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The Sixth Patriarch's Sutra: Great Master Hui Neng

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The Sixth Patriarch Sutra is one of the fundamental Buddhist texts of Chan Buddhism in China (or Zen Buddhism in Japan).

The book is different from other translations in that it also includes a life history of the Sixth Patriarch Master Hui-Neng in detail in the opening chapter of the book. In addition, the book also provides an interesting account of the other previous five patriarchs, commencing from the First Patriarch Bodhidharma who is considered to be the founder of Chan Buddhism of ancient China, up to the Fifth Patriarch Master Hung-Jen.

The translation is easy to understand even to readers whom English is not their native tongue. In addition, the usage of Sanskrit terms has been kept to the minimum without sacrificing the spirit and intention of the original Chinese version.

However, the most distinguishing feature of the book compared to other translations is that it also includes detailed commentaries after each and every line of the translated text. These commentaries have been highly helpful for our understanding of their real intended meaning. What's more, the commentaries were provided by Tripitaka Master Hsuan-Hua who is a Buddhist practitioner himself and who also understood the essence of Chan (Zen) Buddhism in detail.

However, one piece of advice is that mere reading is not enough. A serious follower of Chan (Zen) Buddhism ought to seek out a Buddhist Master to understand its deeper meaning and how it fits into the context of our everyday lives.