Fahai (Tang dynasty)

Fahai was a monk who lived in Tang dynasty, and was identified as a compiler of Zen Buddhism according to the Dun-huang edition of the Platform Sutra.^[1] Fahai was a disciple of the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, Hui-neng.^[1] According to Records of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fahai was a native of Qujiang in Shao Prefecture (modern Shaoguan, Guangdong).^[2]

Fahai
Chinese	法海
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Fǎ Hǎi Wade–Giles Fa^3 Hai^3 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Faat Hói Jyutping Faat^3 Hoi^2

As a patriarch of Zen Buddhism, Fahai was one of the editors of the Platform Sutra. Fahai contributed to the translation of the sutra and left editing notes in his version of the translation and warned haphazard transmission. A famous dialogue between Fahai and the sixth patriarch Hui-Neng was recorded in the Platform Sutra:

"The mind has always been the buddha, before I understood I deceived myself, knowing now how mediation and wisdom work, I cultivate both and transcend all things."^[3]

References

1. Baroni 2002, p. 110.
2. Daoyuan 2015, p. 93.
3. Pine 2008, p. 361.

• Baroni, Helen J. (2002). The illustrated encyclopedia of Zen Buddhism (PDF). The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8239-2240-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
• Pine, Red (2008). The Platform Sutra: The Zen Teaching of Hui-neng. Counterpoint Press.
• Daoyuan (2015) [1000s]. Records of the Transmission of the Lamp, Volume 2: The Early Masters. Translated by Randolph S. Whitfield. Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3-7392-7388-4.