Liuzu tanjing 六祖壇經

Liuzu tanjing 六祖壇經 "The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch" is a classic text of Chan (Zen) Buddhism in China. It is also known as Liuzu Dashi fabao tanjing 六祖大師法寶壇經 "The Dharma Treasure Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch", and is commonly abbreviated as Tanjing 壇經, the "Platform Sutra".

It documents the teachings of Huineng 惠能 (638-713), the Sixth Patriarch of the Chan school, as spoken by him and compiled by his disciple Fahai 法海. By the Northern Song period 北宋 (960-1126), the text had already been incorporated into the Buddhist canon. Today, there are various editions from the Ming 明 (1368-1644) and Qing 清 (1644-1911) period, as well as the Fangshan Stone Canon 房山石經 version (see Buddhist Canon) and other circulating editions. In 1976, a Japanese joint facsimile edition titled Liuzu tanjing zhuben jicheng (Japanese reading Rokuso Dankyō shohon shūsei) 六祖壇經諸本集成 was published, compiling eleven different versions of the text.

The book details the life of Huineng, including the events through which he received the Dharma (the Buddha's teachings) and transmitted the lineage, as well as his teachings guiding disciples. The content is rich and the language accessible, making it an important source for studying the origins of Chan thought. Because the text was copied and transmitted repeatedly over successive generations, many versions exist, differing in structure and varying in detail. According to the widely circulated Jinling Scriptural Press (Jinling Keyin She 金陵刻印社) edition, the text is divided into ten chapters: Preface (Zixu 自序), "Prajñā or transcendent wisdom" (Bore 般若), "Resolving doubts (Jueyi 決疑), "Meditation and wisdom (Dinghui 定慧), "Wonderful practice" (Miaoxing 妙行), "Repentance" (Chanhui 懺悔), "Conditions and encounters" (Jiyuan 機緣), "Sudden and gradual (enlighentment)" (Dunjian 頓漸), "Protecting the Dharma" (Hufa 護法), and "Entrustment" (Fuzhu 付囑).

The Tanjing's central doctrine is "realising one's nature and becoming a Buddha" (jian xing cheng fo 見性成佛) expressing the belief that only the Dharma of seeing one’s nature is transmitted, to transcend the world and refute false teachings. The term "nature" (xing 性) refers to the inherent potential of all sentient beings to attain Buddhahood. Therefore, it teaches that bodhi (enlightenment) is originally inherent in one's own nature, which is fundamentally pure. By simply using this mind, one directly becomes a Buddha. This idea continues the teaching of the Nirvana Sutra (Niepanjing 涅槃經), that "all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature" (yiqie zhongsheng xi you foxing 一切眾生悉有佛性). The practical method it proposes for guiding Chan practitioners is summarised as: "taking no-thought as the principle, no-form as the essence, and non-abiding as the foundation" (wu nian wei zong, wu xiang wei ti, wu zhu wei ben 無念為宗，無相為體，無住為本), meaning that the mind is not defiled by external circumstances. Being free from attachment to appearances while engaging with them, one can grasp the true nature of all phenomena. In relation to all things, an enlightened person's thoughts do not dwell anywhere and are free from attachment.

The scripture also advocates the doctrine of sudden enlightenment (dunwu 頓悟), asserting that without awakening, a Buddha remains a sentient being. In a single thought of awakening, a sentient being becomes a Buddha. All dharmas are contained within one’s own mind, allowing one to suddenly perceive the true suchness of one's nature. At the same time, it emphasises that the Dharma itself is neither sudden nor gradual. Only delusion and awakening differ in speed, and although one may listen to the teachings for countless kalpas or ages in delusion, awakening occurs in an instant. Thus, the Tanjing indicates that the Dharma is "one", but understanding it may be swift or slow (fa ji yi zhong, jian you chiji 法即一種，見有遲疾). The Dharma itself has no distinction between sudden and gradual – it is people who vary in sharpness or dullness. The Platform Sutra also elaborates on the concept of a mind-only Pure Land (唯心凈土) that can be realised. It further endorses the practice of laypeople and householders, emphasising that the Buddha-Dharma exists in the world and does not exclude worldly awakening. If someone wishes to practise, they can do so at home, without necessarily entering a monastery.

The thought of the Platform Sutra played a significant role in the development of Chan Buddhism. Among all Chinese Buddhist writings, it is the only work honoured with the title "sutra" (jing 經).

In the early 20th century, manuscripts of the Platform Sutra, along with recorded sayings of Huineng's disciple Shenhui 神會, were discovered among the Dunhuang 敦煌 texts, leading to new developments in its study. The scholar Hu Shi 胡適 (1891-1962), claimed that the author of the Platform Sutra was not Huineng, but Shenhui. The Japanese scholar Ui Hakuju 宇井伯壽 (1882-1963), however, challenged Hu Shi's view. Sekiguchi Shindai 關口真大 (1907-1986) likewise argued that the Tanjing represented Shenhui's ideas. Yanagida Seizan 柳田聖山 (1922-2006) suggested that certain elements of the book's doctrines were actually spoken by Huizhong 慧忠 (675-775), a patriarch of the Niutou Lineage 牛頭宗, and later incorporated into Shenhui's school. The monk-scholar Yinshun 印順 (1906-2005) also refuted Hu Shi's arguments. In recent years, most scholars have maintained that the core content of the Platform Sutra reflects Huineng's thought, while also recognising that later additions were incorporated into the text.

Notable annotations of the Platform Sutra include the Liuzu tanjing jianzhu 六祖壇經箋注 by Ding Fubao 丁福保 (1874-1952).

The existing versions of the Platform Sutra can generally be classified into five types. The Dunhuang manuscript copies (Dunhuang ben 敦煌本) are not divided into chapters. The Huixin edition (Huixin ben 惠昕本, Xingsheng Monastery edition 興聖寺本), which includes a preface by Huixin 惠昕 (787), was produced by abridging a more extensive version of the Platform Sutra. It was transmitted to Japan, where related editions emerged. These later editions do not contain Huixin's preface but instead feature a preface written in 1116 by the monk Cunzhong 存中. The Korean transmission edition (Gaoli chuanben 高麗傳本) is believed to correspond to the edition printed by Deyi 德異 in 1290. It was reprinted in 1316, again in 1574, and once more in 1883. It includes a brief preface by Deyi, and the main text is divided into ten chapters. There are popular editions circulating titled Liuzu fabao tanjing 六祖法寶壇經. They include Deyi's preface, but the "Brief Preface" Lüexu 略序 is revised as Liuzu Dashi yuanqi waiji 六祖大師緣起外紀. They are also divided into ten chapters, although the order is slightly rearranged. Examples of popular editions include the reprint organised by the abbot Zhenpu 真樸, which contains an imperial preface from 1471, and the Jinling Scriptures Press 金陵刻經處 edition printed in 1929.

The Tanjing version in the Southern Ming Canon edition (Ming nanzang ben 明南藏本) includes a eulogy (zan 贊) written by the Song-period monk Qisong 契嵩 (1007-1072). It was compiled by the monk Zongbao 宗寶 and re-edited by Jingjie 淨戒, a cleric associated with Linggu Chan Monastery 靈谷禪寺 at Zhongshan 鐘山. This edition is not divided into chapters or scrolls. The Fangshan Stone Canon edition carved in 1620 by Zhao Qimei 趙琦美 follows the same format, though the names of the revising editors differ.