China is known for a lot of technology, but this doesn’t always conjure up more ancient technologies, which include paper, gunpowder, the magnetic compass, silk, rice, noodles, citrous fruits, tea, porcelain and medicine (homeostasis, balancing chi).
The story of the discovery of oldest printed text could be the plot from a movie. The Diamond Sutra is a 16 foot, 6000 word scroll written by a Tang Dynasty monk in 868 AD. It is considered to be one of the most important teachings about the basis of Mahayana Buddhism . The Diamond Sutra in combination with the Heart Sutra is the basis of Zen (Chan) tradition. It was discovered by a monk guarding the Mogao cave, also called the Cave of the Thousand Buddhas. He sold the Diamond Sutra to Hungarian born archaeologist Aurel Stein on one of his expeditions along the Silk Road.
The Diamond Sutra tells a story about a disciple having a conversation with Buddha about a Wisdom that Cuts Like a Diamond (Thunderbolt in Sanskrit), shattering illusions to get to ultimate reality.
The four main points from the sutra:
1. giving without attachment to self
2. liberating beings without notions of self and other
3. living without attachment
4. cultivating without attainment.
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