Diamond Sūtra
Mahāyāna · Perfection of Wisdom
BDK’s linked volume contains the Diamond Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra, followed by two other scriptures. Choose the Diamond section in the PDF’s contents.
Translations & sourcesEditions & translators
These are the editions cited elsewhere in the Atlas; wording and numbering may differ from the reading shown here.
BDK’s free PDF includes the Diamond Sūtra alongside two other translated works.
Edition & attribution
This is a brief introduction to the text, not a translation.
Introductions, reflection questions and added section headings are editorial material, separate from the attributed translation.
The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork created for Buddhist Atlas. It is an evocative companion, not a depiction of the text’s historical setting.
The linked publisher provides the text and its usage terms.
Connections
Guru Viking2
- Ep244: Taoist Adventures - Mattias Daly
Reference checked in captions.
Source
- Ep66: The Great Shamans Of Mongolia - Glenn Mullin
Reference checked in captions.
Source
People & teachers6
- Kumārajīva
Translator of a widely transmitted Chinese version.
Source
- Huineng
The Platform Sūtra connects his awakening story with hearing this text.
Source
- James Baraz
Teaches on this text:
- "This Fleeting World"Names this text
- Thanissara
Teaches on this text:
- THe Naked HeartNames this text
- Kittisaro
Teaches on this text:
- The End of Mark MakingNames this text
- Thich Nhat Hanh
Teaches on this text:
- True Love and the Four Noble TruthsNames this text
- Looking Deeper into our MindsNames this text
5 more connected teachings
- The Temple of BrotherhoodNames this text
- The Temple of BrotherhoodNames this text
- You Have to Feed your Love ProperlyNames this text
- Free from Notions: The Diamond SutraNames this text
- Freeing Ourselves From NotionsNames this text
Traditions & history9
- Chan · roots of Zen
Reception context: the Diamond Sūtra in Chan teaching and lineage stories.
Source
- Mahāyāna
Study context: this text is included in the Atlas guide to Mahāyāna.
- Chan · Seon · Thiền · Zen
Study context: this text is included in the Atlas guide to Chan · Seon · Thiền · Zen.
- Chinese Chan
Study context: this text is included in the Atlas guide to Chinese Chan.
- Korean Seon
Study context: this text is included in the Atlas guide to Korean Seon.
- Vietnamese Thiền
Study context: this text is included in the Atlas guide to Vietnamese Thiền.
- Rinzai
Study context: this text is included in the Atlas guide to Rinzai.
- Philosophical traditions
Study context: this text is included in the Atlas guide to Philosophical traditions.
- Madhyamaka
Study context: this text is included in the Atlas guide to Madhyamaka.
Books1
- The Perfection of Wisdom in First Bloom
A companion study of the wider Perfection of Wisdom literature.
Source
Topics3
- Emptiness & not-self
Explore Emptiness & not-self across the Atlas.
- Impermanence & letting go
Explore Impermanence & letting go across the Atlas.
- Self & identity
Explore Self & identity across the Atlas.
Make yourself comfortable
About this textContext & reading guide
A dialogue associated with the Buddha and Subhūti explores the bodhisattva’s work without clinging to a fixed self, person, being or attainment.
Generosity and liberative activity are cultivated without turning giver, recipient or spiritual success into something independently existing.
The text repeatedly unsettles rigid concepts. This is an approach to wisdom within compassionate activity, rather than a reason to withdraw from ethical life.
It has been especially influential in East Asia and is an important scriptural presence in Chan and Zen history.