The Diamond Sutra and The Sutra of Hui Neng

Book

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Descriptionངོ་སྤྲོད།

The Diamond Sutra, composed in India in the fourth century CE, is one of the most treasured works of Buddhist literature and is the oldest existing printed book in the world. It is known as the Diamond Sutra because its teachings are said to be like diamonds that cut away all dualistic thought, releasing one from the attachment to objects and bringing one to the further shore of enlightenment. The format of this important sutra is presented as a conversation between the Buddha and one of his disciples. The Sutra of Hui-neng, also known as the Platform Sutra, contains the autobiography of a pivotal figure in Zen history and some of the most profound passages of Zen literature. Hui-neng (638–713) was the sixth patriarch of Zen in China, but is often regarded as the true father of the Zen tradition. He was a poor, illiterate woodcutter who is said to have attained enlightenment upon hearing a recitation of the Diamond Sutra. Together, these two scriptures present the central teaching of the Zen Buddhist tradition and are essential reading for all students of Buddhism. (Source: Shambhala Publications)

Citation

Price, A. F., and Wong Mou-Lam, trans. The Diamond Sutra and The Sutra of Hui Neng. The Clear Light Series. Berkeley, CA: Shambhala Publications, 1973.

Texts Translated

Kumārajīva, trans. 金剛般若波羅蜜經 Jīn gāng bān ruò bō luó mì jīng (Vajracchedikāprajñāpāramitāsūtra), T235, 08: https://21dzk.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/SAT2012/T0235.html.
Huineng. 六祖大師法寶壇經 Liuzu dashi fabao tan jing (Sutra Spoken by the Sixth Patriarch on the High Seat of the Treasure of the Law). Compiled in the Chinese by Zong-bao, as recorded by Fa-hai et al. 1 fascicle. T2008, 48: https://21dzk.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/SAT2012/T2008.html.

Translation of

Vajracchedikāprajñāpāramitāsūtra

One of the most revered and recited scriptures of the perfection of wisdom genre (prajñāpāramitāsūtras), perhaps second only to the Heart Sūtra, both of which became especially popular in the East Asian Buddhist traditions. It is a crucial source for Mahāyāna tenets of selflessness and the emptiness of phenomena, and its discourse is framed as an explanation of how to enter into the vehicle of the bodhisattvas by developing and sustaining their enlightened perspective.

Text

THE DIAMOND SŪTRA
- - Foreword by W. Y. Evans-Wentz3
  - Translator's Preface11
- 1. The Convocation of the Assembly17
- 2. Subhūti Makes a Request18
- 3. The Real Teaching of the Great Way19
- 4. Even the Most Beneficent Practices Are Relative20
- 5. Understanding the Ultimate Principle of Reality21
- 6. Rare Is True Faith22
- 7. Great Ones, Perfect Beyond Learning, Utter No Words of Teaching24
- 8. The Fruits of Meritorious Action25
- 9. Real Designation Is Undesignate26
- 10. Setting Forth Pure Lands28
- 11. The Superiority of Unformulated Truth29
- 12. Veneration of the True Doctrine30
- 13. How This Teaching Should Be Received and Retained31
- 14. Perfect Peace Lies in Freedom from Characteristic Distinctions32
- 15. The Incomparable Value of This Teaching35
- 16. Purgation through Suffering the Retribution for Past Sins36
- 17. No One Attains Transcendental Wisdom37
- 18. All Modes of Mind Are Really Only Mind39
- 19. Absolute Reality Is the Only Foundation40
- 20. The Unreality of Phenomenal Distinctions41
- 21. Words Cannot Express Truth; That Which Words Express Is Not Truth42
- 22. It Cannot Be Said That Anything Is Attainable43
- 23. The Practice of Good Works Purifies the Mind44
- 24. The Incomparable Merit of This Teaching45
- 25. The Illusion of Ego46
- 26. The Body of Truth Has No Marks47
- 27. It Is Erroneous to Affirm That All Things Are Ever Extinguished48
- 28. Attachment to Rewards of Merit49
- 29. Perfect Tranquillity50
- 30. The Integral Principle51
- 31. Conventional Truth Should Be Cut Off52
- 32. The Delusion of Appearances53

THE SŪTRA OF HUI-NENG
- - Foreword by Dih Ping-tsze57
  - Forewords by Christmas Humphreys58
  - Foreword by Joe Miller61
  - Translator’s Preface63
- 1. Autobiography67
- 2. On Prajñā79
- 3. Questions and Answers88
- 4. Samādhi and Prajñā94
- 5. Dhyāna98
- 6. On Repentance100
- 7. Temperament and Circumstances109
- 8. The Sudden School and the Gradual School129
- 9. Royal Patronage138
- 10. His Final Instructions142
- Appendix by Ling-t’ao, the Stūpa Keeper155
Notes157