Reply to a Buddhist and Some Background on the Diamond Sutra

Kenneth Leong
3 min readOct 8, 2024

Dear Brother,

I noticed some confusion in your post regarding the Diamond Sutra, specifically about its origins and the role of Wang Jie in its history. I’d like to help clarify these points for you.

You inquired about Wang Jie and why he might be considered an authority in Buddhism. It’s important to note that Wang Jie is not regarded as a Buddhist authority, and you are mistaken in thinking that the Diamond Sutra was created by him in 868 CE — nearly 1,400 years after the Buddha’s death.

The confusion seems to stem from a mix-up between the emergence date of the sutra, the translation date, and the printing date. Allow me to provide a clearer timeline:

  1. Emergence:
    The Diamond Sutra was not created in 868 CE by any Chinese individual. While the exact date of its origin is uncertain, scholars believe the sutra first emerged in India as early as the first century CE. It belongs to the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism, which developed centuries after the Buddha’s passing.
  2. Translation:
    The Diamond Sutra was translated into Chinese by the renowned Buddhist monk Kumārajīva in the early 5th century CE. Kumārajīva, a highly respected scholar and translator from Kashmir, was instrumental in bringing many significant Buddhist texts to China. His…

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Kenneth Leong

Author, Zen teacher, scientific mystic, professor, photographer, philosopher, social commentator, socially engaged human