Upasaka Wen Shu

Who was Upasaka Wen Shu?

Richard Hunn had the lay-Buddhist name of Upasaka Wen Shu. He was the disciple of Charles Luk and practiced traditional Ch’an Buddhism, as taught to Charles Luk by the Chinese Buddhist master Xu Yun. Ch’an is the Chinese word for the Indian Sanskrit ‘Dhyana’, which literally translates as ‘abstract contemplation’, or ‘meditation’. Within the Chinese school of Ch’an Buddhism, it has a further meaning:

‘This is often translated as Dhyana in other contexts, but in the “Transmission of the Mind” or Ch’an School proper, it has a wider meaning. Though Ch’an adherents do indeed cultivate dhyana and prajna, or stillness and wisdom, the Ch’an School understands this is in a dynamic and not static way. Bodhidharma’s mission was to ‘point directly to the Mind’ for outright cognisance of the Dharmakaya or Buddha-body without passing through the gradual stages mentioned in the teaching school.’

Richard Hunn edited the English translation of the Chinese text of the autobiography of Ch’an master Xu Yun in 1987, which was subsequently published through Element Books in 1988. Richard Hunn expanded on the original translation by Charles Luk, comparing the English text to the Chinese original, the Xu Yun He Shang Nian Pu, editing and making revisions where required. He also added extra notes, a glossary and the use of modern pinyin. Several passages were re-written or added, constituting new translations.