Diamond Sutra

Diamond Sutra
Front line of the Chinese Diamond Sūtra, printed in the 9th year of the Xiantong era of the Tang dynasty, i.e. AD 868, the oldest known dated printed book in the world. British Library
Information
Religion	Mahāyāna Buddhism
Author	Unknown
Language	Sanskrit
Period	2nd–5th century CE
Full text
Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra at English Wikisource

Mahāyāna Buddhism
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Teachings Bodhisattva Buddhahood Bodhicitta Buddha-nature Skillful Means Transcendent Wisdom Transcendent Virtues Emptiness Two truths Consciousness-only Three bodies Three vehicles Non-abiding Nirvana One Vehicle Bodhisattva Precepts Bodhisattva vow Bodhisattva stages Pure Lands Luminous mind Dharani Three Turnings
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas Shakyamuni Amitabha Adi-Buddha Akshobhya Prajñāpāramitā Devī Bhaiṣajyaguru Vairocana Mañjuśrī Avalokiteśvara Vajrapāṇi Vajrasattva Maitreya Kṣitigarbha Ākāśagarbha Samantabhadra Tara Wrathful deities
Mahayana sutras Prajñāpāramitā sūtras Lotus Sūtra Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra Vimalakirtinirdeśa Pure Land Sutras Lalitavistara Sūtra Samādhirāja Sūtra Saṃdhinirmocana Sūtra Tathāgatagarbha sūtras Śrīmālādevī Sūtra Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra Ghanavyūha sūtra Golden Light Sutra Tathāgataguhyaka Sūtra Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra
Main traditions Mādhyamaka Yogācāra Tiantai Tendai Huayan Zen (Chan) Shingon Pure Land Chinese Esoteric Buddhism Nichiren Trúc Lâm Vajrayāna Newar Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism Dzogchen Bon Shugendō Humanistic Buddhism
Key figures Nāgārjuna Aśvaghoṣa Āryadeva Lokakṣema Kumārajīva Asanga Vasubandhu Sthiramati Buddhapālita Dignāga Bhāvaviveka Dharmakīrti Candrakīrti Sengzhao Jizang Zhiyi Shandao Bodhidharma Huineng Xuanzang Fazang Amoghavajra Zhanran Chengguan Zongmi Saichō Kūkai Shāntideva Shāntarakshita Wohnyo Mazu Daoyi Linji Siming Zhili Jinul Dahui Zonggao Hongzhi Zhengjue Hōnen Shinran Dōgen Nichiren Śaṅkaranandana Virūpa Ratnākaraśānti Abhayākaragupta Nāropā Atisha Sakya Pandita Dolpopa Rangjung Dorje Tsongkhapa Longchenpa Hakuin Hanshan Ouyi Zhuhong Taixu D. T. Suzuki Sheng-yen 14th Dalai Lama Thích Nhất Hạnh
Regional traditions China Han Chinese Taiwan Japan Korea North Korea South Korea Vietnam Tibet Nepal Newar Bhutan Mongolia Russia Buryatia Kalmykia Tuva Malaysia Indonesia West

The Diamond Sutra (Sanskrit: Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sutra from the genre of Prajñāpāramitā ('perfection of wisdom') sutras. Translated into a variety of languages over a broad geographic range, the Diamond Sūtra is one of the most influential Mahayana sutras in East Asia, and it is particularly prominent within the Chan (or Zen) tradition, along with the Heart Sutra.

A copy of the Tang dynasty Diamond Sūtra was found among the Dunhuang manuscripts in 1900 by Daoist monk Wang Yuanlu and sold to Aurel Stein in 1907. It dates back to May 11, 868 CE and is broadly considered to be the oldest extant printed book, although other, earlier, printed materials on paper exist that predate this artifact. It is in the collection of the British Library.

The book of the diamond sutra is also the first known creative work with an explicit public domain dedication, as its colophon at the end states that it was created "for universal free distribution".