Tang Jing (Mechanism Xuan Paper, Silk Thread Bound)

Author: Qi Yinong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Wooden cover board, preserved as part of the "Book Series," each set of books comes with a set of white aspen wood cover boards, hand-carved with exquisite patterns on the surface. This makes the book exude luxury, elegance, and an ancient charm, making it an excellent choice for home collections and gifts.
The Platform Sutra was compiled around the late 7th century and records the teachings and discourses of the actual founder of the Chan (Zen) school of Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, as compiled by his disciples. Over time, it underwent revisions and additions, resulting in multiple versions such as the Dunhuang manuscript, the Huizing manuscript, the Qiesong manuscript, and the Zongbao manuscript. It is the only work by a Chinese monk to be included in the Buddhist canon and is considered a representative work of Chan Buddhism, exerting significant influence on Chinese thought and culture.
Huineng, whose secular name was Lu, was born in Xinzhou, Guangdong (now Xingxing County), the son of a family from Fanyang, Hebei (now Zhuo County), in the 12th year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (638 AD). He passed away in the 2nd year of the Tianfu era (713 AD).
Growing up in poverty, he became a monk in adulthood and sought Dharma from Hongren, the abbot of Dongshan Temple in Huangmei, where he worked as a rice grinder. Hongren, selecting his successor, had the monks compose verses. Shoushi Shenxiu advocated gradual enlightenment, with his verse stating: "The body is a Bodhi tree, the mind a clear mirror stand. Often polish it, lest dust stain it." Huineng, however, advocated sudden enlightenment, with his verse: "The Bodhi tree is fundamentally non-existent, and the mirror stand is also not real. Originally, there is nothing at all—where could dust arise?" Hongren praised him and secretly bestowed the robe of transmission.
Huineng returned to the Lingnan region and resided at Baolin Temple in Caoxi, where he established the Southern School of Chan, promoting the of "pointing directly to the mind, seeing the mind become Buddha." Chan Buddhism became widely practiced in China after the Song Dynasty, becoming the mainstream sect of Chinese Buddhism.
The Zongbao edition of the Platform Sutra consists of ten chapters: "Biography" (), "Prajna" (), "Questions" (), "Samadhi and Wisdom" (), "Seated Meditation" (), "Confession of Sins" (), "Encounters and Incidents" (), "Sudden and Gradual Enlightenment" (), "Proclamation" (), and "Entrustment" (). The book expresses Huineng's innovative Buddhist teachings, such as "the unity of samadhi and wisdom," "the absence of sudden or gradual enlightenment," "the principle of non-attachment," "practicing Chan without clinging to the mind or purity," and "all phenomena exist within oneself." Its core teachings are two: "self-nature is empty" and "sudden enlightenment leads to Buddhahood."
Huineng also believed that Buddha-nature is inherent and does not need to be sought externally. He taught that Buddha-nature is without distinction, differing only in whether one is deluded or enlightened. "A thought of delusion makes one an ordinary person, while a thought of enlightenment makes one a Buddha." He emphasized that achieving Buddhahood does not depend on practices like meditation or chanting but rather on realizing the mind and seeing nature, which can be accomplished in a single moment. He instructed people to begin with non-attachment, purify their minds, abandon reliance on words, and directly reach the source of the mind, practicing Chan in all actions—walking, standing, sitting, and lying.
Huineng also held that "when the mind arises, all phenomena arise." At Fasheng Temple in Guangzhou, monks debated whether the wind or the banner was moving in front of the temple. Some said, "The wind is moving," while others said, "The banner is moving." Huineng replied, "Neither the wind nor the banner is moving—it is the movement of your minds."