Beginning Tuesday April 10th, the Atlanta Soto Zen Center will spend ten weeks studying the latest translation by sangha friend Red Pine. The Platform Sutra is a compilation of the teachings of the colorful and beloved Sixth Chinese Ancestor, Hui-neng, an illiterate wood-cutter who was enlightened by hearing a phrase from the Diamond Sutra while in the marketplace. The new translation by Red Pine is delightful to read: clear and poetic translation with insightful commentary that opens the depths of the text and of Hui-neng’s deep teaching.

“Life is important. And death is important. And so is liberation from life and death. This is something we all deal with sooner or later, but it isn’t something we all deal with equally well. The Platform Sutra is the response of a Chinese monk named Hui-neng. As it has come down to us, this book has passed through the hands and minds of millions of people throughout East Asia, and it has been revered as no other Chinese Buddhist text. It is the only Chinese text ranked alongside the sutras of the Buddha… It was titled the Platform Sutra because the sermon that forms its heart was delivered from a raised platform before an audience numbering in the thousands. Ever since it was put together, it has been the most studied, the most quoted, the most influential of all texts that teach that branch of Mahayana Buddhism known as Zen.

"This brings us now to the teaching that Hui-neng taught. Normally, readers would expect an explanation of the various concepts that appear in this text. Normally, this is what we think a teaching consists of: concepts, ideas, constructs of the mind and relationships among them. But Hui-neng’s teaching is not a teaching of concepts, just the opposite. It is, instead, a teaching of no concepts. Hui-neng addresses an audience numbering in the thousands, and every word he speaks is directed at freeing people of whatever concepts block their awareness of their own nature. This is the teaching of Hui-neng: See your nature and become a Buddha. The rest is simply an attempt at deconstruction, the deconstruction of the walls that imprison us in our dungeons and delusion—including the delusions that arise in the course of studying and practicing the teachings of the Buddha.”

The reading group meets every Tuesday night at the Atlanta Soto Zen Center (1167 Zonolite Road) from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. The reading group is informal and readings serve as a point of departure for discussions. Sometimes we follow the text closely, other times discussion is wide-ranging. It is best to read the assigned chapter before attending but not required - feel free to drop in for the discussion even if you haven’t read the text. We often begin with a short commentary/summary of the reading by the facilitator followed by comments about sections of the reading that were particularly interesting, difficult, controversial, etc. by group members. We frequently take turns reading selections out loud. Tea and snacks are served. Several copies of the text will be available by the door to the zendo.

The book is printed with small pages, about the size of a paperback. The sutra itself is divided into 57 sections, totaling about 50 pages in all. The book begins with the sutra (without commentary) followed by a short but informative introduction. Scan over the sutra for the first meeting (April 10th) but we will primarily focus on the introduction. In the remaining 9 weeks we will cover about 6 sections (about 20 pages) each week.