Charles Luk (1898-1978) () was an early translator of Chinese Buddhist texts and commentaries into the English language. He was born in

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

province, and moved later to

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

, where he wrote most of his books.

Buddhist practice

Charles Luk often used the title

Upāsaka Upāsaka (masculine) or Upāsikā (feminine) are from the Sanskrit and Pāli words for "attendant". This is the title of followers of Buddhism (or, historically, of Gautama Buddha) who are not monks, nuns, or novice monastics in a Buddhist order, ...

(), e.g. "Upāsaka Lu K'uan Yü" (), referring to his role as a devout lay follower of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

. His first Buddhist teacher was a

tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments and trained from a young age by students of his or her predecessor. High-profile examples ...

Esoteric Buddhism Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

, the Khutuktu of

Xikang Xikang (also Sikang or Hsikang) was a nominal province formed by the Republic of China in 1939 on the initiative of prominent Sichuan warlord Liu Wenhui and continued by the early People's Republic of China. Thei idea was to form a single unif ...

. Later he became a disciple of Hsu Yun, the famous inheritor of all five houses of the Chán school in China. Master Hsu Yun personally asked Charles Luk to translate key Chinese Buddhist texts into English, so that Western Buddhists could have access to authentic teachings to assist their practice. Upon his death in 1978, this task was taken on by his British disciple Richard Hunn (1949–2006), also known as Upasaka Wen Shu - who edited the 1988 Element edition of Charles Luk's book entitled ''Empty Cloud: The Autobiography of the Chinese Zen Master Xu Yun.''

Publications

Charles Luk contributed broadly to Buddhist publications in India, London, Paris, and New York. Translations: * '' Shurangama Sutra'' (1966) * ''

Platform Sutra The ''Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch'' ( or simply: ''Tánjīng'') is a Chan Buddhist scripture that was composed in China during the 8th to 13th century. The "platform" (施法壇) refers to the podium on which a Buddhist teacher spe ...

'' * ''

Vimalakirti Sutra The ''Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa'' (Devanagari: विमलकीर्तिनिर्देश) (sometimes referred to as the ''Vimalakīrti Sūtra'' or ''Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra'') is a Buddhist text which centers on a lay Buddhist meditat ...

'' (1972) * Some works on

Daoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...

Neidan Neidan, or internal alchemy (), is an array of esoteric doctrines and physical, mental, and spiritual practices that Taoist initiates use to prolong life and create an immortal spiritual body that would survive after death. Also known as Jindan ...

meditation. Other works: * ''Ch'an and Zen Teachings, First Series'' (1960), * ''Secrets of Chinese Meditation'' (1964) * ''Ch'an and Zen Teachings, Second Series'' (1971), * ''Practical Buddhism,'' Rider, (1971) * ''Ch'an and Zen Teachings, Third Series'' (1973), * ''Taoist Yoga : Alchemy And Immortality,'' (1973) * ''Empty Cloud: the Autobiography of the Chinese Zen Master Xu Yun'' (1974) * ''The Transmission of the Mind: Outside the Teaching'' (1974) * ''Master Hsu Yun's Discourses and Dharma Words'' (1996)

References

External links

Charles Luk's Obituary (by Richard Hunn)
1898 births Chinese Zen Buddhists 1978 deaths 20th-century Chinese translators Chinese–English translators Writers from Guangdong {{China-translator-stub