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• Welcome to the Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun

  Chan Master Hsu Yun The Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun (ZBOHY) seeks to make the practice and study of Zen Buddhism accessible to Westerners through our online presence and many sanghas world-wide. We offer Zen (Chan) in the context of contemporary Western culture rather than only in the traditional Asian cultural forms commonly available. Visit our clergy page, and read more about us and the founder of the order, Chan Master Jy Din Shakya. In the spirit of Zen, we take no money and our doors are always open, our virtual incense always burning ...
  Recent Additions Prev Next Page: Yearning to be Met by Chuan Zhi Published May 08, 2013 'The human heart yearns for contact - above all it yearns for genuine dialogue. Dialogue is at the heart of being human. Without it, we are not fully formed - there is a yawning abyss inside. With it, we have the possibility of our uniqueness, and our most human qualities... Read more Sidetracked by Institutionalized Zen by Chuan Zhi Published Feb 10, 2013 I was approached recently by a man in his middle years who had spent much time sitting with various Zen groups around the country.   He had left one after another after being disillusioned with each.  In one, the head teacher was having an open affair with a student, to... Read more Contemplating Consciousness by Chuan Zhi Published Sep 01, 2012 Consciousness. We don't think about it, we don't act upon it. It's just there. We awaken in the morning and go to the bathroom and do those things, make coffee, eat a donut, take the dog out … and so goes our entire day. At the end, we take a... Read more The Art and Poetry of Fa Guan (John Stubbs) by John Stubbs Published Aug 25, 2012 Fa Guan (John Stubbs) resides in Castleton, Ontario, Canada where he spends his time painting and reflecting. He offers us many of his inspiring works of poetry and art in the form of paintings and drawings and calligraphy. View the slide show to see his most recent works.   {loadposition john-stubbs-art} Read more No Mind? Really? by Fa Gong Shakya Published Jul 01, 2012 A couple of weeks ago a friend came to me to discuss problems she was having in her meditation practice. She was quite distraught at what she felt was her hopeless progress, and she despaired she'd ever get the hang of it. When I asked about the problem, she said... Read more Just Who Am I? by Yin De Shakya Published Apr 27, 2012 Each of us has a narrator in our head. An internal voice that we call “me”. And most of us assume that this narrator is real. We assume that it’s our true self. Some believe it’s the thing which inhabits the body and the brain rather than something that arises... Read more Mara the Abuser by Fa Gong Shakya Published Apr 02, 2012 In Buddhist literature we are often exposed to Mara, the sometimes wily, sometimes violent, sometimes beguiling tempter of Gautama on his way to Buddha-hood. Mara can be said to provide, essentially, a personification of that force which counters the evolutionary urge to enlightenment; it represents the energy of enslavement that... Read more A Woman's Work by Fa Lian Shakya Published Mar 14, 2012 Seeing things as they are Awareness opened one of the Dharma doors with a new way of seeing things. She started to understand more and more, then realized that all was neti! neti! Starring at all things, she saw through all forms the emptiness that beheld the whole. What is... Read more Hua-t’ou: A Method of Zen Meditation by Stuart Lachs Published Mar 09, 2012 There are two different ways of understanding and actually practicing Zen. These two different ways are termed in Chinese pen chueh and shih-chueh respectively. The term pen chueh refers to the belief that one’s mind is from the beginning of time fully enlightened, while shih-chueh refers to the belief that... Read more Just Being, a poem by S. Elliot Sozan Published Jan 01, 2012 The plum trees blossoms In the middle of winter. There is no robe no color. In practice there is no time, no culture, no sex. In pure existence the breath takes what the intellect can never think. There is no attachment or detachment. The pure being, thoughtless with no move, moves the world, and within,... Read more Reincarnation - a.k.a., New Year's Day by Yin De Shakya Published Dec 30, 2011 It’s a new year; a time for looking forward, and a time for looking back. Each time we celebrate “New Year’s Day” we are giving ourselves the opportunity to begin anew. It’s a chance for a fresh start. It is, for many of us, an opportunity to release feelings of guilt... Read more Connecting the Dots by Fa Lohng (Koro Kaisan) Published Dec 12, 2011 Students who come to my weekly Dharma talks (or who meet regularly with me in private) are often confronted with my insistence that they view the world more holistically.  This is typically triggered by one or more meetings in which claims are made that a “big picture” perspective is fine... Read more The Urban Hermit by Fa Dong Shakya Published Dec 05, 2011 As anyone versed in Chan’s history knows, the hermitic life is a common one passed through by many of China’s most famous Chan teachers.  In fact, all mystical traditions commonly find their members, at some time in their life, retreating from society.  For the mystic, living a reclusive hermitic life is... Read more The Hua-Tou Practice by Chuan Zhi Published Oct 04, 2011 Zen’s hua-tou practice recently seems to be enjoying a renaissance among the small contingent of Zen Buddhists speckling the globe.  In part, this may be due to the growing awareness that this was Hsu Yun’s personal favorite Zen practice that he spent much of his life advocating.  One of the... Read more Don’t Drink the Kool-aide: How to Avoid the Projection Trap by Chuan Zhi Published Sep 22, 2011 Introduction In 1912 the French philosopher Lucien Lévy-Brühl published a collection of works that gave us a new model with which to view the relationship between self and other. He offered new insights into many of the problems that are encountered by people in relationships of all kinds.  Carl Jung further... Read more Wild Zen by Fa Zhao Shakya Published Sep 18, 2011 The genes that code for proteins in our human species are remarkably similar, often nearly identical, to those of many other species across the animal kingdom. It makes sense, considering that throughout our natural history human beings and other animals have shared the same environments and competed for the same... Read more The Hua-Tou practice: perspectives and examples of an ancient and potent Chinese Chan practice by Stuart Lachs Published Sep 15, 2011 Hua-tou is a Chinese term that can be translated as “critical phrase”. In Korean, hua-tou is pronounced hwadu and in Japanese as wato. I mention this in case some one has read or heard the term in a Korean or a Japanese context to know we are discussing the same... Read more The Lion's Roar by Fa Gong Shakya Published Aug 03, 2011 I have only a poor understanding of economics, though I have always had an interest in the political and philosophical values and assumptions that underpin the various processes involved. I remember being struck, when first introduced to the basic principles of Buddhism, how utterly and diametrically opposed they were to the capitalist values and... Read more		Latest News: OHY Spotlight Prev Next Page: News from Le Chant de la Vallée Published Mar 21, 2013 All hermitages are occupied through next December at this remote retreat in Eastern Canada. In the spirit of Chan, people who stay at the retreat receive no explicit ethnic teachings,... Read more Rev. Fa Zhao Shakya is appointed Training Manager of The Buddhist Council of NSW, Australia Published Jan 29, 2013 In January 2013, Rev Fa Zhao, Matt Lawther, was promoted to the position of Training Manager of the Buddhist Council of NSW, Australia. With a background of 20 years in Vocational... Read more Fa Lohng Appointed President of Regional Buddhist Association Published Oct 24, 2012 Fa Lohng Shakya (Koro Kaisan Miles) began his term as president of the Northwest Dharma Association this last June. He has been on the board of the Association since 2006,... Read more Celebrating the life of Yao Feng of Greece Published Sep 30, 2012 Unexpected news of the passing of Yao Feng (Dimitris Maras) arrived early this morning. Yao Feng was the husband of many decades of Co-Abbot of the Order of Hsu Yun,... Read more 3 Day Retreat in Belgium Published Sep 16, 2012 Nicolas Gounaropoulos, Fa Chan Shakya, of Belgium and Philippe Duchesne, Fa Tian Shakya, of Canada offer a three day retreat in November, 2012, in Belgium focusing on meditation and workshops... Read more Fa Gong at Balcombe Estuary Reserve in Mt. Martha Published Sep 06, 2012 Fa Gong of Melbourne Australia recently participated in a Mornington Peninsula Interfaith Network event at Balcombe Estuary Reserve in Mt. Martha.  In a ceremony officiated by spiritual leaders of many... Read more Clouds & Water Hermitage Dedication Published Sep 06, 2012 On Saturday August 25th 2012, members of the Order of the Boundless Way joined with friends and neighbors for the dedication of Clouds and Water Hermitage. This event marks the... Read more Dual Ceremonies At Mountain Way Zendo Published Sep 06, 2012 On August 23rd, 2012, Fa Xing hosted a small gathering at his own Mountain Way Zendo in Washington State, USA, to dedicate the recently completed practice space.  As a member... Read more Awakening Way Zen, Melbourne, Australia Published Sep 03, 2012 Fa Gong Shakya (Finn McMillan) introduces Awakening Way Zen, "A Way Of Intimacy, Awareness and Self-Acceptance" in Melbourne, Australia. Integrating contemporary, scientific, approaches to psychology, with ancient traditions of Chan/Zen... Read more The Art and Poetry of Fa Guan (John Stubbs) Published Aug 25, 2012 Fa Guan (John Stubbs) resides in Castleton, Ontario, Canada where he spends his time painting and reflecting. He offers us many of his inspiring works of poetry and art in... Read more Mountain Way Zen Published Apr 28, 2012 Mountain Way Zen makes its first apperance on the Web in April. The group is founded by Fa Xing Shakya of the Order of Hsu Yun, who continues to have... Read more Zendo Construction begins in May Published Apr 28, 2012 Fa Lohng Shakya (Koro Kaisan) Fa Lohng (Koro Kaisan), resident teacher at Open Gate Zendo, begins the construction of a new Zendo building in May on a remote island in the... Read more Chant de la vallée Published Apr 28, 2012 J’ai toujours été impressionné par la quiétude qui se dé-gage d’une grenouille assise des heures durant sur le bord de l’étang. Un moustique vient à passer et hop!, elle le... Read more Fa Dong Speaks in Massechusetts Published Apr 27, 2012 In April, Fa Dong gave two Dharma talks in Massachusetts, one an overview of Chan, and the second on the Chan (and Buddhist) view of duality. He spoke both about the... Read more Grand Master Ben Huan passes after 105 years Published Apr 04, 2012 Grand Master Ben Huan. Photo taken in 2010 at a celebration in honor of his birthday. Grand Master Ben Huan, one of the most respected of China's Chan masters, passed away... Read more 2012 Interview with Chuan Zhi Published Feb 15, 2012 This interview was conducted on January 27th, 2012, by a visitor to our website who wishes to remain anonymous. Q: Are you the leader of your organization?  If so, what is... Read more Yin De to speak in Arizona on March 11th, 2012 Published Jan 19, 2012 Y in De Shakya (Randy Nowell) will be giving a public talk in Phoenix, Arizona on March 11th on the concepts of "Self" (Atman) and "Non-Self" (Anatman). Yin De regularly offers... Read more The Empty Cloud Chan Group offering weekly meditation sessions Published Jan 16, 2012 Fa Dong Shakya is offering weekly meditation sessions at his home outside of Beijing, China. Established in 2009, the Empty Cloud Chan group  offers Chan study and practice to all interested... Read more The Central Coast Zen Centre celebrates its three year anniversary Published Jan 09, 2012 T he Central Coast Zen Centre is in Davistown NSW, Australia has been operating for about 3 years under the guidance of Fa Zhao Shakya. With about 18 regular participants, they... Read more Welcome East Wind Sangha! Published Jan 09, 2012 In December, 2011, Viento del Este sanga was established under the guidance of Orden Hsu Yun Argentina subsidiary Mar del Plata. The East Wind sangha is officiated by Upasaka Zheng... Read more Readers' Favorites Prev Next Page: The Prayer of a Zen Buddhist Atheist by Yin De Shakya Published Feb 19, 2011 I gave a talk recently at the request of a church group that was interested in my perspective on prayer and worship as a Zen Buddhist and an Atheist.... Read more So Simple, A Child Could Do It . . . by Fa Xing (Hadashi Sharishi) Published Sep 13, 2010 A Zen Buddhist's perspective on the five precepts.   I don't remember much about the fifth grade.  Oh, I remember a few faces, what the school looked like, and other such inane... Read more The Phantom Self by Chuan Zhi Published Mar 04, 2010 Anyone who has spent much time reading about Zen has encountered the term "Self" many times over. Some may even conclude that Zen is all about Self. They would not... Read more The Circle of Life and Death by Chuan Zhi Published Feb 19, 2010 My first encounter with a Zen teacher happened when I was in my late twenties. Zen had been an interest of mine for nearly a decade before this chance encounter... Read more Form and Emptiness: A Buddhist Defines "God" by Yin De Shakya Published Jan 07, 2010 "Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy." A. Einstein Some Unitarian Universalists claim a belief in "God" in... Read more And Still the Buddha Smiles by Fa Che Shakya Published Nov 03, 2009 THE FLOWER SERMON: Toward the end of his life, the Buddha took his disciples to a quiet pond for instruction. As they had done so many times before, the Buddha's followers... Read more The Tradition of Mountain Ascetic Zen by Fa Lohng (Koro Kaisan) Published Aug 27, 2009 Among the most admired of Zen masters are those who have eschewed the temple life and opted instead for the life of a Mountain Ascetic. Asceticism is a cross-cultural, cross-religious... Read more The Maxims of Master Han Shan by Master Han Shan Published Jun 29, 2009 (from Journey to Dreamland) 1. When we preach the Dharma to those who see only the ego’s illusory world, we preach in vain. We might as well preach to the dead. How... Read more Selections by No Ajahn Chah by No Ajahn Chah Published Jun 29, 2009 from Reflections, Compiled and Edited by Dhamma Garden   A visiting Zen student asked Ajahn Chah, "How old are you? Do you live here all year round?" "I live... Read more Poems by Zen Master Hsu Yun: Series I by Master Hsu Yun Published Jun 16, 2009 Meeting Tang Yousheng Twenty-one years old and from my village, yet!So bright and filled with fresh ideas.No wonder you gained such a high post in Tenchong.I seemed ancient when I came... Read more Passing Through the Gateless Barrier by Fa Lohng Published May 11, 2009 The Great Way is gateless, approached by a thousand paths. Pass trough this barrier, you walk freely in the universe. One of the principal Zen texts from thirteenth... Read more The Eye of Practice by Fa Che, OHY Published Nov 25, 2008 Buddhism brings many of us to understand that individualism does not exist and is a delusion: that there is no birth, no death, no self, no "I" that exists as... Read more Remembering Jonestown: a Homage to the Dead, a Prayer for the Living by Chuan Zhi Published Nov 25, 2008 What is it about us humans that we seek, with such ferocity, to belong to a group, to the extent that some of us will believe whatever we are told... Read more A Dharma Chat: Right Speech by Fa Gong, OHY Published Jul 01, 2008 Right Speech is not just about morality, or even limited to wisdom teachings. It is also about Right Mindfulness and contemplative discipline, about identifying, labeling, and being mindful of thoughts... Read more Holier Than Thou by Fa Gong, OHY Published Jul 01, 2008 How is it that the "spiritual" person, for whom we might assume humility to be an essential characteristic, so often presents as aloof and arrogant? It is bad enough that... Read more Science & Zen: A Closer Look by Chuan Zhi Published Feb 08, 2008 Are science and Zen incompatible? Not at all. Each simply leads the investigator to a different area of understanding. Is awareness simply the result of our neurons firing away? Sure,... Read more Who Drags This Corpse? The Vajra-Sword of Hsu Yun by Fa Gong, OHY Published Aug 03, 2007 For the beginner new to Chan's tactics, attacking a hua tou may seem too abstruse, too hard, and too alien to know how to approach it. As easy as it... Read more Experience Chan! by Chuan Zhi Published Jul 09, 2007 Deep inside each of us lurks a presence that is our full human potential, but it remains hidden from us - an aspect of the unconscious. It hides because of... Read more Non-Attachment, a Zen Imperative by Fa Gong, OHY Published Feb 22, 2007 As our Zen practice deepens, we can observe ourselves as we shift in and out between our "small" and conditioned self, and that unconditioned SELF that cannot be described. And... Read more A Loose Garment by Fa Dao, OHY Published Apr 04, 2005 Speaking with a friend on the phone recently and asked about her practice. Just the general sort of conversational "how's it going" type of question.She answered "I'm wearing my practice... Read more Denial of Beauty by Austerity? by Fa Dao, OHY Published Dec 22, 2004 The simplest of foods or the meanest of meals is a banquet if we appreciate it for what it is -- sustenance, a gift from the earth and the fruit... Read more When Righteousness Goes Wrong by Fa Dao, OHY Published Nov 11, 2004 Chan Buddhists, just like followers of other religions, want to do what's right. We strive to be righteous and to avoid self-aggrandizing actions and activities. It's imperative that we consider... Read more Homeostasis and Zen by Chuan Zhi Published Oct 12, 2004 When we allow ourselves to move far away from the center, we experience the pain and bitterness that the Buddha described in his First Noble Truth. The cause of that... Read more Science and Spiritual Inquiry: Striking a Balance by Chuan Zhi Published Jun 15, 2004 The universe, governed by power and the law power obeys, conforms to a dualistic principal of yin and yang, eros and logos, shakti and Shiva. We cannot separate them. Only... Read more The Fire of Desire: The Buddha's Second Noble Truth by Yin De, OHY Published May 07, 2003 Today, I'd like to talk about the Second Noble Truth of Buddhism - desire and craving, the cause of suffering. It's human nature to want more of what we like... Read more Ancient Wisdom: The Blue Lotus by Chuan Zhi Published Jul 17, 2001  Zen requires that we maintain our sense of awe and wonder, that pure curiosity about the things we see and experience, that search for meaning and significance that is so... Read more King of the Road: On Loneliness and Solitude by Chuan Zhi Published Feb 15, 2001 When we stop to analyze our daily lives, we discover how many of our activities are constructed to assuage a fear of being alone. We wait in lines at restaurants... Read more Archetypal Integration by Chuan Zhi Published Nov 16, 1999 In physics we talk about forces. Without forces, there would be no physics because nothing would happen. In fact, there would be nothing at all because it is forces that... Read more Reincarnation by Chuan Zhi Published May 04, 1999 When we recognize that the ego doesn't exist in any real sense but only as an artifice of the mind, there's nothing that needs explaining anymore and the notion of... Read more A Conversation on Zen and God by Chuan Zhi Published Jan 05, 1999 Some Buddhists may say they believe in God, others may say otherwise, but the reality of God is independent of anything anyone may believe or disbelieve. Religions the world over... Read more Dangerous Zeal by Chuan Zhi Published Dec 08, 1998 In meditation we enter the realm of selflessness (or egolessness). When we meditate there is no urge or desire for meditation, there is only beautiful meditation. Problems occur only when... Read more
  New to Zen? Start here. First Practice: The Healing Breath by Chuan Zhi Published Feb 02, 1998 Everyone who enters Zen's Gateless Gate, has a story to tell. Mine begins one summer evening when I received a call from a friend who had recently moved to another state. "I found a Buddhist Priest who teaches Zen." He told me. "Last night she gave me a pranayama exercise... Read more Delving Into Dharma by Chuan Zhi Published Jul 13, 1998 If there is one word with which we can summarize the beauty of Buddhist thought, that word is Dharma. We cannot read a book about Buddhism without encountering this term, yet its definition is as slippery as its appearance is ubiquitous. In which sense is Master Han Shan using it... Read more Suffering: Zen and the Four Noble Truths by Chuan Zhi Published Aug 10, 2000 Suffering is integral to the Zen path. It is, in fact, a prerequisite. Zen is not an easy path and we must be highly motivated in order to travel it. In physics as in Zen, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. No human being wants to suffer. All... Read more King of the Road: On Loneliness and Solitude by Chuan Zhi Published Feb 15, 2001 When we stop to analyze our daily lives, we discover how many of our activities are constructed to assuage a fear of being alone. We wait in lines at restaurants and take several hours to eat a meal that we could quickly have prepared at home. We go out to... Read more Chan and the Eightfold Path by Chuan Zhi Published Nov 20, 2004 In order to prepare ourselves for meditation, we must first begin to put our lives in order and act in accordance with what is right and good, both for us and for others. It is no simple task, for it requires that we act caringly instead of selfishly. It's not... Read more The Joy of Awakening by Chuan Zhi Published Nov 30, 2004 Buddhism is about the discovery of our own potential: it's about beauty, and about love. Buddhism embraces mankind's quest for knowledge in all its many manifestations: spiritual knowledge, scientific knowledge, knowledge of art and music, but most of all, knowledge of Self: knowledge of who we are as opposed to... Read more Chan's Trailhead: The Triple Refuge and the Precepts by Chuan Zhi Published Jan 25, 2005 How do we begin with Zen? We don't start climbing Mt. Everest from the third base station. We start at the very bottom, climb a bit, set up camp, wait for a few days to let ourselves adjust to the altitude, then move on up again, slowly, step by step.... Read more Undeniable Self, Deniable self by Chuan Zhi Published Oct 04, 2005 What is the nature of Self? In Chan, the answer is a spiritual one, dependent on self-reflection, and one that cannot come fully until we achieve a degree of spiritual awareness. In the secular domain, we can investigate Self in terms of what it is not - it is not... Read more Reinventing Ourselves by Chuan Zhi Published Apr 01, 2006 How do we overcome fear and the terrible influence it has over us? We must have great courage - we must be prepared to make mistakes, to show failure, and to show our human vulnerabilities. We must be willing to be outcast by our social groups, friends and family. We... Read more Experience Chan! by Chuan Zhi Published Jul 09, 2007 Deep inside each of us lurks a presence that is our full human potential, but it remains hidden from us - an aspect of the unconscious. It hides because of our fear of it. Its aspect is wisdom, understanding  . . . compassion, yet it remains hidden. The question we... Read more The Fast Way to Chan by Chuan Zhi Published Jan 28, 2008 Many spiritual seekers get frustrated as they become lost in the myriad approaches to enlightenment presented in Buddhist literature and by various spiritual teachers: take this path … or that path; study this sutra, then that sutra; do these things … don't do those things. There is also much discussion... Read more The Buddhism of Zen by Chuan Zhi and Fa Gong Published Jun 10, 2008 As westerners brought up in different religious traditions and cultures, we won't ever have the same Buddhism as the Chinese, the Japanese, the Koreans, or the Vietnamese. Nor should we. Our psyches are shaped by western cultures, not eastern ones. A religion will invariably speak uniquely to each culture that... Read more Forward Motion: Bring on the Sun! by Chuan Zhi with special thanks to Drew Dixon Published Nov 18, 2008 How do we keep our spiritual life alive? How do we keep moving forward? Embrace life in all its beauty and ugliness: treat all things with equanimity, seeing what is real and not what is superimposed by our beliefs and opinions. Seek the unknown: approach fears with fierce resolve to... Read more The Comedy of the Ego by Fa Zhao Shakya Published Nov 03, 2009 Among the great questions.... Who are we? Why are we here? and What purpose do we serve? Perhaps we should also ask, Why do we suffer? and, What can we do? Why do we Suffer? Listening to late night radio back in my twenties, I heard an English Buddhist monk tell a... Read more Zen Pest Control by Fa Zhao Shakya Published Jan 17, 2010 I just love all creatures great and small. From Gorillas to Bengal Tigers and from Lungfish to bizarre Stick Insects, they all play a tremendous role in the various cycles of our planet. These wonderful creatures are also some of our greatest signposts in our observance of inter-connection and inter-relatedness.... Read more Cracking the Fortress of Delusion by Chuan Zhi Published May 10, 2011 "Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, one by one." - Charles MacKay (Author of- Extraordinary Popular Delusions &The Madness of Crowds) Once upon a time a young turtle happened upon an old... Read more Suffering: the Gateway to Transformation by Chuan Zhi Published Jun 25, 2011 My past essays have talked mostly about the wonders and beauties that we can behold through the practice of Zen, and how we can go about finding them for ourselves, but I have spent little time on its “flip side” – it’s “dark” side – suffering. We cannot find Zen without... Read more The Hua-Tou Practice by Chuan Zhi Published Oct 04, 2011 Zen’s hua-tou practice recently seems to be enjoying a renaissance among the small contingent of Zen Buddhists speckling the globe.  In part, this may be due to the growing awareness that this was Hsu Yun’s personal favorite Zen practice that he spent much of his life advocating.  One of the... Read more

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