Red Pine
Bill Porter (born October 3, 1943) is an American author and translator of Chinese and Sanskrit works who writes under the name Red Pine (Chi Song). Source
- 2018: Porter, 74, a translator of Chinese poetry and author, has been awarded the American Academy of Arts & Letters Thornton Wilder Prize for translation. He writes under the name Red Pine (Chi Song) and has lived in Port Townsend since the late 1980s. (Source Accessed May 8, 2020)
Library Items
The Lankavatara Sutra: A Zen Text
Having translated The Diamond Sutra and The Heart Sutra, and following with The Platform Sutra, Red Pine now turns his attention to perhaps the greatest Sutra of all. The Lankavatara Sutra is the holy grail of Zen. Zen’s first patriarch, Bodhidharma, gave a copy of this text to his successor, Hui-k’o, and told him everything he needed to know was in this book. Passed down from teacher to student ever since, this is the only Zen sutra ever spoken by the Buddha. Although it covers all the major teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, it contains but two teachings: that everything we perceive as being real is nothing but the perceptions of our own mind and that the knowledge of this is something that must be realized and experienced for oneself and cannot be expressed in words. In the words of Chinese Zen masters, these two teachings became known as “have a cup of tea” and “taste the tea.”
This is the first translation into English of the original text used by Bodhidharma, which was the Chinese translation made by Gunabhadra in 443 and upon which all Chinese Zen masters have relied ever since. In addition to presenting one of the most difficult of all Buddhist texts in clear English, Red Pine has also added summaries, explanations, and notes, including relevant Sanskrit terms on the basis of which the Chinese translation was made. This promises to become an essential text for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding or knowledge of Zen. (Source: Counterpoint Press)
Red Pine, trans. The Lankavatara Sutra: A Zen Text. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint Press, 2012.
Red Pine, trans. The Lankavatara Sutra: A Zen Text. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint Press, 2012.;The Lankavatara Sutra: A Zen Text;Laṅkāvatārasūtra;Red Pine; Guṇabhadra;Lankavatara Sutra: A Zen Text
The Platform Sutra (Red Pine)
A Zen Buddhist masterpiece, winner of the 2018 Thornton Wilder Prize for Translation. The Platform Sutra occupies a central place in Zen (Ch’an) Buddhist instruction for students and spiritual seekers worldwide.
It is often linked with The Heart Sutra and The Diamond Sutra to form a trio of texts that have been revered and studied for centuries. However, unlike the other sutras, which transcribe the teachings of the Buddha himself, The Platform Sutra presents the autobiography of Hui–neng, the controversial 6th Patriarch of Zen, and his understanding of the fundamentals of a spiritual and practical life. Hui–neng's instruction still matters—the 7th–century school of Sudden Awakening that he founded survives today, continuing to influence the Rinzai and Soto schools of contemporary Zen.
Red Pine, whose translations of The Heart Sutra and The Diamond Sutra have been celebrated and widely received, now provides a sensitive and assured treatment of the third and final sutra of the classic triumvirate. He adds remarkable commentary to a translation that, combined with the full Chinese text, a glossary, and notes, results in a Mahayana masterpiece sure to become the standard edition for students and seekers alike. (Source: Counterpoint Press)Red Pine (Bill Porter), trans. The Platform Sutra: The Zen Teaching of Hui-neng. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint, 2006.
Red Pine (Bill Porter), trans. The Platform Sutra: The Zen Teaching of Hui-neng. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint, 2006.;The Platform Sutra (Red Pine);The doctrine of buddha-nature in Chinese Buddhism;Huineng;Red Pine; The Platform Sutra: The Zen Teaching of Hui-neng
On the topic of this person
Rev. Kokyo Henkel: Resource Recommendations for Learning about Buddha-Nature in the Zen Tradition
Henkel, Rev. Kokyo. "Resource Recommendations for Learning about Buddha-Nature in the Zen Tradition." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, June 26, 2021. Video, 5:25. https://youtu.be/GaTapNdwKRo.
Henkel, Rev. Kokyo. "Resource Recommendations for Learning about Buddha-Nature in the Zen Tradition." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, June 26, 2021. Video, 5:25. https://youtu.be/GaTapNdwKRo.
Henkel, Rev. Kokyo. "Resource Recommendations for Learning about Buddha-Nature in the Zen Tradition." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, June 26, 2021. Video, 5:25. https://youtu.be/GaTapNdwKRo.;Rev. Kokyo Henkel: Resource Recommendations for Learning about Buddha-Nature in the Zen Tradition;Denkōroku;Fanwang jing;Chien, C.;Cleary, T.;Cook, F.;Dōgen;Keizan;Red Pine;Schaik, S.;Sodargye, Khenpo; Rev. Kokyo Henkel: Resource Recommendations for Learning about Buddha-Nature in the Zen Tradition
