Master Xuyun: The Life of a Chan Giant

Editor's Note

Master Xuyun (1840-1959), the paramount Chan master of modern times, hailed as "China's foremost eminent monk of the modern era." Throughout his life, he restored six major temples, spanning four dynasties and five emperors, living to 120 years old. Leading by example, he practiced asceticism his entire life, revitalizing the declining Chan tradition. He had many disciples and far-reaching influence. This article is compiled from Master Xuyun's teachings and life story.

I. The Path to Ordination

Q: How did you become a monk?

Xuyun: My path to ordination was quite unusual.

My Mother's Passing

I was born in Quanzhou, Fujian, with the surname Xiao.

My mother died giving birth to me, and I was raised by my father's second wife.

My father wanted me to study and become an official, bringing glory to our family. But from a young age, I had no interest in a political career. Instead, I felt a deep affinity for Buddhism.

At seventeen, I secretly left home, wanting to ordain. My father found me and brought me back, arranging for me to marry two wives.

But my heart was unmoved. They were wives in name only.

At nineteen, I left home again and finally ordained at Yongquan Monastery on Drum Mountain in Fuzhou.

The Original Intention

Why ordain?

Because I saw life's impermanence, saw birth, old age, sickness, and death, and felt that everything in the world was meaningless.

I wanted to find the truth of life, to liberate myself from the cycle of rebirth.

This original intention has never changed.

II. The Journey of Ascetic Practice

Q: You practiced asceticism your whole life. Can you tell us about it?

Xuyun: Ascetic practice is not the goal—it's a means.

Three Steps, One Bow to Mount Wutai

When I was forty-three, I made a vow to travel from Mount Putuo to Mount Wutai, bowing every three steps.

It took three full years, through wind and rain.

Several times on the journey, I almost died:

Buried by heavy snow, nearly frozen to death
Robbed by bandits, nearly beaten to death
Sick with high fever, nearly died from illness

But I survived each time.

Some said this was the protection of Manjushri Bodhisattva. I dare not take credit—it was just that some karma was cleared.

Living in Caves, Eating Wild Vegetables

I lived in many caves and ate many wild vegetables.

Some find it bitter; I found it freeing.

No attachments, no burdens, the mind very pure.

When living in caves, I meditated daily—sometimes sitting for days at a time.

When eating wild vegetables, I thought: May all beings have enough to eat, and I was content.

Whether something is bitter or not depends on how your mind sees it.

Q: How does ascetic practice help with spiritual cultivation?

Xuyun: Ascetic practice clears karmic obstacles and strengthens the resolve for enlightenment.

Clearing Karmic Obstacles

Over countless lifetimes, we've created much karma. If this karma isn't cleared, spiritual progress is difficult.

Ascetic practice is a method for clearing karma.

When you endure some hardship, some karma is cleared.

When I was young, my health was poor. Later, through ascetic practice, my body actually became stronger.

Strengthening Resolve

When life is too comfortable, people easily become lax.

A little hardship actually helps raise the resolve for enlightenment.

None of the ancient masters bypassed ascetic practice.

The Second Chan Patriarch Huike cut off his arm to seek the Dharma; Bodhidharma faced the wall for nine years.

Without effort, where is the gain?

III. Restoring Ancient Temples

Q: You restored six major temples in your lifetime. How did you accomplish this?

Xuyun: It was all causes and conditions, not my own merit.

The Six Temples

The temples I restored include:

Zhusheng Temple on Jizu Mountain, Yunnan — The bodhimanda of Venerable Kashyapa
Yunxi Temple, Yunnan — The ancestral court of the Huayan school
Yongquan Monastery on Drum Mountain, Fujian — Where I ordained
Nanhua Temple, Guangdong — The bodhimanda of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng
Yunmen Temple, Guangdong — The ancestral court of the Yunmen school
Zhenru Temple on Yunju Mountain, Jiangxi — Integrating farming with meditation

Each temple's restoration came from the convergence of many conditions.

How It Was Done

First, there must be a vow. I vowed to restore the ancestral courts and keep the true Dharma alive.

Second, there must be action. Not empty words—actually doing it.

Third, there must be patience. A temple's restoration isn't accomplished overnight; it takes years or even decades.

Finally, there must be selflessness. I sought no fame or profit, no personal enjoyment—everything was for Buddhism.

As long as your mind is right, things naturally come together.

Q: What was the biggest difficulty in restoring temples?

Xuyun: There were many difficulties, but the biggest was human minds.

Money Wasn't the Biggest Problem

Many think the hardest part of building temples is money.

Actually, no. Money comes from donors—if you sincerely do the work, supporters naturally appear.

The biggest difficulty was discordant minds.

Discordant Minds

When I was restoring Nanhua Temple, local people occupied temple property and refused to move.

Some advised me to sue them. I said: No, let's take it slowly.

Later, these people felt embarrassed and moved out on their own.

Patience is the best method.

Dharma Transmission

After a temple is built, there must be people to continue it.

I trained many people, but not many could truly take responsibility.

This isn't a matter of technique—it's a matter of motivation.

Those with motivation can accomplish anything; those without motivation won't succeed no matter how much you teach them.

IV. Essentials of Chan Meditation

Q: What is the essential point of Chan meditation?

Xuyun: The essential point is just one: let go.

Let Go of What?

Let go of your attachments.

Attached to fame and profit? Let go. Attached to gain and loss? Let go. Attached to right and wrong? Let go.

When you let go of everything, your original nature naturally manifests.

How to Let Go?

You can't just say "let go" and it happens.

You need methods:

First: See Through

You must first see through these things as illusory, not worth attaching to.

Fame is empty, profit is empty, right and wrong are empty.

When you see through them, naturally you let go.

Second: Practice

Meditation, chanting, mantra recitation—are all methods.

Through practice, your mind becomes increasingly pure, attachments increasingly faint.

Third: Practice in Daily Life

Don't just practice in the meditation hall—practice in daily life.

When encountering situations, don't react immediately. Pause first, think.

Gradually, your mind won't be easily turned by circumstances.

Q: When meditating, the mind is very chaotic. What to do?

Xuyun: A chaotic mind is normal—don't rush.

Why Is the Mind Chaotic?

The mind is chaotic because you have too many thoughts.

One thought follows another, like a waterfall, never stopping.

This is the habit energy from countless lifetimes—it can't be changed in a day or two.

How to Handle It?

First: Don't Follow the Thoughts

When thoughts come, don't run after them.

Watch them, like watching clouds pass in the sky.

Clouds come and go—none of it concerns your mind.

Second: Return to Your Method

When your mind wanders, return to your method.

If you're counting breaths, return to counting. If you're chanting, return to chanting. If you're working on a koan, return to the koan.

If it wanders a hundred times, return a hundred times.

Third: Don't Rush

Don't expect to calm down immediately.

The more you rush, the more chaotic the mind.

Like muddy water in a pool—the more you stir, the murkier it gets. Let it settle on its own, and the water becomes clear.

V. The Importance of Precepts

Q: You place great importance on precepts. Why?

Xuyun: Precepts are the foundation of Buddhism.

Without Precepts, No Buddhism

The Buddha taught for forty-nine years. At his final Nirvana, disciples asked: When the Buddha is alive, we take him as our teacher. After he passes, what should we take as our teacher?

The Buddha said: Take the precepts as your teacher.

Precepts aren't restrictions—they're protection.

Like traffic rules—seemingly restrictive, actually protecting your safety.

The Spirit of Precepts

The spirit of precepts is:

Do no evil—don't do bad things
Do all good—do good things
Purify your mind—keep the mind pure

These three phrases summarize all precepts.

Modern People's Problem

Modern people feel precepts are too strict, unbearable.

Actually, it's not that precepts are strict—it's that your habit energy is heavy.

Ancient people kept precepts easily because they grew up with rules.

Modern people grow up without rules, then feel precepts are restrictive.

Keeping precepts doesn't make you unfree—it gives you true freedom: freedom from habit energy.

VI. Enduring Hardships

Q: You experienced many hardships. How did you get through them?

Xuyun: Hardships clear karma—they are accomplishments.

Spanning Four Dynasties

I lived 120 years, experiencing the Qing Dynasty, the Republic, the War of Resistance, and the founding of New China.

Each era had its hardships.

Late Qing—chaos and war. Republic—warlords fighting. Anti-Japanese War—displacement and exile. Early PRC—also had its shocks.

But I came through them all.

The Yunmen Incident

In 1951, trouble came to Yunmen Temple.

I was beaten badly, several ribs broken, almost died.

But I had no resentment, didn't give up.

I thought: This is my karma. I endure it, and it's cleared.

Later I recovered and continued teaching the Dharma.

Q: What attitude should one have toward hardships?

Xuyun: Several points:

First: Accept

When hardship comes, don't escape, don't complain.

Accept it, face it.

Second: No Resentment

Don't resent anyone.

Resentment only makes you suffer more.

Everything is causes and conditions, everything has cause and effect.

Third: Be Diligent

Hardship is also a good opportunity for practice.

Usually you think your practice is good—hardship shows you your real level.

Hardship tests your resolve and accomplishes your practice.

Fourth: Compassion

Have compassion for those who harm you.

They're also sentient beings, also lost in delusion.

Don't hate them—make vows to liberate them.

VII. Life Insights

Q: You lived 120 years. What insights do you have?

Xuyun: Many insights. Let me share a few:

First: Impermanence

Life is impermanent—anything can happen.

No matter how well you plan, things change.

So don't be attached to plans—go with conditions.

Second: Cause and Effect

Cause and effect never fails.

Everything you do, everything you say, every thought—all have consequences.

So be careful with your thoughts.

Third: Practice Is Most Important

Everything in the world is false; only practice is true.

No matter how much money you have, you can't take it when you die. No matter how famous you are, it's useless when you die.

Only practice truly benefits you.

Fourth: Make Great Vows

The size of your heart determines the size of your achievement.

Practicing only for yourself—limited achievement. Practicing for all beings—unlimited achievement.

VIII. Words for Future Generations

Q: What final instructions do you have for later generations?

Xuyun: A few words:

First: Keep the Precepts

No matter how times change, precepts cannot change.

Without precepts, there is no Buddhism.

Second: Practice Truly

Don't just practice in form—practice genuinely.

Meditation isn't about sitting—it's about seeing your nature.

Chanting isn't about how many times—it's about purifying the mind.

Third: Unite

Buddhists must unite.

Don't divide by schools, don't divide by Han or Tibetan, don't divide by monastic or lay.

All are Buddha's disciples—all are one family.

Fourth: Spread the Dharma

The Dharma must be spread.

If more people don't benefit, Buddhism declines.

Everyone has this responsibility.

Postscript

Master Xuyun passed away in 1959, at the age of 120.

He had no property of his own, no room of his own. He wore patched clothes and ate simple food.

But what he left behind were six great temples, countless disciples, and a revitalized Chan tradition.

He often said: "I'm just an old bhikshu, with no special abilities. I simply did what needed to be done."

This humility was precisely his greatness.

May all readers find in Master Xuyun's life the motivation and direction for their own practice.

This article is compiled from Master Xuyun's teachings and life story, preserving his plain and unadorned speaking style to more authentically convey his spirit.

Carrying the Way through vessels · Transmitting the heart through things