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The Platform Sutra (more fully, the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch) is a Buddhist scripture that was composed in China. It is one of the seminal texts in the Chan/Zen schools. Centered on the discourse given at Shao Zhou temple attributed to the sixth Chan patriarch, Huineng. Some modern scholars seriously doubt the historicity of the claim that someone named Huineng wrote the text, but this does nothing to diminish the fact of its widespread influence. The key topics of the discourse are sudden enlightenment, the direct perception of one's true nature, and the unity in essence of śīla, dhyāna and prajñā. The Southern Chan or "Sudden Enlightenment" school of Chan Buddhism based its doctrine on this extremely influential scripture. The Chinese title is :六祖壇經 or Liúzŭ Tánjīng (T 2008.48.346a-362b). The earliest extant version of the Platform Sutra, the Tun-Huang text[1], was translated into English by Philip Yampolsky. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The term Buddha is a word in ancient Indian languages including Pāli and Sanskrit which means one who has awakened. It is derived from the verbal root budh, meaning to awaken or to be enlightened, and to comprehend. It is written in devanagari script as Hindi: and pronounced as... The cultural elements of Buddhism vary by region and include: Buddhist cuisine Buddhist art Buddharupa Art and architecture of Japan Greco-Buddhism Tibetan Buddhist sacred art Buddhist music Buddhist chant Shomyo Categories: Buddhism-related stubs ... The history of Buddhism spans from the 6th century BCE to the present, starting with the birth of the Buddha Siddharta Gautama. ... Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z The following is a List of Buddhist topics: A Abhidharma Ahimsa Ajahn Ajahn Chah Ajanta Aksobhya Alexandra David-Néel... Buddhist beliefs and practices vary according to region. ... The percentage of Buddhist population of each country was taken from the US State Departments International Religious Freedom Report 2004 [1]. Other sources used were CIA Factbook [2] and adherents. ... There are many divisions and subdivisions of the schools of Buddhism. ... -1... Several Buddhist terms and concepts lack direct translations into English that cover the breadth of the original term. ... There are a great variety of Buddhist texts. ... // Before Common Era Trad. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. ... Chán is a major school of Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhism. ... Bodhidharma, woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, 1887. ... Huineng (慧能, 638 - 713) was a Chinese Chan (Chinese Zen) monastic who is one of the most important figures in the entire tradition. ... In Sanskrit, śīla is a term in Indian-derived systems such as Hinduism and Buddhism which is usually rendered into English as behavioral discipline, morality, or ethics (Tibetan tshul khrims). ... Dhyāna is a term in Sanskrit which refers to a type or aspect of meditation. ... Prajñā (Sanskrit; Pali: paññā; Tibetan: shes rab, Chinese: 般若, banruo) meaning wisdom, cognitive acuity; or know-how -- but especially the Buddhist wisdom that is based on a realization of dependent origination, not-self, emptiness, etc. ... This article or section should be merged with Chan Southern Chan (pron. ... Satori (æ‚Ÿ Japanese satori; Chinese: wù - from the verb, Satoru) is a Zen Buddhist term for enlightenment. ...

Content

In The Platform Sutra, Hui Neng instructs his accomplished disciples in the chapter on his Final Instructions, "After my entering Nirvana, each of you will be the Dhyana Master of a certain district. I am, therefore, going to give you some hints on preaching, so that you may keep up the tradition of our School." ...

"First mention the three categories of Dharmas, and then the thirty six 'pairs of opposites' in the activities of the Heart-Mind. Then teach how to avoid the two extremes of 'coming in' and 'going out.' In all preaching, stray not from the Heart-Mind. Whenever someone puts a question to you, answer in the antonyms, so that a pair of opposites; will be formed, such as coming and going. When the interdependence of the two is entirely done away with there would be, in the absolute sense, neither coming nor going... Whenever a question is put to you, answer it in the negative if it is an affirmative one; and vice versa. If you are asked about an ordinary man, tell the questioner something about a sage; and vice versa. From the correlation or interdependence of the two opposites the doctrine of the Middle Way may be grasped. If someone asks what is darkness, answer thus: Light is the root condition and darkness is the reciprocal condition. When light disappears, darkness appears. The two are in contrast to each other. From the correlation or interdependence of the two the Middle Way arises."

External links

• Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (log in with userID "guest")

• The Platform Sutra

• Legends in Chan: The Northern/Southern Split, Hui-neng and The Platform Sutra