Dear Friends,
Welcome to the New Year and our study series on the Teachings of Huangbo. The text we will be exploring is a record of a series of talks given by Huangbo in the fall of 842. The talks were recorded by an official named Pei Xiu. There are two translations that you may use for our study series. The first is The Zen Teaching Of Huang Po On The Transmission Of Mind by John Blofeld. The second can be found in Zen Roots – The First Thousand Years by Red Pine. Either one will do, however there are some differences between the two. The translation by John Blofeld is older, the first translation of the text into English, and still a favorite. However, I believe that the translation by Red Pine may be more accurate.
There are 36 sections in Huangbo’s Teaching on the Transmission of Mind that we will be exploring. You may also be interested in the introduction and preface. We will divide our exploration into 9 sections at a time.
I invite you to join me in this reading. The included form is optional and may be used to communicate with me privately about your understanding and any questions you may have. There is neither a time limit nor are you required to fill out any questionnaires.
Are you ready to begin? Let’s begin by looking into the first 9 sections. In a week or so I will send out the first questionnaire.