Huangbo

Huángbò Xīyùn, usually known in English as Huangbo, was a Chinese Chan Buddhist teacher who died around 850. Sources agree that he was an influential master in the Tang dynasty, associated with the Hongzhou tradition, a student of Baizhang Huaihai, and the teacher of Linji Yixuan, whose line became one of the great Zen traditions.

Very little about his life is firmly documented, but his reputation is clear: he is remembered as a direct, uncompromising teacher. Traditional accounts connect him with teachings centered on the "One Mind" and with a style that warned students against getting trapped in words, concepts, or the search for something outside their own immediate nature.

He is best known today through collections of his teachings preserved by later compilers, especially texts translated into English as The Zen Teaching of Huang Po. For many readers, Huangbo stands out as a classic Zen voice—plainspoken, challenging, and intensely focused on awakening rather than theory.