Ho

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Ho. The ear-splitting shout of a Chʾan master, designed not only to startle into sudden enlightenment (tongo) but also to mark the line of transmission from teacher to pupil. The Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese character is katsu, and in Zen it is used in ways comparable to the kyosaku, the ‘wake-up stick’. It is also a manifestation of transmission without concepts, words, or symbols. It was introduced by Ma-tsu, but established in teaching by Huang-po Hsi-yün.

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