Chinese Literature and Culture Magazine - Volume 12 - April 2018

In this issue

Many English language readers are familiar with The Platform Sutra, the book that records the words and deeds of Huineng, but the words of Shenhui, Huineng’s leading disciple and spokesperson are not much known in the English world. The talks and conversations of Shenhui often referred to as Shen Hui Yu Lu, or A Record of the Words of Shenhui have never been completely translated into English before the publication of The Wisdom of Huineng, Chinese Buddhist Philosopher (2015, IUniverse).
This volume consists of two documents recording the words of Shenhui: “Platform Talk of the Monk of Nanyang on the Direct Understanding of the Original Nature in the Chan Doctrine of Salvation via Sudden Enlightenment” and “A Definition of Right and Wrong by the Southern School of Bodhidharma,” Wang Wei’s epitaph for Huineng speaking of Shenhui’s importance in the dissemination of Huineng’s teachings In addition, there is a translation of “Xian Zong Ji”－Shenhui’s sermon on “the origin.” All these texts have been previously published in The Wisdom of Huineng, Chinese Buddhist Philosopher－The Platform Sutra and Other Translations (IUniverse, 2015). Since these texts are not much known as a collection, it is necessary to republish them as separate volume of Chinese Literature and Culture.