The Diamond Sutra, passage 127

Upon a memorable occasion, the Lord Buddha[2] sojourned in the kingdom of Shravasti,[3] lodging in the grove of Jeta,[4] a park within the imperial domain, which Jeta, the heir-apparent, bestowed upon Sutana,[5] a benevolent Minister of State, renowned for his charities and benefactions.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 327

[4] “They have been divided into existing and non-existing, real and unreal, by those who had wrong notions; other laws also, of permanency, of being produced, of birth from something already produced, are wrongly assumed.”—_Saddharma-Pundarika_. H. Kern.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 72

In the text of _The Diamond Sutra_, it may be observed that Sakyamuni Buddha, in discoursing to Subhuti, referred incidentally to personal reminiscences, one of which belonged to a distant period of five hundred incarnations.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 239

There is, however, a third explanation which is based on the original meaning of Arhat, namely _Ying-Kong_—deserving worship. The Arhat is the perfected Arya (one who has mastered the four spiritual truths—_Sz-Ti_—and thereby entered the path to Nirvana called Arya-Marga), and the state of Arhat can accordingly be attained only by passing through the different degrees of saintship.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 116

[39] In Buddhist phraseology, Yuen-Chioh means the study, by means of contemplation, of primary spiritual causes.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 85

In concluding, it might be opportune to observe, that the _Werthurtheile_,[48] known amongst modern theologians as characterising the teaching of Albrecht Ritschl—sounds, upon intimate acquaintance, merely as a faint echo of the logic of Sakyamuni Buddha. Ritschl might apply his _Werthurtheile_ to the presumed interpretation of a “miracle,” etc.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 202

[8] “For now I know, by what within me stirs, That I shall teach compassion unto men And be a speechless world’s interpreter.”—_The Light of Asia_. Sir Edwin Arnold.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 291

Upon that occasion, Subhuti enquired of the Lord Buddha, saying: “Honoured of the Worlds! by what name shall this Scripture be known, that we may regard it with reverence?” The Lord Buddha replied, saying: “Subhuti, this Scripture shall be known as _The Diamond Sutra_,[1] ‘The Transcendent Wisdom,’ by means of which we reach ‘The Other Shore.’ By this name you shall reverently regard it! And why? Subhuti, what the Lord Buddha declared as ‘transcendent wisdom’ by means of which we reach ‘the other shore,’ is not essentially ‘transcendent wisdom’—in its essence it transcends all wisdom.”

The Diamond Sutra, passage 462

[1] “What do you think then, O Subhuti, has the highest perfect knowledge been known by the Tathagata by the possession of signs? You should not think so, O Subhuti. And why? Because, the highest perfect knowledge will not be known by the Tathagata through the possession of signs. Nor should anybody, O Subhuti, say to you that the destruction or annihilation of anything is proclaimed by those who have entered on the path of the Bodhisattvas.”—_The Vagrakkhedika_. Max Müller.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 399

The Lord Buddha enquired of Subhuti, saying: “What think you? Concerning the sands of the Ganges, did the Lord Buddha declare that these were grains of sand?” Subhuti assenting, said: “Honoured of the Worlds! the Lord Buddha declared that these were grains of sand.”

The Diamond Sutra, passage 162

[2] “The kind of craving excitement, which follows on sensation, and causes the delusion of self and the lust of life—creating either delight in the objects that present themselves, or an eager desire to supply a felt want—this eager yearning thirst growing into sensuality, desire of future life, or love of the present world, is the origin of all suffering. Sorrow and suffering will be overcome, extinguished, if this ‘thirst’ be quenched, this lust of life destroyed. ‘He who overcomes this contemptible thirst, sufferings fall off from him like water drops from a lotus leaf.’”—_Buddhism_. T. W. Rhys Davids.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 403

[2] “Supernatural talents, which the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni, is believed to have acquired in the night before he became Buddha, and which every Arhat takes possession of by means of the fourth degree of _Dhyana_ (abstract contemplation). Most Chinese texts reckon six such talents, while the Singhalese know only five. Sometimes, however, only five are mentioned.”—_Handbook of Chinese Buddhism_. Eitel.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 247

[11] “There are some persons who obtain the Rahatship instantaneously, while others can only obtain it by a slow process; they must give aims, make offerings, study the _Bana_ (Law), and exercise the necessary discipline.”—_Eastern Monachism_. Spence Hardy.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 381

Seating himself under a sacred Bo-Tree, immediately he became engaged in the severest of mental conflicts. The Buddhist authors describe their Master as sitting “sublime,” “calm,” and “serene” throughout the sustained assault of a “visible” and wicked tempter, assisted by legions of evil spirits. So unrelenting was the fierce encounter, that the forces of nature shook and were convulsed under the dreadful onslaught.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 496

When the Lord Buddha concluded his enunciation of this Scripture,[5] the venerable Subhuti, the monks,[6] nuns, lay-brethren and sisters, all mortals, and the whole realm of spiritual beings, rejoiced exceedingly, and consecrated to its practice, they received it and departed.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 13

_The Diamond Sutra_ was written originally in Sanscrit, and in process of time translated into the Tibetan, Chinese, Mongol, and Manchu languages. It represents the Mahayana school of Buddhist thought, a school founded by Nagarjuna,[3] which flourished primarily at Tchakuka, and thereafter influenced appreciably a considerable part of the Buddhist Church.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 475

Like drifting clouds, like the waning moon, like ships that sail the ocean, like shores that are washed away—these are symbolic of endless change. But the blessed Buddha, in his essential, absolute nature, is changeless and everlasting.—_Yuen-Chioh-Sutra_.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 390

“Subhuti, so it is with the Bodhisatwa, if he should say: ‘I ought to destroy all recollection of the countless kinds of creatures,’ this Bodhisatwa would not be really one, but only a nominal one.... Hence Buddha says that all things ought to be without any individual distinction.”—_Kin-Kong-King_. Beal.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 199

[7] “Were it possible for a Yogi and a Rahat from India, a Greek philosopher from one of the schools holding the power of intuition, an ascetic from the wilds of Syria or the mountains of Egypt, a heretic from the school at Alexandria, a monk from one of the monasteries of Europe, a schoolman of the Middle Ages, and a modern German metaphysician of the school of Schelling to meet together, and were it possible for them to forget their sectarian subtleties and nice distinctions, they would find that there was a vast mass of speculation about the main principles of which they were agreed.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 310

Upon that occasion, the venerable Subhuti, hearing the text of this scripture proclaimed, and profoundly realising its meaning, was moved to tears. Addressing the Lord Buddha, he said: “Thou art of transcendent wisdom, Honoured of the Worlds! The Lord Buddha in expounding this supreme canon of Scripture, surpassed in perspicuity every exposition previously heard by me, since my eyes[1] were privileged to perceive this most excellent wisdom. Honoured of the Worlds!

The Diamond Sutra, passage 293

The Lord Buddha addressed Subhuti, saying: “What think you? within the myriad worlds which comprise this universe, are the atoms of dust numerous?”[3] Subhuti replied, saying: “Very numerous, Honoured of the Worlds!”

The Diamond Sutra, passage 253

The Lord Buddha addressed Subhuti, saying: “What think you? When the Lord Buddha, in a previous life, was a disciple of Dipankara Buddha,[1] was there communicated to him any prescribed Law, or system of doctrine, whereby he eventually became a Buddha?” Subhuti replied, saying: “No! Honoured of the Worlds! When the Lord Buddha was a disciple of Dipankara Buddha, neither prescribed Law nor system of doctrine was communicated to him, whereby he eventually became a Buddha.”[2]

The Diamond Sutra, passage 177

Therein the Lord Buddha endeavours to prove that as objects within ourselves are invisible, the illuminating mind cannot be asserted to inhabit exclusively our material bodies. He also indicates that it cannot be affirmed to occupy any appointed sphere outside ourselves, it being usually understood that we observe only those objects by which we are environed.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 441

[3] “I declare that his happiness and consequent merit would be incomparably greater than that of the other, so much so, that no number could express the excess of one over the other.”—_Kin-Kong-King_. Beal.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 320

The Lord Buddha, in declaring the “unreality of phenomena,” also affirmed “that the whole realm of sentient life is ephemeral and illusory.”[16]

The Diamond Sutra, passage 198

[6] “The elements of faith, like the flowers, appear to have their roots in eternity.”—_Chang-Ming_ (a Chinese monk).

The Diamond Sutra, passage 81

Regarding the doctrines of Individuality and non-Individuality, which characterise the text of _The Diamond Sutra_, wherein are found to occur frequently Chinese equivalents for the ordinary concepts of an entity, a being, a living being and a personality, the following passage from _The Bhagavad-Gita_, suggestive almost of complete harmony with the Buddhist doctrine, may serve to make even a cursory consideration of the subject perhaps more illuminating. The passage, rendered by Sir Edwin Arnold, is as follows:—

The Diamond Sutra, passage 379

[3] “Such scenes as the following, illustrating the beliefs of the time and the locality, would not seldom occur. A wayfarer in the country of the Getæ (Jats) (Afghanistan) knocks at the door of a Brahman family. A young man within answers: ‘There is No One in this house.’ The traveller was too well taught in Buddhism not to know the meaning of this philosophical nihilism, and at once answered, ‘Who is No One?’ The young man, when he heard this, felt that he was understood. A kindred spirit was outside. Hurriedly he opened the door, and invited the stranger to enter. The visitor was the patriarch of the time (seventeenth), with staff and rice bowl, travelling to teach and make new disciples.”—_Chinese Buddhism_. Edkins.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 421

[1] “Bhagavat said: What do you think, O Subhuti, does Tathagata think in this wise: the Law has been taught by me? Subhuti said: Not indeed, O Bhagavat, does the Tathagata think in this wise: the Law has been taught by me. Bhagavat said: If a man should say that the Law has been taught by the Tathagata, he would say what is not true; he would slander me with untruth which he has learned. And why? Because, O Subhuti, it is said the teaching of the Law, the teaching of the Law indeed, O Subhuti, there is nothing that can be perceived by the name of the teaching of the Law.”—_The Vagrakkhedika_. Max Müller.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 473

“That which is Tathagata has no where whence to come, and no where whither he can go, and is therefore named Tathagata.”—_Kin-Kong-King_. Beal.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 434

“This condition which is named the unsurpassed, just, and enlightened (heart), consists in nothing more than the exclusion of all individual distinctions. A man who practices all the rules of virtuous conduct will forthwith attain this condition. But, Subhuti, when we speak of rules of virtuous conduct, Tathagata declares that these rules are after all no real and lasting rules; the term is but a mere name,”—_Kin-Kong-King_. Beal.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 234

[4] “The path Sakradagami is so called because he who enters it will receive one more birth. He may enter this path in the world of men, and afterwards be born in a Dewa-Loka (a heavenly mansion—in Chinese _Tien-Kong_); or he may enter it in a Dewa-Loka, and afterwards be born in the world of men.”—_Eastern Monachism_. Spence Hardy.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 458

“Those of the Bikkhus who carry in their hearts the words of excellent knowledge that is immeasurable, who are free from bonds, whose fame and power and glory no man can weigh, who (in imitation of their master) keep the royal chariot wheel of the kingdom of righteousness rolling on, who have reached perfection in knowledge.”—_Questions of King Milinda_. T. W. Rhys Davids.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 209

[1] “So it appears that all the sages and wise men who have lived have all adopted this mode of diffusive doctrine [doctrine which admits of no particular distinction (_wou-wei)], and hence the differences which have occurred.”—_Kin-Kong-King_. Beal.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 507

_Eastern Monachism_, 4, 5, 16, 21, 27, 30, 35, 36, 38, 46, 51, 53, 61, 78

The Diamond Sutra, passage 73

According to the text of _The Light of Asia_, the spiritual consciousness of Sakyamuni Buddha extended to a period even more remote, as may be judged by these remarkable lines:—

The Diamond Sutra, passage 282

[2] “Whatever spirits have come together here, either belonging to the earth or living in the air, let us worship the perfect Buddha, revered by gods and men.”

The Diamond Sutra, passage 432

“Progress of the Vedic religion towards abstract conceptions of the Deity.” J. Muir (_Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society_).

The Diamond Sutra, passage 279

The Lord Buddha, continuing, said unto Subhuti: “Wherever this Scripture is proclaimed, even though it were but a stanza comprising four lines, you should realise that that place would be sanctified by the presence of the whole realm of gods, men, and terrestrial spirits,[1] who ought unitedly to worship, as if before a sacred shrine of Buddha.[2] But what encomium shall express the merit of a disciple who rigorously observes, and diligently studies,[3] the text of this Scripture?

The Diamond Sutra, passage 125

[48] “The much-canvassed Ritschlian doctrine of the _Worth_—or ‘value-judgments,’ in which the peculiarity of religious knowledge is supposed to lie.” For the introduction of the term into theology we are indebted to Herrmann, _Die Religion, etc._, and Kaftan, _Das Wesen_. _See_ Orr’s, _The Ritschlian Theology and The Evangelical Faith_.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 392

[10] “A Bodhisattva, O Subhuti, who believes that all things are without self, he has faith, he is called a noble-minded Bodhisattva by the holy and fully enlightened Tathagata.”—_The Vagrakkhedika_. Max Müller.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 339

[12] “Explained by patient endurance of insult. The virtue of patience, implying constant equanimity under persecution, and excluding hatred and revenge.”—_Handbook of Chinese Buddhism_. Eitel.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 155

[9] “This work contains the germ of the larger compilation _Prajna-Paramita_ in one hundred and twenty volumes. The abstractions of Buddhist philosophy, which were afterwards ramified to such a formidable extent as these numbers indicate, are here found in their primary form, probably as they were taught by Sakyamuni himself.”—_Chinese Buddhism_. Edkins.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 77

The unknown Hindoo author of The _Bhagavad-Gita_ revealed in simple phraseology the native idea of reincarnation; and suggested, happily, an instructive theory concerning the advent of great Teachers and Saviours in every age. To Krishna are ascribed the following sayings;—

The Diamond Sutra, passage 269

[6] “The modification which Buddhism introduced into the idea of transmigration was necessitated by the early Buddhist theories of the nature of sentient beings; according to which, man consists of an assemblage of different properties or qualities ... these are Material qualities, Sensations, abstract Ideas, Tendencies of mind, and mental Powers.... The first group, Material Qualities, are like a mass of foam, that gradually forms, and then vanishes.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 489

The Lord Buddha thereafter addressed Subhuti, saying:[2] “Those who aspire to the attainment of supreme spiritual wisdom ought thus to know, believe in, and interpret phenomena. They ought to eliminate from their minds every tangible evidence of every visible object. Subhuti, concerning ‘visible objects,’ the Lord Buddha declared that these are not really ‘visible objects’ they are merely termed ‘visible objects.’”

The Diamond Sutra, passage 402

“The second of the three great treasures is called _Dhamma_, or in Singhalese, _Dharmma_. This word has various meanings, but is here to be understood in the sense of Truth. It is not unfrequently translated ‘the Law,’ but this interpretation gives an idea contrary to the entire genius of Buddhism. The _Dharmma_ is therefore emphatically the Truth.”—_Eastern Monachism_. Spence Hardy.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 309

[6] “Were any one to fill the bowl of Buddha with the choicest food, or to present oil, sugar, honey, medicaments in the greatest abundance, or to build thousands of _Wiharas_ (monasteries or temples) splendid as those of Anuradhapura (an ancient city in Ceylon, the Anurogrammum of Ptolemy), or to present an offering to Buddha like that of Anepidu (a rich merchant of Sewet), the hearing or reading of one stanza of the _Bana_ (Law) would be more meritorious than all.”—_Eastern Monachism_. Spence Hardy.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 330

[7] “As the Buddhist strove to reach a state of quietism or holy meditation in this world, namely the state of the perfect disciple or Arhat; so he looked forward to an eternal calm in the world to come, Nirvana. Buddha taught that this end could only be attained by the practice of virtue.”—_The Indian Empire_. Sir William Hunter.

The Diamond Sutra, passage 129

As it approached the hour for the morning meal, Lord Buddha, Honoured of the Worlds,[7] attired himself in a mendicant’s robe,[8] and bearing an alms-bowl in his hands, walked towards the great city of Shravasti, which he entered to beg for food.[9] Within the city he proceeded from door to door,[10] and received such donations as the good people severally bestowed.[11] Concluding this religious exercise, the Lord Buddha returned to the grove of Jeta, and partook of the frugal meal[12] received as alms. Thereafter he divested himself of his mendicant’s robe, laid aside the venerated alms-bowl,[13] bathed his sacred feet, and accepted the honoured seat reserved for him by his disciples.