Three Zen Sutras

This volume compiles three Buddhist scriptures - the Heart, Diamond, and Platform Sutras - all translated by Bill Porter a.k.a. Red Pine. I don't have the authority to appraise the quality of the translations, but I found them surprisingly easy to understand, albeit with a few sections that I suspect were more beautiful in their original language. In any case, Porter's introduction to these texts is highly informative, placing them in the wider context of Buddhist thought.

The Heart Sutra is a short poem discussing the Buddhist teaching of emptiness and the Prajnaparamita (transcendent wisdom). The Diamond Sutra is a dialogue between the Buddha and his disciple Subhuti, which expands on these teachings. Both are rather abstract and repetitive, albeit in ways that get their points across and make sense for religious texts.

By far the longest and most interesting, though, is the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, which contains (or claims to contain) the sayings of Chinese Chan/Zen Patriarch Hui-neng, as recorded by his disciple Fahai. It begins with a transcript of a highly engaging public lecture given by Hui-neng, in which he tells the story of his life, and explains the Prajnaparamita teaching with poems, metaphors, and allusions to other sutras and religious schools which date it surprisingly little. The rest of the text consists of self-contained stories from the remainder of his life. It's a very enjoyable and enriching read today, enhanced by Red Pine's footnotes, as I'm sure it was back in the 8th century.

I would recommend this volume to anyone wanting to learn about Buddhist teaching from primary sources. If you find other religious texts dull and self-important, you will find the same problems here. But I think there's also a lot of wisdom and food for thought in these sutras as well.