The Diamond Sutra

INTRODUCTION

distinction as a monk of the later Chin dynasty^1 (A.D. 384-417), is conceded the honour of having first translated The Diamond Sutra into the Chinese language. Of subsequent Chinese translations, perhaps the most noteworthy is the text ascribed to the scholarly Xuanzang The transcription uses the older spelling "Hiuen-Tsang" for this famous 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk and traveler., and completed about the middle of the seventh century.^2

A rendering into English of Kumarajiva’s Chinese translation was accomplished by the Reverend Samuel Beal, and published in The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1864-65. The text and German translation of the Tibetan version were published in 1873 by Isaac Jacob Schmidt, in the Memoirs of the Saint Petersburg Academy original: "Mémoires de l’Académie St Pétersbourg". The Mongolian translation was presented by the Baron de Constadt to the library of the Institute of France original: "Institut de France". The Manchu translation is in the possession of Charles-Joseph de Harlez, who, with the aid of the Tibetan, Manchu, and Chinese versions, published a French translation of the Sanskrit text of The Diamond Sutra in the Asiatic Journal original: "Journal Asiatique", 1892.^3 It has been observed^4 that “at first sight it may seem as

^1 Beal stated in his preface to The Diamond Sutra original: "Kin-Kong-King", that “it was translated first into the Chinese by Kumara-Jiva (A.D. 405), who was brought into China from Tibet.”
^2 Other translations, worthy of recognition, are those attributed respectively to Bodhiruchi (A.D. 509), Paramartha (A.D. 562), Dharmagupta The OCR reads "Dharmagupa," likely a typo for the monk Dharmagupta., of the Sui dynasty (A.D. 589-618), and Yijing The OCR uses "I-Tsing" for this Tang dynasty monk. (A.D. 703). (Compare the preface to The Diamond Cutter original: "Vagrakkhedika".)
^3 This information may be found in Max Müller’s The Diamond Cutter original: "Vagrakkhedika", and represented, doubtless, at the period when it was written, a considerable part of the knowledge available on the subject.
^4 By Max Müller.