Diamond Sutra
868
From Library Cave (Cave 17). Now at British Library, Or.8210/P.2read here
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See the related place in 3D · A surviving item from the Library Cave, not an identification of any manuscript drawn in this reconstruction.
The Diamond Sutra records the Buddha teaching his disciple Subhuti in the grove of Jeta, near Shravasti. The dialogue questions fixed ideas of self, Buddha, Law and attainment, comparing conditioned things to a dream, bubble, shadow, dew and lightning. Giving, merit and enlightenment are all treated without attachment. The scroll shown here is the 868 printed copy held by the British Library, found at Dunhuang and often described as the oldest dated printed book.
Where it happens
- Shravasti The city where the Buddha begs for food before the dialogue in the grove of Jeta.3
- Mogao Caves, Dunhuang Where the 868 printed scroll was found in a walled-up cave.1
- Kucha The kingdom Kumarajiva came from, in present-day Xinjiang.1
- British Library, London The institution that holds the 868 scroll and publishes it through the International Dunhuang Programme.2
Through time
- 401Kumarajiva makes the first Chinese translation, thought to date to this year.1
- 868Wang Jie makes the dated printed copy for his parents and for universal free distribution.1
- 1900Wang Yuanlu finds the manuscripts sealed in the Library Cave at Mogao.1
- 1907Aurel Stein buys the scroll and takes it to the British Library.1
- 1912William Gemmell's English translation is published in London.3
Who is in it, and behind it
The Buddha character
Teacher in the dialogue, addressed in the text as the Lord Buddha.3
Subhuti character
A leading disciple who asks the questions and answers the Buddha.3
Kumarajiva translator
Monk and translator who made the first Chinese translation, thought to date to 401.1
Wang Jie printer
Named in the 868 colophon as the maker of the copy, for his parents and for universal free distribution.1
Wang Yuanlu subject
Daoist monk who found the Dunhuang manuscripts, including this copy, in 1900.1
Aurel Stein subject
Archaeologist who bought the 868 scroll in 1907.1
William Gemmell translator
Made the English translation published in London in 1912.3
What it is about
Non-attachment in practice
The dialogue applies detachment not only to self and ordinary things, but also to Buddha, Law and enlightenment itself.3
Print as a durable object
The 868 copy joins an early Buddhist text to a particular printed object, its maker, its cave and its later holders.12
A scroll, not a codex
The British Library object is read from right to left as a continuous scroll rather than as pages in a bound book.2
Pages worth stopping at
- Image 0The opening section of the scroll, where the dialogue begins.2
- Section 10A middle section for following the argument about forms, merit and awakening.2
- Section 19The closing section, with the colophon that gives the scroll its 868 date and names Wang Jie.12
How it came to be here
The Sanskrit text was composed between the second and fifth centuries, and Kumarajiva's Chinese translation dates to 401. The 868 copy was made by Wang Jie for his parents and for universal free distribution. It was found among the Dunhuang manuscripts in 1900 and bought by Aurel Stein in 1907. The site also carries William Gemmell's English translation from the Chinese, published in London in 1912, with an introduction and notes drawn from other scriptures and scholars.
Sources
- Diamond Sutra, history and text
- British Library and International Dunhuang Programme, IIIF manifest of the 868 scroll
- The Diamond Sutra translated by William Gemmell, Project Gutenberg
Images: International Dunhuang Programme, British Library. No licence stated; the holder says copyright information is being updated ([email protected]).
Holder's record · IIIF manifest · Where the rest of the library went