Religious and Cultural Popularization Series - New Annotations and Full Translation of the Diamond Sutra

Author: Gao Yang Notes / Jing Sanlong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-04-01
Features: The Diamond Sutra is a Buddhist classic. Its full title is The Diamond Sutra of Perfect Wisdom Prajna that Cuts Through Illusion, also known as The Diamond Prajna Sutra. It is commonly referred to as The Diamond Sutra. It was first translated by the Later Qin monk Kumārajīva in the fourth year of the Hongshi era (402). 1 volume. Subsequently, five other translations appeared: ① The Diamond Prajna Sutra translated by Bodhiruci during the Northern Wei Dynasty; ② The Diamond Prajna Sutra translated by Paramārtha during the Southern Chen Dynasty; ③ The Diamond Prajna Sutra that Cuts Through Illusion translated by Dharma?rī during the Sui Dynasty; ④ The Diamond Prajna Sutra that Cuts Through Illusion translated by Xuanzang during the Tang Dynasty (also known as the ninth gathering of the Great Prajna Sutra); ⑤ The Diamond Prajna Sutra that Cuts Through Illusion translated by Yijing during the Tang Dynasty. Additionally, there are Tibetan, Manchu, and other translations. This scripture is based on the principle of one ultimate reality (tathatā), with the doctrine of non-attachment (?ūnyatā), the purpose of dispelling doubts, and the teaching of Mahayana. The four lines of verse at the end of the text: “All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, shadows, like dew or lightning—view them thus,” are considered the essence of the scripture. It means that all things in the world are empty and illusory. The ultimate reality is “neither right nor wrong,” and it is believed that one should “distance oneself from all phenomena” and “abide in nothing,” meaning not to cling to or linger in the real world. Due to its nature of emptiness and wisdom, and its explanation of the principle of no-self (anātman), the scripture is of moderate length—not overly vast nor too brief—making it widely propagated throughout history, especially by Chan Buddhism after Huineng. The Sanskrit manuscript of the Diamond Sutra has been discovered in China, Japan, Pakistan, Central Asia, and other regions. In China, manuscripts with translations in languages such as Khotanese and Sogdian have also been unearthed in Turpan. After being introduced to the West, it has been translated into many languages. In 1837, Hermann von Schlegel translated it into German based on the Tibetan version for the first time. In 1881, F. Max Müller revised and translated the Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan versions into English, included in The Sacred Books of the East, Volume 49. In 1957, Edward Conze translated it into English again, included in The Eastern Buddhist Studies, Volume 8. Darugment translated it into French based on the Sanskrit text and compared it with the Manchu translation. Japanese scholars such as Uchida Hisao and Nakamura Chikazō have translated it into Japanese multiple times. The Diamond Sutra in this book is translated based on Kumārajīva’s version, with sentences, punctuation, and paragraphs arranged according to the dialogue between the Buddha and the monk. The annotations adopt a sentence-by-sentence approach, with occasional multi-sentence summaries, followed sequentially. The complete translation is the result of the “new annotations” flowing naturally, aiming to provide readers with some convenience when reading, helping more people understand the basic content of this Buddhist scripture.