This English version of The Diamond Sutra,1 translated from theChinese text of Kumarajiva, owes its inception to successiveconversations with a friend, profoundly interested in theinterpretation of oriental systems of philosophy. During thoseconversations renderings into English were made of numerous passagesfrom the works of Confucius, Mencius, and Lao-Tsz.

Having surveyed briefly those fertile fields of thought, we passed, bya natural transition, into the delectable Buddhist realm. Somepassages from the Chinese Sutras, comprising texts and annotations,were consecutively examined, and variously considered. Eventually itwas suggested that The Diamond Sutra, perhaps one of the mostmetaphysical of the works ascribed to Buddha, be conveniently renderedinto the English language.

In order that the rather unfamiliar text might assume dueintelligibility, parallel passages and numerous annotations weresubjoined, as the pleasant work of translating proceeded. The idea ofprinting and publishing the text seemed to follow as a natural sequence.

Already there exist in the English language, renderings of The DiamondSutra from the Sanscrit by Max Müller, and from the Chinese by Beal.This new version does not seek to enter into rivalry with thoseerudite works; and a possible apology which might readily be offeredfor the publication of this modest volume is, that the scholarlyproductions of Müller and Beal, in their present forms, are perhapsslightly 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 moregenerally appreciated in Europe. Should this imperfect rendering ofThe Diamond Sutra, even in the faintest degree, confirm this justsense of appreciation, or prove a gentle incentive to further enquiry,then its unexpected publication may prove to be not entirelyunjustified.

In recording our many obligations to those scholars whose works werefrequently consulted, we also give expression to a hope that nothingof importance is omitted which ought to be gratefully acknowledged.

It may also be permissible to express admiration of the piety, andappreciation of the friendship, of those learned monks in CentralChina, to whom we are everlastingly indebted for even a slightinitiation into those inexhaustible truths, which are alike theheritage, and the glory, of the disciples of Buddha. Amongst those weshould like to specify are Chang-Ming, the chief monk (Seng-Kwan) ofChen-Chou prefecture, Hu-Nan, and the aged and affectionate Chioh-Hsien.

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