The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch

Introduction

The Platform Sutra records the sermons Huineng gave at the Dafan monastery in Shaozhou, compiled by his disciple Fahai; it is the only work by a Chinese monk to be honoured with the title of 'sutra'. Huineng first tells his own life and how he received the Dharma, and then sets out his central teaching: 'The nature of bodhi is originally pure; simply use this mind and you will directly become a Buddha.' All people have Buddha-nature; there is no need to depend on scriptures and elaborate practice, for a single moment of awakening is Buddhahood: 'deluded, one is a sentient being; awakened, one is a Buddha.' Meditation lies not in sitting still but in 'thoughts not arising in any circumstance'. This book made Buddhism truly a Chinese religion and deeply shaped Neo-Confucianism and the culture of East Asia.