Vajrasamādhi Sūtra
Important sutra for Korean Buddhism (Wonhyo).
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Exposition of the Vajrasamādhi Sūtra
Background
The Vajrasamādhi Sūtra is a Mahāyāna scripture of the Northern Canon tradition and holds an extremely important role in the history of Korean Buddhism. This sūtra is regarded as the doctrinal foundation of Master Wonhyo (617-686), the greatest Dharma master of Korea in the Silla period, who used the theory of "vajrasamādhi" to harmonize the various Buddhist schools, thereby creating an intellectual unity for Korean Buddhism.
The term "Vajrasamādhi" comprises two core concepts: Vajra symbolizes the indestructible, firm, and transcendent nature of Buddha-nature; Samādhi is a special kind of meditative absorption, a state of collected mind wholly united with ultimate nature. This sūtra is therefore not merely a scripture narrating the Buddha Dharma, but a long-term practical guide for attaining supreme enlightenment.
Main Content
The Vajrasamādhi Sūtra teaches a distinctive method of cultivation, whereby the practitioner can directly realize the essence of Buddha-nature through the union of mindfulness and Vajrasamādhi. The core content of the sūtra concerns the nonduality of mind and Dharmakāya, teaching that when the human mind is completely purified, it is precisely the Buddha-mind.
The sūtra emphasizes that enlightenment need not be sought elsewhere, but lies within the originally present nature of every sentient being. Vajrasamādhi here refers to a transcendent power of concentration, surpassing all distinctions between body and mind, between ordinary being and sage. Through this samādhi, the practitioner is enabled to directly realize the Buddha's Dharmakāya, irrespective of surrounding material or mental phenomena.
Wonhyo developed the theory of "one mind" (ekacittaṃ) based on the guiding principle of this sūtra, holding that although there are many scriptures and many different Dharma methods, all point toward the same truth: the original mind is already Buddha.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.