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Three Zen Sutras: The Heart Sutra, The Diamond Sutra, and The Platform Sutra (Counterpoints) Paperback – September 28, 2021

by Red Pine (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 187 ratings
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A pocket-sized presentation of the 3 most venerated sutras of Zen Buddhism: the Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra, and Platform Sutra

Features easy-to-understand translations and helpful footnotes—all from a legendary practitioner and translator of Buddhist teachings

Three classic Buddhist sutras—often linked to form a trio of texts that have been revered and studied for centuries—are now available together in this single volume. Red Pine, whose acclaimed translations these particular Buddhist texts are considered canon, provides a sensitive and assured treatment of the classic triumvirate in a gift-sized volume, perfect for sharing with anyone seeking guidance and peace.

• The Heart Sutra offers the Prajnaparamita teaching of emptiness
• The Diamond Sutra outlines the bodhisattva path followed by the Buddha.
• The Platform Sutra is an autobiography of Hui-neng, the controversial 6th Patriarch of Zen, whose teachings have served as an introduction to Zen for 1,300 years

In addition to new translations of all three texts, Red Pine has included an introduction that ties all three together and just enough footnotes to explain what needs explaining but not enough to get in the way.
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  1. Book 7 of 7
    Counterpoints
  2. Print length
    224 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Counterpoint
  5. Publication date
    September 28, 2021
  6. Dimensions
    4.05 x 0.6 x 6 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1640094946
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1640094949
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Red Pine (Bill Porter) was born in Los Angeles in 1943 and attended graduate school at Columbia University. An acclaimed translator, his published works include three major Buddhist texts: The Platform Sutra, The Diamond Sutra, and The Heart Sutra. He is also the author of Zen Baggage, Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits. Red Pine has lived in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and has traveled extensively in China, visiting Zen temples and seeking out hermits. He lives in Port Townsend, Washington.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Counterpoint (September 28, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1640094946
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1640094949
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.05 x 0.6 x 6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 187 ratings

About the author

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Red Pine

Red Pine

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Bill Porter (aka "Red Pine") is widely recognized as one of the world's preeminent translators of Chinese poetry and religious texts; he assumes the pen name "Red Pine" for his translations.

Bill Porter was born in Los Angeles in 1943 and grew up in the Idaho panhandle. He served a tour of duty in the U.S. Army (1964-67), graduated from the University of California with a degree in anthropology in 1970, and attended graduate school at Columbia University. Uninspired by the prospect of an academic career, he dropped out of Columbia and moved in 1972 to a Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. After four years with the monks and nuns, he struck out on his own and eventually found work at English-language radio stations in Taiwan and Hong Kong, where he produced over one thousand programs about his travels in China. In 1993 he returned to America with his family and has lived ever since near Seattle, Washington.

Writing as Bill Porter, he is the author of several travelogues, including Road to Heaven, which focuses on his interactions with Taoist hermits in the mountains of China; Zen Baggage; and his Guggenheim project, Finding Them Gone: Visiting China's Poets of the Past.

Writing as Red Pine, he was the first translator to ever translate the entirety of Han-shan's oeurve into English, published as The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain. Red Pine was also the first to translate into English the entirely of The Poems of the Masters. He has also translated several of the major Buddhist sutras, including the Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra, and Platform Sutra.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
187 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's translations of classic Zen texts to be good and easy to read. They describe it as a great selection for an anthological Buddhist text, with three popular Mahayana sutras included. Readers mention the book is perfect for travel or bedside reading, with refreshing translations even though it tackles difficult subject matter.

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4 customers mention "Translation"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the translation of the classic Zen texts in this book. They find it easy to read and a great selection for an anthological Buddhist text. The Heart Sutra and Diamond Sutra are popular within the Zen tradition.

"Perfect little pocket book. A great selection for an anthological Buddhist text." Read more

"Good translation" Read more

"This book includes three classic Zen texts in a single handy volume that is easy to read and worth reading many times over...." Read more

"...This book contains three Mahayana sutras that are very popular within the Zen tradition: The Heart Sutra The Diamond Sutra..." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and worth reading many times. They appreciate the refreshing translations, even though the subject matter is challenging.

"...I find Red Pine's translations refreshing to read, even though he tackles subject matter that the original authors themselves admit is all but..." Read more

"...and writing, and this compact volume is perfect for travel or as a bedside read." Read more

"Great little book..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • kate
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great little book
    Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Perfect little pocket book. A great selection for an anthological Buddhist text.
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  • A. B. Balser
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good translation
    Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Good translation
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  • Axel Ray
    5.0 out of 5 stars Red Pine's translations and commentary deliver essential Zen texts in a clear and modern voice.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This book includes three classic Zen texts in a single handy volume that is easy to read and worth reading many times over. I find Red Pine's translations refreshing to read, even though he tackles subject matter that the original authors themselves admit is all but incomprehensible. Red Pine brings an American folk sensibility to his commentary and notes that demystifies the history and meaning of the ancient authors he has chosen to translate. On the history and present state of Zen, for example, he writes in his introduction, "Since Huineng's day, Zen has come a long way. Some of those monasteries in the Gan and Xiang River watersheds where Zen first flourished are still active, but Zen itself has 'gone beyond.' Nowadays it's practiced in living rooms and converted garages and repurposed churches around the world, where people are still sitting together, still reading these texts, still vowing to liberate all beings, one breath at a time." These people are lucky to have Red Pine and his translations available to help their practice. I also heartily recommend his translation of The Zen Teaching of Bodhidarma.
    26 people found this helpful
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  • Erica H.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The Three Zen Sutras translated by Red Pine was just what I was looking for. The book is a smaller size which makes it easy to take with me anywhere.
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  • JGar
    5.0 out of 5 stars Long Overdue
    Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Buddhist scripture is very hard to access in the West. We usually get "best of" anthologies with short scriptural snippets, or general summaries of what the Buddha taught, or expensive books with more commentary than actual scripture.

    This book contains three Mahayana sutras that are very popular within the Zen tradition:

    The Heart Sutra
    The Diamond Sutra
    The Platform Sutra

    All three sutras are short, but the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra are VERY short. This is why it is rather ridiculous that other editions of the Heart and Diamond Sutras are, relatively, so expensive--and therefore largely inaccessible.

    The star of the show is the Platform Sutra, which covers the teaching of Huineng. Unlike the Heart and Diamond Sutras, which have wider Buddhist applicability, the Platform Sutra is squarely Zen, as Huineng was a Chinese Zen patriarch. This text was powerful, practical, and straightforward.

    I really appreciate Counterpoint and Red Pine making these sutras so accessible.
    24 people found this helpful
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  • Jeffrey D. Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I’m a huge fan of Red Pine’s translations and writing, and this compact volume is perfect for travel or as a bedside read.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Bob Schwartz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Please buy and read this and all else that Bill Porter/Red Pine writes
    Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Please buy and read this and all the translations of texts and poetry that Bill Porter/Red Pine has gifted to us. While there, also read the accounts of his journeys of discovery in China.

    He proves that you do not need official sectarian recognition for your understanding the essence of Zen or Buddhism. You need an open heart and mind, a love of life and work, and, in his case, an immense amount of literary talent. Many who read multiple translations of numerous texts know that his translations and the underlying scholarship and commentary are the place to turn most often.
    16 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable Zen Resource
    Reviewed in Canada on July 29, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Lovely little pocket-sized book, with detailed endnotes. Highly recommended.
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  • Dr Steve Carr
    5.0 out of 5 stars Compact compilation of Red Pine's translations
    Reviewed in Canada on November 22, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    For fans of Red Pine and his translations, this is an ideal pocket (large pockets) compendium of three essential sutras on the Zen Path. I have all three in large format already, it's nice to have them in a form to be tucked away in a travel bag.

    Quibble: in rendering the Heart Sutra, Red Pine like other repeats a punctuation error that confused me for many a year. That is:

    No suffering, no origination, no stopping, no path, no cognition, also no attainment with nothing to attain.
    The Bodhisattva depends on Prajna Paramita ....

    is better parsed as:
    ... no cognition, no attainment.
    With nothing to attain, the Bodhisattva depends on ....

    A recent workshop seemed to confirm this, with sino-japanese language experts.
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  • Geoff
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening Read
    Reviewed in Canada on November 13, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    The three sutras in this book are delivered very insightfully. Red Pine is a great translator of these sort of works and the foot notes included add an insightful and educational addition to the works particularly with regards to a reference of the time when they were originally delivered.

    I found wisdom and understanding within this book that was helpful to me on my journey back to Buddhism and recommend it to everyone who is also looking to learn more about Buddhist philosophy and beliefs.
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