Table Of ContentU.S. $16.95 Eastern Religion
The Platform Sutra occupies a central place in Zen (Ch’an) Buddhist translation and
instruction for students and spiritual seekers worldwide. It is often linked with commentary by
the platform sutra
The Heart Sutra and The Diamond Sutra to form a trio of texts that have been
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revered and studied for centuries. However, unlike the other sutras, which
transcribe the teachings of the Buddha himself, The Platform Sutra presents the PINE
life and work of Hui-neng, the controversial sixth patriarch of Zen, and his the zen teaching of hui-neng
understanding of the fundamentals of a spiritual and practical life.
Hui-neng’s instruction still matters—the seventh-century school of Direct
Awakening that he founded flourishes today, continuing to influence the
Rinzai and Soto schools of contemporary Zen. Red Pine offers a sensitive
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and straightforward translation of this vital Buddhist text. His remarkable
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insight and commentary provide a guiding hand for seekers and students alike
in their spiritual quest. ee
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Praise for Red Pine
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“ Those familiar with Red Pine’s work will be delighted to find his
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signature balance of precision and poetic beauty.” —Buddhadharma
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“ Transmitted in prose, the Sutra here is imbued with its original poetic
resonance, a tribute to Red Pine’s own commitment to the muse and rr
dharma respectively . . . Here then, at last, is a contemporary translation mm
of Buddhism’s definitive Big Meditation and what an immensely readable
treasure this book is!” —Shambhala Sun on The Diamond Sutra
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Red Pine, author of Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits, is one of
the world’s most respected translators of Chinese literature, bringing into tt
English several of China’s central religious and literary texts including The rr
Diamond Sutra, Tao Te Ching, Guide to Capturing a Plum Blossom, The Zen Works of aa
Stonehouse, and Collected Songs of Cold Mountain. He is a frequent visitor to China
and has spent many years living in Taiwan and Hong Kong. He lives in Port
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Townsend, Washington.
teaching of
hui-neng
ISBN (10) 1-59376-177-5 translation and commentary
IISSBBNN ( 9137)8 9-718--519-53973676-1-17777--66
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The Platform Sutra
Also translated and with commentary by Red Pine
Lao-tzu’s Taoteching
The Diamond Sutra
The Heart Sutra
The Platform Sutra
the zen teaching
of hui-neng
Translation and Commentary by
Red Pine
counterpoint
berkeley
Copyright © 2006 by Red Pine. All rights reserved under International and Pan-
American Copyright Conventions.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Huineng, 638–713.
[Liuzu da shi fa bao tan jing. English]
The platform sutra : the Zen teaching of Hui-neng / translation and commentary
by Red Pine.
p. cm.
Hardcover: ISBN-10: 1-59376-086-8, ISBN-13: 978-1-59376-086-1
Paperback: ISBN-10: 1-59376-177-5, ISBN-13: 978-1-59376-177-6
1. Zen Buddhism—Early works to 1800. I. Red Pine, 1943– II. Title.
BQ9299.H854L613 2007
294.3’927—dc22
2006030087
Interior and cover design by Gopa & Ted2
Printed in the United States of America
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Distributed by Publishers Group West
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Contents
The Platform Sutra 1
Introduction 53
The Platform Sutra with Commentary 63
Appendix
I. Additional Text 277
II. Finding List 297
III. Names, Terms, Texts, and Places
with Chinese equivalents 298
IV. The Platform Sutra—
Tunhuang Museum Text 320
The Platform Sutra
The Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra
of the Direct Teaching of the Southern School
of the Supreme Mahayana, The Platform Sutra
Delivered at Tafan Temple in Shaochou by the Sixth Patriarch, Mas-
ter Hui-neng, in one volume, compiled and recorded by Fa-hai, re-
cipient of the Formless Precepts and advocate of the Dharma.
1. Master Hui-neng took his seat in the lecture hall of Tafan Temple
to expound the teaching of Mahaprajnaparamita and to transmit
the Formless Precepts. Seated below him on that occasion were more
than ten thousand monks, nuns, and laypeople, along with Magis-
trate Wei Ch’u of Shaochou and more than thirty officials and thirty
scholars. Together they asked the Master to explain the teaching of
Mahaprajnaparamita.
The magistrate then instructed the Master’s disciple Fa-hai to
make a record to pass down to future generations so that students
of the Way who carry on its guiding principle and who transmit it
to others might have this testament as their authority.
2. When he spoke this Platform Sutra, Master Hui-neng said, “Good
friends, purify your minds by reciting the teaching of Mahaprajna-
paramita.” Then the Master stopped speaking, while he purified his
own mind.
After a long time, he spoke again, “Good friends, please listen.
My kind-hearted father was originally from Fanyang. But he was
