Diamond Sutra

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/diamond-sutra

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered Diamond Sutra?Found in the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China, a significant Buddhist pilgrimage site
2. What is the original sanskrit title?Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra
3. What is the date of oldest printed copy?868 CE
4. What is the Diamond Sutra and why is it special?It is an ancient Buddhist book that teaches wisdom and happiness by showing how our thoughts can be changed. It is the oldest printed book in the world, made in 868 CE.
5. Why is the word "Diamond" used in the title?The word means it can cut through all false ideas and show the real nature of things, like a diamond cuts through stone.

Prajñāpāramitā: A genre of Mahayana Buddhist literature and philosophy focused on the 'perfection of wisdom,' particularly the understanding of emptiness.
Sunyata (Emptiness): The Buddhist doctrine that all phenomena lack inherent, independent existence, being instead interdependent and impermanent.
Bodhisattva: An enlightened being in Mahayana Buddhism who delays their own nirvana to help all sentient beings achieve enlightenment.
Woodblock Printing: An ancient East Asian printing technique where text or images are carved into wooden blocks, inked, and then pressed onto paper or fabric.