Download the role of diamond sutra in the vietnamese buddhist practice

THE ROLE OF DIAMOND SUTRA
IN THE VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST PRACTICE
♥ Thich Hanh Tuan
Kim Cöông Baùt Nhaõ Ba La Maät Kinh [Vajracchedikāprjnapārāmitāsūtra]1 or
the Diamond Sutra (henceforth Diamond Sutra) is a very well known sutra to most
Buddhists and Buddhologists around the world. The sutra gains its reputation in all
Buddhist traditions, whether Zen, Tantric, or the Pure Land School of Mahāyāna
Buddhism. Especially in the Zen tradition in China, Korea or Japan, a tradition which
advocates not relying on scriptures for seeking enlightenment, the study, practice as
well as
the translation of this sutra from Sanskrit into world languages are
numerous.2
In Vietnam, the Diamond Sutra is also very well known to almost all Buddhists
regardless of what school of Buddhism they belong to. I believe that the elite groups,
the clerical communities, in Vietnam interpret at least five basic messages from the
sutra, as noted in Edward Conze’s translation3 of the sutra. It is also a common
For the meaning of the title of the sutra, see Edward Conze, Vajracchedikā Prajnā
pāramitā, edited and translated with introduction and glossary, Roma, Is. M. E. O.,
1957, pp. 7-8.
2
For the bibliography and translations of the Diamond Sutra in many languages, see
Edward Conze, Ibid., pp. 16-21, the recently collected bibliography of the sutra of five
huge volumes from Taiwan, Vajracchedikā, 1995, Vol. 5, pp. 417-681., Gregory
Schopen, “The Manuscript of the Vajracchedikā Found at Gilgit, An Annotated
Transcription and Translation”, in Studies in The Literature of The Great Vehicle:
Three Mahāyāna Buddhist Texts, edited by Luis O. Goùmez and Jonathan A. Silk, Ann
Arbor, The University of Michigan, 1989, pp. 92-94.
3
In his translation of the sutra from Sanskrit into English, Edward Conze summaries
the teaching of the Buddha in five basic messages as following: I. One should not
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practice to chant the Diamond Sutra a thousand times or to learn it by heart. Due to its
great importance in Buddhist practice, the Diamond Sutra is very well preserved in
many different forms such as the embroidered copies the of Diamond Sutra, hand
copied of the sutra, as well as carvings on woodblocks. Today, we can find this sutra
all around the country of Vietnam both in the private collection of many Buddhist
temples or in public libraries of the government. Particularly in Haùn-Noâm Institute’s
library there are sixteen different editions of the sutra preserved in book form, rubbed
from woodblock prints. As I already mentioned in Chapter One of this dissertation,
due to the ideology of socialism that dominated the thoughts of Vietnamese
communists in the past of more than fifty years, especially in the North, the
conservation of Vietnamese Buddhist xylography was neglected, if not totally ignored.
No completed set of Vietnamese Buddhist woodblock prints can be found in any
Buddhist temple today in Vietnam. Therefore, the study of the art of Vietnamese
woodblock print seems never reach to its good final conclusion. By relying on these
fourteen remaining editions of the Diamond Sutra, I make an attempt to study the
perceive a “self, a being, a living soul, or a person”. As I understand it, these four
recurring key terms should be understood as follows: (1) The ‘self’ (ātman) is the
supposed center round which all our belongings are organized, that part of ourselves with
reference to which we say, ‘This is mine, I am this, this is myself’. (2) A ‘being’
(sattva), is a separate individual, who differentiates what seems to be inside him from
that which seems to be outside. (3) The ‘soul’ (jīva) is the unifying source of an
individual’s life. Like psyche or anima it is the vivifying and unifying force within
each organism, but it lasts only of the span of one life-time, from conception to death.
(4) A ‘person’ (pudgala) is a ‘being’ that is looked at from the outside, as a social
entity Here we consider the part played in different environments, and the selfidentification which results from the relative constancy of one’s role in each
environment. II. One should not perceive a dharma, or separate entity, anywhere,
because there is none. III. Everything is not itself. IV. One should not establish
one’s thoughts anywhere. V. The Buddha and his enlightenment are strictly
transcendental. See Edward Conze, Vajracchedikāprjnapārāmitāsūtraedited and
translated with introduction and glossary, Roma, Is. M. E. O., 1957., pp. 10-11.
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custom and traditional practice of Buddhism in Vietnam. Several issues will be taken
into consideration in this chapter, such as the historical context of the Diamond Sutra
in Vietnam before its appearance in woodblock form. The tradition of following the
custom of taboo characters which was mandated by the courts of many past dynasties
of Vietnam, will also be brought into investigation. The thoughts of the editors in the
prefaces and the post-faces of these editions reveal the studies and practice of the
Diamond Sutra in Vietnam for more than 300 years. These traditions will be carefully
examined.
Historical context of the Diamond Sutra Circulated in Vietnam
Among the following popular sutras circulated in Vietnam, Hoa Nghieâm Kinh,
Phaùp Hoa Kinh, Baùt Nhaõ Kinh, Laêng Giaø Taâm AÁn Kinh , Giaûi Thaâm Maät Kinh, Vieân
Giaùc Kinh , Laêng Nghieâm Kinh , Phaùp Baûo Ñaøn Kinh , Vu LanKinh , A Di Ñaø Kinh , to
name a few, Kim Cöông Kinh or the Diamond Sutra is chanted and studied the most in
the history of Vietnamese Buddhism. There are several historical records revealing
that the Diamond Sutra was known to the Vietnamese people since the sixth century.
It is believed that before the first completed set of the Chinese language
Tripitaka was granted by the court of Song Dynasty China to the Vietnamese people
in the tenth century, a single copy of the Diamond Sūtra already had circulated in
Vietnamese Buddhist communities. Recently studies of Vietnamese Buddhist history
suggest that from the period of the third century to the seventh century, many
Vietnamese monks traveled to China frequently to exercise their religious beliefs.
Some of them even joined the translation committee of Huyeàn Trang at Traøng An in
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Töø AÂn templesuch as Buddhist monk Ñaïi Thöaø Ñaêng4 in the seventh century.
Unfortunately, we do not know exactly how the Diamond Sutra was brought to
Vietnam. Probably, it was carried to Vietnam by those monks who traveled to and
returned home from China in this period. However, the following account provides
information about the state of the Diamond Sutra circulated in Vietnam prior to the
arrival of the Song Tripitaka.
An incident recorded in the Continuation of the
Biographies of Eminent Monks or Xu Gaoseng zhuan, (T. 2060.431a7-432a8) sates that
in the late sixth century there was a Vietnamese Zen monk named Thích Phaùp Minh
who taught the Diamond Sutra to a Sramana, Trí Phu, at Bình Ñaúng Temple in Tuaàn
ChaâuProvince of China.5 For this reason, Thích Phaùp Minh must have studied and
learned in Vietnam the sutra for teaching his student, Trí Phu , in China. However, in
this period Vietnam was still under the control of the Northerners, the Chinese.
Vietnam did not declare its independence from the Chinese until the end of tenth
century.
Beyond woodblock prints of Diamond Sutra
Needless to say, the survival woodblock printing in book form of the Diamond
Sutra, which is collected from Dunhuang by Dr. Stein in 1907 and displayed in the
British Museum is very well known to all Buddhist scholars. The sutra was carved on
Leâ Maïnh Thaùt, Lòch Söû Phaät Giaùo Vieät Nam, Taäp II [Vietnamese Buddhist History,
Vol. II], Hoà Chí Minh Publishing House, Hoà Chí Minh City, 2001, pp.171-193 and p.
676.
5
Leâ Maïnh Thaùt, Lòch Söû Phaät Giaùo Vieät Nam, Taäp I [Vietnamese Buddhist History,
Vol. I], Thuaän Hoaù Publishing House, Hueá City, 1999, pp. 496-501.
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the 15th day of the 4th month of the 9th year of Hsien-t’ung [May 11, 868].6 This is the
oldest woodblock printed book still existing in the world, even though the practice of
woodblock printing was supposedly invented by the Chinese people at least one
century before the carving date of this Diamond Sutra.7
In Vietnam, the Diamond Sutra was definitely studied by the elite Buddhist
communities, such as the high ranking monks known as the supervisors for the court,
since the first completed set of the Chinese Buddhist Tripitaka was granted to
Vietnam by the King of the Song Dynasty China in the reign of the King Leâ Long
Ñænh (r. 1005-1009) in the year he took the throne, 1007.8 In Vietnam, following the
decree of the King, the Tripitaka was then carved on woodblocks and copied on
regular papers for a wide distribution. Among these sutras copied and printed from
the Song Tripitaka, I believe that the Diamond Sutra was treated priority.
Since the date of the presentation of the Chinese Tripitaka in Vietnam, the
Diamond Sutra was studied and engraved on woodblocks by many patrons from
different temples. This practice was also mentioned in some Vietnamese Buddhist
literature such as books and stone inscriptions. First of all, on Baûo Thaåm Temple’s
stele, we found an account saying that ‘in the 11th year of Ñaïi Chính Era (1540), the
temple organized to engrave on woodblocks some important Buddhist sutras such as
the Diamond Sutra, Quan AÂm Kinh, Muc Lieân Kinh, the Haûi Hoäi Mandala and casting
For the entire account of this famous sutra, please read Thomas Francis Carter, The
Invention of Printing in China and Its Spread Westward, second edition, The Ronald
Press Company, New York, 1955, pp. 54-66.
7
Ibid.; pp. 46-53. For other observation of the earliest date printing of the Buddhist
charm, please read Denis Twitchett, Printing and Publishing in Medieval China,
Frederic C. Beil, Publisher, New York, 1983, pp.13-16, and SOHN Pow-key, Early
Koren Typography, Publisher, 1972, pp. 121-125.
8
Leâ Maïnh Thaùt, Lòch Söû Phaät Giaùo Vieät Nam, Taäp II [Vietnamese Buddhist History,
Vol. II], Hoà Chí Minh Publishing House, Hoà Chí Minh City, 2001, pp. 520-521.
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the temple’s bell’.9 In addition, the stele of Lieãu KheâTemple engraved that in AÁt
Maõoyear (1615), the temple hired carvers to carve the Diamond Sutra on woodblock.10
The Diamond Sutra in Vietnamese Zen tradition practice
In Zen tradition, either in China or Vietnam, Boà Ñeà Ñaït Ma [Bodhidharma] is
believed to be the first patriarch of Chinese Zen Buddhism who arrived in China in the
King Liang Wudi Era, around the 6th century. This first patriarch is also believed to
have sat in meditation for nine years staring long at the wall because he could not find
the right Zen student to whom he could transfer the message of Zen that he brought
from India. There is a famous gatha or verse which carries the essence meaning and
practice of the Zen school ascribes to Bodhidharma as follows:
Giaùo ngoaïi bieät truyeàn, baát laäp vaên töï, tröïc chæ nhaân taâm, kieán tính thaønh
Phaät “A special transmission outside the scriptures, Not founded upon
words and letters; By pointing directly to [one’s] mind, It lets one see into
[one’s own true] nature and [thus] attain Buddhahood.”11
Hence, the Chinese Zen practitioners in this early phase of Zen history tend not rely
on the teachings of the Buddha for seeking enlightenment. In contrast to Chinese Zen
tradition, Vietnamese Zen, besides taking the messages of Bodhidharma into
consideration, still kept the practice of chanting, learning, preaching and copying
several famous sutras such as Vieân Giaùc [Sutra of Complete Enlightenment], Phaùp
Hoa [Lotus Sutra], Hoa Nghieâm [Huayan Sutra], Nhaân Vöông Hoä Quoác [Benevolent
Nguyeãn Quang Hoàng, chief editor, Vaên Khaéc Haùn Noâm Vieät Nam, Tuyeån Choïn –
Löôïc Thuaät, Social Science Publishing House, Hanoi, 1992, p. 225.
10
Ibid; p. 312.
11
See Heinrich Dumoulin translated by James W. Heisig and Paul Knitter, Zen
Buddhism: A History, India and China, Macmillan Publishing Company, Simon &
Schuster Macmillan, New York, 1994, pp. 85-106, and Nan Huai-Chin, translated by
Thomas Cleary, The Story of Chinese Zen, Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc., Boston, Rutland,
Vermont, Tokyo, 1995, pp. 64-80.
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King Sutra] and Kim Cöông
Taäp Anh
[Diamond Sutra]. A special account in the Thieàn Uyeån
[A Collection of Outstanding Figures of the Zen Community]12 reveals
vividly that the Diamond Sutra was recited, studied, lectured and copied by Zen
monks and nuns such as Thöôøng Chieáu , Thanh Bieän , Giôùi Khoâng and Dieäu Nhaân.
Instead of not relying on scriptures and only focusing on meditation on self-nature,
these Zen monks and nuns of Vietnam wholeheartedly devoted their time and energy
to study and practice according to the messages stated in the Diamond Sutra . They
were not only mastering the philosophy of the sutra but also became enlightened from
it.
The first account recorded in Thieàn Uyeån Taäp Anh states that one day an
advanced student of Quaûng Nghieâm (1122-1190), Thöôøng Chieáu (?-1203) presented
an issue from Diamond Sutra as follow:
‘The dharma that the Tathāgata has attained is neither real nor unreal [Nhö
Lai sôû ñaéc phaùp, thöû phaùp voâ thaät voâ hö (37a2)], what is this dharma?
Quaûng Nghieâm said: “Better stop slandering the Tathāgata.” Thöôøng
Chieáu said: “Better stop slandering the sutra, Master!” Quaûng Nghieâm
said: “Who teaches this sutra?” Thöôøng Chieáu said: “Venerable Sir,
please do not joke with me. It’s the Buddha who teaches it, isn’t it?”
Quaûng Nghieâm said: “If Buddha teaches it, why is it said in the sutra itself
that ‘if you say that the Tathāgata has taught the Dharma, you are
slandering the Buddha’” [Nhöôïc ngoân nhö lai höõu sôû thuyeát phaùp taéc vi
baùng Phaät (37a6)], Thöôøng Chieáu could not answer.13
Another account relates to the instruction of a Zen master to practice according to
the messages of the sutra rather than to learn it by heart. There was a Zen master
For the translation and critical study of this book, please read Leâ Maïnh Thaùt, Toång
Taäp Vaên Hoïc Phaät Giaùo Vieät Nam, Taäp 3 [Anthology of Vietnamese Buddhist
Literature, Vol. 3], Hoà Chí Minh City Publisher, 2002., and Tu Cuong Nguyen, Zen in
Medieval Vietnam, A Study and Translation of the Thieàn Uyeån Taäp Anh, University of
Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 1997.
13
Tu Cuong Nguyen, Ibid., p. 154.
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named Thanh Bieän (?-686) who devoted the rest of his life to reciting the Diamond
Sutra after his master, Phaùp Ñaêng , passed away. However, Thanh Bieän did not
understand the meaning of the sutra. The statement is recorded in Thieàn Uyeån Taäp
Anh as follow:
‘One day, a Zen man visited him. After a while, the man asked: “This
sūtra is the mother of past, present, and future (Thöû kinh thò tam theá chö
Phaät maãu) [46a9-10] what is the meaning of ‘the mother of Buddhas’?”
Thanh Bieän said: “I have been chanting the sūtra but I do not yet
understand its meaning.” The man asked: “How long have you been
chanting this sūtra?” Thanh Bieän said: “Eight years.” The man [46b] said:
“If you have been chanting the sūtra like this for eight years and still can’t
understand its meaning, then even if you chant it for a hundred years, what
will it accomplish?” Thanh Bieän bowed down to the Zen man and asked
for instruction. The man told him to go to Master Hueä Nghieâm of Suøng
Temple for instruction. Thanh Bieän felt relieved and said:
Nghieäp
“Only now do I realize that Phaùp Ñaêng’s words have turned out to be true.”
He then followed the man to Suøng Nghieäp Temple. 14
Trí Nhaøn , who is known a Zen master who practiced Zen in Lyù’s dynasty (10101225), once day listened to his Zen master, Giôùi Khoâng, lecturing on the Diamond
Sutra. When Giôùi Khoâng explained the verse: Nhaát thieát höõu vi phaùp nhö moäng huyeãn
baøo aûnh, nhö loä dieäc nhö ñieän, öng taùc nhö thò quaùn (64a1-1) –all conditioned
phenomena are like dream, like illusions, like bubbles, like images, like dewdrops,
like lightning—thus should one contemplate.15
Trí Nhaøn was suddenly enlightened and exclaimed: “The Tathāgata’s six
kinds of statements are certainly not falsely spoken: All mundane things
are indeed empty, illusory, and not real; only the dharma is real. What else
am I searching for? The Confucians talk about the normative relationships
between ruler and subject, father and son, while Buddhism elucidates the
achievements of Bodhisattvas and Disciples (Srāvaka). Although the two
teachings are separate paths, they lead to the same goal. Nevertheless,
14
15
Ibid., pp. 166-167.
Vajarcchedikā-prajnāpāramitā-sūtra, Edward Conze, p.752b27-28.
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only Buddhism makes it possible to release oneself from the suffering of
the birth and death, and to cut off calculations in terms of being and
nonbeing.” He then asked to be ordained as a monk.16
Dieäu Nhaân (1042-1113) is very well known as the first Vietnamese
Buddhist nun. After renouncing mundane life, she received Bodhisattva precepts
from Zen master Chaân Khoâng. Dieäu Nhaân understood profoundly the teaching of the
Diamond Sutra.
She also practiced discipline and meditation and attained true
samādhi. She always kept silent: she was averse to sound and form, words and
speech.
A student asked: “I am sich because all sentient being are sick.’ Why
should you have an aversion to sound and form?” Dieäu Nhaân
quoted
the Diamond Sūtra, saying: “If someone sees me through form or looks for
me through sound, that person is following a wrong path and cannot see the
Tathagata”[Nhöôïc dó saéc kieán ngaõ, dó aâm thanh caàu ngaõ, thò nhaân haønh taø
ñaïo, baát naêng kieán Nhö Lai (67a8-9).17 The student continued: “What is
the use of sitting in meditation?” Dieäu Nhaânsaid: “It is originally without
going. “The student continued: “Why don’t you speak?” Dieäu Nhaân said:
“The Path is fundamentally without words.” 18
Besides those above mentioned incidences about the studies and practices of
the Diamond Sutra recorded in temples’ steles and Thieàn Uyeån Taäp Anh of
Vietnamese Zen tradition, the surviving woodblock printed books of this sutra are
dominant the collection of the Sino-Nom Institute. At least sixteen different versions
of the Diamond Sutra were founded well preserved in the library of the Han-Nom
Institute. Following is the list of these versions of the sutra:
Tu Cuong Nguyen, Ibid., pp. 192-193.
Edward Conze, Ibid., p. 56.
18
Tu Cuong Nguyen, Ibid., pp. 197-198.
16
17
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1) Kim Cang Baùt Nhaõ Ba La Maät Kinh Taäp Chuù , Call number # AC-141, 19
Carving dated: Unknown.
2) Kim Cang Baùt Nhaõ Ba La Maät Kinh Taäp Chuù , Call number # AC-510,
Carving dated: 1700
3) Kim Cang Baùt Nhaõ Ba La Maät Kinh, Call number # AC-254, Carving dated:
1745
4) Kim Cang Kinh Giaûi, Call number # AC-512, Carving dated: 1745
5) Kim Cang Kinh Tröïc Giaûi , Call number # AC-320, Carving dated: 1822.
6) Kim Cang Baùt Nhaõ Ba La Maät Kinh , Call number # AC-299, Carving
dated: 1825.
7) Kim Cang Kinh, Call number # AC-176, Carving dated: Taân Muøi nieân ?
8) Kim Cang Kinh, Call number # AC-319, Carving dated: 1827.
9) Kim Cang Baùt Nhaõ Ba La Maät Kinh , Call number # AC-456, Carving
dated: 1849.
10) Kim Cang Kinh, Call number # AC-438, Carving dated: Giaùp Tuaát nieân ?
11) Kim Cang Kinh, Call number # AC-184, Carving dated: Unknown
12) Kim Cang Baùt Nhaõ Ba La Maät Kinh, Call number # VHb-133, Carving
dated: Unknown.
13) Kim Cang Kinh Giaûi Lyù Muïc , Call number # AB-528, Carving dated: 1857
14) Kim Cang Kinh Quoác AÂm , Call number # AB-567, Carving dated: 1861
15) Kim Cang Kinh Tröïc Giaûi , Call number # AC-167, Carving dated: 1886
16) Kim Cang Baùt Nhaõ Ba La Maät Kinh , Call number # AC-131, Carving
dated: 1886
Among the thousands of Buddhist sutras collected and preserved since the date
that Haùn- Noâm institute’s library was established in 1901,20 none of the popular sutras
mentioned above have more versions than the Diamond Sutra. These incidences
signal the importance of the sutra in the life of Vietnamese Buddhist communities,
whether clerical or lay.
These texts are listed in Traàn Nghiaõ and Francois Gros, Di Saûn Haùn Noâm Vieät Nam
Thö Muïc Ñeà Yeáu, Taäp 3 (Catalogue des Livres en Haùn Noâm, Vol. 3), catalogue number
4680, Social Sciences Publishing House, Hanoi, 1993, pp. 804-805.
19
20
See Traàn Nghiaõ and Francois Gros, Ibid., Vol. 1, p. 20.
10
The Diamond Sutra is very well known to all Buddhist scholars around the
world, six different translations of the Diamond Sutra are listed in the Taisho
Tripitaka21. Eventually, the translation of Cöu Ma La Thaäp Kumārajīvā, [T. 235]
which was translated from the Sanskrit text in A.D. 40122 became the most studied
version of the texts in China. Interestingly, in Vietnam among these sixteen editions
preserved in the Haùn-Noâm Institute’s library, none of the translation of Bodhiruci (T.
236) or the four other translators of the sutra, Paramārtha(T. 237), Dharmagupta (T.
238), Hsüan-Tsang (T. 220(9)), Yi-ching (T. 239),
appeared in the Vietnamese
woodblock prints. Therefore, Vietnam does not appear to use any translation of the
Diamond Sutra other than Kumārajīvā’s.
The Date of the Text
From the list of versions of the Diamond Sutra mentioned above, among the
sixteen different editions, the edition bearing the call number AC. 510, carved in
1700, is the oldest Vietnamese woodblock printed of the Diamond Sutra surviving in
book form kept in Han Nom Institute in Hanoi. The editor of this version mentions
that the blocks of this sutra are stored at Huyønh Laâm Temple, in Ñoâng Trieàu District,
Quaûng Ninh Province, North Vietnam. Due to the war that was going on in the early
20th century, this temple has totally vanished due to the bombardments of the French
troops, and the blocks of this sutra probably were burned to ashes among thousands of
other blocks stored in the temple.
The preface and the post-face of the 1700-edition are written by the editor, the
most venerable Tueä Ñaêng Chaân Nguyeân who proposed the project of carving the
21
For the list and titles of the sutra, see Edward Conze, Ibid., pp. 16-17.
For the translation’s date of the sutra, please see Lewis Lancaster, The Korean
Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue, University of California Press, Berkeley .
Los Angeles . London, 1979, pp. 8-9.
22
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blocks of the sutra. He does not mention the original version of the sutra he used to
copy this new edition, whether this version that was carved in 1700 was copied exactly
from a preceding one, whether the preceding version of the sutra was in the form of
woodblock print or manuscript. It is difficult to say what version of the text the editor
asked the carver or the writer to follow in order to produce the new edition. It is most
common situation not to know the previous edition for a woodblock carving project in
Vietnam, especially these sixteen versions of the Diamond Sutra.
By comparing the glyph of the text carefully, word by word of the 1700-edition
of the Diamond Sutra published in the Korean Buddhist Tripitaka, I made an attempt
to find a shadow of the text on which the editor may have relied for his new edition.
By doing this, I would say the glyphs of the 1700 is closest to the text of the Diamond
Sutra numbered K.13 printed in the Korean Buddhist Tripitaka. Almost all glyphs of
Chinese characters of the Vietnamese Diamond Sutra carved in 1700 are identical
with the glyphs of the Diamond Sutra printed in the Korean Tripitaka.23 If we agree
that the Korean Tripitaka which was carved more than 700 hundred years ago and all
blocks now still well preserved in Hein Monastery in South Korea of the Tripitaka
carry on the same glyphs which were produced from the Northern Song Tripitaka,
then I would say, the Diamond Sutra of Vietnam carved in 1700 is very closed to the
Northern Song edition of the Tripitaka.
This means that the version of the
Vietnamese Diamond Sutra carved in 1700 used the version from the Song edition as
the basic for the new edition. This deduction allows me to say that the Tripitaka that
was acquired from the Song edition of the Tripitaka by the dynasties of Vietnam from
the tenth to the fourteenth century were still available to the editor of the sutra in
seventeenth century.
In the third chapter of this dissertation, ‘Brief History of
For the catalogue number of this edition, please see Lewis R. Lancaster, The Korean
Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue, University of California Press, Berkeley .
Los Angeles . London, 1979.
23
12
Vietnamese Buddhist Xylography’, I already mentioned that during the dynasties of
the kings of the Ñinh, Leâ , Lyù and Traàn dynasties of Vietnam, from the tenth century
to the fourteenth century, three complete Chinese Buddhist Tripitakas were granted
by the kings of Song. The Vietnamese Tripitaka then was copied and carved for wide
distribution. There is no doubt that the editor of the 1700 Vietnamese version used
one of these.
Taboo Characters Revealed in Diamond Sutra
There is another promising source helping me to determine the date of the old
edition that the editor may used to produce new edition. Among sixteen remaining
editions mentioning above, the Diamond Sutra bears the date 1827 (call number AC.
319), I found seven times the editor follows the custom of taboo characters of Nguyeãn
Dynasty (r. 1802-1945).
According to the rule of taboo characters which was laid out by the incumbent
kings of those dynasties since 1802 to 1945. During these 44 years of governing the
country of Vietnam, those kings of Nguyeãn twenty two times declared more than 150
taboo characters should be avoid in spoken language and also in written literatures,
including carving, writing and chanting Buddhist sutra in Vietnam. The people of
Vietnam must obey the rule of the kings otherwise they will be punished. This custom
still reveals in the Diamond Sutra of 1827. For example, three characters are identical
with the glyph and pronunciation of the king’s Gia Long (r. 1802-1819) first name and
his closed relative’s first names such as the character Chuûng in the phrase ‘chuûng chö
thieän caên ’ is the first name of King Gia Long . The character Lan in the phrase ‘A
lan nhaõ haïnh ’ is the king’s Gia Long mother’s first name; and the character Ñaûm in
the phrase ‘haø ñaûm nhö lai’ ’ is the homophone of the first name of the King Minh
Mang (r. 1820-1840). These three characters must be avoided to carve exactly as
13
theirs glyphs and must be avoid to say by their original pronunciation. Instead of
carving these characters Chuûng, Lan , Ñaûm , they must be engraved in different form ,
and instead of saying Chuûng, Lan, Ñaûm, they must be said, Chöôûng, La, Ñam
The practice of avoiding using characters that identical to those king names or
kings’ very close relative names such as king mother or father names still affected the
practice of carving Buddhist texts in this period. Fortunately, the version of AC. 319
bears the date of 1827. We don’t have problem of dating this text. If this pattern
repeat in another text but they bear no date in the preface or post-face, we can infer
from examining this tradition, the tradition of taboo characters. If this version of
Diamond Sutra of AC. 319 bears no date, we might come up with a certain assumption
if not hundred percent sure that of its date by study those taboo characters appear on
the text. However, this is not a clear or simple case let us come up with very firm
conclusion.
In order to show the reader how we can date the text particularly this Diamond
Sutra, I make further analysis study of the custom of taboo character still reveals on
the Diamond Sutra of 1827. As I mentioned above, there are seven times with four
characters following the practice of taboo characters: Chuûng, Lan, Ñaûm. According to
Ngoâ Ñöùc Thoï, in this period 1825-1833, the period was ruling by the King Minh Maïng
(r.1820-1840)
During this 21 years ruling the country,
Minh Maïng five times
declared the rule of taboo characters. The second time felt in the year of 1825. In this
time, the King declared that that twenty following characters must be avoid of carving,
writing, or saying. They fall into three different groups: 1) Prohibited to use in writing
literature, must change to another character with similar meaning but different
pronunciation of these 5 characters: Noaõn, AÙnh, Chuûng, Kieåu, Ñaûm. The character
Noaõn must change to the character AÙo.
The character AÙnh must change to the
character Chieáu. The character Chuûng must change to the character Thöïc. And the
14
character Kieåu must change to the character Haïo, and The character Ñaïm must change
to the character Phuû. 2) Prohibited to use to named person or local name of village,
must add the radical ‘<<<’ on the top of the character. For example: Coán -> Coán with
<<<, Hoaøn -> Hoaøn with <<<, Lan -> Lan with <<< and Ñang -> Ñang with <<< (on
the top). 3) Avoiding pronunciation the same and name a person these eleven
following characters: Kim, Hoaøng, Nguyeân, Lan, Taàn, Thaùi, Chu, Thuï, Khoaùt, Hieåu and
Thuaàn.24
The Diamond Sutra carved in 1827 followed the above mentioned of the
second mandate of the King Minh Maïng in 1825 these following three characters:
Chuûng, Lan and Ñaûm. However, the editor of 1827 did not obey exactly the mandate
of the King. According to the first group of the taboo character, the word Chuûng must
be changed to the word Thöïc (with similar meaning but different glyph and
pronunciation). The character Ñaûm must be changed to the word Phuû (with similar
meaning but different glyph and pronunciation) and the character Lan must be
changed to Lan with <<< on the top. Instead of carving exactly these three characters
as they were laid out in the decree of the King Minh Mang, they are carved with a
black-hole radical in the left side of its character. These glyphs of these three
characters were not engraved as the same as theirs glyphs that they should be carved
as of declaration of taboo characters of King Minh Maïng in 1825.
The further investigation of this practice of the custom of taboo character leads
me to conclude that the custom of avoiding carving exactly the glyph of Chinese
character of the King’s first name or his closed relative’s names by leaving out the left
radical in a black-hole side by side of the right radical is the practice of the custom
later on at least 40 to 50 years later. This custom was laid out by the King Thaønh Thaùi
24
Ngoâ Ñöùc Thoï, p.132.
15
(1889-1907)25. In this era, the King Thaønh Thaùi declared three groups of taboo
characters must be obeyed. Among these three groups, there are several characters
should be avoided written as their own glyphs in the first and second group. When we
write them down, we must leave out or color them in black ink those radicals in their
left sides. For example the character Chieu should be written as following: (leave out
in blank or color them in black ink in the first radical of the character Chieu ; and the
character Laân should be written down like this: (black-hole replace for the radical
Sôn + boä laân).
This format of writing taboo character is believed the last time those Kings of
Vietnam laid out the rule of taboo character. The main question still do not have clear
answer is why the version of the Diamond Sutra was carved in 1827 followed the rule
of King Minh Maïng which was declared in 1886-1907 ? They supposed to obey the
rule of taboo characters declared in the second time of the King Tự Đức in 1825. This
issue need further study.
Sutra-studies and practices revealed in woodblock-printed Diamond Sutra
The analysis of the situation of sutra-studies and practices in ancient time
Vietnam is a very difficult task due to the lack of materials of Vietnamese Buddhist
literature, particularly from a philosophical and historical perspective. Not many
stone inscriptions, steles slabs or written material (books) are available to us due to
the vanishing in wars going on in Vietnam since the first century A.D. to the ‘Birth of
Vietnam’ at the end of tenth century A.D., not to mention the cultural revolution /
cleansing of the Ming troops in Vietnam at the end of fourteenth century and several
decade at the beginning of the fifteenth century.
25
Ibid., Ngoâ Ñöùc Thoï, pp. 166-167.
16
A valuable resource, the woodblock print of the text, Thích Truyeàn Chính Toâng
Phaùp AÁn , carved date 1568, the oldest book of Vietnamese Buddhism has just been
found in the private collection of Dr. Leâ Maïnh Thaùt. It may be helpful to analyze the
sutra-studies of clerical or lay communities of Vietnam in the sixteenth century.26
However, Thích Truyeàn Chính Toâng Phaùp AÁn , is not a critical study or commentary of
any sutra in Vietnamese Buddhism. It merely is a liturgical book that only depicts
many different hand gestures (mūdras) and inscriptions to instruct the masters who
need to follow for performing a certain type of ceremony.
One possible strategy for analyzing the situation of sutra-studies and the
practice of Vietnamese Buddhism in the contemporary period of the last three
hundred years, from the beginning of eighteen century to the end of twenty century, is
to attempt to analyze the thoughts in the preface, post-face or colophon of the
woodblock prints of the sixteen surviving versions of the Diamond Sutra preserved in
Haùn-Noâm Institute’s library. Hopefully, I can present a shadow of sutra-studies in this
period.
Needless to say, studies and practices of the Diamond Sutra are highly
regarded by elite groups in many Mahāyāna Buddhist countries. In Vietnam, the elite
groups of monks, who were in charged of carving project, revealed its thoughts in the
commentaries, prefaces and the post-faces of these sixteen versions of the Diamond
Today, Han-Nom’s scholars of Vietnam still believe that the oldest book of SinoNom is still preserved in Han-Nom Institute’s Library, the book of Bình An Vöông
Leänh Chæ, dated 1599. However, this is a handwritten book but not a woodblock print.
The study of this handwritten-book is presented in the article, “Giôùi Thieäu veà Moät
Vaên Baûn coù Nieân Ñaïi Coå Nhaát Hieän Coøn taïi Vieän Nghieân Cöùu Haùn Noâm”
[“Introduction to the Oldest Date-Book Remaining in Han-Nom Institute’s Library”],
Thoâng Baùo Haùn Noâm Hoïc 1998, Haùn-Noâm Institute Publication, Hanoi, 1999, pp. 282287. The book of Thích Truyeàn Chính Toâng Phaùp AÁn , dated 1568, is therefore
considered a as hidden treasure material of Vietnamese Buddhist woodblock prints,
just revealed by the owner. This information was never known to Vietnamese
scholars.
26
17
Sutra. I will step-by-step carefully go through these commentaries, the prefaces and
post-faces of these sutras, to see how the messages of the sutra were conveyed during
this period.
First of all, textual critical studies is not known to scholars in the West until the
seventeenth century when the first edition of the Greek New Testament by Erasmus.27
In the East, especially in Vietnam, textual criticism is totally ignored by those who are
considered to be the intellectual elite groups of Vietnamese Buddhism, at least until
the end of nineteenth century. The lack of textual criticism continues until the early
decades of the twentieth century. Evidence of the advent of the new approach to text
exists in the preface and the post-face of the Ñaïi Baûo Tích Kinh [Mahāratnakūtasūtra]
which was edited in 1927.28
Before 1927, we never find any critical studies or editing of any Buddhist text
in Vietnam. The remaining sixteen different versions of woodblock prints of the
Diamond Sutra reveal concrete evidence that there were not any critical studies of
Buddhist sutras in Vietnam prior to 1927. In the previous three hundred years, the
Diamond Sutra was recarved on woodblocks sixteen times. Among these sixteen
editions, half of them bears prefaces and post-faces and half of them have none. For
those eight editions that bear no preface or post-face, we can’t say anything about the
studies and practices relating to the Diamond Sutra except about the style of the art of
engraving the blocks. The other eight editions bearing prefaces and post-faces can be
relied upon for analyzing the studies and practices around the Diamond Sutra during
the past three hundred years of Vietnamese Buddhism.
This analysis will be
presented in chronological based on the date when these editions were edited.
See Lewis R. Lancaster, “The Editing of Buddhist Texts” in Buddhist Thought and
Asian Civilization, edited by Leslie S. Kawamura and Keith Scott, Dharma Publishing,
Emeryville, California, 1977, pp. 145-151.
28
This account already mentioned in Chapter 5 of this dissertation, pp. 101-102.
27
18
First of all, in the preface of the Diamond Sutra that was carved in 1700,29 we
see the editor, the most venerable Tueä Ñaêng Chaân Nguyeân , states,
The merit produced from this sutra is very great because the message of the
sutra can transform the state of ignorance and the defilement of many sentient
beings to enlightenment and liberation. Therefore, studies and practice
according to the messages stated in the sutra is very important. There are
many commentators who already explained this sutra since the dynasties of
Tang and Song of China. This edition (carved in 1700) is the best one which is
composed by the reading and studying of those editions (of Tang and Song). I
hoped that this version will be spreading all over the Zen gardens of the whole
country for the understanding of the deep / hidden messages of the sutra. If
there is anyone who really sees the true meaning of the sutra, that one is
similar to a blind person who has just opened their eyes to see the light of the
sun and the moon. And similar to the poor one who has just received a
treasury of jewelry from all of the oceans. What a great and happiness!
The editor further states that his intention in editing this sutra is to transfer to
his eminent disciples who continue to carry on the wisdom light of the Buddha and are
responsible for the teaching of the Buddha. He also believes that he is fortunate
enough to have this sutra due to the good karma that he had planted in the past.
Therefore, whoever took Bodhisattva vows to travel on the journey of saving all
sentient beings from suffering definitely needs to rely on this sutra to practice
attaining enlightenment for himself and then for all others.
Such merits are
innumerous and unthinkable.
The preface of the next Diamond Sutra, bearing call number AC. 141, does not
have the editor’s name. We do not know who wrote the preface and who proposed
the project of carving this sutra.
We also do not know when this version was
engraved. The only information relates to the place where the blocks of the sutra
29
Unfortunately, we do not have a complete preface of this edition. Several pages
preceding the remain of the preface were missing. The first line of the remaining
preface begins with, “…traàm meâ. Nieäm chuùng sinh chi minh muoäi… ”
19
were kept, Linh Quang Temple of Thoï Xöông District, Hoaøi Ñöùc County, Haø Noäi
Province. However, the font size, the calligraphy and the glyph of the Chinese
characters of this version almost identical with the font size, the calligraphy and the
glyph of the preface of the edition of the Diamond Sutra discussed above, which bears
the date of 1700.
The preface of this sutra (AC. 141) contains some interesting aspects of the
messages of the sutra and the Zen tradition.
First of all, the editor states the
substantial meaning in the Diamond Sutra of self-nature, which is the metaphor of our
Buddha natures. Due to the bad karma of sentient beings, they are reborn in four
different forms of birth30 and six different destinations. Therefore, the Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas, appear from their vows in many different forms to sentient beings in all
different uncountable worlds to spread the dharma-rain from their compassionate
clouds. We should know that all Buddhas in the past are still residing in this world
with their enlightenment minds. Hence, the Buddhas of the past, present and future
times, mind to mind transfer to the six generations of Zen (in China). Each of them
has each own unique form of body. However, their self natures in the past or present
are the same. In an ancient time the first patriarch, Bodhidharma, alone came (to
China) to transmit the Zen mind-seal. He entrusted the Lankāvatāra Sūtra to Hueä
Khả. The Great Master Hoaèng Nhaãn secretly transferred the wisdom light, using the
Diamond Sutra to entrust to Hueä Naêng .
To the editor of the above mentioned edition, the Diamond Sutra plays a very
important role in Zen, if it does not completely dominate the Zen tradition. Therefore,
Töù Sinh [catur-yoni] or “four forms of birth”: (1) Thai sinh [jarāyuja], viviparous, as
with mammalia; (2) Noaõn sinh [andaja], oviparous, as with birds; (3) Thaáp sinh
[samsvedaja], moisture, or water-born, as with worms and fishes; (4) Hoaù sinh
[aupapāduka], metamorphic, as with moths from the chrysalis, or with devas, or in the
hells, or the first beings in a newly evolved world. See William Edward Soothill, A
Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms, p. 178.
30
20
he encourages Zen practitioners’ need to grasp the deep meaning of the sutra by
wholeheartedly studying it, but does not say that Zen ‘does not rely on words or
scriptural teachings for seeking enlightenment’ nor does he says to ignore this very
important sutra.
After the end of the preface, the block was engraved with names of the temple,
district, province where the block will be kept. The editor of this edition seems
completely silent on the situation of the Vietnamese Zen tradition. For this reason, I
believe that this preface was not written in Vietnam but is just a copy of a version that
the editor used as a base for this new edition. And the editor who wrote this preface
may not be a Vietnamese Zen master who.
The next preface of the Diamond Sutra bears the call number AC. 512 shows
us similar situation with the sutra mentioned above (AC.141). This edition (AC.512)
contains two prefaces. The first one was written by a Zen master Thieân Muïc Trung
Phong (?) and the second one was written by the most venerable Sieâu Thuûy (?).31 The
editor of the first preface demonstrates his understanding of the teachings of
nonattachment on any forms of the sutra. In the second preface of the edition, the
editor, Sieâu Thuûy , emphasizes the importance of the study and practice of the sutra in
general. He quoted a famous saying of the Buddhist Zen tradition, ‘Y kinh giaûi nghiaõ
tam theá Phaät oan, ly kinh nhaát töï töùc ñoàng ma thuyeát ’ [if you totally rely on the sutra to
explain {but do not practicing according to} the teachings of the Buddha, you oppress
the Buddhas in the past, present and future; however, if you leave out even one single
word of the teachings {of the Buddha}, you speak the same teachings of the Devil
(Mara)] to remind Zen practitioners not to turn their backs on the sutra and to be
Regarding these two figures, Zen master Thieân Muïc Trung Phong and the Most
Venerable Sieâu Thuûy, I am totally ignorant on their biographies. Probably, they are
two Zen masters from China who wrote two prefaces for this edition of the Diamond
Sutra, and when the sutra was carved in Vietnam, these prefaces were reproduced.
31
21
careful to explain the teachings of Buddhas of the past, present and future times.
Finally, there is one word, nam in the last sentence of this preface that reveals the
custom of following taboo character. This custom again signals to us that the version
of this sutra, which was carved in 1745 probably used the edition of the thirteenth
century as the basic of the new version. Alternatively, the people of Vietnam in the
eighteenth century might still have carried on the custom that was laid out by the
Kings of the Traàn Dynasty in the thirteenth century.32
In the same period, 1745, the Diamond Sutra bearing the call number AC. 254,
was also carved and stored in Baùo AÂn Temple of Vaân Teá Commune, Thöôïng Phuùc
District. In the preface to the edition of 1745, the editor quoted the famous phrase of
the sutra, ‘Öng voâ sôû truï nhi sinh kyø taâm’[one should not generate the mind basing on
any object]33 to explain the messages that the Buddha taught to Subhuti. Because in
The Platform Sutra the sixth patriarch, Hui-nengis said to have become enlightened
after hearing this phrase.34 This account reveals that the editor seems to be influenced
by the famous account the Sixth Patriarch, Hui-neng in Chinese Zen. The editor
further refers to another basic message of the sutra. He emphasizes the important role
of this sutra in Buddhist tradition by quote, ‘tam theá nhö lai y thöû Kim Cang Kinh nhi
thaønh voâ thöôïng chaùnh ñaúng chaùnh giaùc’ [three generations of the Tathāgata all rely
on this sutra to become enlightenment].
According to Ngoâ Ñöùc Thoï, the word, nam, of the phrase, hoaø nam soaïn, is one of
the taboo characters of Traàn Dynasty of Vietnam (1225-1400). However, he does not
know exactly who bears the first name, nam, of Traàn’s close relatives’ first names. He
suggests that this word nam is one of the first names of the Kings of Traàn’s in-law
family. See Ngoâ Ñöùc Thoï, Ibid., p. 52 and Annex IV.
33
“ying wu so chu erh shen ch’i hsin”. The original Sanskrit of this scripture has been
Vajracchedikāprajnāpāramitāsūtra, Serie Orientale Roma XIII , Roma: Is. M.E.O., 1974.
34
Liu-tsu t’an-ching (T.48), see W. T. Chan, trans., The Platform Scripture, New York,
1963.
32
22
Finally, the editor shows us his understanding of the place of the Diamond
Sutra in the system of
Prajnāparāmitā literature.
He points out that the
Mahāprajnāparāmitāsūtra contains 600 scrolls (volumes), and 60 assemblies. Among
these, the Diamond Sutra is the ninth assembly. He further mentions to us that the
sutra was divided into thirty-two sections by Prince Chieâu Minh (499-529) of the
Löông Dynasty (502-557) of China.
In the preface of the fifth Diamond Sutra, carved in 1822 (Call number
AC.320), the editor, Sramana Tính Tænh Dieân Tröôøng, tells us of a special case of the
appearance of the sutra in Vietnam. He states that there was a merchant who from
China carried with him this sutra and wanted to offer it to Boå Ñaø Temple. In this
sutra, there is a statement saying that on only one occasion in a thousand years, will
there be a Bodhisattva appearing with the Diamond Sutra. The editor opened the
sutra and read it once. He was very happy and then asked the abbot of the temple,
Sramana Tòch Trai, together with the abbot of Nhaát Truï Temple, Sramana Tòch Thu,
to raise funds to pay for the carving of the sutra for the future benefit of all Buddhists.
The statement above, shows us that the clerical communities of those two
temples had never heard about this Diamond Sutra. When they had a good chance to
have the sutra, out of their happiness, they were eager to study it and to have the sutra
carved in woodblock print for wide distribution.
The edition of 1825 (AC. 299) is the edition that was carved from the edition
that was spread from the Qing Dynasty of Kangxi Era (1662-1723). This is a separate
version of the Diamond Sutra which was collected by Phuùc Ñieàn Hoaø Thöôïng35 who
went to China in 1735. The sutra bears no preface to the new edition, but rather
recarves the two prefaces of the Qing version that was used like a base. The first
See Phuùc Ñieàn Hoaø Thöôïng, Ñaïo Giaùo Nguyeân Löu, upper book, p. 8b., Traàn Nghiaõ
and François Gros, Ibid., catalogue number 938.
35
23
preface bears a written date of 49th year of King Qianlong and the second preface
bears a date of 41st year of the Kangxi Era. Similar to the edition of the Diamond
Sutra, carved in 1886, there was no editor name and no new preface for this new
edition. The sutra bears the preface of the original version which was used for as the
basic of this edition. The preface of the new edition, which was carved and stored at
Hoàng Phuùc Temple in Hanoi in 1886, bears the date of the first year of Qianlong Era
(1736).
The last edition of the Diamond Sutra, which was carved in the second year of
the King Ñoàng Khaùnh, 1886, reveals a profound understanding of the messages of the
sutra. We do not know who wrote this four-pages preface to this edition. In the first
page of the preface, the editor explains the meaning of the title of the sutra in a
traditional way by referring to Sanskrit title of the sutra. This explanation can be seen
all over different commentaries of the sutra in China. To emphasize the importance
of the sutra, the editor quoted the sentence, ‘Öng voâ sôû truï nhi sinh kyø taâm’[one should
not generate the mind basing on any object] which caused the sixth patriarch of
Chinese Zen tradition, Hui-neng, became enlightened when he first heard it at Hoaøng
Mai Temple from the fifth patriarch of Chinese Zen, Hoaèng Nhaãn. The editor also
mentions the third sentence of the enlightenment verse of Hueä Naêng, ‘Boån lai voâ nhaát
vaät’[From the beginning not one thing exists]36 to remind the practitioner of the Zen
tradition not relying on any form of phenomena for seeking enlightenment. In the
third page of the preface, the editor refer to the merits which are produced from
understanding, practicing, chanting and studying of the sutra as uncountable. He
states that the act of carving the sutra in woodblock prints for wider distribution
surpasses the acts mentioned, above.
For the translation of the verse expressing true enlightenment of Hui-neng, see
Heinrich Dumoulin, Zen Buddhism: A History, Ibid., p. 133.
36
24
Summary and remarks
The analysis and paraphrasing in the sixteen different versions of the Diamond
Sutra remaining in Vietnamese woodblock print books persevered in the Haùn-Noâm
Institute’s library and the studies and practices of Vietnamese Zen masters revealed in
Thieàn Uyeån Taäp Anh give us a clear, if not complete, picture of the study of this sutra
in Vietnamese Buddhism since the sutra became available to the intellectual Buddhist
community. The first aspect of this picture dominating the entire history of studies of
and the practice of the sutra in Vietnam is that the clerical community as well as the
laity used only one version of sutra, that is the translation of Diamond Sutra from
Sanskrit to the Chinese language by Cöu Ma La Thaäp (Kumarajīva) in 401 (T. 235).
We can trace back the explanations of the Diamond Sutra by the Zen masters in the
Thieàn Uyeån Taäp Anh [A Collection of Outstanding Figures of the Zen Community] to
quotations from Kumarajīva’s which predates the Haùn-Noâm institute’s remaining
editions. Thereofore, even though we do not have actual manuscripts of Kumarajīva’s
Diamond Sutra translation dating before 1700, we can see that even biographies of 6th
Century Zen monks (of Vietnam) use only quotations from Kumarajīva’s version. It is
inherent in the nature of Vietnamese Buddhism that understanding of the most
important Zen text relies exclusively on Kumarajīva and no other interpreter of the
Diamond Sutra.
As I already demonstrated in the third part of this chapter, at least four times
the Diamond Sutra was mentioned in Thieàn Uyeån Taäp Anh. The first account took
place very early in history of Zen in Vietnam. It is the statement of Zen master Thanh
Bieän who devoted eight years to chanting the sutra in the seventh century.37 The
second account applies to the nun Dieäu Nhaân who instructed her student in the
37
See passage on p. 176.
25
eleventh century not to grasp on sound nor on form to see the Tathāgata38. The third
account is attributed to Giôùi Khoâng when he encouraged his student, Trí Nhaøn, to
contemplate on the conditions of all dharmas in the twelfth century.39 And the fourth
account mentions that a Zen master Quaûng Nghieâm taught his student, Thöôøng Chieáu,
to stop slandering the sutra and the Buddha by asking his master, ‘It’s the Buddha who
teaches it (the Diamond Sutra), isn’t it?’40 These four statements precisely refer to the
translation of Cöu Ma La Thaäp [Kumarājīva] in 401.
In addition, the prefaces and the post-faces of seven editions among the
sixteen versions of the sutra in the Haùn-Noâm institution were written by editors in the
eighteenth century and the nineteenth century mention nothing about the five Chinese
translations of the sutra other than Kumarājīvas’. These statements make me believe
that the Vietnamese Buddhist communities used only one translation of the Diamond
Sutra by Cöu Ma La Thaäp [Kumarājīva]. These communities seems to ignore these
five other translations of the sutra and give no reasons whatsoever why they do so.
Perhaps copies or carving of those five versions from woodblocks of the Tripitaka
were not available to them. The circulation of those copies were probably very
limited.
Even these Zen masters may not have had chance to read the other
translations.
Today, we inherit new forms of a critical study of the texts. Buddhist scholars
have not yet dug to the bottom of the meaning of any Vietnamese sutra by engaging in
detail to study of the textual tradition. Furthermore, the world seems to look small to
us with modern communication and transportation. Now, we have more material or
documents regarding the sutras available to us. In critical text study, we need to
compare and contrast as much as we can the available texts or to discover new ones to
See passage on pp. 176-177.
See passage on p. 177.
40
See passage on p. 178.
38
39
26
see the differences among the Vietnamese, Sanskrit, Chinese and Tibetan texts,
especially the Diamond Sutra, which is so important to Vietnamese Buddhism. We
know that we are far from the lifetime of the Buddha by more than twenty five
centuries. We can never get the original version of any Buddhist text. However, the
more we compare and contrast the available editions of sutras, the more useful
information we will get.
This will benefit our study and understanding of the
teachings of the Buddha.
27