ABSTRACT

The full Chinese title of this text is 六祖大師法寶壇經 (liùzǔdàshī fǎbǎo tán jīng) ‘The Great Master the Sixth Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra’. It is more usually shortened to 六祖壇經 in Chinese and is often called ‘The Sixth Patriarch’s Sutra’ or ‘The Platform Sutra’ in English. Note that 經 is a term which, in the Buddhist context, is normally reserved for sutras translated from Indian or Central Asian languages, usually purporting to be teachings given by the Buddha himself. It is not clear exactly when and why this text, which was originally written in Chinese and does not claim to be the words of the Buddha, came to be called a 經, but it is an indication of the reverence felt for it.