Hsu Yun

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Hsu yun

Hsu Yun ( Chinese  虚云 , Pinyin Xūyún ; birth name Xiao Guyan, Chinese  萧 古 巖 ; * August 26, 1840 ? † October 13, 1959 ) was a famous Chinese Chan Buddhist master and one of the most influential Buddhist teachers of the 19th and 20th centuries . He is famous because he is said to be 119 years old.

youth

Hsu Yun was born on August 26th. Whether the year 1840 is correct remains to be checked. He is from Fujian . His mother died during childbirth. In 1850, in the 30th year of the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing Dynasty , his father and his family returned to Quanzhou , to the region of their origin, the Zhou clan. The old grandmother decided that her grandson should be married. Hsu Yun had to marry women from the Tian family and one from the Tan family in order to continue his own lineage and that of an uncle.

Hsu Yun first encountered Buddhism at his grandmother's funeral. Soon afterwards, he began to read Buddhist sutras and went on a pilgrimage to Heng Shan , one of the most important Buddhist places in China. At the age of fourteen he announced that he wanted to give up the material world for a life as a monk. His father didn't think much of Buddhism and instead let him teach Daoism . From the beginning, Hsu Yun was dissatisfied with the Taoist teachings because, in his opinion, they did not reach the deeper truths of existence. There were many old books in the storeroom of his parents' house. As he rummaged through them, he came across the book Xiangshan Baojuan (香山寶卷- Story of Incense Mountain), a hagiography of Guanyin . This book influenced him deeply and prompted him to become a monk. At the age of 17 he tried to escape for the first time and start the novitiate in a monastery of Heng Shan. But he was caught and brought back by envoys from his uncle. At home, the family was concerned that Hsu Yun would escape again, so he was sent to Quanzhou with his cousin Fu Kuo . His father formalized the transfer of the Tian and Tan family brides, and Hsu Yun's wedding was celebrated. However, Hsu Yun had already recognized the emptiness of matter. He despised the concepts of "self" and had no desire whatsoever. He was mentally clear and physically pure. Although he lived with his wives, he did not become impure. On the contrary, he preached the Dharma to his wives so that they too could live a Buddhist life.

He had a deep spiritual understanding with his cousin Fu Kuo . Fu Kuo had also immersed himself in the Buddhist teachings and supported his cousin. Hsu Yun left his family with him at the age of 19 and went on a pilgrimage to Gu Shan (Drum Mountain) in Fuzhou . On his departure he wrote the "Song of the Skinbag", which he left for his women.

He had his hair shaved in Gu Shan's monastery and was accepted as a monk. When his father sent henchmen to take him back, he hid in a grotto where he lived in solitude for three years. In 1865 he learned that his father had died and that his stepmother and his two wives had gone to the monastery themselves.

During his time as a hermit , Hsu Yun had some of his deepest spiritual experiences. He visited Master Yung Ching, who encouraged him to give up his extreme asceticism in favor of moderation. He taught the young monk the sutras and showed him how to use the Hua Tou (meditation word), "Who is dragging this corpse of mine? (Who is dragging this corpse of mine?). In 1876, with the consent of Yung Ching, he went on a seven-year-old Pilgrimage to Putuo Shan , an island off the coast of Ningbo , considered by Buddhists to be the bodhimaṇḍala of Avalokiteshvara , from where he visited the Ashoka Monastery and other holy places of Chan Buddhism.

Life as a monk, enlightenment

At the age of 34, he made another pilgrimage to Nan Hai because he was still looking for enlightenment. All the way from Fa Hua Temple to Ch'ing Liang Summit on Wutai Shan in the northwest, the bodhimandala of Wen Shu , he prostrated every three steps and prayed for the reincarnation of his parents in Jingtu . Legend has it that on the way, he met a beggar Wen Chi twice, who twice saved his life. Hsu Yun himself came to believe that the beggar was a reincarnation of Wen Shu. After he had achieved "uniqueness of spirit", he traveled west and south, also for long stretches through Tibet . He visited monasteries and holy places like the Potala and Trashilhünpo . After that he turned to India and Ceylon and crossed the sea to Burma . During this time he wrote many poems. After his return to China around 1893, he went to the masters Pu Zhao, Yue Xia and Yin Lian (Lotus Seal) to meditate and seek Buddhahood with them. On Jiuhua Shan they repaired the hermitages at the Cui Feng summit and Pu Zhao interpreted the Mahavaipulyabuddha Avatamsaka (Flower Decoration) Sutra .

In 1896, when Hsu Yun was 56 years old, Abbot Yue Lang of the Gaomin Temple in Yangzhou invited them to take part in a twelve-week Dhyana meditation. While the group was preparing to leave, they asked Hsu Yun to go ahead. In Di Gang he had to cross a river, fell into the water and was only pulled out of the water in a fishing net one day later. After being halfway restored, he went to Yangzhou. When asked by the abbot (Gao Ming) to take part in the meditation, he politely apologized, without revealing that he was sick. The temple rules provided a punishment for this. Hsu Yun willingly accepted the beating, even though it made his condition worse.

Hsu Yun spent the next few days in constant meditation. In his autobiography, he writes: "In the purity of my" oneness of mind "I completely forgot about my body. Twenty days later my illness completely disappeared. From that moment, when all my thoughts were erased, my practice showed success day and night. My steps became as fast as if I was flying through the air. One evening, after the meditation, I opened my eyes and suddenly saw a glow comparable to the bright daylight. In it I could see everything, inside and outside the monastery. " However, he knew that this event was just a hallucination and not a rare occurrence. He led his meditation on the meditation word "Who is thoughtful with Buddha?" further on.

In the 12th lunar month (January), on the third evening of the eighth week of meditation and after six hours of meditation, Hsu Yun experienced his enlightenment when a servant scalded his hand with water while pouring it. At the sound of the breaking tea bowl, his doubts suddenly ended. He was overjoyed because his lifelong pursuit had achieved its goal. It was like waking up from a dream.

He describes the event in a poem:
A cup fell to the ground
with a clearly audible noise / With a sound clearly heard.
As space was pulverized,
the mad spirit came to a halt. / The mad mind came to a stop.

When the hand released its hold, the cup fell and was shattered,
Is difficult to speak when the family falls apart or someone dies. / 'Tis hard to talk when the family breaks up or someone dies.
Spring comes with fragrant flowers exuberating everywhere;
Mountains, rivers and the great earth are only the Tathagata. "

Age

Hsu Yun worked tirelessly as a bodhisattva . He taught students, interpreted sutras, and restored ancient temples. All of Asia was his field of work. His following spanned Burma, Thailand , Malaya and Vietnam , as well as Tibet and China . He remained in China during World War II , and after the People's Republic of China came to power , he supported Buddhist communities instead of retreating to the safety of Hong Kong or Taiwan . He and his students were mistreated. In 1953 he founded the Chinese Buddhist Society in Guangji Si together with Yuan Ying , Tai Xu and others . He was asked to take the presidency but declined because of his old age and poor health, but accepted the title of honorary president. The company made several demands to the government:

  • 1) The destruction of monasteries and temples, desecration and the burning of sutras should stop in all places.
  • 2) Threats of violence against monks and nuns so that they can return to the laity will not be tolerated.
  • 3) All monastery property should be returned immediately and the Buddhist community ( Sangha ) should receive enough arable land to enable the monasteries to be self-sufficient.

This petition received a positive answer. Hsu Yun also represented society when receiving gifts from a Buddhist delegation in Sri Lanka. He countered critics in his own ranks with an essay on the end of the Dharma age.

In 1955 he completed several building projects and conducted further meditations. In 1956 the monk Hai Teng (Lake Lamp) became abbot. In the fall of 1959, Hsu Yun fell ill. He died on the 12th of the 9th lunar month after he had once again admonished his followers.

meaning

Hsu Yun was one of the most influential Zen masters in the past two centuries. On his initiative a structure was created that had never existed before in the Buddhist community. The Chinese Buddhist Society served as the mouthpiece of the various monasteries and communities for the Communist Party . Honorary presidents were among others the Dalai Lama , the Panchen Lama , the Grand Lama of Inner Mongolia , and Hsu Yun. Hsu Yun's teachings were taken up in large parts of Asia and to this day he is an authority on Pure Land Buddhism. Outside of China, his teachings are mainly cultivated in Vietnam and Myanmar , and also in America . His students Hsuan Hua , Jy Din (Shakya) and Fo Yuan (shakya) made contacts to America .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hey, Steven. Wright, Dale steward. Zen Masters. 2010. p. 92
  2. ↑ 虛雲 老 和尚 畫 傳 集 上 宣 下 化 老 和尚 著述 A Pictorial Biography of the Venerable Master Hsu Yun composed by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua . Drbachinese.org. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
  3. ↑ 虛雲 老 和尚 畫 傳 集 上 宣 下 化 老 和尚 著述 A Pictorial Biography of the Venerable Master Hsu Yun composed by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua . Drbachinese.org. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
  4. ↑ 虛雲 老 和尚 畫 傳 集 上 宣 下 化 老 和尚 著述 A Pictorial Biography of the Venerable Master Hsu Yun composed by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua . Drbachinese.org. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
  5. ↑ http://www.dharmasite.net/SongoftheSkinBag.htm
  6. ↑ | title = 虛雲 老 和尚 畫 傳 集 上 宣 下 化 老 和尚 著述 Pictorial Biography
  7. ↑ 虛雲 老 和尚 畫 傳 集 上 宣 下 化 老 和尚 著述 A Pictorial Biography of the Venerable Master Hsu Yun composed by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua . Drbachinese.org. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
  8. ↑ | title = 虛雲 老 和尚 畫 傳 集 上 宣 下 化 老 和尚 著述 Pictorial Biography
  9. ^ [In] the purity of my singleness of mind, I forgot all about my body. Twenty days later my illness vanished completely. From that moment, with all my thoughts entirely wiped out, my practice took effect throughout the day and night. My steps were as swift as if I was flying in the air. One evening, after meditation, I opened my eyes and suddenly saw I was in brightness similar to broad daylight in which I could see everything inside and outside the monastery ...
  10. ↑ "who is mindful of the Buddha?"
  11. ↑ 虛雲 老 和尚 畫 傳 集 上 宣 下 化 老 和尚 著述 A Pictorial Biography of the Venerable Master Hsu Yun composed by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua . Drbachinese.org. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
  12. ↑ 虛雲 和尚 年譜http://www.bfnn.org/book/books2/1184.htm#a21
  13. ↑ Holmes, Welch (1961). "Buddhism Under the Communists", China Quarterly , No.6, Apr-June 1961, pp. 1-14.

literature

Web links

Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Chinese. Hsu is the family name here, Yun is the first name.
personal data
SURNAME Hsu, Yun
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 虛雲, 虚云 (Chinese); Xūyún (pinyin); 萧 古 巖, Xiao Guyan; Hsiāo Kǔyén; Hsü-Yün; Xiao Yanche; Xiao Deqing, Hsiao Ku-yen; Hsiao Yen-che; Hsiao Te-ching
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Buddhist teacher, Zen master
DATE OF BIRTH uncertain: August 26, 1840
PLACE OF BIRTH Fukien , China
DATE OF DEATH October 13, 1959