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Sacred Poetry from Around the World

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Buddhist : Zen / Chan

19th Century

China
(East Asia)

Hsu Yun

Timeline (1839 - 1959)

Poems by Hsu Yun
Books - Links

Hsu Yun, Hsu Yun poetry, Buddhist, Buddhist poetry, Zen / Chan poetry, poetry, poetry

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The Venerable Master Hsu Yun was born in 1839 or 1840 in the Guanzhou region of China.

When he was 13, Hsu Yun declared that he wanted to join a Buddhist monastery, but his father refused to allow it. He eventually went against his father's wishes and became an ordained monk at age 20, in 1859.

He had a naturally ascetic temperament and often refused even the minimal food of a monk. He later went on a three year solitary retreat into the forest where he sustained himself primarily on wild greens and pure stream water.

Hsu Yun traveled quite a bit in his life, teaching in many parts of China and Southeast Asia. He is credited by many with revitalizing Buddhist practice throughout much of the region, which was showing signs of degeneration and decline in the period leading up to and following the communist revolution.

Although he attained immense respect, Hsu Yun remained supremely humble and simple in his lifestyle. He chose to live the final years of his long life quietly in his monastery's cow shed.

Poems by Hsu Yun

	An Exquisite Truth
	Feelings on Remembering the Day I first Produced the Mind
	Going Beyond Desire
	Heart of the Buddha
	Mirror Pond on Mount Taibo in Shanxi
	Searching for the Dharma

Recommended Books

A Drifting Boat: Chinese Zen Poetry, Edited by J. P. Seaton / Edited by Dennis Maloney

Amazon.com

Empty Cloud: The Autobiography of Chinese Zen Master, Hsu Yun, by Hsu Yun

Amazon.com

A Pictoral Biography of the Venerable Master Hsu Yun, by Hsuan Hua

Amazon.com

Related Links:

	Hsu Yun Buddhist Association http://www.hsuyun.net/ A brief biography, some poetry selections, and explanations of Hsu Yun's teachings.
	Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun http://www.hsuyun.org/ Several articles, some photos, and a good selection of Hsu Yun's poetry in English and other languages.
	Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun - 2 http://zbohy.zatma.org/Dharma/zbohy/Home/home-index.html Another excellent site with poems and teachings of Hsu Yun.

Please support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you!

Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Hsu Yun

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Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Support
the Poetry Chaikhana