Book Discussion: Platform Sutra (Zen Foundational Text) - Ven Master Hsuan Hua

Let's embark on another Dharma exploration and discuss The Sixth Patriarch's Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra (Zen/Chan foundational text) We will take our time to discuss this book and meet once every two to three weeks.

We're actually using two different books but covering the same sections of the sutra and their commentary.
Book 1 is by late Venerable Master Hsuan Hua (Bk1-VMHH)
Book 2 is by Red Pine (Bk2-RdPn)

READING:
- Bk1-VMHH Chapter 1 up to and including the commentary of
"Sutra: Listen to my verse:
With feeling comes the planting of the seed.
Because of the ground, the fruit is born again.
Without that nature there is no birth either"
- Bk2-RdPn through Section 8.

DESCRIPTION
Master Hui Neng of Tang Dynasty China (7th century) expounded the doctrine of no-thought and sudden enlightenment through meditation. This book covers such topics as ignorance and enlightenment, different levels of consciousness and ultimate reality.

Hui Neng was the sixth Buddhist patriarch in China. He was a successor in the line of Bodhidharma, the first Chinese patriarch and 28th Indian patriarch from Shakyamuni Buddha.

The commentary in the book was provided by Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua, a former instructor at Nan Hua Monastery near Canton, China, the Bodhimanda of the Sixth Patriarch.

WHERE TO GET THE BK1-VMHH (Venerable Master Hsuan Hua):

1. Amazon Link (the third edition)
2. Online Book Link Does not contain certain book specific preface, introductions, editor's note.
3. Buddhist Text Link

WHERE TO GET THE BK1-RdPn (Red Pine):

1. Amazon Link

NOTE: that we are here to read, exchange and help each other. We’re not here to expound. If you need deeper learning, please go visit a Buddhist teaching center. We will be adhering to the contents of the book. We will not have any inter-religious discussions. If you like to discuss any topics with anyone not pertaining to the book, we advise you to initiate a conversation with whomever on another zoom at another time, not during the book club discussion. Thank you for understanding.

Intro video to book club

- - - About the Commentator Venerable Master Hsuan Hua
Venerable Master Hsuan Hua established the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) in Ukiah, California, which serves as one of the first Chan Buddhist monasteries in America. He also founded the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association, with its administrative headquarters in Burlingame, California.

Per weblink - https://www.drba.org/our-founder.html
One of the most eminent Chinese Buddhist masters of the twentieth century, the Venerable Master Hsüan Hua (Xuanhua,1918-1995) was a monastic reformer and the first Chinese master to teach Buddhism to large numbers of Westerners. During his long career he emphasized the primacy of the monastic tradition, the essential role of moral education, the need for Buddhists to ground themselves in traditional spiritual practice and authentic scripture, and the importance of respect and understanding among religions. To attain these goals, he focused on clarifying the essential principles of the Buddha’s original teachings, on establishing a properly ordained monastic community, on organizing and supporting the translation of the Buddhist Canon into English and other languages, and on the establishment of schools, religious training programs, and programs of academic research and teaching.

- - - - About Red Pine
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001JP86Q0/about?ccs_id=1934df44-0144-4f2f-8c71-f1e762a0c7db