1. Intro The Diamond Sūtra is the popular shortened name of the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra , a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra from the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras or 'Perfection of Wisdom ' genre. Translated into a variety of languages over a broad geographic range, the Diamond Sūtra is one of the most influential Mahāyāna Sūtras in East Asia , and it is particularly prominent within the Chan (or

1. Introduction The Diamond Sūtra is the popular shortened name of the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra , a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra from the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras or 'Perfection of Wisdom ' genre. Translated into a variety of languages over a broad geographic range, the Diamond Sūtra is one of the most influential Mahāyāna Sūtras in East Asia , and it is particularly prominent within the Chan (or

1. Introduction The Sūtra of Forty-two Sections (also called the Sūtra of Forty-two Chapters is often regarded as the first Indian Buddhist Sūtra translated into Chinese . However, according to some opinions, this collection of aphorisms may have appeared some time after the first attested translations, and may even have been compiled in Central Asia or China. According to tradition, it was translated by 2

1. Introduction This text, the Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra , was translated into Chinese around 400 C.E. by Kumārajīva and became an influential text often cited and commented on among Chinese Buddhists. In Chan ( Zen ) communities in particular, it was considered a basic reference, taught and studied through the ages. The brief Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra is a lesson on monastic discipline presented as Buddha