The Wisdom of Huineng, Chinese Buddhist Philosopher

About the Book

For a non-Chinese and non-Buddhist like me, Chu Dongwei’s version of Huineng comes as a revelation. Chu’s lucid prose and verse translation of the great sage in my view opens us to what ultimately we cannot know but must always seek: the understanding of the nature of reality and of the ground of being — what in the West is called “the perennial philosophy.” Fraser Sutherland, Canadian poet and lexicographer

Buddhism is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. With its popularity comes an interest in the history of Buddhism and its early practitioners. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find such books written in an easy-to-understand manner.

The Wisdom of Huineng, Chinese Buddhist Philosopher: The Platform Sutra and Other Translations, edited and translated by Chu Dongwei, is an exception. Huineng (often spelt Hui-neng or Hui Neng, 638–713) is one of the major Chinese sages. Known as Liuzu, he was the sixth grand master of Chan (Zen) Buddhism. This book consists of an easily accessible translation of The Platform Sutra and the sermons of Shenhui, a disciple that made Huineng’s teaching popular. To provide historical background, Dongwei includes biographies and epitaphs that are rarely found in the English language.

Dongwei’s edition of The Wisdom of Huineng, Chinese Buddhist Philosopher: The Platform Sutra and Other Translations allows readers to strengthen their understanding of Buddhism through the texts of one of its most important figures. There is no longer a need to fear the unknown as you dive into this readable and understandable information source.

About the Author

Chu Dongwei, PhD, is Fulbright Research Scholar at the Center for Translation Studies, University of Illinois. He is Professor of Translation Studies at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. He is an author of many books and translator of many English to Chinese and Chinese to English works. He is founder and editor in chief of Chinese Literature and Culture, an online and print journal.