Abstruct: Zhongfeng Mingben (1263-1323) was an important advocate of huatou meditation who lived during the Yuan dynasty. He received Gaofeng Yuanmiao’s (1238-1295) dharma transmission, and belongs to the Huqiu shaolong sub-branch of the Yangqi branch of the Linji lineage. This sub-branch also includes Chan monks in the lineage of Poan Zuxian. Zhongfeng Mingben led a simple life, declining the position of abbot. For many years he moved from place to place, and refused to become involved with the court. However, he was highly esteemed by court officials and commoners, local and foreign students who competed with each other for his instruction. While he was alive he was renowned as the “ancient Buddha of Jiangnan.” Zhongfeng Mingben was concerned about the decline of Chan monasteries. To restore Chan practices, he often rebuked junior and senior monks who behaved inappropriately. He also criticized ideas and practices current in Chan monasteries, condemning those who “select teachings based on emotions; rely on baseless ideas; behave mechanically; parrot old teachings,” phenomena which he denounced as unorthodox and incorrect. He also stated his own understanding of Chan: Chan is not apart from mind; Chan is not apart from seated meditation; Chan and precepts are of a single essence. Thus his identification of mind, meditation, and precepts with Chan, taken together, represent the unique features of his thought. In addition, he emphasized the importance of active practice and actual realizations. He said that in practice, mental illumination is the key; if one does not undergo complete enlightenment, then one’s theorizing is merely empty talk not conducive to liberation. He believed that Chan and Pure Land share a common essence, although neither is superior to the other. At the same time he did not approve of their dual practice, saying that each one should be practiced in depth individually. Zhongfeng Mingben spent his life popularizing huatou Chan. According to his own writings, his purpose was to counteract lapses in the tradition and give students of Chan a reliable means of attaining enlightenment. His use of huatous is varied and adaptable. The huatous he most commonly assigned are “wu” and “if all returns to the one, whence does the one return.” He gave specific instructions with analogies regarding the process and results of huatou practice. He advocated eliminating sleepiness and instability from their fundamental place as the key to huatou practice; in every moment of working on the huatou, one should allow only a sense of doubt to arise, but not any other thoughts. At the same time, one also needs to let the discriminating mind completely die. This way, the sense of doubt will arise and gradually strengthen, until finally the huatou sunders, the sense of doubt disappears, and life and death are understood.
