Toh 16The Sūtra on the Perfection of Wisdom "The Diamond Cutter" (The Diamond Sūtra)

An Exposition of the Sūtra of the Fearless Tathagata (Vajracchedikā)

Background

The Sūtra of the Fearless Tathagata, also known as the Sūtra of Incomparable Prajnaparamita Wisdom (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra), is classified within the Prajnaparamita collection of the Northern Mahayana Canon. This sutra is one of the most profound doctrinal works on Prajnaparamita Wisdom—the essential teaching of Mahayana Buddhism.

Tradition holds that the sutra was taught at the Sacred Bamboo Grove, where Buddha Shakyamuni often resided. This Dharma assembly was attended by noble bodhisattvas, especially Bodhisattva Subhuti (Subhodhi), who posed the canonical questions that form the basis of the entire discourse.

This work was translated into Chinese by the Dharma master Kumārajīva in the fifth century, and several other translations subsequently appeared. In China, Japan, Vietnam, and other East Asian countries, this sutra became an immensely important text for practice and was regarded as a “weapon” for cutting through the cycle of ignorance.

Main Content

The Sūtra of the Fearless Tathagata revolves around one essential theme: All dharmas are devoid of inherent nature (dharma-śūnyatā). The Buddha teaches that those who are able to expound, teach, hear, study, and practice this sutra, as well as those who are able to attain the meditative concentration and wisdom of discerning contemplation through this Dharma assembly, are recognized as having set foot upon the bodhisattva path.

An important aspect is the quest for equality within the citadel of the bodhisattva path. The sutra teaches that no Tathagata can “truly” be apprehended or invoked by name, because the Buddha’s Dharma body transcends all definitions and concepts. This is the standpoint of non-self (anātma) and the absence of inherent nature (śūnyatā)—a principle markedly different from the Lesser Vehicle, which emphasizes non-self only at the level of the individual person.

The sutra also emphasizes that those who practice this sutra should not construct concepts of “sentient beings,” “self,” “person,” or “one who lives a lifespan.”