Jimmy Yu (born 1968), also known as Guo Gu (果谷 Guǒ Gǔ), is a

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 ...

teacher and a scholar of Buddhism. He was the bassist for the American 1980s hardcore bands Death Before Dishonor (the original) and

Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

. After his youthful days in hardcore straight edge, he returned to Buddhism and became a monk under

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 ...

. In 2000, he left monasticism to pursue academia. He received an MA degree in Chinese Buddhist studies from

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

in 2002 and a Ph.D. from Princeton University's Department of Religion in 2008. He is currently an Associate Professor of Religion at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

, teaching courses in East Asian religious traditions, especially Chinese Buddhism and late imperial Chinese cultural history. His research interests include the cultural history of the body, Buddhist monasticism, Chan/Zen Buddhism, and popular religions within the broader context of fifteenth- to seventeenth-centuries China. Jimmy Yu is also a long-time practitioner of

; his Dharma name is 果谷 Guǒ Gǔ. He practiced with the late Chan Master

from 1982 until the latter died in 2009. Guo Gu was Sheng Yen's translator, attendant, and assistant in leading intense Chan retreats. He first received '' inka'', a seal of approval for his experience of Chan, in 1995 by Sheng Yen, and subsequently received several ''inka''s from him, the last one being in 2007. He is the founder and Dharma teacher of the Tallahassee Chan Center in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...

, and founder of the Dharma Relief project. Additionally, Jimmy Yu is also the author of academic books, such as ''Sanctity and Self-Inflicted Violence in Chinese Religions'' (2012) and ''Reimagining Chan Buddhism: Sheng Yen and the Creation of the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan'' (2022). This former explores the religious aspects of self-inflicted violence, such as texts written in blood and the occasional practice of

cannibalism Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, b ...

during times of

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...

in late

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

and early

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...

China, and the latter is the first socio-intellectual history of the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan (Zen) by Master

, challenging the received academic and popular image of Chan Buddhism as a meditation school that bypasses scriptural learning.

Books

* Yu, Jimmy, ''Sanctity and Self-Inflicted Violence in Chinese Religions, 1500–1700'', Oxford University Press, 2012. * Guo Gu, ''Passing Through the Gateless Barrier: Kōan Practice for Real Life'', Shambhala Publications, 2016. * Guo Gu, ''The Essence of Chan: A Guide to Life and Practice according to the Teachings of Bodhidharma'', Shambhala Publications, 2020 (first paperback edition); (eBook edition, 2012) * Guo Gu, ''Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening'', Shambhala Publications, 2021 * Yu, Jimmy, ''Reimagining Chan Buddhism: Sheng Yen and the Creation of the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan'', Routledge, 2022.

References

# Ryan J. Downey
Biography: Judge
" AMG Retrieved 19 May 2010 # Tim McMahon and Gordo of Double Cross
Parts I ~ VI
" Retrieved 2 January 2011

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yu, Jimmy American heavy metal bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Florida State University faculty Chan Buddhists Zen Buddhist spiritual teachers 1968 births Living people