Sutra of Hui-Neng, Grand Master of Zen.: With Hui-neng's Commentary on the Diamond Sutra (Shambhala Dragon Editions) Paperback – 1 Jan. 1998

Great thanks

I am the same.

I’m happy

Loved this book. I had a mentor in my meditation practice recommend this sutra and this translation. It was wonderful! I receive a sense of serenity whenever I crack open its pages and take a moment to ponder/accept the ideas. Want Zen? Congratulations! You've got it. You are doing it whether you are trying to/ not trying to/ wanting to/ avoiding to/ etc....what a relief. Be serene in the knowledge that you've already received what you have been striving or waiting on.But don't take my word for it! Read it for yourself.

This is the best translation I have come across so far for the Hui Nen Sutra. The fact that this edition includes his commentary on the Diamond Sutra makes it even better.

Grand Master Hui-Neng stresses that Essential Nature has nothing to do with intellectual prowess, social status, or previous experience. Being an illiterate "Aborigine" (his words), his grasping (or non -grasping) of the Essential Mind had nothing to do with the written word, but instead, had all to do with the meaning. He expounds the Original One Mind in everyday, straight forward language. He is not speaking, or rather, dumbing down, what the essential experience of Zen is. In my opinion, this is an essential manual for the initial understanding in Zen, but as Grand Master Hui-Neng stresses, you must not become attached to the manual, but rely solely on your own intuitive mind.

This is the single most important Zen book you can get on Amazon. It contains the Platform Scripture (I think "Sutra" is not the right translation here of the Chinese word "jing" - Sutras are only spoken by the Buddha, and Hui-Neng wasn't a Buddha: according to Buddhist teaching, there is only ONE Buddha for world-system/age). It also contains the Diamond Sutra and Hui-Neng's commentary on it. Hui-Neng is the most important Chinese Zen Master (the sixth Patriarch), so whatever is said in this book DEFINES what Zen is. There's no Zen bible but this comes close.