When working on the Hua Tou, you should be neither too subtle nor too loose. In meditation, if you feel sleepy, you may open your eyes widely and straighten your back you will then feel fresher and more alert than before. If you practice this way, you can be assured of reaching the state of enlightenment. From morning to night observing Hua Tou vividly and clearly, until it appears in your mind like the autumn moon reflected limpidly in quiet water. Master Xu Yun said this about the Hua Tou: “The important thing is to stick to Hua Tou at all times-when walking, lying or standing. “Who is having this stray thought?” In this way, I am deconstructing the Self. Example: I am sitting and meditating and asking myself over and over in my head “Who is sitting here meditating?” Any time I have a stray thought, I bring myself back to the question. It is not limited to seated meditation or any other specific context, unlike some other techniques. Practicing it within sitting meditation and then bringing it to your daily life is what is usually recommended. It can be done either in sitting meditation or in daily life. The Hua Tou is simply asking yourself a who question. Through practicing the Hua Tou properly, the light of wisdom will manifest and enlightenment will be realized here and now. Losing the Hua Tou is referred to as Hua Wei, which is translated as “word tail.” This is when the mind loses all interest in following the hua tou and instead gets distracted by the endless chatter that fills our minds all the time.
If the mind starts to get distracted from the question, then the method is lost and the discriminating mind has defeated the meditative method. Through this method, enlightenment can be attained. We focus the mind on the ear and turn the function of hearing toward its empty source. The Hua Tou method follows the advice given in the Surangama Sutra. There are many other techniques and practices in the Dharma, but Hua Tou is unique because it invites us to look directly into the nature of our being.
Other common Hua Tous include: Who is it who now repeats the Buddha’s name? What is this? What is it? What was the original face before my father and mother were born? Who am I? The Hua Tou involves focusing the mind within by asking oneself a question over and over that begins with the word “ who” or “what.” Master Xu Yun used the hua tou, “Who is dragging this corpse around?” Master Han Shan used the Hua Tou “Who is hearing?” Thoughts manifest as words in our minds, but that isn’t what they really are. It’s literal meaning is something like “word head.” It’s a style of meditation that is designed to bring the practitioner directly to the origin of thought. These are two similar techniques on the surface, so I am going to compare how they are similar and how they are different. The Hua Tou, however, is not as well known, but to me it’s a more useful technique. “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” etc. I’m writing about two significant methods that are used in Ch’an (or Zen) teachings. The Buddha taught a few methods for cultivating insight, and his followers taught a lot more.
#Zen buddhist sayings the sound of one hand clapping full#
“What is enlightenment?” is a question beyond the scope of this article, but I’ll just say it’s the unleashing of the full human spiritual potential. Seuss Buddhism is an umbrella term that describes several different beliefs and practices that are designed to bring us closer to enlightenment. By Daniel Scharpenburg “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” ~ Dr.
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