Richard Hunn: The South-Paw Guitar Player! (15.10.2023)

his is how I ended-up training under Mangala Thero (in 1996) at the Ganga Ramaya Temple (in Beruwela) – situated in Sri Lanka. I have subsequently discovered that Mangala Mahathero has passed away after spending the last decade of his life living and meditating in isolation. I am told that Richard Hunn would sit ‘still’ for hours on end in various Zen Temples throughout the Kyoto area. Although outwardly he was practicing ‘Zen’ – inwardly he was practicing ‘Caodong’ Ch’an – the preferred lineage of Master Xu Yun (1840-1959). Although none of us know how long we will be on this Earth – we must remain vigilant and use our time effectively and productively! Not a single second must be wasted when it comes to self-cultivation! Instead of reading this board – look within! Richard Hunn was my academic and spiritual teacher between 1989-2006. He taught me to read and translate properly every modern and traditional Chinese language ideogram – whilst also conveying to me the teachings of the authentic Chinese Ch’an Buddhist tradition!

Buddhism: Pali Bhavana and Chinese Ch’an

Chinese transliterations and translations are useful as the early Chinese scholars had to understand the Indian Pali and Sanskrit terms before they could be rendered effectively into the Chinese language. Obviously, some of the early transliteration of Indian Buddhist terms are purely ‘phonetic’ in nature and in themselves do not convey much meaning as ideograms. This represents an initial process of a slow, careful and gradual building-up of knowledge in China about a thoroughly ‘foreign’ Indian philosophy that had to develop an ‘interface’ with existing Chinese culture.