Publisher's Note

The Diamond Sutra is the most widely circulated Buddhist scripture and a primary text for the Chan (Zen) school’s propagation. The Chan tradition was founded by Bodhidharma of South India at Shaolin Temple on Mount Song during the Liang dynasty, initially using the *Lankavatara Sutra* translated by Guṇabhadra as a seal of authentication, passing the teaching to Huike and Sengcan. By the transition from the Sui to the Tang dynasty, the Fourth Patriarch Daoxin began incorporating Prajñā (Wisdom) teachings, gradually shifting its style. Later, the Fifth Patriarch Hongren gathered disciples for instruction, directly adopting the *Diamond Sutra* as the core text and often encouraging both monastics and laypeople to recite it.

During the Xianheng era of the Tang dynasty, Huineng (638–713), who worked as a firewood seller and had no formal education—not recognizing a single written character—heard someone reciting the line from the *Diamond Sutra*, “Let your mind arise without dwelling on anything,” and experienced a sudden awakening. He traveled far to study under Hongren and composed the verse:

*The Bodhi tree is originally no tree, The bright mirror is also not a stand. Originally there is not a single thing— Where could dust ever cling?*

This directly revealed the nature of mind, displaying extraordinary insight, and won Hongren’s admiration. Hongren transmitted the robe and teaching to him, and Huineng thus became the Sixth Patriarch of Chan. Huineng further elevated the *Diamond Sutra*, advocating sudden enlightenment and not focusing solely on seated meditation. This approach met the social needs of the time, and as a result, the Chan school flourished greatly, exerting tremendous influence on later social thought—particularly the formation and development of Song and Ming dynasty Neo-Confucianism.

Therefore, anyone examining the origins and evolution of Chinese society, especially intellectual and cultural developments from the Tang and Song dynasties onward, must trace back to Buddhist Chan and the *Diamond Sutra*.

The Diamond Sutra, fully titled *The Diamond Perfection of Wisdom Sutra*, speaks of reaching the other shore with a will as indestructible as diamond and a heart of great wisdom. This dialogue between the World-Honored Buddha Shakyamuni and Subhuti, recorded by the disciple Ananda, employs a three-part pattern of reasoning: “The world spoken of by the Tathagata is not the world; it is merely called the world.” It elucidates an idealist epistemology that “all phenomena are illusory” and “true reality is beyond phenomena,” along with a religious discipline centered on “the mind of supreme, perfect enlightenment (anuttara-samyak-sambodhi),” “settling and subduing the mind right where it is,” and “abiding in suchness, unmoved, without grasping at appearances.”

The Diamond Sutra belongs to the Prajñāpāramitā section of the sutra collection. There are six Chinese translations that have been passed down: one by Kumārajīva of the Later Qin, one by Bodhiruci of the Northern Wei, one by Paramārtha of the Chen dynasty, one by Dharmagupta of the Sui dynasty, one by Xuanzang of the Tang dynasty, and one by Yijing of the Tang dynasty. Their titles and wording vary slightly, but Kumārajīva’s version has become the most widely circulated.

The Diamond Sutra holds a prominent place in the Buddhist canon due to its social and historical context. Moreover, it is concise in length yet profound in meaning. Its accessible language is also an important reason for its popularity. Throughout history, rulers have promoted and advocated for it, leading to no fewer than several dozen or even hundreds of commentaries. Among these, annotated editions that compile various interpretations are also numerous.

The *Diamond Sutra with Collected Commentaries* originally existed in a four-volume edition from the Southern Song Shaoding period, compiled by Yang Gui, containing explanations from seventeen scholars. It later evolved into a four-volume edition with annotations from fifty-three scholars. The imperially compiled Ming edition removed the thirty-two section headings attributed to Crown Prince Zhaoming of Liang from the fifty-three scholar version, slightly reduced the number of commentators, and added over thirty additional scriptural passages or annotations, compiling them into a single volume. Huang Yuji’s *Qianqingtang Bibliography* from the Qing dynasty records: “*Emperor Taizu’s Collected Commentary on the Diamond Sutra*, one volume, with a preface by Emperor Chengzu.” Examining the preface by Emperor Chengzu in this work: “We have long revered the Great Awakening and admired the True Thusness. Occasionally reviewing various texts, we selected those most essential and precise, not deviating from the sutra’s meaning, recompiled and edited them, and specifically ordered them printed for wide circulation.” From this, it is clear that this book was recompiled by Emperor Chengzu himself. The original collected commentary by Emperor Taizu of the Ming is no longer seen today. However, Emperor Chengzu also wrote another preface dated the first day of the fifth month in the ninth year of the Yongle era (recorded in Qing dynasty Deng Xuan’s *Diamond Sutra Collected Annotations*), which differs greatly from the preface in this work dated the seventeenth day of the fourth month in the twenty-first year of Yongle, and precedes it by over ten years. It may be that the earlier preface was specifically written for Emperor Taizu’s collected commentary, while this work is a revised edition that “recompiled and edited” Taizu’s original collection.

Early Ming dynasty woodblock printing inherited the style of the Song and Yuan periods, and has long been treasured by collectors. This book is a Yongle Imperial Household edition, with exquisite calligraphy and carving, clear and luminous. The opening "Teaching the Dharma" and closing "Protecting the Dharma" illustrations, with their flowing water and wind-blown drapery, offer a glimpse into Buddhist art and the art of Ming dynasty woodblock prints.