The Sixth Patriarch

A Book Review of The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch

This book review will identify the important origins of Ch’an Buddhism in China through The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, which has been edited and transcribed by Phillip Yampolsky. This book provides the most accurate origins of the Tun-huang text, which was found in a “sealed cave in Central Asia” (Yampolsky 5). This authentication of the text defines the origins of the Lankavatar School, which identifies a story of the Buddha and a bodhisattva in conversation about the original Nature of existence and other philosophical issues related to Buddha-nature. I found Yampolsky’s research and background on the Tun-huang text to be extremely objective and compelling as an original
source of this sect of Buddhist thought. Yampolsky provides a strong objective transcription into English by relying on the authenticity of Tun-huang text as a basis for effectively translating the wisdom and beauty of The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, which is a major scholarly feat. More so, Yampolsky provides a biography of the author of The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, which was involves telling the story of Hui-neng. This helps the reader become more affiliated with the powerful figure of Hui-neng, as the forefather of what is now called “Zen Buddhism.” More importantly, Yampolsky is acutely aware of the origins of Ch’an Buddhism and the foundation of Zen in this context. Another important part of the Yampolsky’s introduction is the section entitled” Content Analysis”, which delves into the (1) sermon at the Ta-fan Temple and (2) the autographical section of The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch.
This is an important section because it provides the reader with a more in-depth analysis of the scholarship that Yampolsky implies in own objective observations about the historical limitations of the text, but more importantly, how the autobiography and the transmission of Buddhist ideas is extremely limited in providing more details about the life of
Hui-neng:
“We do not gain from this work any precise knowledge either of the manner in which the doctrine was transmitted or of the teaching methods used (Yampolsky 112).
In this context, Yampolsky effectively describes the absence of methodology in the transmission of Ch’an Buddhism utilized by Hui-neng, but it reveals the thorough analysis of the text as a guide for readers to comprehend. This type of obscurity makes The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch a somewhat mysterious book on the origins of the founding of Ch’an Buddhism, which makes very subjective assumptions about the meaning of the text. This type of objective historical analysis of the transcript is yet another example of Yampolsky’s acute scholarship and understanding of Ch’an Buddhism in the writing of this book for English audiences.
The translation of The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch provides some of the more extant foundations of Ch’an Buddhism in Yampolsky’s acute translation of Chinese. More so, Yampolsky provides footnotes for obscure historical translations, which the reader may not be aware of in the primary text. For instance, there is the part of the autobiographical story regarding the test given to candidates for the patriarch role that are explained are defined in Shen-shui’s rationalization for writing on the wall to garner the attention of the Fifth Patriarch: “If the Fifth Patriarch sees my verse and says that it…and there is a weighty obstacle in my past karma, then I cannot gain the Dharma and shall have to give it up” (Yampolsky 129). In this somewhat confusing statement, Yampolsky provides a footnote (note 29) below the text to confirm the ambiguity of Shen-shui’s mental approach to outwitting his opponents in the quest to become the Sixth Patriarch: “The Tuan-heng text is corrupt and scarcely readable. It also contains an obvious omission at this point” (Yampolsky 129). This part of the autobiographical section of the Tun-haung text defines the acute scholarship of translating the Chinese text into English. Not only does this help the reader understand the meaning of the text, but it also helps to navigate the difficulties of finding the true meaning of the original text through its limitations. In this manner, the autobiography and the sermon provide in this translation are the most accurate scholarship related to Ch’an Buddhism, which makes Yampolsky’s scholarship one of the top versions of The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch in the English-speaking language.
Finally, Yampolsky’s translation of this text does not attempt to impose any type of personal notion of the meaning of text, which is a valiant attempt at not keeping the original language at the core of the translation.
This is a unique attempt at finding the true Buddha-nature of Hui-neng’s teachings, which are at the core of Ch’an and Zen Buddhist traditions. I would recommend this book to readers interested in the foundation of Ch'an Buddhism and the Zen ideology that arises from this type of Buddhist teaching and methodology. Although the Tun-huang has its limitations, Yampolsky’s translation is—by far—the most accurate translation an English-speaking reader can find in this sect of Buddhist teachings. Yampolsky provides an accurate account of the Chinese language in this text, which retains a highly objective and scholarly approach to The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch in the later half of the 20th century. I would suggest this book as the pinnacle of Western academic translation for the teachings of Hui-neng in the Ch’an Buddhist tradition. More so, this book is inspiring for all followers of Zen Buddhism, since it defines one of the earliest texts related to this adaptation of Buddhist thought in japan and in the United
States.