Editing Xuyun (section)

==Early life==
Xuyun was purportedly born on 5 September 1840 in [[Fujian]], [[Qing dynasty|Qing China]]. His original name was '''Xiao Guyan''' ({{zh|t=萧古巖|s=萧古岩|p=Xiāo Gǔyán}}). He was the son of Xiao Yutang ({{zh|t=萧玉堂|s=萧玉堂|p=Xiāo Yùtáng}}) and his mother was surnamed Yan ({{zh|t=顏|s=颜|p=Yán}}). His mother died during childbirth. Xuyun's grandmother insisted that her grandson take a wife. In order to continue both his and his uncle's lineage, Xuyun was arranged to marry one woman from the Tian family and one from the Tan family.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drbachinese.org/online_reading/sf_others/VM_HsuYun_Bio_01/page7.htm |title=虛雲老和尚畫傳集 上宣下化老和尚著述 A Pictorial Biography of the Venerable Master Hsu Yun composed by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua |publisher=Drbachinese.org |access-date=2012-02-27}}</ref>

His first exposure to Buddhism was during the [[funeral]] of his grandmother. Soon afterward he began reading Buddhist [[sutra]]s and later made a pilgrimage to [[Mount Heng (Hunan)|Mount Heng]], one of the most important Buddhist sites in China.

When he was fourteen years old, Xuyun 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. Xuyun 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 leave home and practice Buddhism as a [[monk]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drbachinese.org/online_reading/sf_others/VM_HsuYun_Bio_01/page10.htm |title=虛雲老和尚畫傳集 上宣下化老和尚著述 A Pictorial Biography of the Venerable Master Hsu Yun composed by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua |publisher=Drbachinese.org |access-date=2012-02-27}}</ref>

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 who successfully intercepted Xuyun and escorted him back home.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drbachinese.org/online_reading/sf_others/VM_HsuYun_Bio_01/page13.htm |title=虛雲老和尚畫傳集 上宣下化老和尚著述 A Pictorial Biography of the Venerable Master Hsu Yun composed by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua |publisher=Drbachinese.org |access-date=2012-02-27}}</ref> When he arrived home, the family feared that he would escape again, so he was sent with his first cousin, Fu Guo ({{Zh|s=富国|t=富國|p=Fù guó}}), 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drbachinese.org/online_reading/sf_others/VM_HsuYun_Bio_01/page14.htm |title=虛雲老和尚畫傳集 上宣下化老和尚著述 A Pictorial Biography of the Venerable Master Hsu Yun composed by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua |publisher=Drbachinese.org |access-date=2012-02-27}}</ref>

Fu Guo also had previously explored Buddhism and had the same aspirations as Xuyun, so they "amicably traveled the Path together."<ref name=":0" /> When Xuyun was nineteen years old, he began the journey to Gu Shan (Drum Mountain) in [[Fuzhou]], accompanied by Fu Guo. Before leaving, he wrote the "Song of the SkinBag"<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.dharmasite.net/SongoftheSkinBag.htm | title=Song Of The Skin Bag | website=www.dharmasite.net}}</ref> which he left behind for his two wives.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.drbachinese.org/online_reading/sf_others/VM_HsuYun_Bio_01/page15.htm |title=虛雲老和尚畫傳集 上宣下化老和尚著述 A Pictorial Biography of the Venerable Master Hsu Yun composed by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua |publisher=Drbachinese.org |access-date=2012-02-27}}</ref>

At Gu Shan [[vihara|monastery]], Xuyun had his head shaved and received ordination as a monk. When his father sent agents to find him, Xuyun concealed himself in a [[grotto]] behind the monastery, where he lived in [[solitude]] for three years. At the age of twenty-five, Xuyun learned that his father had died, and his stepmother and two wives had entered the monastic life.