Xuyun or Hsu Yun (; 5 September 1840? – 13 October 1959) was a renowned Chinese Chan Buddhist master and an influential Buddhist teacher of the 19th and 20th centuries. Early life Xuyun was purportedly born on 5 September 1840 in Fujian, Qing China. His original name was Xiao Guyan (). He was the son of Xiao Yutang () and his mother was surnamed Yan (). His mother died during childbirth. Guyan's grandmother insisted that her grandson take a wife. In order to continue both his and his uncle's lineage, Guyan was arranged to marry one woman from the Tian family and one from the Tan family. His first exposure to Buddhism was during the funeral of his grandmother. Soon afterward he began reading Buddhist sutras and later made a pilgrimage to Mount Heng, one of the most important Buddhist sites in China. When he was fourteen years old, he announced that he wished to renounce the material world in favour of monastic life. His father did not approve of Buddhism and had him instructed in Taoism instead. Guyan was dissatisfied with Taoism, which he felt could not reach the deeper truths of existence. The storerooms of his house were full of very old books. Going through them, he found a volume called the 'Story of Incense Mountain' (cf. Guanyin#Miaoshan), which described the life of Guanyin. After reading the book, he was deeply influenced and was inspired to go forth from home to monkhood to practice Buddhism. When Xuyun was seventeen, he attempted to flee to Mount Heng to become a monk without his family's permission. On a winding mountain path, he encountered envoys sent by his uncle to intercept and escort him back. His aspiration was not realized, and he was caught and brought back home. When he arrived home, the family feared that he would escape again, so he was sent with his first cousin, Fu Kuo, to Quanzhou. His father formally received two brides from the Tian and Tan families for Xuyun, and his marriage was completed. Although they lived together, Xuyun did not have sexual contact with his wives. Moreover, he extensively explained the dharma to them so that they too would practice Buddhism. Fu Kuo also had previously explored Buddhism and had the same aspiration as Xuyun, so they amicably traveled the Path together. In his nineteenth year, accompanied by Fu Kuo, he started the