THE DIAMOND SUTRA (CHIN-KANG-CHING) OR PRAJNA-PARAMITA TRANSLATED FROM THE CHINESE WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND NOTES BY WILLIAM GEMMELL 金剛經 LONDON KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRÜBNER & CO., LTD. BROADWAY HOUSE, 68–74 CARTER LANE, E.C. 1912 THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED TO MY FRIEND WILLIAM NIVEN, Esq., BY THE AUTHOR. PREFACE This English version of _The Diamond Sutra_,[1] translated from the Chinese text of Kumarajiva, owes its inception to successive conversations with a friend, profoundly interested in the interpretation of oriental systems of philosophy. During those conversations renderings into English were made of numerous passages from the works of Confucius, Mencius, and Lao-Tsz. Having surveyed briefly those fertile fields of thought, we passed, by a natural transition, into the delectable Buddhist realm. Some passages from the _Chinese Sutras_, comprising texts and annotations, were consecutively examined, and variously considered. Eventually it was suggested that _The Diamond Sutra_, perhaps one of the most metaphysical of the works ascribed to Buddha, be conveniently rendered into the English language. In order that the rather unfamiliar text might assume due intelligibility, parallel passages and numerous annotations were subjoined, as the pleasant work of translating proceeded. The idea of printing and publishing the text seemed to follow as a natural sequence. Already there exist in the English language, renderings of _The Diamond Sutra_ from the Sanscrit by Max Müller, and from the Chinese by Beal. This new version does not seek to enter into rivalry with those erudite works; and a possible apology which might readily be offered for the publication of this modest volume is, that the scholarly productions of Müller and Beal, in their present forms, are perhaps slightly inaccessible to the general English reader. It would appear that the peculiar charm of the Buddhist philosophy, and the remarkable purity of the Buddhist faith, are becoming more generally appreciated in Europe. Should this imperfect rendering of _The Diamond Sutra_, even in the faintest degree, confirm this just sense of appreciation, or prove a gentle incentive to further enquiry, then its unexpected publication may prove to be not entirely unjustified.