One of the Classic Zen Records - Hui-neng (Eno) is second only to Bodhidharma

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	• The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch Hui-neng Columbia University Press, 1978 - 212 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
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Ever so mellow

This volume is a great entry to the Chinese take on Buddhism. It consists of a hefty introduction/historical background section as well as the text in translation and the original. The translation of the text is one of the smoothest I've read of Chinese, which must be a confluence of the material and the translator. The Platform Sutra itself consists of more than metaphysical exposition, going into the biography of Hui-neng and the context of his teaching (both of which are at least as interesting as the religious part of the text). If you want to broaden your understanding of the quest for understanding, this book would be a great addition to your library.

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One of the Classic Zen Records - Hui-neng (Eno) is second only to Bodhidharma

Hui-neng (Eno) is the Sixth Ancestor of Zen in China. This Grand Master is considered by all Zen schools as second in importance only to Bodhidharma (The First Ancestor of Zen in China).

Many consider this record by Hui-neng as THE point in Zen history when the universal elements of Buddhism achieved its first thoroughly Chinese expression. That is to say, the point where the Zen became Zen.

Phillip B. Yampolsky's translation continues to be the standard (although Thomas Cleary's translation is excellent also) of this classic record, which is the only acknowledged Buddhist text composed in China to achieve the status of sutra (scripture).

Yampolsky's translation is from the earliest text in existence - the Tun-huang manuscript. This book includes an in-depth introduction introducing the reader to the historical aspects of its creation, the various versions, and an overview ot the fundamental concepts of Hui-nengs Zen teaching.

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A very interesting read

This was one of several books used for a college course took on Buddhism. This would be good for groups discussion or independent study. The sixth Chinese patriarch of this line of Buddhism has a very interesting story. This book has the sutra in English and Chinese, plus a kind of biography on the patriarch. I am Buddhist myself, and this book contained a very moving phrase for me. "Because Originally there is earth, From this earth seeds bring forth flowers. If from the outset there were no earth, From where would the flowers grow?" -page 176. The whole book is a deep read, and it would be great for your interest in Buddhism!

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The Platform Sutra records the teachings of Hui-neng, the Sixth Patriarch, who is revered as one of the two great figures in the founding of Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism. This translation is the definitive English version of the eighth-century Ch'an classic.

Phillip B. Yampolsky has based his translation on the Tun-huang manuscript, the earliest extant version of the work. A critical edition of the Chinese text is given at the end of the volume.

Dr. Yampolsky also furnishes a lengthy and detailed historical introduction which contains much information hitherto unavailable even to scholars, and provides the context essential to an understanding of Hui-neng's work. He gives an account of the history and legends of Ch'an Buddhism, with particular attention to the traditions associated with Hui-neng, quoting or summarizing the most important narratives. He then discusses the various texts of the Platform Sutra, and analyzes its contents.

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