Diamond Sutra: Thoughts
Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra
(Diamond Cutter Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra)
This translation is from the 868 CE woodblock printing of Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation (401 CE). Literal English rendering, preserving structure and terminology.
Chapters 1-10
Chapter 1
Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park, together with a great assembly of one thousand two hundred and fifty bhikṣus.
At that time, at mealtime, the World-Honored One put on his robe, took his bowl, and entered the great city of Śrāvastī to beg for food. In that city, he went from house to house in order, and when finished, returned to his own place. After eating, he put away his robe and bowl, washed his feet, arranged his seat, and sat down.
Chapter 1 Commentary
Text recap
The sūtra opens in the standard Buddhist canonical formula: “Thus have I heard” (evaṃ mayā śrutam). The Buddha is at Śrāvastī (舍衛國, Skt. Śrāvastī), in Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park (Jetavana Anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ). Present are 1,250 bhikṣus (bhikṣu, fully ordained monks). At mealtime, the Buddha dons his robe (saṃghāṭi) and goes into the city to beg alms (piṇḍapāta), returns, eats, stores his bowl and robe, washes his feet, and sits.
Key Terms
- Evaṃ mayā śrutam — “Thus have I heard.” Indicates the oral transmission attributed to Ānanda, the Buddha’s attendant. Functions as a marker of authenticity in sūtra literature.
- Śrāvastī — Major city in Kosala, frequently the setting for Prajñāpāramitā texts. Associated with the wealthy merchant Anāthapiṇḍika’s patronage.
- Jetavana — Monastery park purchased for the Buddha by Anāthapiṇḍika (lit. “Feeder of the Poor”) from Prince Jeta, symbolizing the ideal of lay patronage.
- Bhikṣu (pāli: bhikkhu) — Fully ordained monk; in Mahāyāna context, also part of the wider fourfold assembly (bhikṣu, bhikṣuṇī, upāsaka, upāsikā).
- Piṇḍapāta — The practice of alms-round, signifying dependence on the laity and rejection of personal property.
- Saṃghāṭi — The outer robe worn by monastics, one of the “triple robe” (tricīvara).
Doctrinal Significance
Setting the Frame — The location, assembly, and activity sequence are not incidental. They establish:
The sūtra as an event in the ordinary daily life of the Buddha, not a supernatural occurrence.
The ideal of vinaya-based discipline: begging in order, returning, eating mindfully, and then teaching.
Symbolic Ground — Śrāvastī is a central site for Mahāyāna discourse because it represents:
A meeting point of monastic discipline (śīla) and bodhisattva compassion (karuṇā).
A physical manifestation of dāna (generosity) through Anāthapiṇḍika’s gift.
Transition from Action to Teaching — The Buddha’s sequence (alms, eating, cleaning, seating) symbolizes:
Purification of body and mind before discourse.
The movement from lokottara (mundane acts) to lokottara-dharma (supramundane teaching).
Chapter 2
Then the elder Subhūti, in the great assembly, rose from his seat, uncovered his right shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, joined his palms respectfully, and said to the Buddha:
“Rare, World-Honored One! The Tathāgata is well mindful of the bodhisattvas, well protects the bodhisattvas. World-Honored One, if good men and good women set their minds on unsurpassed, complete awakening, how should they abide? How should they subdue their minds?”
Chapter 2 Commentary
Text recap
Elder Subhūti (Sanskrit: Subhūti, 須菩提) rises from his seat in the assembly, bares his right shoulder (prakaṭita-dakṣiṇa-skandha), kneels on his right knee, joins his palms (añjali), and addresses the Buddha: praising the Tathāgata (tathāgata) for his care toward bodhisattvas (bodhisattva), he asks how those who have set their minds on unsurpassed, complete awakening (anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi) should abide and subdue their minds.
Key Terms
- Subhūti — One of the ten great disciples, renowned for mastery in the understanding of śūnyatā (emptiness).
- Prakaṭita-dakṣiṇa-skandha — Ritual exposure of the right shoulder, an Indian gesture of respect toward a teacher.
- Añjali — Gesture of pressing the palms together in reverence or greeting.
- Tathāgata — “Thus-Come” or “Thus-Gone,” an epithet for the Buddha emphasizing transcendence of coming and going.
- Bodhisattva — One dedicated to awakening for the benefit of all beings.
- Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi — “Unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening”; the highest realization, identical with Buddhahood.
- Abide (vihāra) — Not merely physical residence, but the mental stance or mode of dwelling in dharma.
- Subdue the mind (citta-prasāda, citta-saṃvara) — To pacify, stabilize, and orient the mind toward ultimate awakening.
Doctrinal Significance
Subhūti as Questioner — His selection is deliberate: in the Mahāyāna, Subhūti is the exemplar of penetrating the prajñāpāramitā. His inquiry frames the central problem of the text — the mental posture of the bodhisattva.
Two-Part Question — The bodhisattva path requires:
- Abiding (vihāra) — establishing oneself in a correct, non-attached mode of practice.
- Subduing the mind — addressing the restless or grasping tendencies that prevent direct realization.
Ritual Etiquette — The gestures — baring the right shoulder, kneeling, and joining the palms — are Indic markers of reverence and readiness to receive profound instruction, reminding the audience of the text’s historical-cultural origin.
Frame for the Sūtra’s Argument — This chapter functions as the question to which the remainder of the sūtra is the answer. Every subsequent teaching can be seen as an unpacking of “how to abide” and “how to subdue the mind” in the context of śūnyatā.
Chapter 3
The Buddha said, “Excellent, excellent, Subhūti. As you have spoken, the Tathāgata is well mindful of the bodhisattvas, well protects the bodhisattvas. Therefore, listen well — I will tell you.
If good men and good women set their minds on unsurpassed, complete awakening, they should thus abide; they should thus subdue their minds.
They should generate the mind without abiding anywhere — not abiding in forms, not abiding in sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, or dharmas. They should generate the mind that does not abide in anything.”
Chapter 3 Commentary
Text recap
The Buddha praises Subhūti for his question and agrees to explain. He instructs that those who set their minds on anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi should generate the mind (citta-utpāda) without abiding anywhere (apratiṣṭhita). They should not abide in forms (rūpa), sounds (śabda), smells (gandha), tastes (rasa), tactile sensations (spraṣṭavya), or dharmas (dharma). Generating the mind without abiding is the correct way to abide and to subdue the mind.
Key Terms
- Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi — The highest, unsurpassed awakening; Buddhahood itself.
- Citta-utpāda — “Production” or “arising” of the mind; here, the generation of the bodhicitta (awakening mind).
- Apratiṣṭhita — “Non-abiding”; a state of not fixing the mind on any object or position.
- Rūpa — Form; the first of the five skandhas (aggregates).
- Śabda — Sound; here representing the auditory field.
- Gandha — Smell; olfactory field.
- Rasa — Taste; gustatory field.
- Spraṣṭavya — Tactile sensation; tangible objects.
- Dharma — In this context, mental objects or phenomena in general.
- Six sense fields (ṣaḍ-āyatana) — The six modes of sensory contact: form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental phenomena.
Doctrinal Significance
Non-Abiding as Central Theme — Apratiṣṭhita-citta is the root instruction for the bodhisattva in the Diamond Sūtra. It prevents fixation on any sensory or mental construct, including attachment to the dharma itself.
Bodhicitta without Grasping — Generating the aspiration for awakening (bodhicitta) is crucial, but it must be done without conceptual clinging — even to the notion of awakening.
Integration of Sense Fields — By explicitly listing the six āyatanas, the Buddha establishes that liberation requires freedom from attachment to the full range of perceptual experience.
Practical Application — In meditation and daily conduct, the practitioner neither rejects nor grasps at sensory or mental phenomena; mind remains free-flowing, unattached, and responsive.
Connection to Prajñāpāramitā Literature — This “non-abiding” echoes the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, where a bodhisattva is said to “stand in emptiness” while benefiting beings — a standing that is, paradoxically, no standing at all.
Chapter 4
“Subhūti, bodhisattvas giving gifts should not abide in form. Why? If they abide in form when giving, they are like a person in darkness, unable to see.
Bodhisattvas should not abide in sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, or dharmas when giving. They should give without abiding in appearances. Why? Because if bodhisattvas give without abiding in appearances, their merit is inconceivable and immeasurable.”
Chapter 4 Commentary
Text recap
The Buddha explains that when a bodhisattva practices generosity (dāna-pāramitā), they should not abide in form (rūpa) or in any of the other five sense fields — sound (śabda), smell (gandha), taste (rasa), tactile sensation (spraṣṭavya), or dharmas (dharma). If they give while abiding in appearances (nimitta), it is like moving in darkness without sight. Giving without abiding in appearances is like having eyes open in the bright daylight; such merit is immeasurable and inconceivable.
Key Terms
- Dāna-pāramitā — Perfection of generosity; the first of the six perfections (pāramitā).
- Rūpa — Form; physical appearance or object.
- Śabda / Gandha / Rasa / Spraṣṭavya / Dharma — The remaining five sensory or mental objects in the ṣaḍ-āyatana (six sense fields).
- Nimitta — Sign, mark, or appearance; the mental “image” that the mind fixates upon when perceiving or conceptualizing.
- Apratiṣṭhita-dāna — Giving without abiding or attachment; considered superior because it is free of self, object, and act of giving.
Doctrinal Significance
The Threefold Purity — In Mahāyāna, giving without abiding implies the absence of:
- A giver (dāyaka),
- A gift (dāna),
- A recipient (pratigrāhaka).
This is “threefold purity” (trisuddhi), rooted in emptiness (śūnyatā).
Sensory Non-Abiding — By listing all sense fields, the Buddha makes generosity not merely a moral act but an ontological practice: liberation from perceptual fixation.
Light and Darkness Analogy — Giving with attachment is ignorance (avidyā); giving without attachment is clarity (prajñā). The analogy bridges moral and wisdom practices.
Interconnection of Pāramitās — Although speaking of dāna, the emphasis on non-abiding shows that generosity must be fused with prajñā (wisdom) to be truly liberative — a hallmark of Prajñāpāramitā teaching.
Chapter 5
“Subhūti, what do you think? Can the Tathāgata be seen by means of bodily form?”
“No, World-Honored One. The Tathāgata cannot be seen by means of bodily form. Why? Because the Tathāgata says that bodily form is not bodily form; therefore it is called bodily form.”
“Subhūti, wherever this sūtra is found, all worlds of devas, humans, and asuras should make offerings to it as they would to a Buddha shrine.”
Chapter 5 Commentary
Text recap
The Buddha asks Subhūti whether the Tathāgata (tathāgata) can be seen by means of bodily form (rūpa-kāya). Subhūti answers, “No, World-Honored One,” explaining that what the Tathāgata calls “bodily form” is not bodily form — therefore it is called bodily form. The Buddha affirms and adds that wherever this sūtra is found, offerings should be made as if to a Buddha shrine (caitya).
Key Terms
- Tathāgata — “Thus-Come” or “Thus-Gone,” an epithet for the Buddha that points to the non-dual realization beyond coming and going.
- Rūpa-kāya — Physical body or form-body; in Mahāyāna thought, one of the Buddha’s three bodies (trikāya), though here the text negates its ultimate reality.
- Caitya — A sacred monument or shrine, often housing relics; a focal point of veneration.
- Nāma-dharma — A designation or conceptual label applied to something that is ultimately without fixed nature.
- Śūnyatā — Emptiness; the absence of inherent, independent existence.
Doctrinal Significance
Negation of Physical Identification — The Buddha’s ultimate nature cannot be reduced to form. The rūpa-kāya is conventional and dependently arisen; realization of the Buddha is insight into dharmakāya (truth-body), which is formless.
Mādhyamika Logic — The statement “form is not form, therefore it is called form” exemplifies the two truths (satya-dvaya): conventionally designated form exists, but ultimately it is empty.
Text as Relic — By declaring that a place containing the sūtra is worthy of offerings like a caitya, the text equates the dharma-body of the Buddha with the teaching itself. This elevates the sūtra to a living embodiment of the Buddha’s presence.
Shift from Icon to Doctrine — The movement here is from venerating a physical body to venerating the dharma as ultimate refuge, consistent with Mahāyāna emphasis on wisdom over physical proximity.
Chapter 6
The Buddha said, “Subhūti, what do you think? Has the Tathāgata attained the unsurpassed, complete awakening? Has the Tathāgata spoken any dharma?”
Subhūti said, “World-Honored One, as I understand the meaning of the Buddha’s teaching, there is no fixed dharma called unsurpassed, complete awakening, and there is no fixed dharma that the Tathāgata has spoken. Why? The dharmas spoken by the Tathāgata cannot be seized or spoken; they are neither dharmas nor non-dharmas. Why? Because all sages are distinguished by means of the unconditioned dharma.”
Chapter 6 Commentary
Text recap
The Buddha asks Subhūti if there is any dharma that the Tathāgata has fully known as anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi or any dharma that the Tathāgata has spoken. Subhūti replies that there is no fixed dharma called “unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening” and no fixed dharma that the Tathāgata can speak. The dharmas spoken by the Tathāgata cannot be grasped, cannot be spoken, are neither dharmas nor non-dharmas. All sages and worthies are distinguished by the asaṃskṛta-dharma (unconditioned dharma).
Key Terms
- Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi — Supreme, complete, perfect awakening; the Buddha’s realization.
- Dharma — Here, “teaching” or “phenomenon,” but understood in the two truths framework: as both ultimate reality and conventional expression.
- Asaṃskṛta-dharma — Unconditioned phenomenon; not produced, not compounded, beyond arising and ceasing. In this context, synonymous with nirvāṇa.
- Na dharmaḥ, na adharmaḥ — “Not dharma, not non-dharma”; Madhyamaka-style negation dismantling conceptual fixation.
- Avācyatā — Unspeakability; the ultimate cannot be captured in language.
Doctrinal Significance
No Fixed Attainment — Awakening is not the acquisition of a “thing” called enlightenment. It is realization of the empty nature of all dharmas, including the idea of enlightenment itself.
Teaching Without a Taught Object — In ultimate truth (paramārtha-satya), there is no object to teach and no subject who teaches. Conventional teachings are skillful means (upāya).
Negation as Method — The formula “not dharma, not non-dharma” undermines reification in either direction — denying both externalism (positing real dharmas) and nihilism (denying all functionality).
Unconditioned Distinction — Sages are not set apart by social status or ritual purity but by realization of the unconditioned (asaṃskṛta), beyond birth and death.
Chapter 7
“Subhūti, what do you think? Can a bodhisattva create the perception of a self, a being, a life, or a soul?”
“No, World-Honored One.”
“Subhūti, if a bodhisattva creates the perception of dharma, he grasps at self, being, life, or soul. If he creates the perception of non-dharma, he also grasps at self, being, life, or soul. Therefore, you should not create the perception of dharma, nor the perception of non-dharma.
The Tathāgata always teaches that the dharma is like a raft — even the dharma should be abandoned, how much more the non-dharma.”
Chapter 7 Commentary
Text recap
The Buddha asks Subhūti, “Can a bodhisattva create the perception (saṃjñā) of a self (ātman), a person (pudgala), a being (sattva), or a life-span (jīva)?” Subhūti replies, “No, World-Honored One.”
The Buddha then explains: if a bodhisattva creates the perception of dharma, they grasp at self, person, being, or life-span. If they create the perception of non-dharma, they also grasp at self, person, being, or life-span. Therefore, one should not create the perception of dharma nor of non-dharma. The Tathāgata teaches that the dharma is like a raft — even the dharma should be abandoned, how much more so the non-dharma.
Key Terms
- Bodhisattva — One committed to anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi for the sake of all beings, practicing the six perfections (pāramitā).
- Ātman / Pudgala / Sattva / Jīva — The “four notions” negated throughout the sūtra: self, person, being, and life-principle.
- Saṃjñā — Perception or mental labeling; here, the conceptual imposition that reifies phenomena or persons.
- Dharma / Adharma — Phenomena or teachings, and their supposed negation. Clinging to either is still conceptual attachment.
- Upādāna — Grasping; mental holding that reinforces delusion.
- Upāya — Skillful means; teachings and methods used provisionally.
- Raft simile — Classical Buddhist metaphor for the Dharma as a vehicle to be left behind after crossing to the other shore.
Doctrinal Significance
Double Non-Clinging — A bodhisattva avoids reifying both the “four notions” of personal identity and the categories of dharma/non-dharma.
Middle Way — This negation guards against both eternalism (clinging to dharma as ultimately real) and nihilism (clinging to non-dharma as ultimately real).
Teaching as Provisional — The raft simile emphasizes that all teachings are expedient means, to be relinquished once their function is fulfilled.
No-self of Persons and Dharmas — This unites the two emptinesses: pudgala-nairātmya (no self of persons) and dharma-nairātmya (no self of phenomena).
Foundation for Bodhisattva Action — Freed from fixation, the bodhisattva can engage compassionately without entanglement in conceptual identity or doctrine.
Chapter 8
“Subhūti, if someone filled the universe with the seven precious treasures and gave them, the merit would be great. Yet if another person upheld even a four-line verse of this sūtra and explained it to others, that person’s merit would be far greater.
Why? Because all buddhas and the dharma of unsurpassed awakening come forth from this sūtra. What is called ‘Buddha-dharma’ is not a fixed Buddha-dharma.”
Chapter 8 Commentary
Text recap
The Buddha poses a comparison: even if someone were to fill a world-system (or many) with the seven precious treasures and give them all, the merit would still be surpassed by that of someone who receives, upholds, and teacheseven a four-line verse of this sūtra. Reason: all Buddhas and the unsurpassed, complete awakening they realize arise from this teaching; what is called “Buddha-dharma” is taught as not (ultimately) Buddha-dharma.
Key Terms
- Sapta-ratna — “Seven precious treasures” (gold, silver, etc.); emblem of supreme material wealth.
- (Tri)sāhasra-mahāsāhasra-lokadhātu — The (great) thousand-fold world-system; the Mahāyāna cosmological “universe.”
- Gāthā / Śloka (catuṣpada) — A four-line verse; even a single quatrain of this text, rightly upheld and explained, eclipses material generosity.
- Dharma-dāna — Gift of the Dharma; superior to āmiṣa-dāna (material giving).
- Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi — Unsurpassed, complete awakening; Buddhahood.
- “Buddha-dharma na buddha-dharmaḥ” — “What is called Buddha-dharma is not (ultimately) Buddha-dharma”; two-truths logic preventing reification.
- Prajñā-pāramitā — “Perfection of Wisdom,” traditionally called the mother of the Buddhas (buddhānāṃ jananī).
Doctrinal Significance
Primacy of Prajñā over Wealth - Material giving, however vast, is conditioned (saṃskṛta) and finite; Dharma-giving plants the cause for liberation, generating immeasurable (aprameya) merit.
Source-logic of Awakening - Buddhas and their awakening are said to arise from Prajñā-pāramitā; hence transmitting even one gāthā of this sūtra participates in the very generation of Buddhahood.
Anti-reification Guardrail - The formula “Buddha-dharma is not Buddha-dharma” bars absolutizing the teaching itself—use the raft, don’t idolize it.
Teaching as Bodhisattva Act - To receive, uphold, recite, and explain (受持讀誦解說 / udgṛhṇāti, dhārayati, paṭhati, deśayati) is bodhisattva conduct uniting dāna and prajñā in one move.
Chapter 9
“Subhūti, what do you think? Does a stream-enterer think ‘I have attained the fruit of stream-enterer’?”
“No, World-Honored One. ‘Stream-enterer’ is merely a name. There is no entering into a stream of self, being, life, or soul.”
“Subhūti, what do you think? Does a once-returner think ‘I have attained the fruit of once-returner’?”
“No, World-Honored One. ‘Once-returner’ is merely a name. There is no returning of a self, being, life, or soul.”
“Subhūti, what do you think? Does a non-returner think ‘I have attained the fruit of non-returner’?”
“No, World-Honored One. ‘Non-returner’ is merely a name. There is no non-returning of a self, being, life, or soul.”
“Subhūti, what do you think? Does an arhat think ‘I have attained the fruit of arhat’?”
“No, World-Honored One. ‘Arhat’ is merely a name. There is no attainment, no realization, and no self to attain or realize.”
Chapter 9 Commentary
Text recap
The Buddha asks whether a srota-āpanna (stream-enterer), sakṛdāgāmin (once-returner), anāgāmin (non-returner), or arhat thinks, “I have attained the fruit.” Subhūti says no. These “fruits” (phala) are designations; if one appropriates them as “mine,” that is grasping at a self.
Key Terms
- Srota-āpanna / Sakṛdāgāmin / Anāgāmin / Arhat — The four śrāvaka “fruits” of liberation, here treated as conventional designations (upādāya-prajñapti), not ultimately ownable attainments.
- Phala — “Fruit” or realized result; emptied of possessive appropriation in this chapter.
- Saṃjñā — Perception, labeling; the mental stamp “I attained” that reifies status.
- Upādāna — Grasping, appropriation; what converts a designation into a self-claim.
- Pudgala-nairātmya — No-self of persons; the absence of an enduring owner of attainments.
- Anupalambha — Non-apprehension; refusing to seize the fruit as a thing or self-state.
Doctrinal Significance
Non-appropriation of fruits — Liberation is not a possession; the moment one thinks “I attained,” self-view reappears.
Designation without reification — “Stream-enterer,” etc., function as pedagogical names (upādāya-prajñapti), not ontic statuses with an owner.
Primacy of no-self of persons — This section targets pudgala-nairātmya: the practitioner who does not impute an owner neither clings to status nor backslides into conceit.
Śrāvaka stages re-read by prajñā — Mahāyāna emptiness reframes early path milestones: useful conventionally, empty ultimately.
Practice implication — Maintain function without appropriation: continue discipline and insight, but do not fabricate a self around “my attainment.”
Chapter 10
The Buddha said, “Subhūti, when I was with Dīpaṅkara Buddha, I attained no dharma called unsurpassed, complete awakening.
Subhūti, what do you think? Does a bodhisattva create the perception, ‘I will adorn a Buddha-land’?”
“No, World-Honored One. Why? Because ‘adorning a Buddha-land’ is not adorning a Buddha-land; therefore it is called adorning a Buddha-land.”
Chapter 10 Commentary
Text recap
The Buddha tells Subhūti that when he was with Dīpaṅkara Buddha, he attained no dharma called unsurpassed, complete awakening (anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi). The Buddha then asks whether a bodhisattva generates the perception, “I will adorn a Buddha-land.” Subhūti replies no, because “adorning a Buddha-land” is not ultimately adorning a Buddha-land; therefore it is called adorning a Buddha-land.
Key Terms
- Dīpaṅkara Buddha — A past Buddha in whose presence Śākyamuni, as a bodhisattva, made the resolve for full awakening.
- Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi — Unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening; the highest goal of the bodhisattva path, here presented as not an ultimately attainable “thing.”
- Buddha-kṣetra — Buddha-land; a pure realm cultivated by a Buddha for the benefit of beings.
- Saṃjñā — Perception or mental conception; here, the thought or view “I will adorn.”
- Adorning (vyūha) — The act of perfecting or purifying a Buddha-land through merit, wisdom, and compassion; in Mahāyāna, a metaphor for creating conducive conditions for awakening.
- Twofold negation formula — “X is not X, therefore it is called X”; emptiness logic applied to prevent reification of the path or its fruits.
Doctrinal Significance
Non-attainment of awakening — Even in the presence of a past Buddha, awakening is not a dharma to be possessed; it is the realization of what was never absent.
Purity without appropriation — The bodhisattva engages in the adornment of a Buddha-land without fabricating a self-centered perception of “I am adorning.”
Upāya and śūnyatā in balance — The activity of purifying a realm is real in the conventional sense but empty of independent existence; it is both enacted and let go.
Guard against subtle pride — The negation removes the possibility of spiritual conceit or self-identity forming around the great vow to benefit beings.
Integration of vow and wisdom — The bodhisattva’s resolve to create pure realms proceeds free of ownership, aligning compassion with the insight into emptiness.