The Diamond Sutra (Chin-Kang-Ching) or Prajna-Paramita

( CHIN-KANG-CHING )
PRAJNA-PARAMITA
TRANSLATED FROM THE CHINESE WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
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.
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.
In recording our many obligations to those scholars whose works were frequently consulted, we also give expression to a hope that nothing of importance is omitted which ought to be gratefully acknowledged.