Forgotten Books: The Zen teachings of Huang Po

The effect follows a cause. And later, it dresses as a cause for a subsequent effect. What an eternal loop. It resembles the crazy replication of cancerous cells. And then, in the human mind, begins the game of dualist judgements. Good or bad, pretty or ugly, black or white... Labeling and choosing ad infinitum. Combine all this with our thoughts and worries about past, present, and future, and the calm mind is gone. Welcome to the labyrinths of human life - for sure, you know them well. 

Our common way to fit such dose of anxiety is to calm the mind with the mind. But thinking doesn't help much. Actually, it makes the problem worse. 

This situation has followed the journey of humans since ancient times. The Buddhist doctrine with its central concept around cause and effect - just think about karma and rebirth - has ventured some ideas to escape these negative loops. 

The following book shares some propositions. 

Cover of the book "The Zen Teachings of Huang Po: On the Transmission of Mind" - Rider & Company, 1959. .
The simple cover of the 1959 edition - Rider & Company. 

The Zen teachings of Huang Po is one of those texts that tries to peel the human mind with old and traditional knives. Translated by John Blofeld, the book was published by Rider & Company in 1959. Today there are around nineteen published editions according to the website Good Reads.

The author

Huangbo Xiyun was a Chinese master of the 9th century. Nobody knows about his birth, but he died in the year 850. The date puts him in the times of the Tang dynasty which ruled China from 618 to 907. Times of a golden age for the Chinese civilization and increased influences from Taoism and Buddhism. 

It's said that Huang Po was a very tall guy born in Fuzhou that started his monastic life on Mt. Huangbo in Fujian province. He learned from Baizhang Huaihai, one of the crafters of the early monastic rules for Chan - Chinese Zen. This teacher was also the creator of the "Wild fox koan", one that makes you think hard about causality. 

Linji Yixuan was one of thirteen successors that Huang Po named before death. This student became the founder of the Linji school of Chan Buddhism. 

It's said that Huang Po got the title of "the Zen master who destroys all limitations" from a Chinese emperor. 

The translator

John Blofeld was a British writer and scholar that studied Eastern traditions throughout Asia in the 20th century. He moved from monastery to monastery and from secluded hermit to secluded hermit through Tibet, Mongolia, China, India, and Burma in search of Buddhist and Taoist knowledge. Blofeld's research on these topics was incredible. In The Zen teachings of Huang Po, he translated many dialogues, sermons, and anecdotes related to the ancient master. 

The teachings

What is known of Huang Po teachings comes from the texts of Pei Xi, a politician and literary figure during the Tang dynasty that served as chancellor during the prosperous reign of Emperor Xuānzong. 

Here we go with some ideas from The Zen teachings of Huang Po. 
  1. Buddha is in the mind - so, Buddha is within us. 
  2. Don't use the mind to seek the mind. 
  3. Free yourself from past, present, and future.
  4. Things arise from thoughts and vanish when thoughts are gone. 
  5. Nobody can "study the Way". 
  6. Avoid clinging to written texts.
  7. Undigested knowledge and deductions are obstacles to the Way. 
  8. There is nothing to seek, there is nothing to cling.
  9. The mind is like a void and can be filled with the wrong stuff. 
  10. Errors are products of thinking. 
  11. Cast away the darkness of your old concepts.
  12. Don’t be blinded by your own sight. 
  13. Reject dualist thinking. 
  14. Shine without intending to shine. 
  15. Reach the state of being and forget about appearances. 
  16. Kill the self. 
He used to say, "All who reach this gate fear to enter." 

True, because the mind is a complex subject. I guess Huang Po revealed "the way" of how not to "study the Way".    

Three quotes from Huang Po

  • Throughout this life, you can never be certain of living long enough to take another breath. 
  • Here it is – right now. Start thinking about it and you miss it.
  • Nothing is born, nothing is destroyed.

(This book is available in Amazon and many other places - the previous link is affiliate, meaning that we may receive a small commission on your purchases without additional cost to you. Thanks for your support.)

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