Buddhist Books Podcast: Zen Buddhism · Edward Reib

Zen 17: The Platform Sutra 5

·32 min·3 clips
The Master reveals the Buddha taught the Western Land is 'not far,' a teaching for those of 'inferior capacity.'
The host reads and comments on Part 5 of the Platform Sutra, focusing on a dialogue where the Sixth Patriarch explains the true nature of merit, critiques Emperor Wu's misunderstanding, and reinterprets Pure Land Buddhism by emphasizing that enlightenment is found in purifying one's own mind here and now, not in a distant western paradise.

As heard by us

A slow Zen reading that makes sudden awakening feel immediate and human.

Episode 312, Zen Buddhism, part 17 stays with the Platform Sutra and follows the Sixth Patriarch through a question about the western land, sudden awakening, and what counts as real practice.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want Zen read slowly, with the commentary left in.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on