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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.
Remarkable... Dr. Yampolsky's study is characterized by a clarity of presentation and a thoroughness of exploration of Chinese and Japanese sources.
As an initiation into the international field of foundational scholarly research on the Platform Sutra Yampolsky's detailed and illuminating introductory remarks to his carefully nnotated translation remain indispensable...
— T.H. Barrett, SOAS, University of London
Introduction: Ch'an in the Eighth Century
I. The Formation of the Legend
The Lankavatara School
Shen-hui
II. The Birth of a Patriarch: Biography of Hui-neng
III. The Making of a Book: The Platform Sutra
IV. Content Analysis
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch
The Tun-Huang Text