六祖大師法寶壇經

aka The Sutra of Huineng

Platform Sutra

Author

Unknown

Language

Classical Chinese

Year

c. 780

Country

China

Genre

Religious Scripture / Arcana / Sacred & Occult Texts

0

📷4 photos

The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch is a Chan Buddhist scripture that was composed in China during the 8th to 13th century. The "platform" (施法壇) refers to the podium on which a Buddhist teacher speaks. It is a repository of early Chan teachings, centering on the notion of the Buddha-nature, which is "only made invisible to ordinary humans by their illusions." Notably, in Chan Buddhism it is the only Chinese Buddhist text that is explicitly referred to as a "Sutra," emphasizing its central importance in the canon.