It is made up of seven pages of paper pasted into a roll just over five metres long. With the word purusha person, the buddha reaches back to the earliest strata of. Opening the way for the enlightenment of all people t. Among the manuscripts was perhaps the oldest printed book actually a scroll in existence, the diamond sutra, dated 868. The avatamsaka sutra also highlights the visionary and mystical power of attaining the spiritual wisdom which sees the nature of the world. A daoist monk, wang yuanlu, discovered the socalled dunhaung manuscripts in 1900. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what youre looking for. Atrendtowardshortversions,whichincludestheheartand diamondsutras,occursinthefourthcenturyce.
The buddhist text known as the diamond sutra is believed to be the oldest surviving printed book in the world. Buddhism, anew exhibition at the british library, draws on a massive collection of. Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest. At the beginning of the 20th century, an abbot named wang yuanlu came to dunhuang area, discovered the sand covered stone grottoes, took up residence in one cave and began to clear out the others. British library, 2010 isbn 9780712350907 van schaik 201112. Marc aurel stein, a hungarianborn british archaeologist and. China, and various translations of the diamond sutra from china, tibet. It is a favourite sutra among chinese buddhists, because it is quite easy to memorise and takes only 3040 minutes to chant in its entirety. Few venture that the answer is a revered buddhist text called the diamond sutra, printed in 868 a.
Oct 10, 2012 the diamond sutra spoken in english duration. 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. What the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest printed book, has. 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. The diamond sutra goodreads meet your next favorite book. According to national library of peking in 1961, the diamond sutra is described as. A central text of indian buddhism, the diamond sutra was first translated from sanskrit into chinese in about ad 400. This consists of a scroll, over 16 feet long, made up of a long series of printed pages. The diamond sutra may look like a book, but its really the body of the buddha. Translated into a variety of languages over a broad geographic range, the diamond sutra is one of the most influential mahayana sutras in east asia, and it is particularly prominent within the chan or zen tradition, along with the. Buddhism at the british library buddhas words open up ancient.
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. The diamond sutra of 868 now lives at the british library, whose turning the pages project includes close looks online at the world s oldest printed 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. May 11, 2016 on may 11, 868, the diamond sutra was published in northern china. 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.
It is a scroll, a continuous length over 5 m long of woodblock printed text made of seven panels of goodquality paper pasted together. Amazon advertising find, attract, and engage customers. Oldest printed book published national geographic society. Reading them i realized that i was a buddhist, and always had been one. This copy of the diamond sutra in chinese language, complete with a beautifully illustrated frontispiece, is the worlds earliest dated, printed book. But in these more than forty years, i have not yet revealed the truth the lotus sutra and its opening and closing sutras, p. Sutras are very important to buddhism, a religion that developed in what is now india and spread to china hundreds of years before the diamond sutra was printed in 868 ce. The diamond sutra is the worlds earliest dated printed book.
Vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra is a mahayana sutra from the prajnaparamita sutras or perfection of wisdom genre. Shengyi says, when we chant the name of amita buddha, where does this. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. The extraordinary discovery of the worlds oldest book posted. The diamond sutra is the world s earliest dated printed book. Search the world s information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Smart news 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. The story of the world s earliest dated printed book. This priceless religious teaching survives as the oldest dated, printed book. Dec 05, 2010 frances wood talks about the the diamond sutra the world s oldest book which she is responsible for at the british library. The very first printed book the diamond sutra scihi. I studied this book on and off for 6 months and i will continue to come back to it as being definitive on the subject.
Sep 12, 2012 for dharma practitioners, the fact that the diamond sutra is the worlds oldest book should matter mostly to historians. Though i continued to have contact with christianity, at least from time to time, henceforth i was in contact with it as a buddhist. It was produced some 600 years before gutenberg s movable type printing in europe, and is clearly the product of a mature printing industry in china. The diamond sutra, as described by the british library, is the worlds earliest complete survival of a dated printed book. 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. Sutra, considered an introduction to the lotus sutra, shakyamuni says. This gorgeous woodblock print is the front page of the oldest surviving print manuscript in the world.
It was produced on the 11 may 868, according to the western calendar. 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 vajra cutter sutra. 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. The diamond sutra is one of the most revered texts of mahayana buddhism and a jewel of the world s religious literature. Diamond sutra, first printed book on 11 may 868 ce history. The world s oldest copyleft book friday, may 11, 2012 at 2.
Printed over 1,100 years ago, a chinese copy of the. Nearby is a 15thcentury copy of the book barlaam and josaphat. At one time the buddha was staying in the jeta grove, near the city of sravasti. Amazon web services scalable cloud computing services. The diamond sutra is a teaching from the buddha himself. Having understood that the world s true nature is mind, you display bodies of your own in harmony with the world. This copy of the diamond sutra is the world s earliest, dated, printed book ad 868. The story of the world s earliest dated printed book at. Translated into a variety of languages over a broad geographic range, the diamond sutra is one of the most influential mahayana sutras in east asia, and it is particularly prominent within the chan or zen tradition, along with the h.
Restoring the world s oldest book, the diamond sutra. Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds. Restoring the worlds oldest book, the diamond sutra bbc. A typical english translation contains about 6,000 words, and an average reader could finish it in less than 30 minutes, easily. With him there was a community of 1,250 venerable monks and devoted disciples. The diamond sutra or vajracchedika, diamond cutter prajna paramita sutra, is one of the oldest documents of the perfection of wisdom, prajna paramita. The diamond sutra is the sutra on nonattachment or the perfection of wisdom. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The diamond sutra includes passages where the buddha states that chanting, or repeating aloud, even parts of the sutra would confer immeasurable merit, note wood and barnard. If you would like to know more about the diamond sutra as a buddhist teaching, one of the most accessible ways to learn is through videos by an american monk named hyungak paul muenzen. In regards to the latter, the diamond sutra presents its most important lesson, which is the significance of spreading and teaching the diamond sutra. Illustration moon a halloween ritual lunaphoria pon a hill a green bird sat her owlets in a green felt hat her fortune was a wish. Printed copy of the diamond sutra the british library. The image depicts the frontispiece to the world s earliest dated printed book, the chinese translation of the buddhist text the diamond sutra.
Background of the diamond sutra diamond sutra a new. Diamond sutra a new translation of the classic buddhist text. British library podcast on the diamond sutra by susan whitfield 9 minutes. May 12, 2016 diamond sutra is now recognized as one of the worlds great literary jewels.
May 11, 2014 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. 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. The oldest printed text in the world the diamond sutra. The manuscript was one of many discovered in the mogao caves of dunhaung, china.
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. Preaching the law in various different ways, i made use of the power of expedient means. Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest dated printed book. Vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra is a mahayana buddhist.
240 1080 271 920 214 678 673 1290 39 1288 830 757 1073 834 408 1112 832 874 592 145 1478 93 1465 1041 758 349 144 589 1475 125 973 1492 913 66 1040 328 783 611 1289 145