Diamond sutra, first printed book on 11 may 868 ce diamond sutra sanskrit. The diamond sutra, the earliest surviving dated complete printed. Also known by its sanskrit title vajracchedika, the diamond sutra posits that something is what it is only because of what it is not. In fact, it is a earliest printed book which has a printed date. It was produced some 600 years before gutenbergs movable type printing in europe, and is clearly the product of. Made in 868 ad and written in chinese, the text contains a significant dialogue on perception, and is one of the most important sacred works of the buddhist faith. The diamond sutra, the earliest known complete woodblock printed book with illustrations printed in 868 a. One of the best known commentaries is the exegesis on the diamond sutra by huineng, the sixth patriarch of the chan school. This copy of the diamond sutra in chinese language, complete with a beautifully illustrated frontispiece, is the worlds earliest dated, printed book.
She introduces you to shakyo, virtuous shodo, and to her own style of sutra writing with examples of the heart sutra. 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. This is the buddhist teaching on the perfection of wisdom and cuts through all obstacles on the path of practice. But its a body with nothing inside and nothing outside. The vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra has been translated from sanskrit into english variously as the diamond sutra, the diamond cutter sutra, the vajra sutra and the vajra cutter sutra. According to an article in the minnesotachina connection, 2005 by 593 a. Diamond sutra, first printed book on 11 may 868 ce ulta din. In the history of printing, the diamond sutra has special prominence as the first dated printed work that is has been found this date being 11th may.
A central text of indian buddhism, the diamond sutra was first translated from sanskrit into chinese in about ad 400. Written in the chinese language, the diamond sutra chronicles a gathering of disciples to hear the teachings of buddha and is dated the 15th of the 4th moon of the 9th year of xiantong, which translates to 11 may 868. The very first printed book the diamond sutra scihi. This is the oldest known printed book with an explicit date mentioned on it. The manuscript was one of many discovered in the mogao caves of dunhaung, china a daoist monk, wang yuanlu, discovered the socalled dunhaung manuscripts in 1900. You might think the it was johannes gutenberg who invented modern printing. The diamond sutra and the sutra of huineng shambhala.
The chinese translated version of this book is the worlds oldest available dated printed book. Diamond sutra a chinese version of the diamond sutra is the worlds earliest complete survival of a dated block printed book, made in 868 ce. A copy of the tangdynasty chinese version of the diamond sutra was found among the dunhuang manuscripts in 1900 by daoist monk wang yuanlu and sold to aurel stein in 1907. In english a mere sixteen sentences, and a mere 262 characters in chinese, the heart sutra, as it is called in brief, is. The oldest existing printed book is a chinese translation of the diamond sutra dating from 868 a. A central text of indian buddhism, the diamond sutra was first translated. A copy of the diamond sutra, found among the dunhuang manuscripts in the early 20th century, is, in the words of the british library, the earliest complete survival of a dated printed book 1. The first chinese translation dates to the early 5th century, but, by this point, the 4th or 5th century monks asanga and vasubandhu seem to have already authored authoritative commentaries on its content. May 11, 2016 on may 11, 868, the diamond sutra was published in northern china. This rare document is now in the british museum collection of early printed books.
A central text of the indian buddhism, the diamond sutra was. It was produced some 600 years before gutenbergs movable type printing in europe, and is clearly the product of a mature printing industry in china. On may 11, 868, the diamond sutra was published in northern china this priceless religious teaching survives as the oldest dated, printed book. The sanskrit name of this sutra is vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra. The sutra reads more like a story than scripture, and for this reason alone its a fun read. The diamond sutra, as described by the british library, is the worlds earliest complete survival of a dated printed book. Copying and recitation of the diamond sutra was a widespread devotional practice, and stories attributing miraculous powers to these acts are recorded in chinese, japanese, tibetan, and mongolian sources. In addition to the actual text of the diamond sutra this web site provides a diamond sutra background page which explains the origins of the diamond sutra and information about how this new translation was done.
Printed in china in 868 ad, it was found in the dunhuang caves in 1907, in the north western province of. The story of the worlds earliest dated printed book wood, frances, barnard, mark on. According to national library of peking in 1961, the diamond sutra is described as. It is, in the words of the british library, the earliest complete survival of a dated printed book. Written in chinese and featuring an illustrated frontispiece, the woodblock printed scroll is fivemetres long and dated 868ad. The diamond sutra is the worlds oldest printed book. A daoist monk, wang yuanlu, discovered the socalled dunhaung manuscripts in 1900. The sutra of huineng aka the platform sutra is the first sutra obviously composed by chinese for chinese.
Sep 12, 2012 one such book is the sanskrit book, the vajracchedik. Price is the translator of the ancient and revered zen buddhist scriptures the diamond sutra and the sutra of huineng. Jan 24, 20 the first translation of the diamond sutra into chinese is thought to have been made in 401 ce by the venerated and prolific translator kumarajiva. Sutra copying is a major buddhist practice of contemporary artist nadja van ghelue. The japanese and the chinese regularly used wood blocks carved in relief to produce buddhist charms as early as the fifth century ce. A copy of the chinese version of diamond sutra, found. Diamond sutra, first printed book on 11 may 868 ce history. Oldest printed book published national geographic society. May 11, 2016 five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest dated printed book printed over 1,100 years ago, a chinese copy of the diamond sutra at the british library is one of the most. On may 11, 868, publishers in china printed the diamond sutra, today the oldest surviving dated, printed book.
In a book ten times its length one could not fully praise its value as a key to the understanding of human life. It was found in a holy site called the mogao or peerless caves or the. The diamond sutra a chinese block printed book 868 ce the diamond sutra. See this and more treasures of the british library. Vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra is a mahayana buddhist sutra from the prajnaparamita, or perfection of wisdom genre, and emphasizes the practice of nonabiding and nonattachment. One such book is the sanskrit book, the vajracchedik. Each heart sutra art print is produced using archival inks, ships within 48 hours, and comes with a 30day money back guarantee. Background and importance the diamond sutra is believed to have been composed sometime between 300 and 500 bce.
Sutra copying, shakyo, writing the sacred words of the buddha. The manuscript was one of many discovered in the mogao caves of dunhaung, china. The first translation of the diamond sutra into chinese is thought to have been made in 401 ce by the venerated. This relic of buddhism isnt the outright oldest book woodblock printing was invented some 200300 years prior but its the oldest surviving book with the date it was published printed on it. May 11, 2014 on may 11, 868, the earliest dated printed book was issued, a chinese copy of the socalled diamond sutra, one of the most important textbooks of buddhism, originally written in the 1st c.
Jun 28, 2016 the vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra has been translated from sanskrit into english variously as the diamond sutra, the diamond cutter sutra, the vajra sutra and the the diamond sutra. This makes it nearly 600 years older than the gutenberg bible, the first book to be printed with moveable type. Some of prajnaparamitas important functions and attributes can be traced to those of the goddess tara. Shop for heart sutra art prints from our community of independent artists and iconic brands. On may 11, 868, the earliest dated printed book was issued, a chinese copy of the socalled diamond sutra, one of the most important textbooks of buddhism. The title of the sutra in sanskrit is vajra cchedika prajna parmita sutra. Diamond the incomparable gem of great brilliance and the stone of extreme hardness, able.
Diamond sutra, sanskrit vajraccedikasutra diamond cutter sutra, brief and very popular mahayana buddhist text widely used in east asia and perhaps the best known of the 18 smaller wisdom texts that together with their commentaries are known as the prajnaparamita perfection of wisdom. The earliest woodblock printed book, the diamond sutra contains a large image as frontispiece, and many buddhist texts contain some images. Aug 02, 2009 the diamond sutra is one of the most historically important texts in the buddhist faith, in part because a copy of it is the oldest surviving dated printed book in the world 868 a. Susan whitfield, the director of the international dunhuang project, took the audience on a journey of exploration of the many facets of the diamond sutra a sacred mahayana buddhist text, which dates from 868 and is the worlds oldest dated complete printed book. This book now resides at the british museum in london. Background of the diamond sutra diamond sutra a new. It was produced on the 11 may 868, according to the western calendar. Diamond sutra a new translation of the classic buddhist text.
Customize your heart sutra print with hundreds of different frames and mats, if desired. Prajnaparamita project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. It is known as the diamond sutra because its teachings are said to be like d. The first translation of the diamond sutra into chinese was done sometime around the beginning of the fifth century by the venerated and prolific. The diamond sutra, composed in india in the fourth century ce, is one of the most treasured works of buddhist literature.
Transforming the way we perceive the world by mu soenq gick here for the reluctant messenger host site the diamond sutra the walled city of dunhuang shachou was an outpost on the northwestern frontier, whose. Paternal seductions in early mahayana buddhist literature berkeley. Marc aurel stein, a hungarianborn british archaeologist and. What the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest printed book. At the core of this book is the heart of prajna paramita sutra itself. For a close reading of the texts rhetoric, see chapter 4. The diamond sutra is the worlds earliest dated printed book. This priceless religious teaching survives as the oldest dated, printed book. Zen buddhism is often said to be a practice of mindtomind transmission without reliance on texts in fact, some great teachers forbid their students to read or. This copy of the diamond sutra is the worlds earliest complete and dated, printed book.
It is an important buddhist text that has a long and profound history. In 1971, koreans found a printed book from a stone monument constructed in ad 751. 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. Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest dated printed book printed over 1,100 years ago, a chinese copy of the diamond sutra at the british library is. What the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest printed book, has. This beautifully designed book, the first to focus solely on the diamond sutra, features a fullcolor reproduction of the work, along with an account of the discovery of the sutra by sir aurel stein in may 1907 in a hidden cave on the edge of the gobi desert. Mahayana buddhism took root in ancient java sailendra court in the 8th century ce. Moulam also translated the diamond sutra and the sutra of hui neng, two of the most treasured works of buddhist literature, the first of which is considered the oldest existing printed book in the world. The diamond sutra may look like a book, but its really the body of the buddha. Dated 587 years before the gutenberg bible, the diamond sutra is the oldest surviving printed, dated book. This sutra a sanskrit word that means a religious teaching or sermon, in particular that of the buddha is commonly regarded as one of the most revered texts of mahayana buddhism. Western scholars have traditionally considered the earliest sutra in the prajnaparamita class to be the aasahasrika prajnaparamita sutra or perfection of wisdom in 8,000 lines, which was probably put in writing in the 1st century bce. The buddhist text known as the diamond sutra is believed to be the oldest surviving printed book in the world.
If the plate were inked and printed after this stage, it would print a sheet of paper entirely black, because each roughened spot would catch and hold the ink. Subhuti was one of the ten great sravakas of sakyamuni buddha, and foremost in the understanding of emptiness. The story of the worlds earliest dated printed book. A central text of the indian buddhism, the diamond sutra was first translated from sanskrit into chinese in about ad 400.
Smartnews keeping you current five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest dated printed book printed over 1,100 years ago, a chinese copy of the diamond sutra at the british. This consists of a scroll, over 16 feet long, made up of a long series of printed pages. The diamond sutra and the sutra of huineng rakuten kobo. The oldest known printed book in the world ancient origins. Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds. The image depicts the frontispiece to the worlds earliest dated printed book, the chinese translation of the buddhist text the diamond sutra. The exact date of the composition of the diamond sutra in sanskrit is uncertainarguments for the 2nd and 5th centuries have been made.
Read the diamond sutra and the sutra of huineng by available from rakuten kobo. The mahayana reverence of female buddhist deity started with the cult of tara enshrined in the 8th century kalasan temple in central java. U cal press, 2005 entitled be all you cant be, and other gainful losses in the diamond sutra. The diamond sutra the diamond that cuts through illusion a new translation in english by alex johnson read by chris johnys. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Later some notable chinese artists designed woodcuts for books, the individual print develop in china in the form of new year picture as an artform in the way it did in europe and japan. This copy of the diamond sutra is the worlds earliest, dated, printed book ad 868. The diamond sutra project gutenberg selfpublishing. Found in cave 17, also known as the library cave, it was one of a cache of some 40,000 objects that were sealed up. The earliest dated printed book, known as the diamond sutra, was produced in china in 868 ce, but it is believed that the practice dates back well before this date. Oct 05, 2015 the diamond sutra the diamond that cuts through illusion a new translation in english by alex johnson read by chris johnys.
Printed copy of the diamond sutra the british library. Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest. The frontispiece of the diamond sutra from tang dynasty china, the worlds earliest dated printed book, ad 868 british museum on may 11, 868, the earliest dated printed book was issued, a chinese copy of the socalled diamond sutra, one of the most important textbooks of buddhism, originally written in the 1st c. The diamond sutra by red pine overdrive rakuten overdrive. The diamond sutra and the sutra of huineng by huineng. The frontispiece depicts the buddha, surrounded by monks, devotees and deities. The book extensively discusses the content of the sutra and also describes the invention of paper in china and the origins of far eastern printing. Although the diamond sutra itself is a buddhist sacred text that originated in india. Printed over 1100 years ago, a chinese copy of the diamond sutra at the. It is a key object of devotion and study in zen buddhism. Its also the key textual moment when we see chan aka zen buddhism emerge as the primary form of buddhist religious expression in china. But there is no record of exact printed date in these books. Carved wooden blocks were used to print this copy on a scroll made from seven panels of paper.
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