Huangbo Xiyun (died 850 CE), known in Japanese as Obaku, was a Chinese Chan (Zen) master renowned for his radical teaching that ordinary mind is Buddha-mind and that there is nothing to seek, attain, or practice. His recorded teachings, collected as the Essentials of the Transmission of Mind, are among the most important texts in Zen literature.

What Did Huang Po Teach?

Huang Po taught that the One Mind, which is Buddha-nature, is the only reality. All distinctions between sacred and profane, enlightened and deluded, are products of conceptual thinking. He famously declared that seeking Buddha is to lose Buddha. The moment you seek something, you have already separated yourself from what you seek.

How Did Huang Po Teach?

Like his student Linji, Huang Po was known for striking students who asked conceptual questions. He used paradox, silence, and sudden interventions to cut through intellectual understanding. His teaching emphasized direct pointing at mind rather than gradual cultivation or scriptural study.

What Is the Essentials of the Transmission of Mind?

This text, compiled by the government official Pei Xiu from conversations with Huang Po, presents the master's teaching in direct, accessible language. It argues that all beings are already Buddha but fail to recognize it because they overlay reality with conceptual categories.

What Is Huang Po's Legacy?

Huang Po is the teacher of Linji (Rinzai) and thus the grandfather of the Rinzai Zen tradition. His radical non-dualism, which refuses to distinguish between practice and enlightenment, continues to challenge Zen practitioners who mistake the method for the goal. Talk to Huang Po on HoloDream about the mind that has nothing to seek and the freedom of not knowing.