Readings of the Platform Sutra.

• Author: Heller, Natasha
• Position: The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch: The Text of the Tun-Huang Manuscript - Book review

Readings of the Platform Sutra. Edited by MORTEN SCHLUTTER and STEPHEN F. TEISER. New York: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2012. Pp. ix + 220. $27 (paper).

The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch: The Text of the Tun-Huang Manuscript. Translated by PHILIP B. YAMPOLSKY with a new foreword by MORTEN SCHLOTTER. New York: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2012. Pp. xvi + 220 + 30 (paginated in Chinese). $32 (paper).

Readings of the Platform Sutra follows Readings of the Lotus Sutra in Columbia University's new series of edited volumes, "Readings of Buddhist Literature." In their introduction, Stephen Teiser and Morten Schlutter state that their aims are "to open up the original text to new readers, to spark engagement with the text, and to advance scholarship in the field" (p. vii). Even though material is presented in new and engaging ways, the third aim will be largely unfulfilled for readers already familiar with the text. On the first two aims, however, this volume delivers highly readable essays particularly suited for undergraduate courses. (1) It contains essays by leading scholars in Buddhist Studies and Chinese thought, and offers a multi-faceted look at the Dunhuang version of the Platform Sutra and the context in which the text was produced. In its focus on the context of one version of this important scripture, Readings of the Platform Sutra differs from the earlier Readings on the Lotus Sutra, which contained essays on how the scripture inspired later practice.

The first three essays provide a thorough introduction to the Platform Sutra, its major figures, and the early Chan tradition. The volume opens with an essay by Morten Schlutter that offers an overview of Chinese religion and Buddhism, narrowing to the early Chan tradition and finally the Dunhuang version of the Platform Sutra. Although it may seem overly broad to discuss Daoism and esoteric Buddhism in this context, Schlutter's introduction serves to orient the reader in the religious and cultural landscape of the text, which is particularly useful for an undergraduate audience. The next essay concerns the hero of the Platform Sutra, Huineng, and was authored by John Jorgensen, who draws on many years of research. (2) Jorgensen begins by elegantly summarizing the first part of the Platform Sutra, and shows that the "biography" of Huineng is truly hagiography. He then surveys the sources for Huineng's life, which he sees as initially shaped by Shenhui between 730 and 750 (p. 33). Jorgensen is skillful at sketching the political background to Shenhui's efforts, and observes that "Shenhui capitalized on the resentment toward Empress Wu and her associates" (p. 40). Jorgensen traces later developments of the biography through Wang Wei's epitaph, the Record of the Dharma Jewel through the Generations (Lidai fabao ji), and the Biography of the Great Teacher of Caoqi (Caoqi dashi zhuan) produced by a group wishing to promote the Baolin Monastery. Jorgensen concludes by considering the lasting popularity of the figure of Huineng, and the way in which the use of different genres--from the biography of Confucius to Tang autobiographies to jataka tales--aided its appeal.

The third essay, by Henrik Sorensen, concerns the early Chan tradition. Sorensen first discusses lineage formation on the part of the early Chan tradition, arguing that it was more important for "Chan lineages to distinguish themselves from other competing Chan lines" than to establish their identity in relation to other Buddhist schools (p. 56). Sorensen also addresses the role of meditation and the figure of Bodhidharma in the early Chan tradition, before moving to descriptions of the East Mountain school, the disciples of Hongren in the north, and the disciples of Shenxiu. Sorensen concludes by considering the impact of the Platform Sutra. and here we see one point of scholarly debate: Sorensen sees Shenhui's initial authorship of the Platform Sutra as much less likely than Jorgensen does, instead positing a third outside lineage as its creator (pp. 68-69).

These first three essays provide a robust context for reading the Platform Sutra, and will guide readers in understanding the text's significance. The next three essays take up themes of key importance in the scripture: Peter Gregory writes on the debate between sudden and gradual approaches to awakening; Wendi Adamek addresses the issue of transmission; and Paul Groner contextualizes the Platform...