An Introduction to the Dunhuang Manuscript of the Platform Sutra: Facts or Legends?

As more and more scholars deepened the study of the Dunhuang version of The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, many significant research questions were raised. The questions such as when the book was completed, who actually wrote the book, and the historical authenticity of Huineng’s story, especially his identity of the Sixth Patriarch, were extensively discussed and questioned by many scholars. This essay attempts to conduct a more profound analysis and thinking based on the current academic studies with respect to this historical book, and seeks to critically and profoundly rethink the methods of contemporary criticism concerning religious studies.