Huángbò Xīyùn (, ja, Ōbaku Kiun) (died 850) was an influential master of
Zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
during the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
.
Huángbò was a disciple of
Baizhang Huaihai (720–840), and the teacher of
Linji Yixuan
Linji Yixuan (; ja, 臨済義玄 ''Rinzai Gigen''; died 866 CE) was the founder of the Linji school of Chan Buddhism during Tang Dynasty China.
Línjì yǔlù
Information on Linji is based on the ''Línjì yǔlù'' (臨濟語錄; Japanese: ' ...
(died 866) (Wade–Giles: Lin-chi I-hsüan; Japanese: Rinzai Gigen).
Biography
Sources
Very little about Huángbò's life is known for certain as, unlike other ''
Transmission of the Lamp
''The Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp'' (), often referred to as ''The Transmission of the Lamp'', is a 30 volume work consisting of putative biographies of the Chan Buddhist and Zen Buddhist patriarchs and other prominent Buddhist ...
'' literature, there is no biographical information included with Huángbò's collection of sayings and sermons, the ''Ch’uan-hsin Fa-yao'' (Essentials of Mind Transmission) and the ''Wan-ling Lu'' (Record of Wan-ling: Japanese: Enryōroku).
He was born in
Fuzhou
Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. The records indicated that Huángbò was extraordinarily tall.
Monastic life
Huángbò began his monastic life on Mt. Huangbo in Fujian province, receiving the Buddhist name Xiyun (Hsi-yun). As was the custom of the times, he traveled around seeking instructions from various
Chan
Chan may refer to:
Places
*Chan (commune), Cambodia
*Chan Lake, by Chan Lake Territorial Park in Northwest Territories, Canada
People
*Chan (surname), romanization of various Chinese surnames (including 陳, 曾, 詹, 戰, and 田)
*Chan Caldwel ...
masters. He visited Mt. Tiantai and sought teachings from the National Teacher
Nanyang Huizhong Nanyang Huizhong (; ; 675-775 CE) was a Zen monk during the Tang Dynasty. He is often known by his nickname, National Teacher Zhong (; ) because he was the personal teacher of the Tang Emperors Suzong and Daizong. Huizhong was born in Zhuji, but l ...
(Wade–Giles: Nan-yang Hui-chung; Japanese: Nan’yō Echū). At some point he may also have studied under
Nanquan Puyuan
Nanquan Puyuan ( Chinese: 南泉普願; Wade-Giles: Nan-ch’üan P’u-yüan; Pinyin: Nánquán Pǔyuàn; Japanese: Nansen Fugan; Korean: 남천보원 Nam-cheon Bo-won) (c. 749 – c. 835) was a Chán (Zen) Buddhist master in China during the T ...
(748–835) (Wade–Giles: Nan-ch’üan P’u-yüan; Japanese: Nansen Fugan), a student of
Mazu Daoyi
Mazu Daoyi (709–788) (, Japanese: Baso Dōitsu) was an influential abbot of Chan Buddhism during the Tang dynasty. The earliest recorded use of the term "Chan school" is from his ''Extensive Records''. Master Ma's teaching style of "strange wo ...
(Wade–Giles: Ma-tsu Tao-i; Japanese: Baso Dōitsu) (709–788)
However, Huángbò's main teacher was
Baizhang Huaihai (Wade–Giles: Pai-chang Huai-hai; Japanese: Hyakujo Ekai), another Mazu student, and it was from Baizhang that Huángbò received
Dharma transmission
In Chan Buddhism, Chan and Zen Buddhism, dharma transmission is a custom in which a person is established as a "successor in an unbroken Lineage (Buddhism), lineage of teachers and disciples, a spiritual 'bloodline' (''kechimyaku'') theoretica ...
. According to
Yuanwu Keqin's commentary in ''
The Blue Cliff Record'', when Huángbò first met Baizhang, Baizhang exclaimed, “Magnificent! Imposing! Where have you come from?” Huángbò replied, “Magnificent and imposing, I’ve come from the mountains.”
Lung-hsing Monastery
In 842, a prominent government official in Kiangsi province,
Pei Xiu
Pei Xiu (224–271), courtesy name Jiyan, was a Chinese cartographer, geographer, politician, and writer of the state of Cao Wei during the late Three Kingdoms period and Jin dynasty of China. He was very much trusted by Sima Zhao, and p ...
(Wade–Giles: P’ei Hsiu) (787 or 797–860), invited Huángbò to take up residence at Lung-hsing Monastery. Pei was an ardent student of Chan and received teachings from Huángbò, eventually building a monastery for Huángbò around 846, which the master named Huang-po after the mountain where he had been a novice monk.
Death
Before Huángbò died, he named thirteen successors, the most prominent of which was Linji Yixuan. He was given the posthumous title (probably under the urging of Pei Xiu who became chief minister of the central government in 853) of “Chan Master Without Limits” (Tuan Chi Ch’an Shih).
John Blofeld
John Eaton Calthorpe Blofeld (2 April 1913 – 7 June 1987) was a British writer on Asian thought and religion, especially Taoism and Chinese Buddhism.
Early life
Blofeld was born in London in 1913.Blofeld 2008, pg. 4 In his youth, he happened ...
says he died on
Mount Huangbo
Mount Huangbo () is a mountain in Fuqing county of Fujian Province, in the East China region of the People's Republic of China.
The mountain is famous for its Buddhist temples, including Wanfu Temple (home of Yinyuan Longqi, founder of the Ja ...
during the T'ai Chung reign of the Tang dynasty, or between 847 and 859. Blofeld says his memorial pagoda is "The Tower of Spacious Karma" and that it was Emperor Hsüan Tsung who gave him the title "The Zen Master Who Destroys All Limitations".
Teachings
Sources
What is known of Huángbò's teachings comes from two texts, the ''Ch’uan-hsin Fa-yao'' (Essential of Mind Transmission) and the ''Wan-ling Lu'' (Record of Wan-ling: Japanese: Enryōroku) written by Huángbò's student, Pei Xiu. Pei compiled the teachings from his own notes and sent the manuscript to the senior monks on Mount Huangbo for further editing and emendation.
The “official” version of the Huángbò literature was published as part of the ''
Transmission of the Lamp
''The Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp'' (), often referred to as ''The Transmission of the Lamp'', is a 30 volume work consisting of putative biographies of the Chan Buddhist and Zen Buddhist patriarchs and other prominent Buddhist ...
'', Compiled during the Ching-te Period, in 1004. The record of Huángbò is more or less equally split between sermons by the master and question and answer dialogues between the master and his disciples and lay people.
One Mind
Huángbò's teaching centered on the concept of “mind” (Chinese: ''hsin''),
a central issue for Buddhism in China for the previous two centuries or more. He taught that mind cannot be sought by the mind. One of his most important sayings was “mind is the Buddha”. He said:
He also said:
He also firmly rejected all dualism, especially between the “ordinary” and “enlightened” states:
Tathāgatagarbha
Since all is Buddha-mind, all actions reflect the Buddha, are actions of a Buddha. Huángbò's teaching on this reflected the Indian concept of the
tathāgatagarbha
Buddha-nature refers to several related Mahayana Buddhist terms, including '' tathata'' ("suchness") but most notably ''tathāgatagarbha'' and ''buddhadhātu''. ''Tathāgatagarbha'' means "the womb" or "embryo" (''garbha'') of the "thus-gone ...
, the idea that within all beings is the nature of the Buddha. Therefore, Huángbò taught that seeking the Buddha was futile as the Buddha resided within:
Huángbò was adamant that any form of “seeking” was not only useless, but obstructed clarity:
Furthermore, he claimed that
Non-attachment to written texts
According to the accounts, Huángbò avoided clinging to written texts. This is exemplified by the following story:
:Pei Xiu presented Huángbò with a text he had written on his understanding of Chan.
:Huángbò placed the text down without looking at and after a long pause asked, “Do you understand?”
:Pei Xiu replied, “I don’t understand.”
:Huángbò said, “If it can be understood in this manner, then it isn’t the true teaching. If it can be seen in paper and ink, then it’s not the essence of our order.”
What Huángbò knew was that students of Chan often became attached to “seeking” enlightenment and he constantly warned against this (and all attachment) as an obstruction to enlightenment:
Although Huángbò often cautioned students against dependence on textual practices, pointing to the necessity of direct experience over sutra study, his record shows that he was familiar with a wide selection of Buddhist doctrines and texts, including the
Diamond Sutra, the
Vimalakīrti 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 ...
and the
Lotus Sutra
The ''Lotus Sūtra'' ( zh, 妙法蓮華經; sa, सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्रम्, translit=Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram, lit=Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma, italic=) is one of the most influ ...
.
Hitting and shouting
Huángbò was also noted for the manner of his teaching, incorporating the hitting and shouting pioneered by Mazu. There are a number of instances in the record of Huángbò slapping students.
The Blue Cliff Record tells the story of the future emperor of China, hiding in the Chan community as a novice monk, receiving slaps from Huángbò for questioning why Huángbò was bowing to an image of the Buddha.
The most famous instance was when
Linji Yixuan
Linji Yixuan (; ja, 臨済義玄 ''Rinzai Gigen''; died 866 CE) was the founder of the Linji school of Chan Buddhism during Tang Dynasty China.
Línjì yǔlù
Information on Linji is based on the ''Línjì yǔlù'' (臨濟語錄; Japanese: ' ...
was directed by the head monk,
Muzhou Daoming Muzhou or Mu Prefecture (睦州) was a '' zhou'' (prefecture) in imperial China centering on modern Jiande, Zhejiang, China. It existed (intermittently) from 603 to 1121, when its name changed to Yanzhou (and eventually to Yanzhou Prefecture in th ...
, to question Huángbò on the meaning of Buddhism after Linji had been practicing in Huángbò's monastery for three years without an interview. Three times Linji went to Huángbò and three times the only answer he got was a slap.
[Ferugson, pp 155–156]
His apparent disrespect was extended to his own position:
Overcoming fear
While Huángbò was an uncompromising and somewhat fearsome Chan teacher, he understood the nature of fear in students when they heard the doctrine of emptiness and the Void:
He taught that "no activity" was the gateway of his Dharma but that
Notes
References
Sources
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External links
Huang Po - Biography and Poems
{{DEFAULTSORT:Xiyun, Huangbo
Chan Buddhist monks
Tang dynasty Buddhist monks
850 deaths
Chinese Zen Buddhists
Year of birth unknown