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Diamond Sutra — Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita

c. 100 CE (Sanskrit original); Chinese translation 401 CE · Early Mahayana Buddhism (1st–2nd century CE) · India (Ganges plain region)

The Begging Round

1Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in the Jeta Grove, in Anathapindika's park,

2together with a large gathering of monks—twelve hundred and fifty in all.

3When the day came to collect food, the World-Honoured One robed himself,

4took up his bowl, and entered the great city of Sravasti to beg.

5When he had finished eating, he put away his bowl and robe,

6washed his feet, and then sat down cross-legged on the prepared seat,

7holding his body upright, and mindfully fixing his attention.

8A great number of monks came to where he was sitting,

9and saluting him by touching their heads to his feet, sat down to one side.

The Question of Subhuti

10Then the Elder Subhuti rose from his seat among the great assembly,

11adjusted his robe to bare his right shoulder,

12placed his right knee on the earth,

13joined his hands in reverence,

14and spoke thus to the Buddha:

15"It is wonderful, O World-Honoured One! How well the Tathagata watches over and protects his Bodhisattvas!

16O World-Honoured One, if good men or women wish to attain the unsurpassable,

17perfectly enlightened mind, what should they rely on? How should they master their thoughts?"

18The Buddha replied: "Well said, Subhuti! Well said! You have truly discerned

19that the Tathagata watches carefully over his Bodhisattvas.

20Now listen carefully, and I will tell you on what they should rely

21and how they should master their thoughts."

The True Nature of the Bodhisattva

22"All living beings I will bring to the final Nirvana, the Realm of Nirvana which leaves nothing behind—

23yet among those who have been liberated, not one will have been liberated.

24And why? Because if a Bodhisattva holds to the idea of a self,

25a person, a being, or a soul, he is not really a Bodhisattva."

26"Moreover, Subhuti, a Bodhisattva's mind should not abide anywhere

27when giving gifts—

28not with form, not with sound, smell, taste, touch, or thought.

29A Bodhisattva should give gifts without any attachment to appearances."

30"Why? Because if a Bodhisattva gives gifts without attachment,

31the merit obtained is beyond measure.

32Subhuti, what do you think? Is it possible to measure the extent of space

33in the east, west, south, or north, above or below, or in any intermediate direction?"

34"No, World-Honoured One, it is not."

35"Subhuti, likewise the merit of a Bodhisattva who gives without attachment

36is also beyond measure. This is what I teach."

All Things Are Like a Dream

37"Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Tathagata be seen through any bodily form?"

38"No, World-Honoured One. The Tathagata cannot be seen through any bodily form.

39Why? Because those bodily forms which the Tathagata has spoken of are not real forms;

40they are called 'forms.'"

41The Buddha said: "Every characteristic is an illusion.

42If you can see all characteristics as not being characteristics,

43then you will see the Tathagata."

44Subhuti asked: "World-Honoured One, will beings in future ages hear this teaching

45and truly believe it?"

46The Buddha replied: "Do not say that. Five hundred years after my passing,

47there will be those who uphold the precepts and cultivate virtues

48who will develop faith in these words and accept them as truth."

The Raft Parable

49"Subhuti, you should know that the dharma I have spoken is like a raft.

50Even the Dharma must be relinquished—how much more what is not the Dharma?

51Is the dharma that the Tathagata has realised, or the dharma that he has preached, real or not real?

52Subhuti answered: "According to what I understand of the teaching,

53there is no fixed dharma called 'the unsurpassable, perfectly enlightened mind.'

54And the Tathagata has nothing definite to teach."

55The Buddha said: "Just so, Subhuti, just so.

56Nowhere does the Tathagata grasp at phenomena with a fixed dharma.

57This is why it is called 'the unsurpassable, perfectly enlightened mind.'"

The Closing Verse

58All conditioned things are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow,

59like dew or a flash of lightning;

60thus we shall perceive them.

notes

The Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra — "Diamond Cutter of Transcendent Wisdom") is one of the most important texts of Mahayana Buddhism. It is a dialogue between the Buddha Shakyamuni and his senior disciple Subhuti, exploring the nature of perception, illusion, and the self. The text's central teaching is that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence — they are like dreams, illusions, or reflections. The "diamond" of the title refers to the sutra's ability to cut through illusion as a diamond cuts through stone. The closing verse (lines 58-60) is among the most famous in Buddhist literature. The Diamond Sutra's fame rests partly on the earliest known printed book: a copy dated 868 CE, discovered in the Dunhuang cave manuscripts (Mogao Caves, China), now in the British Library. It predates Gutenberg by nearly 600 years. Translation: William Gemmell, "The Diamond Sutra (Chin-Kang-Ching)," London: Kegan Paul, 1912. Public domain.

currently held: British Library (Dunhuang manuscript, world's oldest dated printed book, 868 CE)

MeditationEmptinessSutraBuddhistDharma

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