Front line of the Chinese Diamond Sūtra, printed in the 9th year of the Xiantong era of the Tang dynasty, i.e. 868 CE, the oldest known dated printed book in the world. British Library.
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The Diamond Sutra (Sanskrit: Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) is a Mahāyāna (Buddhist) sutra from the genre of Prajñāpāramitā ('perfection of wisdom') sutras. Translated into a variety of languages over a broad geographic range, the Diamond Sūtra is one of the most influential Mahayana sutras in East Asia, and it is particularly prominent within the Chan (or Zen) tradition,[1] along with the Heart Sutra.
A copy of the Tang dynasty–Chinese version of the Diamond Sūtra was found among the Dunhuang manuscripts in 1900 by Daoist monk Wang Yuanlu and sold to Aurel Stein in 1907.[2] They are dated back to 11 May 868.[3] It is, in the words of the British Library, "the earliest dated printed book".[4]
It is also the first known creative work with an explicit public domain dedication, as its colophon at the end states that it was created "for universal free distribution".[5]
^Schopen, Gregory (2004). "Diamond Sutra". MacMillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Vol. 1. New York: MacMillan Reference USA. pp. 227–28. ISBN 0-02-865719-5.
^Wenjie Duan (1 January 1994). Dunhuang Art: Through the Eyes of Duan Wenjie. Abhinav Publications. p. 52. ISBN 978-81-7017-313-7.
^Soeng, Mu (15 June 2000). Diamond Sutra: Transforming the Way We Perceive the World. Wisdom Publications. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-8617-1160-4. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
^"Online Gallery – Sacred Texts: Diamond Sutra". Bl.uk British Library. 30 November 2003. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
^Pollock, Rufus (2006). "The Value of the Public Domain" (PDF). Institute for Public Policy Research.
boxes, or other symbols. The DiamondSutra (Sanskrit: Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) is a Mahāyāna (Buddhist) sutra from the genre of Prajñāpāramitā...
the sūtra). This process led to (5) further expansion into larger PP sūtras as well as (6) contraction into the shorter sūtras (i.e. DiamondSūtra, Heart...
text is a Buddhist charm, the first full printed book is the Buddhist DiamondSutra (c. 868) and the first hand colored print is an illustration of Guanyin...
has been influenced by sutras such as the Lankavatara Sutra, the Vimalakirti Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, and the Lotus Sutra. Subsequently, the Zen tradition...
Mahāyāna sūtras include the Lotus Sutra, the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Lankavatara Sutra, the Pure Land Sutras, and the Nirvana...
uneducated layman who suddenly attained awakening upon hearing the DiamondSutra. Despite his lack of formal training, he demonstrated his understanding...
विमलकीर्तिनिर्देश) (sometimes referred to as the Vimalakīrti Sūtra or Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra) is a Buddhist text which centers on a lay Buddhist meditator...
solemnised through a mangala sutra as we know of it today with diamonds, pendants and the like,” The concept of mangala sutra has evolved over centuries...
in other parts of Asia such as Korea and Japan. The Chinese Buddhist DiamondSutra, printed by woodblock on 11 May 868, is the earliest known printed book...
in the prajnaparamita sutras, to which the DiamondSutra also belongs. The shift from the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra to the DiamondSutra also signifies a tension...
the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang in 1907 by Aurel Stein. This copy of the DiamondSutra is 14 feet (4.3 metres) long and contains a colophon at the inner end...
the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang in 1907 by Aurel Stein. This copy of the DiamondSutra is 14 feet long and contains a colophon at the inner end, which reads:...
I – X) The Discipline of Transcendence (Vols. I – IV) The Heart Sutra The DiamondSutra On Zen: Neither This nor That (On the Xin Xin Ming of Sosan) No...
printed book is the DiamondSutra (British Library) of 868, uncovered from Dunhuang. By the tenth century, 400,000 copies of some sutras and pictures were...
of Faith (Daoxin), the Lankavatara Sutra (East Mountain School), the DiamondSutra (Shenhui), and the Platform Sutra. The Chan tradition drew inspiration...
Sutra copying is the East Asian practice of hand-copying Buddhist sutras. Sutra copying is considered a merit in Buddhism. Other meritorious practices...
found in the Library Cave include the earliest dated printed book, the DiamondSutra from 868, which was first translated from Sanskrit into Chinese in the...
Mahayana: The Chinese Buddhist Mahayana sutras, including DiamondSutra and the Heart Sutra Shurangama Sutra and its Shurangama Mantra Great Compassion...
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vajra. The DiamondSutra, also called the Vajra Cutter Sutra, available in multiple languages from the FPMT The...
woodblock printing, at some point before the first dated book in 868 (the DiamondSutra), produced the world's first print culture. According to A. Hyatt Mayor...
nourished and grew the flower. All of these factors, according to the DiamondSutra, co-exist with each other to manifest what we call a 'flower'. In other...
were originally orally transmitted. Early genres included drama, fables, sutras and epic poetry. Sanskrit literature begins with the Vedas, dating back...
throughout East Asia. The oldest dated book printed by this method is The DiamondSutra (868 AD). The method (called woodcut when used in art) arrived in Europe...
extant printed book is a work of the DiamondSutra and dates back to 868 CE, during the Tang Dynasty. The DiamondSutra was printed by method of woodblock...
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