian scholar-monk called Kumarajiva, who named it Jin gang ban ruo luo mi jing . Jewel imagery features strongly in Buddhism. At the centre of the faith are the three jewels, or triple-jewel: the Buddha, his teaching (the Dharma ), and the spiritual community (the Sangha ). A popular Buddhist parable tells the story of a poor man who travels through life unaware of the precious jewel that has been sewn into the hem of his coat by a well-meaning friend. What s it about? The teachings of Buddhism are subtle and open to more than one interpretation. The Diamond Sutra urges devotees to cut through the illusions of reality that surround them. Names and concepts given to both concrete and abstract things are merely mental constructs that mask the true, timeless reality lying behind them. The relatively short Diamond Sutra was popular because it could be memorised more easily than longer sutras and chanted in some 40 minutes. This was important because Buddhism

teaches that recitation of sutras gains merit , that is, helps towards achieving a higher incarnation. In the Diamond Sutra , the Buddha says: if a good son or good daughter dedicates lifetimes as many as the sands in the River Ganges to charitable acts, and there were another person who memorised as much as one four-line verse of this scripture and taught it to others, the merit of the latter would be by far greater." How do we know how old this copy is? It s dated in a colophon a note printed at the end of the scroll. The note reads Reverently made for universal distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his two parents followed by the Chinese calendar date for 11 May 868. Wang Jie did not make the book himself, but enabled its making a pious act by which he would have gained much merit. Although not the earliest example of a printed book, it is the oldest we have bearing a date. By the time it was made, block-printing had been practised in the Far East for more than a century. The quality of the illustration at the opening of this Diamond Sutra shows the carver of the printing blocks to have been a man of considerable experience and skill. How was it made? It was made in seven sections, each printed from a single block. First, the text was painted on thin paper, which was pasted face-down on to a wooden block. Then the block carver followed the reversed shapes of the characters. From the carved block, as many 1,000 sheets a day could be printed. How did this Diamond Sutra survive? The printed scroll was one of 40,000 other books and manuscripts hidden in a cave near the city of Dunhuang. The secret library was sealed up around the year 1000, a time when this desert outpost of China was threatened by the ambitions of the Hsi-Hsia kingdom to the north. The cave is part of a holy site known as the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas a cliff wall honeycombed with 492 grottoes cut from the rock from the 4th century onwards and decorated with religious carvings and paintings. A monk discovered the sealed entrance to the hidden cave in 1900. Inside, the scrolls of paper and silk had been perfectly preserved by the dry desert air. This Diamond Sutra was found by the explorer Sir Marc Aurel Stein in 1907. For more details see our feature on the Silk Road. How can I find more about this manuscript? If you would like to study the legacy of the Silk Road cultures in greater depth, visit the International Dunhuang Project (IDP). IDP is a ground-breaking collaboration to make more than 100,000 manuscripts, paintings and artefacts from Silk Road sites available on the Internet with top-quality images. What is the Diamond Sutra? The Diamond Sutra is a fantastic artefact. It's a Chinese Buddhist document dating from 868AD; it was when China was the centre of the world. 'Sutra' is an ancient Indian word meaning a sort of classical text, and it was later taken up by the Buddhists when Buddhism came into India after the birth of the Sakyamuni, the Historical Buddha. And it got used in Buddhism to mean the words, the sermons, the lectures of the

Historical Buddha himself. So all sutra are supposedly sermons, lectures of the Buddha, so they always start off with a little description of where the Historical Buddha is lecturing, and the sort of crowd that's listening to him. They start with the Buddha's speech. Quite often sutra are a dialogue between the Buddha and one of his disciples, and the Diamond Sutra itself is a dialogue between the Buddha and his elderly disciple Subhuti. Now this is a way of getting the message of Buddhism across, because Subhuti acts as a sort of foil to the Buddha, so he will ask what are reasonably stupid questions, so to speak, and the Buddha will then explain the meaning of Buddhism. How to be at one with everything The Diamond Sutra is about the essential meaning of Buddhism, that of non-duality: the fact that there are no individual existences in this world. That all is an illusion: we just think we exist as individuals but we don't, in fact, we're in a state of complete non-duality: there are no individuals, no sentient beings. So Subhuti asks these questions of the Buddha and the Buddha explains and so the Sutra explains this essential teaching of Buddhism. Now, the Diamond Sutra is just one of many thousands of sutra. The Buddhist canon is an enormous multi-volume work. First are all the lectures of the Buddha, the sutra, and then there were philosophical treatises, discussions of the lectures, and then there was a third part of the canon which was about how Buddhist monks should live their lives. So this forms the 'three baskets', or tripitaka, of the Buddhist canon. The Diamond Sutra in the British Library is a very special object because it's the earliest dated printed book in the world. One of the essential tenets of Buddhism is to do good deeds in this world. Because what distinguishes you as an individual is your karmic debt: the bad deeds and the good deeds you've done in the past world. As soon as the good deeds cancel out all the bad deeds, you will cease to exist, because your karmic debt will cease to exist and you'll just become part of the non-duality, which is the reality of the world. Publish and be saved So one of the ways of doing a good deed and gaining merit, and also sending out merit into the world for others, is by either copying an image of the Buddha, or by copying his words and transmitting them. So very early on you get in Buddhist cave temples multiple images of Buddhas on the cave walls, and this is an example of that. And you get of course donors paying for the copying of sutra. The Diamond Sutra is a case in point. This was made as a copy by Wang Jie and at the end of the manuscript if you scroll down and look right at the end there's a little note saying 'Made by Wang Jie in May 868 on behalf of his parents and for the merit of all sentient beings in the world'. Like many manuscript scrolls like this, it might have been used in a temple. And monks or Wang Jie himself might have unrolled it and read it, in time to monks chanting the sutra, and if you listen to the Turning the Pages, there's monks chanting on that. So the monks would chant the whole sutra as another way of disseminating words of the Buddha. So it was very much an object for use rather than an object that just sat somewhere. Now before printing came in, of course, the only way was to get a scribe to copy by hand an ancient manuscript and so it was difficult, and very expensive, for the scribes and good paper were expensive, and perhaps you could only have one text copied or two copies made of a

particular text, so you could only send out a certain amount of merit into the world. But of course printing is like a prayer wheel, if you like: you can print multiple copies, and the more copies you're sending out, the more you're disseminating the word of the Buddha, and so the more merit you are sending out in to the world. And so the Buddhists were very quick to recognise the use of the new technology of printing. Printing was developed in China by the eighth century and certainly by the ninth century when this sutra was made it was a refined art. But the Buddhists were one of the major groups that propagated and refined and developed printing, because of the reason that they could realise multiple copies of prayers and other texts and that would be good for their religion. Seeing the Buddha in action The Diamond Sutra starts off with an illustrated frontispiece. Subhuti the elderly disciple is sitting on the bottom left of the picture on a little prayer mat with his slippers neatly put next to the prayer mat and he's an elderly man and he's in the patched robe of the Buddhist monk. And then you see Buddha in the centre surrounded by his disciples and this landscape showing where he's giving the original lecture, this original sutra. The frontispiece is one illustration; it would have been printed by woodblock. So what would happen is, an artist would draw this picture on a piece of paper with brush and ink, brush being the main writing implement in use at this time. The ink is carbon ink, beautiful ink, so it's very long lasting. And the Chinese had paper from the second century BC, so again by this time it was very refined, very beautiful paper. An artist would have drawn this scene, with very fine inkstrokes, on a piece of paper which was the same size as a printing block. The piece of paper was then laid over the printing block and a wood carver would have cut out the scene to make the printing block. The ink was put on the woodblock and a piece of paper was put on and it was brushed to transfer the ink on to the piece of paper and then you got the frontispiece. And that was the way all the other panels of this paper, of this Diamond Sutra, were made. So you see the front panel, the frontispiece, which starts off the Sutra. Originally there would have been a little panel to the right, a sort of half-panel which would acted as a cover when the scroll was rolled. It's a Chinese scroll so the writing starts off on the right, from the top to the bottom, and from right to left. So there would have been another sheet of paper on the end which would have had a little wooden stave right at the end with a silk tie in it so you when you rolled the scroll up you could wrap the silk tie around the scroll and tie it in place. So when you roll it out the first thing you see is the frontispiece, the picture of Buddha and Subhuti, and then you get panels of paper, each of the same size, as the Sutra goes on. Colour printing, ninth-century style The paper is sort of an off-white, brownish-yellowish colour. That's because it's actually dyed and it's dyed with a substance that's made from the bark of a tree, Phellodendron amurense. This substance has a compound in it called berberine, and berberine has insecticidal properties, and it also has water-repellent properties. It makes a sort of yellow colour, more or less yellow depending on the age of the manuscript and the concentration of berberine in the dye and everything. Yellow was a sacred colour in China, well, an imperial colour, and the Buddhists took it up as a sort of Buddhist colour, so many of their manuscripts are dyed.

So the paper would have been made first, and then it would have been dyed, and then it would have been printed, and then stuck together to make this long scroll. Diamond Sutra Hidden for centuries in a sealed-up cave in north-west China, this copy of the Diamond Sutra is the world s earliest complete survival of a dated printed book. It was made in 868. Seven strips of yellow-stained paper were printed from carved wooden blocks and pasted together to form a scroll over 5m long. Though written in Chinese, the text is one of the most important sacred works of the Buddhist faith, which was founded in India. What is Buddhism? Buddhism is arguably more a philosophical outlook, or spiritual tradition, than a 'religion': it does not believe in a deity and does not look for a relationship between humanity and God. It centres on the search for Enlightenment through the practice and development of morality, meditation and wisdom, taking a 'middle way' through life's challenges. Compassion, and a regard for the interconnected nature of life, is central. Buddhism dates back 2,500 years to when Siddhartha Gautama, or 'the Buddha', achieved enlightenment under a fig tree. There are two main sects, Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, and many smaller ones. There are around 300-500 million Buddhists worldwide, including around 150,000 in Britain. Who was Siddhartha Gautama? The founder of Buddhism began his life in wealth and privilege. Siddhartha Guatama was born the son of an Indian prince in 566 BC. At his birth, a prophet declared he would become either a powerful king or a great spiritual leader. Mindful of this prophecy, his father kept him at court, shielding him from the harsh reality of the world by surrounding him with luxury: silken clothes, precious jewels and beautiful women. Then one day, when he was 29, Siddhartha was overcome by curiosity. He dressed in disguise and slipped away from the court. Beyond its walls he witnessed four sights that filled him with infinite sorrow: a decrepit old man, a diseased man, a dead man and a monk. Seeing such misery, he renounced his birthright and committed himself to a life of self-denial in order to find a way to end to human suffering. Eventually he moderated his lifestyle of total deprivation and found the Middle Way . Sitting beneath a bodhi tree, according to tradition, he achieved a profound understanding of the cycle of birth and rebirth by intense meditation. Through this enlightenment, Siddhartha became the Buddha, or Awakened One . The Buddha preached for almost 50 years, providing his disciples with many sutras. What is a sutra? The word comes from Sanskrit, the ancient and sacred language of India. It means a religious teaching or sermon, and is most often used to describe the teachings of the Buddha. Sutras preached by the Buddha were committed to memory by his disciples and passed down from generation to generation. The illustration at the beginning of this Diamond Sutra shows the Buddha expounding the sutra to an elderly disciple called Subhuti. How did Buddhism get to China?

It s assumed that Buddhism spread along the network of trade routes between northern India and China, usually known as the Silk Road. China s earliest Buddhists were probably foreigners from Central Asia, but rules for translating sacred texts from Sanskrit to Chinese were already in place by the first century AD. Most Chinese Buddhists followed the Mahayana tradition, which diverged from earlier Theravada Buddhism. Theravadan emphasis on monastic life and many hours of meditation made it a difficult path for the craftspeople and merchants of the Silk Road. Mahayan Buddhism interpreted the teachings of the Buddha in a wider way that could carry more people along the road to enlightenment, hence the name Mahayana, literally meaning the greater ox-cart . How did the Diamond Sutra get its name? The sutra answers that question for itself. Towards the end of the sermon, Subhuti asks the Buddha how the sutra should be known. 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. The original Sanskrit title is Vajracchedika-prajnaparamita-sutra . Around 400 AD, the sutra was translated into Chinese, by an Indian scholar-monk called Kumarajiva, who named it Jin gang ban ruo luo mi jing . Jewel imagery features strongly in Buddhism. At the centre of the faith are the three jewels, or triple-jewel: the Buddha, his teaching (the Dharma ), and the spiritual community (the Sangha ). A popular Buddhist parable tells the story of a poor man who travels through life unaware of the precious jewel that has been sewn into the hem of his coat by a well-meaning friend. What s it about? The teachings of Buddhism are subtle and open to more than one interpretation. The Diamond Sutra urges devotees to cut through the illusions of reality that surround them. Names and concepts given to both concrete and abstract things are merely mental constructs that mask the true, timeless reality lying behind them. The relatively short Diamond Sutra was popular because it could be memorised more easily than longer sutras and chanted in some 40 minutes. This was important because Buddhism teaches that recitation of sutras gains merit , that is, helps towards achieving a higher incarnation. In the Diamond Sutra , the Buddha says: if a good son or good daughter dedicates lifetimes as many as the sands in the River Ganges to charitable acts, and there were another person who memorised as much as one four-line verse of this scripture and taught it to others, the merit of the latter would be by far greater." How do we know how old this copy is? It s dated in a colophon a note printed at the end of the scroll. The note reads Reverently made for universal distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his two parents followed by the Chinese calendar date for 11 May 868. Wang Jie did not make the book himself, but enabled its making a pious act by which he would have gained much merit.

Although not the earliest example of a printed book, it is the oldest we have bearing a date. By the time it was made, block-printing had been practised in the Far East for more than a century. The quality of the illustration at the opening of this Diamond Sutra shows the carver of the printing blocks to have been a man of considerable experience and skill. How was it made? It was made in seven sections, each printed from a single block. First, the text was painted on thin paper, which was pasted face-down on to a wooden block. Then the block carver followed the reversed shapes of the characters. From the carved block, as many 1,000 sheets a day could be printed. How did this Diamond Sutra survive? The printed scroll was one of 40,000 other books and manuscripts hidden in a cave near the city of Dunhuang. The secret library was sealed up around the year 1000, a time when this desert outpost of China was threatened by the ambitions of the Hsi-Hsia kingdom to the north. The cave is part of a holy site known as the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas a cliff wall honeycombed with 492 grottoes cut from the rock from the 4th century onwards and decorated with religious carvings and paintings. A monk discovered the sealed entrance to the hidden cave in 1900. Inside, the scrolls of paper and silk had been perfectly preserved by the dry desert air. This Diamond Sutra was found by the explorer Sir Marc Aurel Stein in 1907. For more details see our feature on the Silk Road. How can I find more about this manuscript? If you would like to study the legacy of the Silk Road cultures in greater depth, visit the International Dunhuang Project (IDP). IDP is a ground-breaking collaboration to make more than 100,000 manuscripts, paintings and artefacts from Silk Road sites available on the Internet with top-quality images.