The Platform Sutra (Red Pine)

Book

A Zen Buddhist masterpiece, winner of the 2018 Thornton Wilder Prize for Translation. The Platform Sutra occupies a central place in Zen (Ch’an) Buddhist instruction for students and spiritual seekers worldwide.

It is often linked with The Heart Sutra and The Diamond Sutra to form a trio of texts that have been revered and studied for centuries. However, unlike the other sutras, which transcribe the teachings of the Buddha himself, The Platform Sutra presents the autobiography of Hui–neng, the controversial 6th Patriarch of Zen, and his understanding of the fundamentals of a spiritual and practical life. Hui–neng's instruction still matters—the 7th–century school of Sudden Awakening that he founded survives today, continuing to influence the Rinzai and Soto schools of contemporary Zen.

Red Pine, whose translations of The Heart Sutra and The Diamond Sutra have been celebrated and widely received, now provides a sensitive and assured treatment of the third and final sutra of the classic triumvirate. He adds remarkable commentary to a translation that, combined with the full Chinese text, a glossary, and notes, results in a Mahayana masterpiece sure to become the standard edition for students and seekers alike. (Source: Counterpoint Press)

Citation	Red Pine (Bill Porter), trans. The Platform Sutra: The Zen Teaching of Hui-neng. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint, 2006.

The Platform Sutra1
Introduction53
The Platform Sutra with Commentary63
Appendix
- I. Additional Text277
- II. Finding List297
- III. Names, Terms, Texts, and Places with Chinese equivalents298
- IV. The Platform Sutra—Tunhuang Museum Text320

Liuzu dashi fabao tan jing (六祖大師法寶壇經), Compiled in the Chinese by Zong-bao, as recorded by Fa-hai et al. 1 fascicle. T2008, 48: https://21dzk.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/SAT2012/T2008.html.