''Hua Tou'' (話頭, Korean: ''hwadu'', Japanese: ''wato'') is part of a form of
Buddhist meditation
Buddhist meditation is the practice of meditation in Buddhism. The closest words for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are '' bhāvanā'' ("mental development") and '' jhāna/dhyāna'' (mental training resulting in a calm and ...
known as ''Gongfu'' 工夫 (not to be confused with the Martial Arts 功夫 ) common in the teachings of
Chan Buddhism
Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning "meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and So ...
,
Korean Seon
Seon or Sŏn Buddhism (Korean: 선, 禪; IPA: ʌn is the Korean name for Chan Buddhism, a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism commonly known in English as Zen Buddhism. Seon is the Sino-Korean pronunciation of Chan () an abbreviation of 禪那 (' ...
and
Rinzai Zen
The Rinzai school ( ja, , Rinzai-shū, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (along with Sōtō and Ōbaku). The Chinese Linji school of Chan was first transmitted to Japan by Myōan E ...
. ''Hua Tou'' can be translated as 'word head', 'head of speech' or 'point beyond which speech exhausts itself'. A ''Hua Tou'' can be a short phrase that is used as a subject of meditation to focus the mind.
Origins
''Hua Tou'' are based on the encounter-dialogues and ''
koan
A (; , ; ko, 화두, ; vi, công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the "great doubt" and to practice or test a student's progress in Zen.
Etymology
The Japanese term is the Sino-Jap ...
'' of the interactions between past masters and students, but are shorter phrases than koans. The Hua Tou method was invented by the Chinese Zen master
Dahui Zonggao
Dahui Zonggao (1089–10 August 1163) (; Wade–Giles: Ta-hui Tsung-kao; Japanese: Daie Sōkō; Vietnamese: Đại Huệ Tông Cảo) was a 12th-century Chinese Chan (Zen) master. Dahui was a student of Yuanwu Keqin (Wade–Giles: Yuan-wu K ...
(1089–1163) who was a member of the
Linji school
The Línjì school () is a school of Chan Buddhism named after Linji Yixuan (d. 866). It took prominence in Song China (960–1279), spread to Japan as the Rinzai school and influenced the nine mountain schools of Korean Seon.
History
Song d ...
. Dahui was interested in teaching the lay community, particularly the educated Chinese
scholar-officials
The scholar-officials, also known as literati, scholar-gentlemen or scholar-bureaucrats (), were government officials and prestigious scholars in Chinese society, forming a distinct social class.
Scholar-officials were politicians and governmen ...
. Support of those "literati" was essential for the survival of the individual lineages, since appointments as abbot of public monasteries were determined by this ruling class. Providing accessible methods of training for layman was a means to gather this necessary support. ''Hua Tou'' practice does not use regular interviews and question and answer sessions between student and teacher (dokusan). According to Dahui, ''Hua Tou'' is also a form of meditation that "can be carried out by laymen in the midst of their daily activities."
Dahui was also against the intellectualism and literary commentary that had begun to enter into
Koan
A (; , ; ko, 화두, ; vi, công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the "great doubt" and to practice or test a student's progress in Zen.
Etymology
The Japanese term is the Sino-Jap ...
practice with the
Blue Cliff Record
The ''Blue Cliff Record'' () is a collection of Chan Buddhist kōans originally compiled in Song China in 1125, during the reign of Emperor Huizong, and then expanded into its present form by Chan master Yuanwu Keqin (1063–1135; ).K. Sekida, ...
of his master Yuan-wu. In fact, Dahui burned his copy of the
Blue Cliff Record
The ''Blue Cliff Record'' () is a collection of Chan Buddhist kōans originally compiled in Song China in 1125, during the reign of Emperor Huizong, and then expanded into its present form by Chan master Yuanwu Keqin (1063–1135; ).K. Sekida, ...
.
Formal Hua Tou practice was promoted in
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
by
Seon Seon may refer to:
* Seon, Switzerland, a municipality in the canton of Aargau
* ''Seon'', a type of arranged marriage in South Korea
* Korean Seon, a Zen school of Korean Buddhism
* Seon (food), steamed vegetable dishes with fillings in Korean cui ...
master
Chinul
Jinul Puril Bojo Daesa (, "Bojo Jinul"; 1158–1210), often called Jinul or Chinul for short, was a Korean monk of the Goryeo period, who is considered to be the most influential figure in the formation of Korean Seon (Zen) Buddhism. He is credi ...
. He was extremely successful in popularizing Hua Tou. According to Robert Buswell:
According to
Bhikkhu Analayo
Bhikkhu Anālayo is a bhikkhu (Buddhist monk), scholar, and meditation teacher. He was born in Germany in 1962, and went forth in 1995 in Sri Lanka. He is best known for his comparative studies of Early Buddhist Texts as preserved by the various ...
, a similar practice is found in the
Pali commentaries relating to mindfulness of bodily postures. Analayo writes that according to the Papañcasudani "the difference between simple walking and walking meditation as a
Satipatthana
''Satipatthana'' ( pi, Satipaṭṭhāna, italic=yes; sa, smṛtyupasthāna, italic=yes) is a central practice in the Buddha's teachings, meaning "the establishment of mindfulness" or "presence of mindfulness", or alternatively "foundations of ...
is that a meditator keeps in mind the question: "Who goes? Whose is this going?" (Ps I 251).
Practice
Dahui emphasised that initial insight is essential for Zen-training. Dahui stressed that it was possible for laymen to achieve enlightenment through this practice. He often gave instructions through letters to his pupils.
Chinul described Hwadu (Hua Tou) in his treatise ''Dharma Collection and Special Practice Record'' () as a practice that leads to the very limits of speech and acts as a purification device.
Because the practice leads students beyond conceptual understanding, Chinul considered an advanced practice for those of particular talent, or those who had already advanced through other practices first.
To practice ''Hua Tou'', one concentrates on the phrase, initially repeating it silently with a questioning and open mind and then thinking about "Who" or "What" is generating the Hua Tou, this brings about "Great Doubt". Hua Tou can be practiced during sitting meditation, after the mind has been calmed through an initial period of breath meditation.
Hsu Yun said of practicing Hua Tou:
According to Chan master
Sheng Yen
Sheng Yen (), born Zhang Baokang (), (January 22, 1931 – February 3, 2009) was a Taiwanese Buddhist monk, religious scholar, and writer. He was one of the mainstream teachers of Chan Buddhism. He was a 57th generational dharma heir of Lin ...
, there are three stages of Hua Tou practice: reciting the Hua Tou, asking the Hua Tou and investigating the Hua Tou. Through these stages it is important not to try to answer the Hua Tou intellectually, but to persistently ask the question mindfully with genuine interest and sincere desire to know. It is through this constant practice that great doubt and then insight arises.
Examples of Hua Tou
According to Stuart Lachs, there are various popular Hua Tous such as:
[Lachs, Stuart, ''Hua-t’ou: A Method of Zen Meditation, 2012.'']
*“What is it?” - very popular in
Korean Seon
Seon or Sŏn Buddhism (Korean: 선, 禪; IPA: ʌn is the Korean name for Chan Buddhism, a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism commonly known in English as Zen Buddhism. Seon is the Sino-Korean pronunciation of Chan () an abbreviation of 禪那 (' ...
*“What is this?”
*“Who is repeating the Buddha’s name?” - Popular with Chinese who also practice ''
nianfo
Nianfo (, Japanese: , , vi, niệm Phật) is a term commonly seen in Pure Land Buddhism. In the context of Pure Land practice, it generally refers to the repetition of the name of Amitābha. It is a translation of Sanskrit '' '' (or, "recolle ...
.'' This Huatou changes nianfo into a Chan practice.
*“Who is dragging this corpse around?” - popularized by
Hsu Yun, who often recommended it as a first practice, it was given to him by Master Yang-jing of the Tian-tai sect.
*“Who am I?”
*“What was my
Original face
The original face is a term in Zen Buddhism, pointing to the nonduality of subject and object.
Origins
The phrase "original face" originates in Huangpo's Chuanhsin fayao (857) and the Hui-sin edition (967) of the Platform Sutra:
This question ap ...
before my father and mother were born?” - from the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, and the 23rd case in the well known koan collection, the
Mumonkan
''The Gateless Barrier'' ( Mandarin: 無門關 ''Wúménguān''; Japanese: 無門関 ''Mumonkan''), sometimes translated as ''The Gateless Gate'', is a collection of 48 Chan (Zen) koans compiled in the early 13th century by the Chinese Zen mast ...
*“What is
Mu?” - This is taken from the famous
kōan
A (; , ; ko, 화두, ; vi, công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the "great doubt" and to practice or test a student's progress in Zen.
Etymology
The Japanese term is the Sino-J ...
,
Joshu’s Mu which goes as follows, “A monk asked
Joshu, ‘Does a dog have Buddha-nature or not?’ Joshu replied, ’
Mu.”
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
Further reading
* Cleary, JC. Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui (1977) Shambhala.
* Luk, Charles. ‘Empty Cloud The Autobiography of a Chinese Zen Master’ (1988) Element.
* Broughton, Jeffrey. The letters of Chan master Dahui Pujue
* Broughton, Jeffrey. The Chan Whip Anthology: A Companion to Zen Practice
External links
Hsu Yun Organisation, ''The Hua Tou practice''Buddhist Door, ''Koan or Huatou in Chinese Chan Buddhism''Yin I. Park, ''Zen language in our time: the case of Pojo Chinul's Hua Tou practice''
{{Zen
Rinzai school
Chan Buddhism
Nondualism