Hsu yun autobiography definition

Support the Poetry Chaikhana. Donations to the Poetry Chaikhana in any amount are always welcome. Click here. A small amount each month makes a big difference. Preparing to leave, the group asked Xuyun to go first. After reaching Di Gang, he had to cross the water, but the ferry left without him as he had no money. As he walked along the river's edge, he suddenly lost his footing and fell into the rushing water, where he bobbed helplessly for a day and night [ 11 ] before being caught in a fisherman's net.

He was carried to a nearby temple, where he was revived and treated for his injuries. Feeling ill, he nevertheless returned to Yangzhou. When asked by Yue Lang whether he would participate in the upcoming weeks of meditation, he politely declined, without revealing his illness. The temple had rules that those who were invited had to attend or else face punishment.

In the end, Yue Lang had Xuyun beaten with a keisaku. He willingly accepted this punishment, although it worsened his condition. For the next several days, Xuyun sat in continuous meditation. In his autobiography, he wrote: "[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 He did not become attached to this achievement, but continued his single-minded investigation of the question, "who is mindful of the Buddha?

Xuyun composed a commemorative verse for the oft-cited moment of profound insight, which was galvanized by the sound of a breaking teacup in the Chan Hall: [ 13 ]. A cup fell to the ground With a sound clearly heard. As space was pulverised, The mad mind came to a stop. Xuyun worked tirelessly as a bodhisattva , teaching precepts, explaining sutras, and restoring old temples.

In the spring of , Xuyun and twenty-five monks were accused of hiding weapons and treasure. Some of the monks were tortured to death or suffered broken bones. Xuyun endured several beatings during the interrogations, resulting in fractures to his rib cage. During this time, his attendants Fayun and Kuanchun waited on him. Several of his works on scriptural commentary were also destroyed.

This incident later became known as the "Yunmen Incident.

Hsu yun autobiography definition

The following resolutions were proposed to the government:. The petition was approved. Xuyun then represented the Association in receiving three gifts from a Buddhist delegation from Sri Lanka. He returned to Shanghai in the third lunar month, and the next month received a telegram from Beijing requesting his presence in the capital. After arriving, he stayed at Guangji Monastery.

Representatives of various Buddhist groups also were present, and the Chinese Buddhist Association was officially inaugurated. After a plenary meeting in which important policies were decided, some monks suggested to him some changes to precepts and rules. He visited the old master Yung Ching, who encouraged him to abandon his extreme asceticism in favor of temperance.

He instructed the young monk in the sutras and told him to be mindful of the koan , "Who is dragging this corpse of mine? At age forty-three, Hsu Yun reflected on his achievements. He regretted his abandonment of his family, and went on a pilgrimage to the Mount Wutai of the northwest, the bodhimandala of Manjushri. Here, he prayed for the rebirth of his family members in the Pure Land.

Along the way, Hsu Yun is said to have met a beggar called Wen Chi, who twice saved his life. After talking with the monks at the Five-Peaked Mountain, Hsu Yun came to believe that the beggar had been an incarnation of Manjushri. Hsu Yun traveled west and south, making his way through Tibet. He visited many monasteries and holy places, including the Potala, the seat of the Dalai Lama , and Tashi Lunpo, the monastery of the Panchen Lama.

He traveled through India and Ceylon , and then across the sea to Burma. During this time of wandering, Hsu Yun felt his mind clearing and his health growing stronger. One day he slipped and fell in a river, and was caught in a fisherman's net. He was carried to a nearby temple, where he was revived and treated for his injuries.

Feeling ill, he nevertheless returned to Yangzhou. When asked by Gao Ming whether he would participate in the upcoming weeks of meditation, he politely declined, without revealing his illness. The temple had rules that those who were invited had to attend or else face punishment. In the end, Gao Ming had Hsu Yun beaten with a wooden ruler. Ultimately, his grandmother decided he should take two wives, to continue both lines of the family.

His first experience with Buddhism was during the funeral of his grandmother. Soon afterward he began reading the Sutras, and later made a pilgrimage to Nanyo. When he was fourteen years old, he announced that he wished to renounce the material world in favour of a monastic life. His father did not approve of Buddhism and had him instructed in Taoism instead.

He found two girls to be his wives. Hsu Yun lived with them, but did not consummate either marriage. From the start, Hsu Yun was dissatisfied with Taoism, which he felt could not reach the deeper truths of existence. He secretly studied the sutras and taught Dharma to his wives. Here, his head was shaved and he received ordination as a monk. When his father sent agents to find him, Hsu Yun concealed himself in a grotto behind the monastery, where he lived in austere solitude for three years.