Chan Master Hsu Yun (1840–1959) is arguably the most influential figure in modern Chinese Buddhism. While he lived to be 119 years old, his own autobiography (Nianpu) places his "decisive awakening" (徹悟 / 大悟) at age 56.
This breakthrough occurred during a grueling meditation retreat at Gaomin Monastery (高旻寺) and was triggered by a single, mundane event: boiling water splashing his hand, causing a teacup to shatter.
1. The Timeline: A 25-Year Journey
It is a common misconception that Chan awakening happens overnight. Hsu Yun’s timeline demonstrates immense persistence.
The Instruction (Age 31):
While at the Huading/Longquan Hermitage (華頂龍泉庵) on Tiantai Mountain, he met Master Rongjing (融鏡老法師). It was Master Rongjing who first taught him to investigate the hua-tou (meditative inquiry):
"Who is dragging this corpse?" (拖死屍的是誰).
(Source: https://www.dafosi.com/sys-nd/4252.html)
The Breakthrough (Age 56):
Decades later, in the year 1895 (Opt 21st year of Guangxu), he achieved final realization at Gaomin Monastery.
The Duration:
This reveals a period of approximately 25 years (Age 31 to 56) from the first specific instruction to the final breakthrough. This timeline is often cited to encourage students to maintain "Long-term Resolve" (長遠心)—persisting through pilgrimages, bowing practices, and hermit life until the doubt is finally broken.
2. The Method: "Like Flowing Water"
Hsu Yun’s definition of practice was rigorous. It was not about sitting quietly for an hour; it was about generating a continuous current of inquiry.
A) The "Hua-tou" (話頭) vs. "Hua-wei" (話尾)
Hsu Yun clarified that the practice is not repeating a phrase like a mantra.
Hua-wei (Word-tail): Once a thought has formed into words or concepts (e.g., "Who am I?"), it is already the "tail."
Hua-tou (Word-head): The practice is to look into the source "before a thought is born" (一念未生之際).
He said:
"The answer underlying the word 'Who' is the Mind.
Speech arises from the Mind; the Mind is the head [source] of speech.
Thoughts arise from the Mind; the Mind is the head [source] of thoughts.
The ten thousand dharmas [all phenomena] are born from the Mind; the Mind is the head [source] of all dharmas.
Actually, the 'head of speech' (Hua-tou) is the 'head of thought.' The head preceding the thought is the Mind.
To put it directly: the state before a single thought arises is the Hua-tou.
From this, you and I know that 'looking into the Hua-tou' is 'observing the Mind' (Guan-xin).
The 'Original Face before one's parents were born' is the Mind. To look into the 'Original Face before one's parents were born' is to contemplate the Mind...
Therefore, saying 'Look into the Hua-tou,' or saying 'Look into Who is reciting the Buddha's name?', is simply observing/contemplating the Mind.
It is observing the pure essence of awareness of one's own Mind; it is observing the Self-nature Buddha."
(Source: https://www.chibs.edu.tw/ch_html/chbs/13/chbs1303.pdf)
B) Continuous Practice
He instructed students to keep the inquiry going through the "Two Six-Periods" (二六時中)—the traditional Chinese way of saying "24 hours a day."
Chinese: 「行住坐臥，不離這個。」
Translation: Walking, standing, sitting, lying down—never leaving "this" (the inquiry).
Chinese: 「如流水不斷」
Translation: Like flowing water, uninterrupted.
3. The Event: Crisis and Breakthrough
The story of the 1895 retreat at Gaomin Monastery is one of extreme physical adversity.
The Accident: On his way to the monastery, Hsu Yun slipped and fell into a river. He floated for a day and night before being caught in a fisherman's net. He arrived at Gaomin critically ill, bleeding from the mouth and nose.
The Beating: He refused the temple duties due to his illness but did not explain why. The Abbot, believing Hsu Yun was slacking, had him beaten with the incense board (香板).
The Immersion: Despite the illness and beatings, Hsu Yun sat in the "Twelve Chan Sevens" (十二個禪七)—an intensive retreat lasting roughly 84 days. He described entering a state where he forgot his body and the illness, sitting "as if in a dream."
The Spark: During the 3rd night of the 8th Chan Seven (臘月八七第三晚), an attendant poured tea. Boiling water splashed over Hsu Yun's hand. He instinctively dropped the cup.
The Shattering: As the cup hit the ground and smashed, the sound cut off his "root of doubt" (疑根頓斷).
(Source: https://www.merit-times.com.tw/NewsPage.aspx?unid=207424)
4. The Awakening Verses (Gathas)
Immediately following the event, Hsu Yun composed two verses.
Verse 1: The Event
Chinese:
杯子撲落地，響聲明瀝瀝；
虛空粉碎也，狂心當下息。
Translation:
A cup falls to the ground,
The sound is distinct and clear.
Empty space is shattered to pieces,
The mad mind stops right here.
Verse 2: The Realization
Chinese:
燙著手，打碎杯，家破人亡語難開；
春到花香處處秀，山河大地是如來。
Translation:
Scalded hand, shattered cup,
The house is broken, the person is gone—words are hard to speak;
Spring arrives, flowers are fragrant, everywhere is lush and distinct;
The mountains, rivers, and the great earth—all are the Tathagata (Thus Come One).
(Source: https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/the-legacy-of-chan-master-xu-yun-1840-1959/)
Deep Dive: "House Broken, Person Gone" (家破人亡)
This phrase is a classic Chan idiom. While it can be understood in multiple ways, it generally points to the collapse of the dualistic structure of experience.
| Perspective | Explanation |
| Traditional Chan Idiom | "House" refers to the entire structure of grasping and habit-energy. "Person" refers to the sense of a separate "I", subject, perceiver, agent or owner inside that structure. The phrase means the sudden collapse of the support for dualistic experience—no "inside" self, no "outside" world. |
| Yogacara Gloss | Some commentaries map "House" to the Alaya Consciousness (Storehouse Consciousness) and "Person" to the Manas (Grasping Mind). In this view, it represents the transformation of the Alaya from a storehouse of samsaric seeds into the Great Mirror Wisdom. |
5. Key Lessons for Practitioners
Summarizing his instructions from this period:
Great Doubt (大疑情): Practice is not just repetition; it requires a sensation of profound "not-knowing" or "wonder."
He said:
"To look at the Hua-tou, one must first generate the sensation of doubt (Yi-qing). The sensation of doubt is the walking stick for looking at the Hua-tou. What is the sensation of doubt? For example, asking 'Who is reciting the Buddha's name?' Everyone knows it is oneself reciting. But ask yourself: Is it reciting with the mouth? Or reciting with the mind? If it is with the mouth, when you are asleep you still have a mouth, so why can't it recite?... Therefore, you do not understand. A slight thought of doubt then arises on the word 'Who.' It should not be coarse; the subtler the better. At all times and places, simply take care of and fixate on this thought of doubt. Look at it continuously like flowing water, without giving rise to a second thought. If the doubt-thought is present, do not disturb it; if the doubt-thought is absent, gently raise it again." [52]
Decisive Mind (決定心): The resolve must be absolute. Whether it takes 25 years or a lifetime, one does not retreat.
Indifference to "Scenery": He strictly warned against getting attached to visions, lights, or sensations of clarity during meditation. These are distractions ("scenery"), not home.
Practice in Adversity: Hsu Yun’s illness and pain did not stop his practice; they sharpened it. He often taught that practice in motion (amidst suffering and activity) is "millions of times superior" to practice in stillness.
(Source: https://www.dafosi.com/sys-nd/4252.html)
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