Zen Radicals, Rebels and Reformers

Clouds
PERLE BESSERMAN & MANERED STEGER
Zen Radicals, Rebels & Reformers
PERLE BESSERMAN&MANFRED
STEGER
Crazy Clouds
Zen Radicals, Rebels ' J? fvrm ers
i%b l AY-?E_ D
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
Crazy
<2i^r
Radicals, Rebels,
Rebels, and
and Reformers
Reformers
Zen Radicals,
Perle
Perle
Besserman
Besserman
and
and
Manfred
Manfred
Steger
Steger
SHAMBHALA
SHAMBHALA
Boston
Boston & London
London
199!
1991
For Robert and Anne
Anne Aitken
Aitken
Shambhala
Inc.
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Horticultural Hall
Horticultural
Hall
300 Massachusetts Avenue
Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts021
02115
15
Shambhala
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Inc.
R
a n d o m Century
C e n t u r y House
House
Random
20 Vauxhall
Road
Vauxhall Bridge Road
London
S W1i V
2SA
London SW
V 2SA
© 1991
by Perle
1991 by
Perle Besserman
Besserman and Manfred Steger
Steger
All
o part
may be
All rights
rights reserved.
reserved. NNo
part ooff this
this book
book may
reproduced
reproduced in any
any form
form or by any means, electronic
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ingdom b
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Besserman, Perle.
Perle.
Crazy
C
r a z y Clouds:
C l o u d s : Zen
Z e n radicals,
radicals, rebels, and reformers/
reformers/
Perle Besserman,
Besserman, Manfred Steger.
Perle
Steger.
p. cm.
p.
cm.
ISBN
I S B N o-87773-543-3
0-87773-543-3 (pbk.)
(pbk.)
1.
Priests, ZZen-Biography.
en—Biography.
I. Steger,
Steger,
I.
i. Priests,
Manfred.
II. Title.
Title.
Manfred. II.
B
Q 9 2 9 8 . BB47
47
1991
BQ9298.
1991
294.3'927'0922-dc20
294.3'927'0922—dc20
[B]
[B]
90-53377
90-53377
CIP
CIP
Contents
ix
ix
Acknowledgments
A
cknowledgments
IIntroduction
ntroduction
II
1. P'ang
i.
P'ang Yun:
Yun: The
The Family
Family Man
Man of
of Zen
Zen
2.
2. Rinzai:
Rinzai: The
The Spiritual
Spiritual Storm
Storm
23
23
3.
3. Bassui:
Bassui: The
The Lover
Lover of
of Sounds
Sounds
45
43
4. Ikkyu:
Ikkyu: The
TheEmperor
EmperorofofRenegades
Renegades
5.
3. Bankei:
Bankei: The
The Popular
Popular Preacher
Preacher
9
61
61
85
83
6.
Hakuin: The
TheOld
OldHeretic
Heretic under
under the
the Sala
Sala Tree
Tree
6. Hakuin:
7. Nyogen
Nyogen Senzaki:
Senzaki: The
The Homeless
Homeless Mushroom
Mushroom
7.
Soen: The
Thelhlaster
Master of
of Play
Play
8. Soen:
log
log
137
159
139
Epilogue: Crazy
Crazy Cloud
Cloud Zen
Zen for
for the
theWest
West 177
177
Epilogue:
1855
18
N
o t e s on
o n Sources
Sources
Notes
189
189
Glossary
Glossary
Bibliography
Bibliography
195
195
A b o u t the
t h e Authors
Authors
About
Credits
Credits
i
201
201
199
199
a<§^Hr
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
Thanks
are ddue
T
h a n k s are
u e to
to Robert
R o b e r t and
and Anne
A n n e Aitken
A i t k e n for
f o r providing
providing
Nakagawa
Seen
and N
Nyogen
ppersonal
e r s o n a l rrecollections
e c o l l e c t i o n s oof
f N
akagawa S
o e n and
y o g e n Senzaki,
Senzaki,
as well
as books
to their
as
w e l l as
b o o k s and
and other
o t h e r materials
materials relating
relating to
their Zen
Zen
inJapan
Japan and
and the
the UUnited
are iindebted
eexperience
x p e r i e n c e in
n i t e d States.
States. We
We are
n d e b t e d to
the scholars,
scholars, translators,
translators, and
listed in
in oour
the
and historians
historians listed
u r bibliograbibliography,
p h y , whose
w h o s e dedicated
d e d i c a t e d work
w o r k with
w i t h original
o r i g i n a l sources
s o u r c e s made
m a d e this
this
hook
possible.
Professor
David
Chappell
of
the
Religion
Deb o o k p o s s i b l e . P r o f e s s o r D a v i d C h a p p e l l o f the R e l i g i o n D e partment
p a r t m e n t of
o f the
the University
U n i v e r s i t y of
o f Hawaii
H a w a i i was
w a s most
m o s t helpful
helpful in
in
assistanceoon
the ttopic
Zen
rrendering
e n d e r i n g sscholarly
c h o l a r l y assistance
n the
o p i c oof
f Z
e n Buddhism,
Buddhism,
particularly
the chapter
chapter oon
p a r t i c u l a r l y rregarding
e g a r d i n g the
n Hakuin,
H a k u i n , and Professor
Professor
SteveCCanharn
the EEnglish
the UUniversity
Steve
a n h a m oof
f the
n g l i s h DDepartment
e p a r t m e n t oof
f the
n i v e r s i t y of
of
Hawaii
to bhe
for pproviding
H a w a i i isis to
e tthanked
h a n k e d for
r o v i d i n g aa fforum
o r u m oon
n IIkkyu.
k k y u . Dr.
Dr.
Craig
and ddharma
friend, maintained
C r a i g Twentyman,
T w e n t y m a n , colleague
c o l l e a g u e and
h a r m a friend,
maintained a
steady
steady and
and lively
l i v e l y Zen
Z e n dialogue
d i a l o g u e that
that continues
c o n t i n u e s still;
still; and
and Will
Will
Staple
Ring
off BBone
Staple oof
f R
ing o
o n e Zendo
Z e n d o showed
s h o w e d us his own
o w n unique
u n i q u e form
form
off Crazy
o
C r a z y Cloud
C l o u d Zen.
Z e n . Shambhala's
S h a m b h a l a ' s staff,
staff, particularly
p a r t i c u l a r l y peter
Peter
Turner and
and Jonathan
Jonathan GGreen,
were
and spirituTurner
reen, w
e r e bboth
o t h editorially
editorially and
ally rresponsive
to the
ally
e s p o n s i v e to
the dharmic
d h a r m i c aspects
aspects of
o f our
o u r work;
work;
special
special
to them.
tthanks
h a n k s to
them.
To
we
in gratitude
To Robert
R o b e r t Aitken
A i t k e n Roshi
Roshi w
e gassho
g a s s h o in
g r a t i t u d e for
for his
his
in oour
gguidance
u i d a n c e in
u r Zen
Z e n practice
p r a c t i c e with
w i t h the
the Diamond
D i a m o n d Sangha
S a n g h a in
in
Honolulu.
H
onolulu.
Finally,
to the
the Crazy
in this
Finally, to
C r a z y Clouds
C l o u d s in
this hook,
b o o k , and
and to
to Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
C
l o u d s everywhere,
e v e r y w h e r e , we
w e extend
e x t e n d our
o u r hand.
hand.
The
its only
T
h e aim
a i m of
o f life,
life, its
o n l y aim,
a i m , is to
t o be
b e free.
free. Free
Free of
o f what?
w h a t ? Free
Free
to do
d o what?
w h a t ? Only
O n l y to
to be
b e free,
free, that
that is
is all.
all. Free
Free through
t h r o u g h ourselves,
ourselves,
tree
to be
free to
b e sad,
sad, to be
b e in pain; free
free tto
o grow
g r o w old
o l d and
and die.
die. That
T h a t is
is
what
w h a t our
o u r soul
s o u l desires,
desires, and
a n d this
this freedom
f r e e d o m it
it must
m u s t have;
have; and
a n d shall
shall
have.
-R.
— R . H.
H . Blyth
Blyth
Introduction
The
centuries bbefore
T h e Zen
Z e n story
s t o r y begins
b e g i n s in
in India
India five
five centuries
e f o r e CChrist
h r i s t with
with
the
the bodhi
the Buddha
B u d d h a meditating
m e d i t a t i n g uunder
n d e r the
b o d h i tree
tree and
and coming
c o m i n g out
out
of
o f meditation
m e d i t a t i o n to see
see the
the morning
m o r n i n g star.
star. Realizing
R e a l i z i n g that
that his
his selfself-
nature
and that
nature and
that of
o f all
all beings
b e i n g s was
w a s one
o n e and
and the
the same,
s a m e , and,
and,
moreover,
m o r e o v e r , that
that it
it was
w a s completely
c o m p l e t e l y empty,
e m p t y , Buddha
B u d d h a became
b e c a m e aa
wandering
w a n d e r i n g teacher. For
For forty
f o r t y years,
y e a r s , he
he proclaimed
p r o c l a i m e d his
his message:
message:
all
all things
t h i n g s are
are transient,
transient, all
all things
t h i n g s are
are interdependent,
i n t e r d e p e n d e n t , and
and all
all
things
are eempty.
an I.I. There
t h i n g s are
m p t y . Nothing
N o t h i n g abides,
a b i d e s , not
n o t even
even an
T h e r e is
is no
no
God
G o d or
o r Ultimate
U l t i m a t e Truth
T r u t h behind
b e h i n d phenomena;
p h e n o m e n a ; everything
every t h i n g just
j u s t is.
is.
Despite
the Buddha's
the indiD e s p i t e the
B u d d h a ' s warnings,
w a r n i n g s , his
his insistence
insistence oon
n the
indithese truths
truths by
vvidual
i d u a l eexperience
x p e r i e n c e oof
f these
b y means
m e a n s of
o f meditation,
m e d i t a t i o n , and
and
despite
his aadvocacy
despite his
d v o c a c y oof
f aa "middle
" m i d d l e way"
w a y " that
that shunned
s h u n n e d ascetiasceticism
as m
much
c i s m as
u c h as it did
d i d hedonism,
h e d o n i s m , Buddha's
B u d d h a ' s practice
practice became
b e c a m e aa
widely
doctrinal
system,
caught
up
in
rituals
and
scholastiw i d e l y d o c t r i n a l s y s t e m , c a u g h t u p in rituals and s c h o l a s t i split uup
ccism.
i s m . After
A f t e r his
his death,
death, his
his disciples
disciples split
p into
i n t o sects,
sects, many
many
the vvery
means
ends against
against wwhich
their teacher
aadvocating
d v o c a t i n g the
ery m
e a n s aand
n d ends
h i c h their
had warned.
had
warned.
In
In the
the first
first century
c e n t u r y of
o f the common
c o m m o n era,
era, in
in an
an attempt
a t t e m p t to
to
the middle
rrecapture
e c a p t u r e the
m i d d l e way,
w a y , Buddhist
B u d d h i s t philosopher
p h i l o s o p h e r Nagarjuna
Nagarjuna
documented
d
o c u m e n t e d the Buddha's
B u d d h a ' s discoveries.
discoveries. Nagarjuna
N a g a r j u n a argued
a r g u e d that
that
the mind
either inin itself
itself or
or in
the
m i n d never
never attains
attains real
real substance,
substance, either
in
outside
objects,
and he
o
utside o
b j e c t s , and
h e attempted
a t t e m p t e d to
to deliver
deliver Buddhists
B u d d h i s t s from
from
dualistic nnotions
dualistic
o t i o n s of
o f soul
s o u l or
o r divine
d i v i n e self
self while
w h i l e negating
n e g a t i n g idealists
idealists
beings
for them
b e i n g s tto
o intercede
intercede for
t h e m and
and create
create a miracle.
m i r a c l e . To
T o counter
counter
this,
Zen
masters
had
to
resort
to
radical
means.
Take
Hsuanthis, Z e n masters
t o resort to radical m e a n s . T a k e H s u a n chien,
ninth-century
Zen
who
chien, a n
i n t h - c e n t u r y Chinese
Chinese Z
e n teacher
teacher w
h o llectured
e c t u r e d from
from
the pulpit:
pulpit:
off the
on
o
the "mind-only"
" m i n d - o n l y " school.
s c h o o l . Basing
B a s i n g his
his claim
claim o
n the
the direct
direct
Nagarjuna
the world
eexperience
x p e r i e n c e oof
f realization,
realization, N
a g a r j u n a ddepicted
e p i c t e d the
w o r l d and
and
the
s e l f as
e m p t y , " or
o r "such
" s u c h as
as itit is,"
i s , " free
free of
o f all
all metaphysical
metaphysical
the self
as ""empty,"
sspeculation,
p e c u l a t i o n , or
o r will
w i l l and representation. The
T h e West
West has translated
translated
as n
i h i l i s m . Buddhists
B u d d h i s t s call
call it deliverance.
deliverance. In
dissolution
this as
nihilism.
In the dissolution
There
There are
are neither
neither Buddhas
Buddhas nor
nor Patriarchs;
Patriarchs; Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma was
was
only an
an old
old bearded
bearded barbarian.
barbarian. Sakyamuni
Sakyamuni [Buddha]
[Buddha] and
and this
[his
only
successor] Kasyapa,
Kasyapa, [the
[the Bodhisattvas]
successor]
Bodhisattvas] Manjusri
Manjusri and SamantaSamantabhadra,
dungheap coolies.
coolies. .. .. .. Nirvana
Nirvana and bodhi are
are
bhadra, are only dungheap
dead
donkeys. The
T h e twelve
twelve divisions
divisions oof
f the
dead stumps
stumps to
to tie your donkeys.
the
sacred
f ghosts,
sacred teachings
teachings are
are only
only lists
lists oof
ghosts, sheets
sheets ooff paper
paper fit
fit only
only
for
your boils.
boils.
for wiping
wiping the pus from your
o
g o they
t h e y find
find the
the end
end o
suffering, n
o t the
the black
black h
o l e of
of
off the
the eego
off suffering,
not
hole
n
o t h i n g n e s s , but
b u t an
an infinite
infinite ocean
o c e a n of
o f effulgence,
e f f u l g e n c e , oone
n e with
w i t h the
the
nothingness,
p
r o c e s s oof
f things
t h i n g s as
as they
t h e y are.
are. This
T h i s truth,
t r u t h , said
said Nagarjuna,
Nagarjuna,
process
c o m m u n i c a t e s itself
i n d in
in the
the living
l i v i n g experience
e x p e r i e n c e of
of
communicates
itselftoto the
the m
mind
eenlightenment.
nlightenment.
Five
the Central
Five centuries
centuries later,
later, the
C e n t r a l Asian
A s i a n reformer
r e f o r m e r BodhiBodhid
h a r m a took
t o o k his
his message
m e s s a g e of
o f meditation
m e d i t a t i o n on
o n aa dangerous
d a n g e r o u s jourjourdharma
The
T h e tendency
t e n d e n c y of
o f students,
s t u d e n t s , however,
h o w e v e r , to
to revert
revert to
to dependence
d e p e n d e n c e on
on
gods,
g o d s , the Buddha,
B u d d h a , and
and the
the "holy"
" h o l y " scriptures
scriptures persisted.
persisted. We
W e find
find
the
Zen
the eighteenth-century
e i g h t e e n t h - c e n t u r y Japanese
Japanese Z
e n master
m a s t e r Hakuin
H a k u i n similarly
similarly
rebuking
with:
in yyour
r e b u k i n g a sstudent
tudent w
i t h : "Nothing
" N o t h i n g can
can shine
shine in
o u r asshole."
asshole."
Clearly,
C l e a r l y , the danger
d a n g e r of
o f such
s u c h pronouncements
p r o n o u n c e m e n t s lies
lies in
in the
the possipossi-
n
e y eeastward-creating
a s t w a r d — c r e a t i n g Chinese
C h i n e s e Ch'an,
C h ' a n , or
o r Zen
Z e n Buddhism,
B u d d h i s m , in
in
ney
the
p r o c e s s . Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma m
a y bbe
e real
l e g e n d a r y , but
b u t the
the
the process.
may
real oorr legendary,
iimportant
m p o r t a n t tthing
h i n g is
is that
that his
his name
n a m e bears
bears the
the radical
radical sstamp
t a m p of
of
B
u d d h i s t practice,
practice, the unequivocal
u n e q u i v o c a l insistence
insistence o
n the individual
individual
Buddhist
on
eexperience
x p e r i e n c e oof
f ""everything
e v e r y t h i n g j ujust
s t as
i s . " His
H i s successors
s u c c e s s o r s in
in
as itit is."
bility
b i l i t y that
that they
t h e y will
w i l l be
b e imitated
i m i t a t e d by
b y teachers
teachers who
w h o have
have not
not
experienced
realization
themselves.
And
indeed,
this
sort
e x p e r i e n c e d realization t h e m s e l v e s . A n d i n d e e d , this sort of
of
iconoclasm
lead to
to antinomianism
in Zen
i c o n o c l a s m ddid
i d lead
a n t i n o m i a n i s m in
Z e n circles
circles in the
the
C h i n a , Korea,
K o r e a , Japan,
West still
a m e ttool
o o l of
of
China,
Japan, and
and the
the West
still use
use the
the ssame
m
e
d
i
t
a
t
i
o
n
u
s
e
d
b
y
the
B
u
d
d
h
a
u
n
d
e
r
the
b
o
d
h
i
tree
to
reveal
meditation used by the Buddha under the bodhi tree to reveal
the
l i v i n g fact
fact of
o f shunyata,
shunyata, or
o r emptiness.
e m p t i n e s s . Bodhidharma
B o d h i d h a r m a was
was
the living
n
ot a
a philosopher,
p h i l o s o p h e r , and
and Zen
Z e n is
is not
n o t aa philosophy,
p h i l o s o p h y , nor
n o r belief
b e l i e f in
in
not
past, and
Zen
past,
and to scandalous
s c a n d a l o u s behavior
b e h a v i o r aamong
m o n g so-called
so-called Z
e n masters
masters
that still
still occurs
o c c u r s today.
t o d a y . This
T h i s book
b o o k is
is not
n o t concerned
c o n c e r n e d with
w i t h scanscandal.
dal. It focuses
f o c u s e s oon
n those
t h o s e religious
r e l i g i o u s Zen
Z e n geniuses
g e n i u s e s whose
w h o s e training,
training,
commitment,
c o m m i t m e n t , and
and realization
realization experience
e x p e r i e n c e led
led them
t h e m to
t o aa free
free life,
life,
unconstrained
etiquette, rules,
rules, or
u n c o n s t r a i n e d bby
y religious
r e l i g i o u s etiquette,
or hierarchy.
h i e r a r c h y . ExExploring
p l o r i n g the lives
lives of
o f these
these great
great nonconformists
n o n c o n f o r m i s t s can
can perhaps
perhaps
help
h
e l p to
t o clarify
clarify this
this grey
g r e y area
area in Zen,
Z e n , overturning
o v e r t u r n i n g misconcepmisconcep-
an
b s t r a c t i o n , nor
n o r faith
faith in
in a
a rreligious
e l i g i o u s cconstruct.
o n s t r u c t . Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma
an aabstraction,
w
a s aa practitioner
p r a c t i t i o n e r oof
f Zen
Z e n meditation,
meditation, a
a man
m a n who
who
was
expressed
expressed
the
e x p e r i e n t i a l fact
self-realization, in
h i c h the
the narrow
narrow
the experiential
fact ooff self-realization,
in wwhich
identification
i t h "person"
" p e r s o n " drops
d r o p s away,
away, leaving
l e a v i n g one's
o n e ' s self
self as
as
identification wwith
the
b i r d s o n g , the
the sound
s o u n d of
o f the
the wave
w a v e dashing
d a s h i n g against
against the
the reef,
reef,
the birdsong,
or
the coffee
coffee p
e r k i n g in
in the
the kitchen.
kitchen.
or the
perking
tions
and returning
tions about
a b o u t its antic
antic or
o r ascetic
ascetic extremes
e x t r e m e s and
r e t u r n i n g to
to aa
Realizing
their teacher's
teacher's message,
R
e a l i z i n g their
m e s s a g e , Bodhidharma's
B o d h i d h a r m a ' s followers
followers
middle
m i d d l e way.
way.
saw that,
that, iindeed,
there wwas
nothing
holy,
saw
n d e e d , there
as n
othing h
o l y , that the sacred
sacred and
and
Crazy
the ppen
C
r a z y CCloud,
l o u d , the
e n nname
a m e aassumed
s s u m e d bby
y I Ikkyu-Zen
k k y u — Z e n poet,
poet,
profane
were
profane w
e r e nnot
o t oopposed,
p p o s e d , aand
n d that
that the
the ordinary
o r d i n a r y moment,
m o m e n t , the
the
ordinary
event
was
holy
just
as
it
was.
Suddenly,
picking
o r d i n a r y event w a s h o l y j u s t as it w a s . S u d d e n l y , p i c k i n g a
flower, eeating
a t i n g aa rice
rice cake,
c a k e , or
o r making
m a k i n g love
l o v e was
w a s as
as sacred
sacred as
as
flower,
p
r o s t r a t i n g before
b e f o r e the Buddha
B u d d h a or
o r chanting
c h a n t i n g his n
a m e . NevertheNevertheprostrating
name.
less, traditional
C h i n e s e Buddhists
B u d d h i s t s held fast
fast tto
o the idea
idea that the
the
less,
traditional Chinese
B
u
d
d
h
a
and
the
p
a
t
r
i
a
r
c
h
s
,
and
even
B
o
d
h
i
d
h
a
r
m
a
h
i
m
s
elf
Buddha and the patriarchs, and even Bodhidharma himself
w
e r e sspecial
p e c i a l bbeings,
e i n g s , even
even g
o d s . Many
M a n y Zen
Zen
were
gods.
painter, calligrapher,
and wwandering
painter,
c a l l i g r a p h e r , and
a n d e r i n g tteacher-is
e a c h e r — i s aa pun
p u n on
o n the
the
Japanese wword
unsui, the
the BBuddhist
monk
Japanese
o r d unsui,
uddhist m
o n k whose
w h o s e detachment
detachment
from
him
water.
f r o m worldly
w o r l d l y life
life has
has h
i m drifting
d r i f t i n g like
like aa ccloud
l o u d oover
ver w
a t e r . The
The
Crazy
C r a z y Clouds
C l o u d s of
o f this
this book
b o o k are
are those
t h o s e innovative
i n n o v a t i v e Zen
Z e n reformers,
reformers,
rebels,
rebels, and
and radicals,
radicals, the wandering
w a n d e r i n g seekers
seekers and
a n d sages
sages often
often
disguised
as
beggars,
nomadic
preachers,
tree
dwellers,
d i s g u i s e d as b e g g a r s , n o m a d i c preachers, tree d w e l l e r s , and
and
sometimes
even m
madmen,
s o m e t i m e s even
a d m e n , whose
w h o s e singular
singular Zen
Z e n Way
Way has
has propro-
practitioners
practitioners
s t o p p e d meditating
m e d i t a t i n g and
and started
started to
t o pray
pray to
to these
these "superhuman"
"superhuman"
stopped
2
Introduction
Introduction
I
Introduction
Introduction
3
<ag
R!r
The
llegitimate
e g i t i m a t e aauthority.
uthority. T
h e democratic
d e m o c r a t i c ffreedom
r e e d o m oof
f the Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
moral
C l o u d s reminds
r e m i n d s us
us of
o f the
the unequivocal
unequivocal m
o r a l aauthority
u t h o r i t y of
o f the
the
traditional practices
practices ooff meditation,
ffoundly
o u n d l y influenced
influenced traditional
m e d i t a t i o n , daily
daily
life, spiritual,
attitudes in Zen
life,
spiritual, social,
social, and
and political
political attitudes
Z e n Buddhism
Buddhism
individual,
which,
in the
individual, w
h i c h , in
the last
last instance,
instance, must
m u s t transcend
t r a n s c e n d all
all
formal
structures
and
find
its
own
sovereign
expression.
No
f o r m a l structures and find its o w n s o v e r e i g n e x p r e s s i o n . N o
even to
to the
the present.
even
present. Set
Set within
w i t h i n the
the historical
historical thematic
t h e m a t i c frameframe-
work
w
o r k of
o f Zen
Z e n Buddhist
B u d d h i s t practice
practice from
f r o m its
its inception
i n c e p t i o n in
in China,
China,
aand
n d its
its attitudes
a t t i t u d e s toward
t o w a r d meditation,
m e d i t a t i o n , enlightenment,
e n l i g h t e n m e n t , the
the
to
c o n t e m p o r a r y Zen
Z e n student
s t u d e n t steeped
steeped in Western
Western nnorms
o r m s of
of
to the
the contemporary
mere
rebellious ooutburst
against aauthority,
the attitude
m
e r e rebellious
u t b u r s t against
u t h o r i t y , the
attitude of
o f the
the
Crazy
C r a z y Cloud,
C l o u d , rooted
r o o t e d in
in the
the fundamental
f u n d a m e n t a l tenets
tenets of
o f Buddhism,
Buddhism,
and
in a life
and expressed
e x p r e s s e d in
life that
that embodies
e m b o d i e s transience,
transience, interdepeninterdependence,
and
shunyata,
proves
that
every
concept,
even
dence,
shunyata, p r o v e s that every c o n c e p t , even the most
most
noble,
n o b l e , must
m u s t self-destruct.
self-destruct.
Like
the BBuddha
himself, wwho
to be
L
i k e the
u d d h a himself,
h o is
is said
said to
b e still
still practicing,
practicing,
this
this constant
c o n s t a n t eexamination
x a m i n a t i o n oof
f oone's
n e ' s llife-before
i f e — b e f o r e and
and after
after enenlightenment-the
l i g h t e n m e n t — t h e refusal
refusal to
to sink
sink back
b a c k into
i n t o static
static oblivion,
o b l i v i o n , or,
or,
as
the ZZen
call it,
it, ""sitting
as the
e n masters
masters call
s i t t i n g on
o n top
t o p of
o f the one-hundredone-hundredfoot
f o o t pole,"
p o l e , " is
is what
w h a t marks
m a r k s the
the Crazy
C r a z y Cloud.
C l o u d . Questioning
Q u e s t i o n i n g all
all
structures,
structures, abandoning
a b a n d o n i n g all
all notions
n o t i o n s of
o f having
h a v i n g reached
r e a c h e d nirvana,
nirvana,
he
he or
or she
she must
m u s t paradoxically
p a r a d o x i c a l l y encompass
e n c o m p a s s and
and surpass
surpass them.
them.
This
creativeqquestioning
T h i s creative
u e s t i o n i n g oof
f a authority-rare
u t h o r i t y — r a r e in religious,
r e l i g i o u s , politpolitical,
and social
social llife-is
ical, and
i f e — i s universally
universally proclaimed
p r o c l a i m e d in
in the
the centuriescenturiesold
o l d Crazy
C r a z y Cloud
C l o u d dialogue
d i a l o g u e with
w i t h us.
us. We
W e arc
are eencouraged
n c o u r a g e d bby
y their
commitment
c o m m i t m e n t and
a n d hard
hard training,
training, and by
b y the
the true
true realization
realization of
of
emptiness
that pprompted
e m p t i n e s s that
r o m p t e d them
t h e m to
to take
take their
their experience
e x p e r i e n c e out
out
iinto
n t o the world
w o r l d and
and live
live as
as compassionate
c o m p a s s i o n a t e Bodhisattvas.
B o d h i s a t t v a s . Their
Their
lives pprove
again and
and again
again that
that Zen
refers the
the individlives
r o v e again
Z e n always
a l w a y s refers
individ-
iindividualism,
n d i v i d u a l i s m , political
political eengagement,
n g a g e m e n t , lliberation
i b e r a t i o n ttheology,
h e o l o g y , femfem-
ual back
ual
b a c k to herself
h e r s e l f or
o r himself,
himself, that
that ititalways
a l w a y s respects
respects the
the
iinism,
n i s m , and
and the
the destructuralization
d e s t r u c t u r a l i z a t i o n of
o f all
all hierarchy,
h i e r a r c h y , whether
whether
iindividual
n d i v i d u a l disposition,
d i s p o s i t i o n , the
the individual
i n d i v i d u a l experience.
experience.
tteacher-student
e a c h e r - s t u d e n t relationship,
relationship, celibacy,
c e l i b a c y , lay
lay practice,
practice, women,
women,
n
a t u r e , social
social convention,
c o n v e n t i o n , and
political cclimate,
l i m a t e , the
lives of
of
nature,
and political
the lives
these ZZen
these
e n masters
masters both
b o t h reflect
reflect and
and contrast
contrast with
w i t h the
the various
various
movements
which
rreligious
eligious m
o v e m e n t s ffrom
rom w
h i c h tthey
h e y ssprang
p r a n g aand
n d ffrom
r o m which
which
tthey
h e y departed.
departed.
S p a n n i n g the
g e n e r a t i o n s ffrom
r o m eighth-century
eighth-century C
h i n a to
to
Spanning
the generations
China
ttwentieth-century
wentieth-century A
m e r i c a , this
b o o k explores
e x p l o r e s the lives
lives and
and
America,
this book
tteachings
e a c h i n g s ooff Z
e n reformers
r e f o r m e r s and
and eccentrics
eccentrics like
like the wry
w r y Layman
Layman
Zen
P'ang,
the renegade
P
' a n g , the
the fierce
fierce Rinzai
R i n z a i (Lin-chi*),
( L i n - c h i * ) , the
r e n e g a d e IIkkyu,
k k y u , the
the revolutionary
Bankei,
iiconoclastic
c o n o c l a s t i c BBassui,
a s s u i , the
revolutionary B
a n k e i , the innovative
innovative
Hakuin,
H
a k u i n , the poetic
p o e t i c Soen,
S o e n , and
and the
the footloose
f o o t l o o s e Nyogen
N y o g e n Senzaki.
Senzaki.
Their
interpretations ooff the
the most
off Zen
T
h e i r interpretations
m o s t radical
radical fforms
orms o
Z e n BudBudd
h i s m frequently
f r e q u e n t l y proved
p r o v e d too
t o o enigmatic
e n i g m a t i c and
and avant-garde
a v a n t - g a r d e for
for
dhism
their
c o n t e m p o r a r i e s , but
b u t remain
r e m a i n invaluable
i n v a l u a b l e guidelines
g u i d e l i n e s for
for
their contemporaries,
their spiritual
spiritual descendants
in ttoday's
regardless of
their
d e s c e n d a n t s in
o d a y ' s Zen
Z e n lineages
lineages regardless
of
for the modern
sschool
c h o o l oor
r nationality.
n a t i o n a l i t y . Even
E v e n more
m o r e significant
significant for
modern
w
o r l d , these
these archetypal
a r c h e t y p a l Crazy
C r a z y Clouds
C l o u d s will
w i l l particularly
p a r t i c u l a r l y appeal
appeal
world,
social. TThese
men
apt modrreligious
e l i g i o u s oor
r social.
h e s e rrevolutionary
e v o l u t i o n a r y ZZen
en m
e n are
are apt
mod-
But
B u t individualism
i n d i v i d u a l i s m brings
b r i n g s responsibility.
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . Seventeen
Seventeen centuries
centuries
els for
u r own
o w n revolutionary
r e v o l u t i o n a r y times.
times.
els
for oour
As
we
approach
the
twenty-first
A s we approach
t w e n t y - f i r s t century,
c e n t u r y ,the
theword
w o r ddemocracy
democracy
is oon
lips. TToo
often, tthough,
is
n everyone's
e v e r y o n e ' s lips.
o o often,
h o u g h , the
the word
w o r d is
is taken
taken as
as
m e r e lip
lip service,
s e r v i c e , passive
passive aagreement
g r e e m e n t in
face of
o f apparently
apparently
mere
in the face
after N
Nagarjuna,
the German
after
a g a r j u n a , the
G e r m a n philosopher
p h i l o s o p h e r Immanuel
I m m a n u e l Kant
K a n t also
also
that the
the mind
that the
the phenomaargued
r g u e d that
m i n d had
h a d no
n o real
real substance,
s u b s t a n c e , that
phenom-
enal wworld
was
transient, and
and that
that God
was
enal
orld w
a s transient,
God w
a s yyet
e t aanother
n o t h e r concon-
cept. He
by
cept.
H e extended
e x t e n d e d the
the Buddhist
B u d d h i s t findings
findings b
y proposing
p r o p o s i n g that
that
every ssingle
rational aagent,
every
i n g l e rational
g e n t , however
h o w e v e r ttemporary,
e m p o r a r y , must
m u s t decide
decide
what
w
h a t is right,
r i g h t , and
and that
that ultimate
u l t i m a t e moral
m o r a l responsibility
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y resides
resides in
in
** For
For those
those Chinese
Chinese personal
personal names
names that
that are
are largely
largely familiar
familiar to
to Western
Western
readers
Japanese ZZen
e n tradition,
tradition, the
the Japanese
Japanese form
form has
has been
been
readers through
through the Japanese
used with
with the
the Chinese
Chinese version
version given
given in
in parentheses
parentheses following
following the
the first
first
used
the individual
rather than in
the
i n d i v i d u a l rather
in hierarchical
hierarchical structures.
structures. Kant
K a n t did
did
not
n
o t negate
n e g a t e the
the structures,
structures, jjust
u s t as Zen
Z e n does
does not
n o t deny
d e n y the
the world
world
mention
o f the name. In
In the
the case
case of
o f figures
figures for
for whom
w h o m no
noJapanese
Japanese version
version
mention of
off form.
o
f o r m . Like
L i k e the
the Buddha,
B u d d h a , who
w h o compared
c o m p a r e d his
his teachings
t e a c h i n g s to aa
o f the name
name is
is available,
available, only
original Chinese
Chinese form
form is
is given.
given. In
In cases
cases
of
only the original
where the Chinese
Chinese name
name is
is more
m o r e familiar,
familiar, the
the Japanese
Japanese name
name has
has been
been
where
omitted.
44
Introduction
Introduction
in crossing
rraft-useful
a f t — u s e f u l and
and necessary
n e c e s s a r y in
c r o s s i n g aa river
river to
to the
the
other
other
burdensome
sshore,
h o r e , bbut
ut b
u r d e n s o m e oonce
n c e tthere-Kant,
h e r e — K a n t , too,
t o o , saw
saw that
that instiinsti-
I
Introduction
Introduction
55
ttutional
u t i o n a l structures could
c o u l d take
take one
o n e only
o n l y so
s o far
far before
b e f o r e becoming
becoming
aa burden.
b u r d e n . Both
B o t h men
m e n warn
w a r n us
us that
that teachings,
t e a c h i n g s , hierarchy,
h i e r a r c h y , and
and
iinstitutions
n s t i t u t i o n s should
s h o u l d be
b e treated not
n o t as
as ends
ends in
in themselves,
t h e m s e l v e s , but
b u t as
as
skillful
e a n s in
eventual achievement
achievement o
freedom
skillful m
means
in the eventual
off spiritual freedom
and
o r a l autonomy.
autonomy.
and m
moral
T
h e Crazy
C r a z y Clouds
C l o u d s iinvite
n v i t e us
to walk
w a l k with
w i t h them
t h e m on.
on the
the
The
us to
rrazor's
a z o r ' s edge
e d g e of
o f essential
essential ffreedom
r e e d o m and
m o r a l responsibility.
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . We
We
and moral
m
u s t be
b e careful
careful aabout
b o u t aaping
p i n g their
c c e n t r i c i t y , or taking
t a k i n g license
license
must
their eeccentricity,
for
" c r e a t i v e aanarchy."
n a r c h y . " Without
W i t h o u t the
the experience
e x p e r i e n c e oof
f their
hardfor "creative
their hardw
o n realization
realization and
r a i n i n g , which
w h i c h in
in every
every case
case included
included a
won
and ttraining,
rreligious
e l i g i o u s iinstitution
n s t i t u t i o n and
e r e iimitator
m i t a t o r embarks
embarks
and aa teacher,
teacher, the
the m
mere
o n aa dangerous
d a n g e r o u s and
and potentially
p o t e n t i a l l y immoral
i m m o r a l enterprise.
enterprise. At
A t the
the
on
m
o s t intimate
i n t i m a t e level,
level, C
razy C
l o u d Zen
Z e n illustrates
illustrates that
meditamost
Crazy
Cloud
that meditattion
i o n is
l i v i n g experience,
e x p e r i e n c e , neither
l i m i t e d to
to monasteries
m o n a s t e r i e s and
and
is aa living
neither limited
t e m p l e s , nor
n o r bounded
b o u n d e d by
b y time
t i m e and
and national
n a t i o n a l borders.
b o r d e r s . ItIt effaces
effaces
temples,
the dour
d o u r and
a n d taciturn
taciturn image
i m a g e that
that many
m a n y people
p e o p l e have
have taken
t a k e n for
for
the
Z e n , emphasizing
e m p h a s i z i n g instead
instead the
o y in
d i s c o v e r i n g that
"emptiZen,
the jjoy
in discovering
that "emptiness is
f o r m " and
and "form
" f o r m is
is emptiness,"
e m p t i n e s s , " and
and it
it embodies
embodies a
a
ness
is form"
vvision
i s i o n ggreat
r e a t eenough
n o u g h to
to embrace
e m b r a c e the
the Whole.
Whole.
W e bbegin
e g i n in
i g h t h - c e n t u r y China
C h i n a with
w i t h the
the Layman
L a y m a n P'ang,
P'ang,
We
in eeighth-century
whose
refusal to
to bbecome
monk
his celebrated
w
h o s e refusal
e c o m e aa m
o n k despite
despite his
celebrated confirconfirm a t i o n by
b y the two
t w o greatest
greatest Zen
Z e n masters
masters of
o f the age
a g e makes
m a k e s him
him
mation
an
ppropriate m
o d e l for
u r own
o w n times,
t i m e s , when
w h e n fifty
fifty percent
p e r c e n t of
of
an aappropriate
model
for oour
Z
e n practitioners
practitioners are
are w
o m e n . Shattering
Shattering the
m o n a s t i c ccode
o d e of
of
Zen
women.
the monastic
Indian
u d d h i s m that made
m a d e it difficult
difficult for
for women
w o m e n to
t o practice,
practice,
Indian BBuddhism
P
'
a
n
g
never
gave
u
p
f
a
m
i
l
y
life,
and
t
o
o
k
his
d
a
u
g
h
t
e
as his
his
P'ang never gave up family life, and took his daughterr as
traveling
c
o
m
p
a
n
i
o
n
and
f
o
r
e
m
o
s
t
disciple.
traveling companion and foremost disciple.
Not
N o t long
l o n g after,
after, Rinzai,
R i n z a i , the great
great Chinese
C h i n e s e TT'ang
' a n g dynasty
d y n a s t y Zen
Zen
rebel,
s h o c k e d the religious
r e l i g i o u s and
and political
political establishment
e s t a b l i s h m e n t when
when
rebel, shocked
he
r a b b e d priests and officials
officials bby
y the lapels
lapels and
u r l e d insults
insults
he ggrabbed
and hhurled
at
even the
m o s t socially
s o c i a l l y elevated
elevated ppersonages
e r s o n a g e s in
to
at even
the most
in his
his efforts
efforts to
ggoad
o a d tthem
h e m into
i n t o enlightenment.
enlightenment.
The
T
h e fourteenth-century
f o u r t e e n t h - c e n t u r y Japanese
Japanese master
m a s t e r Bassui
B a s s u i similarly
similarly
sshocked
h o c k e d the
e n hierarchy
h i e r a r c h y bby
y m
o v i n g iinto
n t o a tree
tree house
h o u s e and
and
the ZZen
moving
refusing
teach, after
after obtaining
o b t a i n i n g confirmation
c o n f i r m a t i o n of
o f his
his enlightenlightrefusing to
to teach,
eenment
n m e n t from
f r o m one
o n e of
o f the
the great
g r e a t Zen
Z e n abbots
a b b o t s of
o f the
the day.
day.
Not
N
o t long
l o n g after
after
6
Introduction
Introduction
Bassui's
B a s s u i ' s death,
death, the
thequintessential
quintessential Crazy
Crazy
Cloud,
C l o u d , Ikkyu,
I k k y u , came
c a m e into
i n t o direct
direct and
a n d dangerous
d a n g e r o u s conflict
conflict with
with
worldly
w o r l d l y power.
p o w e r . As
A s the
the illegitimate
i l l e g i t i m a t e son
s o n of
o f the
the Japanese
Japanese emperor
emperor
G
o - k o m a t s u , he was
w a s in
in constant
c o n s t a n t danger
d a n g e r of
o f assassination
assassination dedeGo-komatsu,
u t that
id n
o t stop
s t o p him
h i m from
from
spite his monk's status.
status. BBut
that ddid
not
spite his m o n k ' s
eembarking
m b a r k i n g oon
n a public
p u b l i c fast
fast in
n o n v i o l e n t protest
p r o t e s t against
against the
the
in nonviolent
d
e v a s t a t i n g eeconomic
c o n o m i c and
r e l i g i o u s policies
policies oof
f the Ashikaga
Ashikaga
devastating
and religious
sshogunate;
hogunate; n
o r did it inhibit his
his egalitarian
egalitarian w
a n d e r i n g s among
among
nor
wanderings
the
b u m s , beggars,
b e g g a r s , and
and prostitutes
prostitutes w
h o formed
f o r m e d his
his "street
"street
the bums,
who
p
arish."
parish."
In the seventeenth
In
seventeenth century,
c e n t u r y , Bankei,
B a n k e i , the
the Japanese
Japanese populist
populist
tossed oout
ppreacher,
r e a c h e r , tossed
ut a
a corrupted
c o r r u p t e d koan
k o a n practice
practice and
and
singlesingle-
h
handedly
andedly o
overturned
v e r t u r n e d the religious
r e l i g i o u s establishment
e s t a b l i s h m e n t by
b y preaching
preaching
to
the masses
masses oout
u t in
in the
the open
o p e n fields.
fields. R
e f u s i n g to
p e a k to
them
to the
Refusing
to sspeak
to them
in
Z e n language,
l a n g u a g e , he
h e urged
u r g e d his
his listeners to realize
realize the
in traditional
traditional Zen
u
n b o r n mind
m i n d in
in the
the baying
b a y i n g of
o f the
the wolves
w o l v e s and the smell
s m e l l of
o f the
the
unborn
earth
n d e r their feet.
feet.
earth uunder
Equally
and as
as m
much
his oown
man,
E
q u a l l y sstubborn,
t u b b o r n , and
u c h his
wn m
a n , Hakuin
H a k u i n not
not
installed hhimself
as aabbot
oonly
n l y installed
i m s e l f as
b b o t oof
f his
his home
h o m e temple
t e m p l e and
and bebesstowed
t o w e d his
w n dharma
d h a r m a name,
n a m e , but
b u t revived
revived and
and codified
c o d i f i e d the
the
his oown
kkoan
o a n ppractice
r a c t i c e that
y n o n y m o u s with
w i t h Rinzai
R i n z a i Zen
Z e n to
to this
this very
very
that is
is ssynonymous
day.
i k e his
predecessors, H
a k u i n ttoo
o o bbroke
r o k e all
all the rules,
rules,
day. LLike
his predecessors,
Hakuin
ttaking
a k i n g lay
o m e n disciples
disciples and
i n t e r c e d i n g with
w i t h the
the Japanese
Japanese
lay w
women
and interceding
feudal
n behalf
b e h a l f of
o f the
the peasants
peasants comprising
c o m p r i s i n g the
the
feudal authorities
authorities oon
largest share
share o
his constituency.
constituency.
largest
off his
Nyogen
representsJapan's
Japan's great
great bbreak
with
N
y o g e n Senzaki
S e n z a k i represents
reak w
i t h traditradi-
tion. Born
tion.
B o r n during
d u r i n g the
the Meiji
M e i j i period,
p e r i o d , which
w h i c h introduced
i n t r o d u c e d the
the
West tto
fforbidden
o r b i d d e n West
o an
an isolated
i s o l a t e d nation,
n a t i o n , his
his antimilitarism
a n t i m i l i t a r i s m and
and
rejection oof
f rreligious
e l i g i o u s hhierarchy
i e r a r c h y sso
o alienated
i m ffrom
r o m monastic
monastic
rejection
alienated hhim
a u t h o r i t y that he
h e chose
c h o s e to
t o go
g o into
i n t o exile.
exile. In
In the
the American
A m e r i c a n West,
"West,
authority
SSenzaki
e n z a k i pplanted
l a n t e d the
fertile
seeds
o
f
his
o
w
n
radical
b
r
a
n
d
lay
the fertile seeds of his own radical brand ooff lay
Z
e n practice.
practice.
Zen
It
It was
w a s Nakagawa
N a k a g a w a SSoen,
o e n , oour
u r contemporary,
c o n t e m p o r a r y , who
w h o sprouted
sprouted
those
seeds. IImprovising
those seeds.
m p r o v i s i n g a Zen
Z e n informed
i n f o r m e d by
b y Shakespeare
Shakespeare and
and
H
a
k
u
i
n
,
B
e
e
t
h
o
v
e
n
and
R
i
n
z
a
i
,
this
p
o
e
t
i
c
Z
e
n
m
a
s
t
e
r
left
his
Hakuin, Beethoven and Rinzai, this poetic Zen master left his
indelible
t a m p on
o n Western
Western practice
practice and set into
i n t o play
play for
f o r us
us the
the
indelible sstamp
free
n d creative
x a m p l e that
characterizes the far-flung
far-flung family
family
free aand
creative eexample
that characterizes
o
r a z y Clouds.
Clouds.
off CCrazy
Introduction
Introduction
77
11
Pang Yun:
Yun:
The Family
Family Man
The
of Zen
Zen
Perhaps
all the
the Crazy
Perhaps oof
f all
C r a z y Clouds,
C l o u d s , the story
s t o r y of
o f Layman
L a y m a n P'ang
P'ang
best
best reflects
reflects ccontemporary
o n t e m p o r a r y Zen
Z e n in
in the
the West.
West. The
T h e only
o n l y signifisignificant lay
lay ZZen
teacher oon
cant
e n teacher
n rrecord
e c o r d in China,
C h i n a , he
he carried
carried his
his message
message
of
o f ordinary-life
o r d i n a r y - l i f e Zen
Z e n outside
o u t s i d e the
the monasteries
m o n a s t e r i e s throughout
t h r o u g h o u t his
his
wanderings
across CCentral
China,
offers to
to become
w
a n d e r i n g s across
entral C
h i n a , refusing
refusing offers
become
the dharana
the greatest
greatest ZZen
masters ooff the T'ang
the
d h a r m a ssuccessor
u c c e s s o r oof
f the
e n masters
T'ang
era.
era. Instead,
Instead, P'ang
P ' a n g created
created aa sangha
s a n g h a of
o f family
f a m i l y and
and friends
friends and
and
wanderers
the wway.
His
ffellow
ellow w
a n d e r e r s aalong
l o n g the
ay. H
i s life
life was
w a s set
set against
against aa
tumultuous
t u m u l t u o u s period
p e r i o d in
in T'ang
T ' a n g history,
h i s t o r y , spanning
s p a n n i n g the
the years
y e a r s 740(?)740(F)811,
characterized bby
rule, hhigh
8
1 1 , aa ttime
i m e characterized
y CConfucian
o n f u c i a n ccourt
o u r t rule,
i g h culture
culture
and
and literacy,
literacy, almost
a l m o s t continuous
c o n t i n u o u s internal
internal rebellion,
r e b e l l i o n , and crushcrushing
Chinese
military
losses
to
Central
Asian
invaders.
i n g C h i n e s e m i l i t a r y losses
Central Asian invaders.
In 712,
In
7 1 2 , after
after the fall
fall of
o f the
the fervent
fervent Buddhist
B u d d h i s t Empress
E m p r e s s Wu,
Wu,
the
the throne
t h r o n e was
w a s taken
t a k e n by
b y Hsuan-tsung,
H s u a n - t s u n g , whose
w h o s e forty-four-year
forty-four-year
rule
to be
rule was
w a s to
b e the longest
l o n g e s t of
o f the entire T'ang
T ' a n g dynasty.
d y n a s t y . ReversReversing
his
predecessor's
Buddhist
policy,
Hsuan-tsung
restored
ing
predecessor's Buddhist policy, Hsuan-tsung restored
both
and Confucianism
to their
b o t h Taoism
T a o i s m and
C o n f u c i a n i s m to
their former
f o r m e r positions
p o s i t i o n s of
of
influence.
Though
influence. T
h o u g h he
h e did
d i d not
n o t actively
actively persecute
p e r s e c u t e the
the Buddhists,
Buddhists,
politics
led hhim
politics led
i m to regulate
r e g u l a t e the
the vast
vast social
social and economic
e c o n o m i c power
power
of
the cclergy
monks
and prohibo f the
l e r g y bby
y ddefrocking
e f r o c k i n g tthirty
h i r t y tthousand
housand m
o n k s and
prohibiting
iting the construction
c o n s t r u c t i o n of
o f new
n e w temples.
t e m p l e s . Any
A n y repairs
repairs needed
n e e d e d on
on
old
old temples
t e m p l e s were
w e r e subject
subject to
t o review
r e v i e w by
b y government
g o v e r n m e n t officials,
officials,
and
shrines wwere
permitted
and small
small shrines
e r e nno
o llonger
onger p
e r m i t t e d independent
i n d e p e n d e n t status
status
but
b u t were
w e r e incorporated
i n c o r p o r a t e d by
b y larger
l a r g e r temples.
t e m p l e s . Monastery
M o n a s t e r y real
real propproperty
e r t y was
w a s limited,
l i m i t e d , and monks
m o n k s and
and nuns
nuns were
w e r e prohibited
p r o h i b i t e d from
from
ppreaching
r e a c h i n g tthroughout
h r o u g h o u t the countryside
c o u n t r y s i d e and
and from
f r o m selling
selling BudBud-
Te-tsung
in power,
T e - t s u n g in
p o w e r , and
and he
h e managed
m a n a g e d to
t o regain
r e g a i n bureaucratic
bureaucratic
control
c o n t r o l of
o f the
the empire
e m p i r e by
b y enacting
e n a c t i n g aasystem
s y s t e m ofo fsuccessful
successful
dhist
b o o k s and
and images
i m a g e s on
o n city
c i t y streets.
streets. By
B y 747,
7 4 7 , all
all clerical
clerical
dhist books
certificates
e r e ggranted
r a n t e d bby
y ggovernment
o v e r n m e n t oorder
r d e r oonly,
n l y , and
mocertificates wwere
and mo-
d o m i n a t i o n of
o f the military
m i l i t a r y court
c o u r t eunuchs
e u n u c h s whom
w h o m he
he had
h a d ememdomination
p
o
w
e
r
e
d
to
m
a
i
n
t
a
i
n
civil
o
r
d
e
r
.
H
i
s
b
r
i
e
f
s
u
c
c
e
s
s
o
r
,
S
h
unpowered to maintain civil order. His brief successor, Shun-
nastic
w e r e subject
subject to heavy
h e a v y taxes.
taxes.
nastic institutions
institutions were
t s u n g , could
c o u l d not
n o t rule,
rule, and
and so
s o was
w a s ousted
o u s t e d and
and ultimately
ultimately
tsung,
financial rreforms.
e f o r m s . Eventually,
E v e n t u a l l y , however,
h o w e v e r , Te-tsung
T e - t s u n g fell
n d e r the
financial
fell uunder
replaced bby
y H
s i e n - t s u n g , the
m p e r o r who
w h o ruled
ruled during
d u r i n g the
the
replaced
Hsien-tsung,
the eemperor
last yyears
e a r s oof
f LLayman
a y m a n PP'ang's
' a n g ' s llife-a
i f e — a time
t i m e of
o f reemerging
r e e m e r g i n g local,
local,
last
small-scale social
rganization. W
i t h no
n o Confucian-inspired
Confucian-inspired
small-scale
social oorganization.
With
restrictions
i
s
s
u
i
n
g
f
r
o
m
the
central
g
o
v
e
r n m e n t , regional
regional
restrictions issuing from the central government,
Hsuan-tsung
H
s u a n - t s u n g met
m e t his
his defeat
defeat as
as aa result
result of
o f the
the machinations
machinations
oof
f his
his favorite
favorite concubine,
c o n c u b i n e , the stunning
s t u n n i n g young
y o u n g Yang
Y a n g Kuei-fei.
Kuei-fei.
F
o r c e d bby
y his
his own
o w n military
m i l i t a r y advisors
a d v i s o r s to
to have
have her
her beheaded
b e h e a d e d as
as
Forced
the
c o u r t fled
fled from
f r o m pursuing
p u r s u i n g barbarian
barbarian armies,
a r m i e s , the
the emperor
emperor
the court
m e r c h a n t s developed
d e v e l o p e d their
wn m
a r k e t s , and
burgeoned.
merchants
their oown
markets,
and trade
trade burgeoned.
ssurrendered
u r r e n d e r e d his power
p o w e r to his generals,
g e n e r a l s , thus paving
p a v i n g the
the way
w a y for
for
T
h e emphasis
emphasis o
n agriculture
a g r i c u l t u r e gave
gave w
a y to
c o m m e r c e , and
and aa
The
on
way
to commerce,
the
A n Lu-shan
L u - s h a n rebellion
r e b e l l i o n oof
f 755.
7 5 5 . In
In 763,
763, the
the Tibetans
T i b e t a n s conconthe An
n
e w system
s y s t e m of
o f silver
silver coinage
c o i n a g e replaced
replaced the
o l d rice
rice currency.
currency.
new
the old
q
u e r e d the
great western
w e s t e r n capital
h ' a n g - a n , and
and HsienHsienquered
the great
capital city
city ooff CCh'ang-an,
S
t r i n g s of
o f cash
cash now
n o w became
b e c a m e the
the means
m e a n s of
o f exchange,
e x c h a n g e , symbolsymbolStrings
ttsung,
s u n g , the new
n e w emperor,
e m p e r o r , turned
t u r n e d to
to the
the northern
n o r t h e r n barbarians
barbarians for
for
iizing
z i n g the
b r e a k d o w n of
o f entrenched
e n t r e n c h e d hierarchical
hierarchical rranking
a n k i n g that
that
the breakdown
help.
w a s a time
t i m e of
o f rapidly
r a p i d l y shifting
shifting loyalties
loyalties in civil
c i v i l governgovernhelp. It was
had
r e c e d e d the
the An
A n Lu-shan
L u - s h a n rebellion.
rebellion.
had ppreceded
m
e n t , religion,
r e l i g i o n , and
and national
n a t i o n a l identity.
identity. For
For the
the ordinary
o r d i n a r y layperlayperment,
son
m e a n t heavy
h e a v y taxation,
t a x a t i o n , twenty
t w e n t y days
days a
a year
y e a r of
o f service
s e r v i c e to
to
son itit meant
It was
It
w a s not
n o t uncommon
u n c o m m o n for
f o r men
m e n like
like P'ang
P ' a n g Yun,
Y u n , son
s o n of
of a
a
the
state, and
a n d aa serpentine
serpentine bureaucracy
b u r e a u c r a c y that
that ruled
ruled every
every aspect
aspect
the state,
provincial C
o n f u c i a n aadministrator,
d m i n i s t r a t o r , to grow
g r o w disillusioned
disillusioned with
with
provincial
Confucian
the
i g h t n i n g - s p e e d shifts
o l i t i c s and
c o n o m y and
ust
the llightning-speed
shifts in
in ppolitics
and the
the eeconomy
and jjust
opt
o p t out
o u t of
o f the system.
s y s t e m . The
T h e resulting
resulting dearth
dearth of
o f local
l o c a l bureaucrats
bureaucrats
o
o n e ' s daily
daily life.
life.
off one's
After
the An
A
f t e r the
A n Lu-shan
L u - s h a n rebellion
r e b e l l i o n of
o f 755,
7 5 5 , the
the system
s y s t e m cracked.
cracked.
A revived
Buddhism,
which
had flourished
the help
help of
A
revived B
uddhism, w
h i c h had
flourished wwith
i t h the
of
thus placed
p l a c e d the
the daily
daily administrative
a d m i n i s t r a t i v e authority
a u t h o r i t y of
o f provincial
provincial
thus
lost its philosophical
the
p o w e r elite,
elite, lost
p h i l o s o p h i c a l and
and aristocratic
aristocratic cast,
cast,
the power
t o w n s squarely
s q u a r e l y in the
the hands
h a n d s of
o f military
m i l i t a r y officials
officials like
like Yu
Y u TTi,
i , the
the
towns
lleaving
e a v i n g bbehind
e h i n d oonly
n l y ppopular
o p u l a r sects
h ' a n (Zen)
( Z e n ) for
for people
people
sects like
like CCh'an
g
o v e r n o r oof
f H
u - c h o u and
Su-chou, Z
e n friend
a t r o n of
of
governor
Hu-chou
and Su-chou,
Zen
friend and
and ppatron
in
ountryside. N
o llonger
onger h
a m p e r e d bby
y ccourt
o u r t ssplendor
p l e n d o r and
and
in the
the ccountryside.
No
hampered
L
a y m a n PP'ang.
' a n g . Yu
Yu T
w i t h an
an iron
i r o n fist.
fist. He
H e conquered
c o n q u e r e d the
the
Layman
Tii ruled
ruled with
m e t a p h y s i c a l intricacy,
uddhism o
e w oorder
r d e r emphaemphametaphysical
intricacy, the
the BBuddhism
off the
the nnew
rebellious
u SShao-ch'eng,
h a o - c h ' e n g , ggovernor
o v e r n o r oof
f aa nneighboring
e i g h b o r i n g provprovrebellious W
Wu
sized
r d i n a r y life
life of
o f ordinary
o r d i n a r y people
p e o p l e and took
t o o k aa simpler,
simpler,
sized the
the oordinary
ince,
f o r his
his performance,
p e r f o r m a n c e , received
received the
the protection
p r o t e c t i o n of
o f no
no
ince, and,
and, for
m
o r e humane
h u m a n e approach
a p p r o a c h to
to human
h u m a n affairs.
affairs.
more
less than
m p e r o r Tc-tsung
T e - t s u n g himself.
himself. Of
O f Central
C e n t r a l Asian
A s i a n origins,
origins,
less
than EEmperor
this quite
q u i t e remarkable
r e m a r k a b l e man
m a n reversed
reversed his
his cruel
cruel and
and arbitrary
arbitrary
this
persecution o
local B
uddhists w
h e n he
he was
w a s converted
c o n v e r t e d to
to the
the
persecution
off local
Buddhists
when
Most
M
o s t oof
f Layman
L a y m a n PP'ang's
' a n g ' s Zen
Z e n career
career was
w a s spent
spent during
d u r i n g the
the
rreign
e i g n of
o f Emperor
E m p e r o r Te-tsung
T e - t s u n g (779-805),
( 7 7 9 - 8 0 5 ) , whose
w h o s e strong-arm
s t r o n g - a r m tactac-
faith b
y Tsu-yu
T s u - y u Ho-shang,
H o - s h a n g , one
o n e of
o f the
the successors
successors of
o f Zen
Z e n master
master
faith
by
tics
o l s t e r e d palace
r m y pprovoked
r o v o k e d rrebellion
e b e l l i o n tthroughout
hroughout
tics and
and bbolstered
palace aarmy
n
o r t h e a s t e r n pprovinces
r o v i n c e s rresponded
e s p o n d e d bby
y ggathering
a t h e r i n g to
m a k e war
war
northeastern
to make
B a s o (Ma-tsu).
( M a - t s u ) . Becoming
B e c o m i n g as
as ardent
ardent a
a Zen
Z e n practitioner
p r a c t i t i o n e r as
as he
he
Baso
had
b
e
e
n
a
p
e
r
s
e
c
u
t
o
r
,
Y
u
T
i
b
e
f
r
i
e
n
d
e
d
L
a
y
m
a
n
P
'
a
n
g
,
v
i
s
i
thad been a persecutor, Yu Ti befriended Layman P'ang, visitiing
n g with
w i t h him
h i m daily
d a i l y and
and engaging
e n g a g i n g in
inlively
lively dharma
d h a r m a dialogues.
dialogues.
When P
' a n g died,
d i e d , it
it was
w a s the
t h e governor
g o v e r n o r who
w h o compiled
c o m p i l e d the
the only
only
When
P'ang
rremaining
e m a i n i n g record
r e c o r d of
o f the
the great
g r e a t lay
lay Zen
Z e n man's
m a n ' s career.
career.
Consider
C o n s i d e r the
the situation
situation of
o f the
the average
average Chinese
C h i n e s e layman
l a y m a n of
o f the
the
o n the
the thone.
t h o n e . But
B u t dissension
d i s s e n s i o n among
a m o n g the
the rebels
rebels themselves
t h e m s e l v e s kept
kept
on
were
tenant llaborers,
ttime.
i m e . Peasants
Peasants w
e r e fforced
o r c e d tto
o bbecome
e c o m e tenant
a b o r e r s , working
working
the
e m p i r e . The
T h e situation
situation was
w a s so
so volatile
volatile that
that all
all provincial
provincial
the empire.
g o v e r n o r s were
w e r e eexpected
x p e c t e d tto
o combine
c o m b i n e civil
c i v i l administration
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n with
with
governors
m
i l i t a r y rule.
o stringent
s t r i n g e n t were
w e r e the
e m p e r o r ' s attempts
a t t e m p t s at
at
military
rule. SSo
the emperor's
rreducing
e d u c i n g the
e g i o n a l eeconomic
c o n o m i c and
u t o n o m y that
the rregional
and political
political aautonomy
had
prevailed bbefore
e f o r e the
n L
u - s h a n rebellion
8 1 , the
the
had prevailed
the AAn
Lu-shan
rebellion that,
that, in
in 7781,
10
10
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
I
P'ang Yun
P'ang
Yun
ii
11
and
moved
when
his father
father wwas
and his
his ffamily
amily m
oved w
h e n his
a s ppromoted
r o m o t e d to prefect
prefect
o f the
city o
u n g - y a n g . Nothing
N o t h i n g unusual
u n u s u a l marks
m a r k s the story
s t o r y of
of
of
the city
off H
Hung-yang.
P'ang
he did all
P ' a n g Yun's
Y u n ' s early
early years:
years: he
all the appropriate
a p p r o p r i a t e Confucian
Confucian
often
often as
as indentured
i n d e n t u r e d property
p r o p e r t y for
f o r landholders,
l a n d h o l d e r s , who,
w h o , with
w i t h the
the
increase inin social
social mmobility,
had built
built vast
increase
o b i l i t y , had
vast estates,
estates, creating
creating a
nnew
ew p
r o v i n c i a l elite
u t oof
f w
h a t was
w a s once
o n c e itself
itself aa p
o o r , landlandprovincial
elite oout
what
poor,
hhungry
u n g r y caste.
caste. The
T h e south
s o u t h became
b e c a m e the center
center of
o f the
the salt
salt trade,
trade,
w
hile K
i a n g s i , site
o n a s t e r y of
of Z
e n master
m a s t e r Baso,
B a s o , was
was
while
Kiangsi,
site ooff the
the m
monastery
Zen
t h i n g s — m a r r y i n g , setting
setting up
u p aabusiness,
business, and
and fathering
f a t h e r i n g aa
things-marrying,
d
a u g h t e r and
s o n . It
It was
w a s only
o n l y shortly
s h o r t l y after
after his
his marriage,
marriage,
daughter
and aa son.
ffamous
a m o u s as
h i n a ' s greatest
e a - p r o d u c i n g rregion.
e g i o n . Small
S m a l l market
market
as CChina's
greatest ttea-producing
tthough,
h o u g h , that
that he
h e began
b e g a n to
to exhibit
e x h i b i t what
w h a t his
his neighbors
n e i g h b o r s surely
surely
centers
o m i n a t e d the
o f the
the day,
day, helping
h e l p i n g to
t o increase
increase
centers ddominated
the business
b-iness of
rregarded
e g a r d e d as
as excessive
excessive cconcern
o n c e r n ffor
o r spiritual
m a t t e r s , adding
a d d i n g aa
spiritual matters,
little
e r m i t a g e oonto
n t o his
his h
o u s e and
meditate
little hhermitage
house
and retreating
retreating there to meditate
the
spread of
o f small-tov.
s m a l l - t o w na uurbanization,
rbanization, w
i t h most
m o s t cities
cities doudouthe spread
with
b
l i n g as
as ggarrisons
a r r i s o n s for
the ubiquitous
u b i q u i t o u s armed
a r m e d forces.
f o r c e s . Self-reliant,
Self-reliant,
bling
for the
these
mall u
r b a n centers
centers provided
p r o v i d e d the
the average
average citizen
citizen w
i t h the
the
these ssmall
urban
with
necessities
f life,
o r k , barter,
barter, social
social intercourse,
i n t e r c o u r s e , and
and relirelinecessitiesoof
life, wwork,
g i o n . Taxes
T a x e s on
o n merchants
m e r c h a n t s were
w e r e especially
especially heavy;
heavy; n
o wonder
wonder
gion.
no
that
s
o
m
a
n
y
w
e
a
l
t
h
y
b
u
s
i
n
e
s
s
m
e
n
e
n
c
o
u
r
a
g
e
d
their
sons
to
that so many wealthy businessmen encouraged their sons to
escape
social
d
i
s
c
r
i
m
i
n
a
t
i
o
n
b
y
t
a
k
i
n
g
g
o
v
e
r
n
m
e
n
t
e
x
a
m
i
n
aescape social discrimination by taking government examinattions
i o n s and
and rising
rising to
t o bureaucratic
b u r e a u c r a t i c or
or scholarly
s c h o l a r l y status.
In
l
i
g
h
t
of
status. In light of
the
t
e
n
u
o
u
s
situation
e
n
d
u
r
e
d
b
y
m
o
s
t
o
r
d
i
n
a
r
y
p
e
o
p
l
e
l
i
v
i
n
the tenuous situation endured by most ordinary people livingg
d u r i n g these
these transitional
transitional years,
y e a r s , with
w i t h aa central
central government
government
during
b r e a k i n g d o w n a r o u n d t h e m , a f r a g m e n t e d social structure,
breaking down around them, a fragmented social structure,
and a fractious a r m y stationed e v e r y w h e r e , it is a m a z i n g that a
and a fractious army stationed everywhere, it is amazing that a
gifted Z e n l a y m a n like P ' a n g Y u n did n o t seek r e f u g e in a
gifted Zen layman like Pang Yun did not seek refuge in a
monastery.
the company
c o m p a n y of
o f his
i f e , sson,
o n , and
and d
a u g h t e r . Here,
H e r e , he
h e wrote
wrote
in the
his wwife,
daughter.
ppoetry
o e t r y and
and philosophized.
p h i l o s o p h i z e d . "How
" H o w difficult
difficult it
it is!
is! H
o
w
difficult
How difficult itit
is!
M
y
studies
are
like
d
r
y
i
n
g
the
fibers
o
f
ten
t
h
o u s a n d pounds
pounds
is! My studies are like drying the fibers of ten thousand
o f flax
flax b
y hanging
h a n g i n g tthem
h e m in
s u n . " To
To this,
this, his
his wife
w i f e rereof
by
in the
the sun."
ssponded,
p o n d e d , "Easy,
" E a s y , easy,
easy, easy.
easy. It's
It's like
like touching
t o u c h i n g your
y o u r feet
feet to
to the
the
gground
r o u n d when
w h e n you
y o u get
g e t out
o u t of
o f bed.
b e d . I've
I've found
f o u n d the
the teaching
t e a c h i n g right
right
in
t o p s of
o f flowering
flowering plants.
p l a n t s .""
in the
the tops
P'ang's
P
' a n g ' s spiritually
spiritually gifted
gifted daughter,
d a u g h t e r , Ling-chao,
L i n g - c h a o , who
who w
a s to
to
was
as his
his ddharma
aaccompany
c c o m p a n y hhim
i m as
h a r m a ccompanion
o m p a n i o n tthroughout
h r o u g h o u t his
his life,
life,
rremarked,
e m a r k e d , "My
" M y study
s t u d y is
is neither
neither difficult
difficult nor
n o r easy.
easy. When
W h e n I am
am
h u n g r y , II eat.
eat. When
W h e n II am
a m tired,
tired, II rest."
r e s t . " Scant
Scant reference
reference is
is made
made
hungry,
P ' a n g Yuri's
Y u n ' s son,
s o n , Keng-huo,
K e n g - h u o , who
w h o remained
r e m a i n e d at
at home
h o m e to
to care
care
to Pang
for Madam
M a d a m P'ang
P ' a n g by
b y hiring
h i r i n g himself
h i m s e l f out
o u t as
as aa farmer
f a r m e r when,
when,
for
monastery.
He
H e was
w a s born
b o r n somewhere
s o m e w h e r e around
a r o u n d the
the year
y e a r 74o
740 and
a n d died
died a
a
ssometime
o m e t i m e between
b e t w e e n 785
785 aand
n d 790,
o n a t e d their
house
790, his
his father
father ddonated
their house
w
e e k after
solar eclipse
eclipse oof
f 3
3 August
A u g u s t 8o8,
808, only
o n l y a few
f e w years
years
week
after aa solar
for
e m p l e , filled
filled aa bboat
oat w
i t h all
o n t e n t s , ddumped
u m p e d them
them
for aa ttemple,
with
all its
its ccontents,
b
efore R
inzai w
a s bborn.
o r n . The
T h e brilliant
brilliant and
and lively
lively Zen
Z e n centers
centers
before
Rinzai
was
into
River S
h a o , and,
along w
i t h Ling-chao,
L i n g - c h a o , ttook
o o k to
to the
the
into the
the River
Shao,
and, along
with
road. To
To support
s u p p o r t themselves
t h e m s e l v e s on
o n their
their pilgrimage,
p i l g r i m a g e , father
father and
and
road.
d a u g h t e r fashioned
f a s h i o n e d bbamboo
a m b o o utensils,
utensils, w
h i c h they
t h e y sold
s o l d in
in the
the
daughter
which
sstemming
t e m m i n g from
f r o m the
the lines
lines of
o f "dharma
" d h a r m a grandfathers"
g r a n d f a t h e r s " Baso
B a s o and
and
S e k i t o (Shih-t'ou),
( S h i h - t ' o u ) , and
and placed
p l a c e d in
the hands
hands of
o f Hyakujo
H y a k u j o (Pai(PaiSekito
in the
c h a n g ) , Yakusan
Y a k u s a n (Yueh-shan),
(Yueh-shan), N
a n s e n (Nan-ch'uan),
( N a n - c h ' u a n ) , and
and
chang),
Nansen
eequally
q u a l l y lluminous
u m i n o u s oothers,
t h e r s , were
w e r e his
his training
training ground.
g r o u n d . P'ang's
P'ang's
local m
a r k e t towns.
towns.
local
market
In 786,
786, PPang
at the
the M
Mount
In
' a n g Yun
Y u n appeared
a p p e a r e d at
o u n t Nan-yueh
N a n - y u e h monasmonas-
d e d i c a t i o n to
e n placed
p l a c e d hhim
i m aamong
m o n g aa group
g r o u p of
o f the
the
dedication
to lay
lay ZZen
tery of
and aasked
is the
the m
man
tery
o f Master
M a s t e r Sekito
S e k i t o and
s k e d hhim:
i m : ""Who
W h o is
a n who
who
B
u d d h i s t faithful
faithful called
called chu-shih,
chu-shih, practitioners
w h o rejected
rejected the
the
Buddhist
practitioners who
d
o e s n ' t accompany
a c c o m p a n y the
ten thousand
t h o u s a n d dharmas?"
d h a r m a s ? " Sckito
S e k i t o reredoesn't
the ten
f o r m a l life
life o
m o n a s t e r y and
and generally
g e n e r a l l y preferred
p r e f e r r e d to
t o remain
remain
formal
off the
the monastery
sponded b y
o u t s i d e the
the Chinese
C h i n e s e religious
r e l i g i o u s establishment.
establishment. B
u t this
d i d not
not
outside
But
this did
sstop
t o p seekers
a y m a n PP'ang
' a n g ffrom
r o m sstudying
tudying w
i t h the
the various
various
seekers like
like LLayman
with
Z
e n masters
masters oof
f the
the day,
day, remaining
r e m a i n i n g in
in monasteries
m o n a s t e r i e s ffor
o r brief
brief
Zen
p
e
r
i
o
d
s
and
t
h
e
n
m
o
v
i
n
g
o
n
to
sharpen
their
realization.
periods and then moving on to sharpen their realization.
Given
the nname
Lofty
Interior, the
the oonly
G
i v e n the
a m e PP'ang
' a n g Yun,
Yun, L
o f t y Interior,
n l y son
s o n of
of a
Confucian
C
o n f u c i a n small-town
s m a l l - t o w n bureaucrat
b u r e a u c r a t in
in Hsiang-yang,
H s i a n g - y a n g , the
the Layman
Layman
L
ayman w
a s instantly
n l i g h t e n e d . He
H e remained
r e m a i n e d with
w i t h Sekito
Sekito
Layman
was
instantly eenlightened.
12
12
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
u t t i n g his
and o
n P'ang's
P ' a n g ' s mouth,
m o u t h , and
and the
the
sponded by pputting
his hhand
on
for
e a r , practicing
practicing Z
e n among
a m o n g the
the monks
m o n k s as
as aa lay
lay student.
student.
for aa yyear,
Zen
O n e day
day the master
m a s t e r asked
a s k e d him,
h i m , "How
" H o w have
have you
y o u practiced
practiced Zen
Zen
One
since
c
o
m
i
n
g
here
to
this
m
o
u
n
t
a
i
n
?
"
since coming here to this mountain?"
PPang
' a n g replied,
replied, "There's
" T h e r e ' s nothing
n o t h i n g II can
can say
say about
a b o u t my
m y daily
daily
aactivities.
c t i v i t i e s ."
P'an,
P'ang Yun
Yun
13
who
had
at Baso's
w
ho h
a d worked
w o r k e d as a day
day llaborer
a b o r e r at
B a s o ' s monastery,
m o n a s t e r y , where
where
"It's
that you
" I t ' s precisely
p r e c i s e l y because
b e c a u s e II kknow
n o w that
y o u can't
c a n ' t use
use words
w o r d s that
that
ask yyou,"
o u , " said
said Sekito.
Sekito.
I ask
In response,
r e s p o n s e , P'ang
P ' a n g produced
p r o d u c e d aa poem
p o e m whose
w h o s e last
last two
t w o lines
lines
have bbecome
ecome Z
e n watchwords.
watchwords.
have
Zen
to shave
his hhead
and become
hhe'd
e ' d been
b e e n convinced
c o n v i n c e d to
shave his
e a d and
b e c o m e a monk.
monk.
Tan-hsia
Tan-hsia TT'ien
' i e n - jjan
a n (better
(better known
k n o w n by
b y his
his Japanese
Japanese name
n a m e Tanka,
Tanka,
and ffamous
for bburning
Buddha
and
a m o u s for
u r n i n g a wooden
wooden B
u d d h a iimage
m a g e to keep
k e e p from
from
freezing
on
a
winter
night)
was
a
lively
poet
and
unorthodox
f r e e z i n g o n a w i n t e r night) w a s
l i v e l y p o e t and u n o r t h o d o x
monk
wandering
m
o n k who,
w h o , though
t h o u g h he
he spent
spent much
m u c h of
o f his
his ttime
ime w
a n d e r i n g with
with
P'ang
P
' a n g and Ling-chao,
L i n g - c h a o , eventually
eventually became
b e c a m e one
o n e of
o f Baso's
B a s o ' s dharma
dharma
heirs. TThe
monastery
heirs.
h e two
t w o good
g o o d friends
friends traveled
traveled ffrom
rom m
o n a s t e r y tto
o monmonastery, testing
astery,
testing their
their Zen
Z e n wit
w i t against
against all who
w h o would
w o u l d take
take them
them
in informal
oon,
n , and,
and, along
a l o n g with
w i t h Ling-chao,
L i n g - c h a o , engaged
e n g a g e d each
each oother
t h e r in
informal
dharma
d
h a r m a ccombat
o m b a t on
o n the road.
road.
Meanwhile,
Madam
M
e a n w h i l e , bback
a c k hhome,
ome, M
a d a m PFang
' a n g continued
c o n t i n u e d to
to practice
practice
My
M y daily activities are not unusual,
unusual,
I'm just
just naturally
naturally in
in harmony
harmony with them.
I'm
Grasping nothing, discarding nothing.
Grasping
nothing.
every place
place there's
there's no
no hindrance, no
In every
no conflict.
conflict.
My
M
y supernatural power and
and marvelous
marvelous activity:
activity:
Drawing water and chopping
Drawing
chopping wood.
wood.
Sekito
to m
make
S e k i t o ooffered
f f e r e d to
a k e hhim
im a
a monk
m o n k then,
t h e n , but
b u t the
the Layman
Layman
Zen
Z e n in the
the company
c o m p a n y of
o f her
her son.
son. A
A charming
c h a r m i n g example
e x a m p l e of
o f her
her
refused,
refused, saying,
s a y i n g , "I'll
" I ' l l do
d o what
w h a t II like."
l i k e . " His
H i s next
n e x t stop
s t o p was
w a s Kiaugsi
Kiangsi
and the monastery
m o n a s t e r y of
o f the
the great
great Baso.
Baso.
Here,
the master
H
e r e , he
h e encountered
e n c o u n t e r e d the
m a s t e r in his
his first
first
enlightened
e n l i g h t e n e d understanding
u n d e r s t a n d i n gappears
appearsininYu
Y uTi's
T i ' Recorded
s Recorded Sayings
Sayings
of
LaymanP'ang.
Pang. OOne
day she
she bbrought
of Layman
n e day
r o u g h t a food
f o o d offering
o f f e r i n g to aa
local
Buddhist
and wwas
the priest
local B
u d d h i s t ttemple
e m p l e and
a s aasked
s k e d bby
y the
priest for
for the
the
purpose
p u r p o s e oof
f the
the offering
offering sso
o that
that he
h e might
m i g h t post
p o s t her
her name
n a m e and
and
thus
her m
merit"
to oothers.
Madam
thus ""transfer
t r a n s f e r her
e r i t " from
f r o m herself
h e r s e l f to
thers. M
a d a m PPang
'ang
interview,
interview,
it that
that has
aasking,
s k i n g , ""What
W h a t kind
k i n d of
o f man
m a n is
is it
has nno
o ccompanion
o m p a n i o n among
among
the ten
ten thousand
the
t h o u s a n d things?"
t h i n g s ? " Baso
B a s o said,
said, "Swallow
" S w a l l o w up
u p all
all the water
water
in
in the
the West
West RRiver
i v e r in
inoone
n e ggulp,
u l p , and
and I'll
I'll tell
tell yyou."
o u . " At
A t this, P'ang
P'ang
took
t o o k her comb,
c o m b , stuck
stuck it
it in
in the
the back
b a c k of
o f her hair, and
and announced,
announced,
"Transference
" T r a n s f e r e n c e oof
f merit
m e r i t is
is accomplished!"
a c c o m p l i s h e d ! " Since
Since biographical
biographical
still ddeeper
realization and
and ddecided
to stay
stay oon
for aa
eexperienced
x p e r i e n c e d still
e e p e r realization
e c i d e d to
n for
while,
as aa lay
After
w
h i l e , aagain
g a i n as
lay practitioner.
practitioner. A
f t e r aa year,
y e a r , Baso,
B a s o , too,
too,
iinformation
n f o r m a t i o n aabout
b o u t the
the P'ang
P ' a n g family's
f a m i l y ' s dharma
d h a r m a and
and daily-life
daily-life
the black
ooffered
f f e r e d hhim
i m the
b l a c k rrobe
o b e of
of a
a monk
m o n k in
in exchange
e x c h a n g e for
for his
his
activities isis llimited,
we
can oonly
that tthey
did
activities
imited, w
e can
n l y aassume
s s u m e that
hey d
i d not
n o t split
split
"pauper's
" p a u p e r ' s white
w h i t e robe,"
r o b e , " and
and once
o n c e again
again Pang
P ' a n g refused.
refused. Perfectly
Perfectly
cconfident
o n f i d e n t in
his Zen
Z e n understanding,
u n d e r s t a n d i n g , he
he challenged
c h a l l e n g e d Baso,
B a s o , saysayin his
i n g , "A
" A man
m a n of
o f unobscured
u n o b s c u r e d original
o r i g i n a l nature
nature asks
asks you
y o u to
t o please
please
ing,
l o o k upward."
upward."
look
Baso
B a s o llooked
o o k e d straight down.
down.
P ' a n g said,
said, "You
" Y o u alone
alone play
play marvelously
m a r v e l o u s l y oon
n the
lute."
Pang
the lute."
B a s o llooked
o o k e d straight up.
up.
Baso
Fang
P ' a n g made
m a d e aa low
l o w bow,
b o w , and
and Baso
B a s o returned
r e t u r n e d to
t o his
his room.
room.
The
said, "Just
"Just nnow
to bbe
T h e Layman
L a y m a n said,
o w bbungled
u n g l e d itit ttrying
r y i n g to
e ssmart."
mart."
This
dialogue
the gguest
and hhost
T h i s playful
playful d
i a l o g u e eexhibits
x h i b i t s the
u e s t and
o s t metaphor
metaphor
so prominent
p r o m i n e n t in Zen
Z e n koans
k o a n s of
o f the
the Baso
B a s o school.
s c h o o l . In
In this
this case,
case,
so
each pperson
e r s o n assumes
a s s u m e s oone
n e of
o f the roles
roles and
and exchanges
e x c h a n g e s it
it again,
again,
each
flipping
omfortably b
e t w e e n eemptiness
m p t i n e s s and
o r m in
drama
flipping ccomfortably
between
and fform
in a drama
that perfectly
p e r f e c t l y iintegrates
n t e g r a t e s tthem
h e m both.
both.
that
In
In his
his travels,
travels, PFang
' a n g made
m a d e friends
friends with
w i t h an
an itinerant
itinerant seeker
seeker
14
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
up and
and ggo
up
o their
their own
o w n ways,
w a y s , bbut
u t rather that they
t h e y were
w e r e in contact
contact
and that
and
that each
each maintained
m a i n t a i n e d their
their practice
practice in their
their preferred
preferred
sstyle-Madam
t y l e — M a d a m Pang
P ' a n g and
and her
her son
s o n as
as farmers,
f a r m e r s , and
and Pang
P ' a n g and
and
his ddaughter
as ppeddlers.
Pang
his
a u g h t e r as
eddlers. P
' a n g and
and Ling-chao
L i n g - c h a o eventually
e v e n t u a l l y set-
tled ddown,
tled
o w n , making
m a k i n g their
their home
h o m e in
in aa rock
r o c k cave
cave twenty
t w e n t y miles
miles
off Hsiang-yang.
ssouth
outh o
H s i a n g - y a n g . Here,
H e r e , they
t h e y were
w e r e visited
visited daily
d a i l y by
b y the
the
prefect Yu
YuTTi,
the ooutspoken
official and
and ppart-time
Zen
prefect
i , the
u t s p o k e n official
art-time Z
e n practipractitioner
who
compiled
P'ang's
deeds,
poetry,
and
dharma
tioner w h o c o m p i l e d P ' a n g ' s d e e d s , p o e t r y , and d h a r m a wiswisdom.
d
om.
The
people
must
have tthought
the PFang
T h e local
local p
eople m
u s t have
h o u g h t the
' a n g family
f a m i l y odd
odd
indeed.
They
indeed. T
h e y had
h a d given
g i v e n up
u p the
the relatively
relatively comfortable
c o m f o r t a b l e bureaubureaucrat's
life ffor
crat's life
o r iindenture
n d e n t u r e and
and itinerancy,
itinerancy, and
and so
so removed
r e m o v e d themthemselvesffrom
their social
social ssphere
and pput
inddanger
selves
r o m their
p h e r e and
u t tthemselves
h e m s e l v e s in
a n g e r oof
f
Though
sstarving.
tarving. T
h o u g h Confucian
C o n f u c i a n in upbringing,
u p b r i n g i n g , they
they
identified
identified
as BBuddhists,
refused to
to bbecome
monks
tthemselves
h e m s e l v e s as
u d d h i s t s , yyet
e t refused
ecome m
o n k s and
and
I
Pang Yun
P'ang
Yun
15
15
Zen
n
u n s . Though
T h o u g h he
h e had
h a d achieved
achieved enlightened
enlightened Z
e n master
m a s t e r status
status
nuns.
ffirewood,
i r e w o o d , performed
p e r f o r m e d aa cremation
c r e m a t i o n cceremony,
e r e m o n y , and observed
o b s e r v e d the
the
and aapproval
no
than Sekito
and BBaso,
Fang
and
p p r o v a l ffrom
rom n
o less
less than
S e k i t o and
aso, P
' a n g gave
gave
traditional
m o u r n i n g period
p e r i o d of
o f seven
seven days
days bbefore
e f o r e ddying
y i n g himself
himself
traditional mourning
disciples. H
He
not
nno
o lectures
p n
o circle
circle oof
f disciples.
e ddid
id n
o t carry
carry
lectures and
and built
built uup
no
in
c o m p a n y of
o f Governor
G o v e r n o r Yu
Y u Ti.
T i . Yu
Y u had
h a d ccome
o m e tto
o ask
ask how
how
in the company
the
traditional jjingling
i n g l i n g bell
u d d h i s t ppilgrim,
i l g r i m , but
but
the traditional
bell staff
staff ooff the
the BBuddhist
he
as. P
' a n g put
p u t his head
h e a d oon
n his
n e e , ssaying,
a y i n g , ""I
I beg
beg
he wwas.
P'ang
his friend's
friend's kknee,
rather the straight plain
rather
plain bamboo
b a m b o o stick
stick of
o f the
the ordinary
o r d i n a r y traveler.
traveler.
yyou
o u to jjust
u s t see
see all
all existent
h e n o m e n a as
as eempty
m p t y and
a n d to beware
beware
existent pphenomena
H
e w
o r e his
h i t e ccommoner's
o m m o n e r ' s ccaftan-which
a f t a n — w h i c h he
h e called
called "my
"my
He
wore
his wwhite
oof
f ttaking
a k i n g as real all
all that
o n e x i s t e n t . Take
Take care
o u r s e l f in
in
that is nnonexistent.
care ooff yyourself
seamless
o b e oof
f EEmptiness"-without
m p t i n e s s " — w i t h o u t any
a n y desire
desire or
o r ambition
ambition
seamlessrrobe
this
o r l d of
o f shadows
s h a d o w s and
c h o e s . " Then
T h e n he
h e peacefully
p e a c e f u l l y passed
passed
this wworld
and eechoes."
to exchange
e x c h a n g e it
for the
the black
b l a c k robe
r o b e that
that would
w o u l d assure
assure his
his Zen
Zen
to
it for
reputation.
r e p u t a t i o n . The
T h e Chinese
C h i n e s e had
h a d little respect
respect for
f o r white
w h i t e clothing;
clothing;
day it is still
still eemblematic
mblematic o
o u r n i n g or
o r frugality.
frugality.
to this day
off m
mourning
The
chip,aaKKorean
Zen
T
h e Chodang
Chodang chip,
o r e a n hhistory
i s t o r y oof
f CChinese
hinese Z
e n masters
masters
away.
u TTi
i pperformed
e r f o r m e d the
r e m a t i o n rites
n d had
h a d word
w o r d sent
sent
away. YYu
the ccremation
rites aand
M a d a m P'ang.
P'ang.
to Madam
When
the Layman's
wife
W
h e n the
Layman's w
i f e hheard
e a r d oof
f both
b o t h deaths,
deaths, she
she exexclaimed,
c l a i m e d , ""That
T h a t stupid
s t u p i d girl
girl and
and ignorant
i g n o r a n t old
old m
a n have
have gone
gone
man
away
i t h o u t telling
telling m
e . How
H o w unbearable!"
u n b e a r a b l e ! " Seeking
Seeking o
u t her
her
away wwithout
me.
out
son
e n g - h u o in
h e r e hhe
e w
a s hhoeing,
o e i n g , she
o l d him
him
son KKeng-huo
in the
the field
field wwhere
was
she ttold
the
ews. P
' a n g ' s son
s o n put
p u t down
d o w n his
his hoe
h o e and,
and, sighing
s i g h i n g once,
once,
the nnews.
P'ang's
died
n the
the spot.
s p o t . Madam
M a d a m P'ang
P ' a n g took
t o o k care
care of
o f his
his cremation
cremation
died oon
cceremonies,
e r e m o n i e s , then
i d farewell
a n d e r e d off
off
then bbid
farewell toto her
her friends
friends and
and wwandered
to
a
h
e
r
m
i
t
a
g
e
.
She
w
a
s
never
h
e
a
r
d
f
r
o
m
a
g
a
i
n
.
T
h
e
e
n
d
of
to a hermitage. She was never heard from again. The end of
the eccentric
eccentric PPang
' a n g family
f a m i l y was
w a s not
n o t much
m u c h different
different from
f r o m the
the
the
w a y tthey
h e y had
h a d lived:
lived: deeply,
d e e p l y , simply,
s i m p l y , and
and without
w i t h o u t leaving
l e a v i n g aa
way
trace. P'ang's
P ' a n g ' s verse
verse commemorating
c o m m e m o r a t i n g his
his radical
radical lifestyle,
lifestyle, his
his
trace.
ccounter-Confucian
o u n t e r - C o n f u c i a n aapproach
pproach to
C
h
i
n
e
s
e
c
u
s
t
o
m
—
w
h
i
c
h
d
eto Chinese custom-which dem
a n d e d aabsolute
b s o l u t e cconformity
o n f o r m i t y to
station in
f a m i l y , temple,
t e m p l e , and
and
manded
to station
in family,
ccommunity-simultaneously
o m m u n i t y — s i m u l t a n e o u s l y reflects
reflects his
his social
social testament
t e s t a m e n t and
and
c o m p i l e d in
952, describes
describes the
the Layman
L a y m a n as
as "Confucian
" C o n f u c i a n in
in
compiled
in 952,
his feelings
aappearance,
p p e a r a n c e , his
i n d ssporting
p o r t i n g outside
o u t s i d e of
o f objects,
objects, his
feelings
his m
mind
unrestrained,
fitting wwith
the true
true ppurport."
u n r e s t r a i n e d , and his
his cconduct
o n d u c t fitting
i t h the
u r p o r t . " It
It
ggoes
o e s oon
n to characterize
characterize PP'ang's
' a n g ' s life
t u r b i d " and
and his
his attainattainlife as
as ""turbid"
ment
m
e n t as
as "mystery-learned,"
" m y s t e r y - l e a r n e d , " his
his behavior
b e h a v i o r as
as "easy
"easy
everyeverywhere"-with
w
h e r e " — w i t hConfucians
C o n f u c i a n s as
as well
w e l l as
as with
w i t h Taoists,
Taoists, with
w i t h milimilitary
g o v e r n o r s and
and children,
c h i l d r e n , with
w i t h his
his fellow
f e l l o w ppeddlers,
e d d l e r s , and,
and,
tary governors
equally, w
i t h the most
m o s t illustrious
illustrious of
o f Zen
Z e n masters.
m a s t e r s . His
H i s friend
friend
equally,
with
and
and biographer
b i o g r a p h e r Yu
Y u Ti
T i characterizes
characterizes hhim
i m as
as a "householding
"householding
Chinese
B o d h i s a t t v a , " aa C
h i n e s e iincarnation
n c a r n a t i o n of
o f the Indian
Indian Buddhist
B u d d h i s t lay
lay
Bodhisattva,,,
teacher
Vimalakirti.
teacher Vimalakirti.
After
A
f t e r ttwo
w o years
y e a r s in
in the
the rock
r o c k cave
cave near
near his
his hometown
h o m e t o w n of
of
Hsiang-yang,
it was
H s i a n g - y a n g , the Layman
L a y m a n decided
d e c i d e d it
w a s time
t i m e to die.
die. Sitting
Sitting
d
o w n in
z a z e n (sitting
e d i t a t i o n ) , he
n s t r u c t e d his
daughter
down
in zazen
(sitting m
meditation),
he iinstructed
his daughter
Ling-chao
to ggo
and come
back
to inform
L
i n g - c h a o to
o outside
o u t s i d e and
come b
a c k to
i n f o r m him
h i m when
when
the sun
its zzenith.
Att twelve,
he wwould
die. Lingthe
sun had
h a d reached
r e a c h e d its
enith. A
t w e l v e , he
o u l d die.
Lingcchao
h a o went
w e n t out
o u t and
and came
c a m e back
b a c k almost
a l m o s t immediately,
i m m e d i a t e l y , saying,
saying,
"It's
already
noon,
and
there's
an
eclipse
of
the
sun.
Come
"It's already n o o n ,
an eclipse o f the s u n . C o m e and
and
llook."
ook."
""Is
I s that so?"
s o ? " said P'ang.
P'ang.
""Oh,
O h , yes."
yes."
The
rose ffrom
his seat
seat and
and wwent
to the
the wwindow.
T
h e Layman
L a y m a n rose
r o m his
e n t to
i n d o w . At
At
that moment,
that
m o m e n t , Ling-chao
L i n g - c h a o jumped
j u m p e d into
i n t o his
his vacant
vacant place,
place, crossed
crossed
her llegs,
and, instantly,
Pang
her
e g s , and,
instantly, died.
died. When
When P
' a n g returned
r e t u r n e d and
and saw
saw
what
w
h a t had
had happened,
h a p p e n e d , he
h e said,
said, "My
" M y daughter's
d a u g h t e r ' s way
w a y was
w a s always
always
quick.
Now
me."
q
uick. N
o w she's
she's gone
g o n e aahead
h e a d oof
f m
e . " He
H e went
w e n t out,
o u t , gathered
gathered
16
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
his
Zen.
his Zen.
boy w
who
I have
have aa boy
h o has no bride,
bride,
have aa girl
girl wwho
I have
h o has no groom;
groom;
Forming a happy family
family circle,
circle,
We speak
speak about
about the
the Unborn.
We
Layman
is embodied
in story
L
a y m a n PP'ang's
' a n g ' s ZZen
e n teaching
t e a c h i n g is
e m b o d i e d in
s t o r y and
and
rather than
ppoem
o e m rather
than in sermons.
s e r m o n s . His
H i s spiritual
spiritual experience
e x p e r i e n c e is the
the
stuff
stuff oof
f kkoans.
o a n s . He
H e is forever
forever ccoming
o m i n g and
and going,
g o i n g , now
n o w engaging
engaging
the monks
m o n k s of
o f Master
M a s t e r Yakusan
Y a k u s a n in aa dialogue
d i a l o g u e about
a b o u t snowflakes,
snowflakes,
the
n
o
w
s
p
o
r
t
i
n
g
w
i
t
h
his
friend
Tanka;
a
l
w
a
y
s
in
the
spirit of
of
now sporting with his friend Tanka; always in the spirit
living
living realization.
realization.
One
to visit
visit PFang
O n e day,
day, when
w h e n Tanka
Tanka ccame
a m e to
' a n g in
in his
his cave,
cave, the
11
Pang
P'ang Yun
Yun
17
IJ
Layman
L a y m a n didn't
d i d n ' t get
get up
u p from
f r o m his
his seat.
seat. Tanka
T a n k a raised
raised his
his fly
fly whisk,
whisk,
symbol
the ZZen
master's
Pang
s y m b o l of
o f the
en m
a s t e r ' s aauthority.
uthority. P
' a n g raised
raised his wooden
wooden
hhammer.
ammer.
"Just this,
this, or is there something
"Just
s o m e t h i n g else?"
e l s e ? " Tanka
T a n k a asked.
asked.
not
seeing yyou
""Seeing
S e e i n g yyou
o u this
this time
t i m e is
is n
o t the
the same
s a m e as
as seeing
o u before,"
before,"
said
P'ang.
said P ' a n g .
""Go
G o and belittle my
m y reputation
r e p u t a t i o n as
as you
y o u please,"
p l e a s e , " said
said Tanka.
Tanka.
""A
A little
little while
w h i l e ago
a g o you
y o u were
w e r e bested
b e s t e d by
b y my
my
daughter,"
daughter,"
replied the
the Layman.
replied
Layman.
""If
I f that's so,
s o , then
then you've
y o u ' v e shut
shut me
m e up,"
u p , " Tanka
T a n k a said.
said.
dumb
""You're
You're d
u m b because
b e c a u s e oof
f yyour
o u r intrinsic
intrinsic nature,
n a t u r e , and
and now
now
afflict mme
with
yyou
o u afflict
e w
i t h dumbness."
dumbness."
The
back
his cap,
cap, puts
puts it on
T h e Layman
L a y m a n takes
takes b
a c k his
o n Tanka's
T a n k a ' s head,
h e a d , and
and
says, ""And
says,
A n d you're
y o u ' r e jjust
u s t like
like a yyoung
o u n g layman."
layman."
"Yessir,
" Y e s s i r , yessir!"
y e s s i r ! " Tanka
Tanka laughingly
l a u g h i n g l y agrees.
agrees.
"You
still have
have the
the oold-time
" Y o u still
l d - t i m e sspirit,"
p i r i t , " says
says P'ang.
P ' a n g . And
A n d Tanka
Tanka
down
"It's very
tthrows
hrows d
o w n the
the cap,
cap, saying,
s a y i n g , "It's
v e r y much
m u c h like
like an official's
official's
cap.
cap."
"Yessir, yyessir!"
"Yessir,
e s s i r ! " echoes
e c h o e s the Layman.
Layman.
""How
H o w can
can I forget
f o r g e t the
the old-time
o l d - t i m e spirit?"
s p i r i t ? "says
says Tanka.
Tanka.
P'ang
P ' a n g snaps
snaps his fingers
fingers three times,
t i m e s , saying,
s a y i n g , "Moving
" M o v i n g heaven,
heaven,
moving
m o v i n g earth."
earth."
Encased
in an
an apparently
E n c a s e d in
a p p a r e n t l y rollicking
r o l l i c k i n g confrontation,
c o n f r o n t a t i o n , this
this disdis-
with
ccourse
ourse w
i t h mime
m i m e is concerned
c o n c e r n e d with
w i t h nothing
n o t h i n g less
less than
than the
the
great truths
truths of
oneness,
and emptigreat
o f Buddhism:
B u d d h i s m : transitoriness,
transitoriness, o
n e n e s s , and
empti-
Tanka
T
a n k a tthrew
h r e w down
d o w n his fly
fly whisk
w h i s k and left.
left.
"Master
P'ang
" M a s t e r Tanka!
Tanka! Master
M a s t e r Tanka!"
Tanka!" P
' a n g called
called after
after him.
him.
n
e s s — m a n i f e s t reality
reality displayed
displayed in
in the
the radiantly
radiantly trivial gesture
gesture
ness-manifest
Tanka
did
Tanka d
i d not
n o t look
l o o k back.
back.
oof
f ppulling
u l l i n g off
o f f a friend's cap.
cap.
he's
down
only
with
""Now
Now h
e ' s come
come d
o w n nnot
ot o
nly w
i t h dumbness,
d u m b n e s s , bbut
u t with
with
deafness
deafness ttoo!"
o o ! " said the Layman.
Layman.
In ssuch
In
u c h playful
playful iinteractions,
n t e r a c t i o n s , PPang
' a n g and
and Tanka
T a n k a express
e x p r e s s their
their
totally
t o t a l l y unencumbered
u n e n c u m b e r e d style
s t y l e of
o f coming
c o m i n g and
and going
g o i n g in
in absolute
absolute
stillness.
Reversing
rolesoon
day, itit isisPFang
who
stillness. R
e v e r s i n g roles
n aanother
n o t h e r day,
'ang w
h o comes
comes
in
in and
a n d stands
stands before
b e f o r e Tanka
T a n k a with
w i t h his
his hands
h a n d s folded
f o l d e d on
o n his
his chest.
chest.
This
T h i s time,
t i m e , Tanka
T a n k a pays
pays no
n o attention
attention to
to him.
him. P'ang
P ' a n g leaves,
leaves, then
then
ignore
him.
Fang
comes
back,
and
Tanka
still
continues
to
c o m e s b a c k , and T a n k a still c o n t i n u e s to i g n o r e h i m . P ' a n g
sits down.
Tanka
stands uup
sits
d o w n . Suddenly
Suddenly T
a n k a stands
p bbefore
e f o r e hhim
i m with
w i t h his
his
hands ffolded.
hands
o l d e d . After
After a
a minute
m i n u t e or
o r so,
s o , he
he just
j u s t as
as suddenly
s u d d e n l y walks
walks
his room.
bback
a c k iinto
n t o his
room.
""I
I come
c o m e in,
in, you
y o u go
g o out!"
o u t ! " cries
cries the
the Layman.
L a y m a n . "We
" W e aren't
aren't
getting
g e t t i n g anywhere."
anywhere."
""This
T h i s old
o l d gent
g e n t comes
c o m e s in
in and
and goes
g o e s out,
o u t , comes
c o m e s in
in and
and goes
goes
out-when
o
u t — w h e nwill
w i l lititend?"
e n d ? "shouts
s h o u t sTanka
Tanka from
f r o m his
his room.
room.
haven't ggot
the slightest
slightest ccomparison,"
says PPang.
""You
Y o u haven't
o t the
o m p a r i s o n , " says
'ang.
"I've
" I ' v e gotten
g o t t e n this
this guy
g u y into
i n t o such
s u c h a astate!"
state!"exclaims
e x c l a i m s Tanka,
Tanka,
rreturning
e t u r n i n g ffrom
r o m his
his room.
room.
have yyou
""What
W h a t have
o u ggotten?"
o t t e n ? " asks
asks P'ang.
P'ang.
the cap
cap ffrom
P'ang's
IImmediately,
m m e d i a t e l y , TTanka
a n k a pplucks
l u c k s the
rom P
' a n g ' s head
h e a d and
and
says, ""You're
like an
an oold
says,
Y o u ' r e jjust
u s t like
l d monk!"
monk!"
18
18
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
In aanother
meeting,
this ttime
with
In
n o t h e r ssuch
uch m
e e t i n g , this
ime w
i t h Zen
Z e n master
m a s t e r Fujaku
Fujaku
...
Pang
((P'u-chi),
P'u-chi), P
' a n g asserts,
asserts, "Sekito's
" S e k i t o ' s doctrine
d o c t r i n e . . . melted
m e l t e d ice
ice and
and
bbroke
r o k e tiles."
tiles."
""That's
T h a t ' s obvious
o b v i o u s without
w i t h o u t your
y o u r mentioning
m e n t i o n i n g it,"
i t , " replies
replies FuFujjaku.
aku.
Pang
P
' a n g throws
t h r o w s down
d o w n his
his bamboo
b a m b o o basket
basket and
and cries,
cries, "Who'd
"Who'd
havetthought
it wasn't
have
h o u g h t it
w a s n ' t worth
w o r t h aa single
single cash!"
cash!"
Fujaku says
says ssagely,
it isn't worth
Fujaku
a g e l y , ""Though
T h o u g h it
w o r t h a single
single cash,
cash,
how
can oone
without
h
o w can
n e gget
e t aalong
long w
i t h o u t it?"
it?"
To
this Pang
To this
P ' a n g shows
s h o w s his
his agreement
a g r e e m e n t by
b y doing
d o i n g aa dance
dance and
and
leaving.
As
he
heads oout,
As h
e heads
u t , Fujaku
F u j a k u holds
h o l d s up
u p the
the basket
basket and
a n d recalls
recalls him
him
by sshouting,
by
h o u t i n g , "Layman!"
"Layman!"
P'ang
P'ang turns
turns to look,
l o o k , and
and this
this time
t i m e Fujaku
Fujaku does
d o e s aa dance
dance and
and
leaves.
Delighted,
Fang
D
elighted, P
' a n g claps
claps his hands,
h a n d s , crying,
c r y i n g , "Returning
" R e t u r n i n g home,
home,
returning home!"
returning
home!"
Here, the
the two
to their
Here,
t w o Zen
Z e n adepts
adepts celebrate
celebrate ccoming
o m i n g hhome
o m e to
their
essential
with
essential nnature
ature w
i t h the
the very
v e r y shouts
s h o u t s and
and gestures
gestures of
o flife
life itself.
itself.
f'ang's teaching
P'ang's
t e a c h i n g was
w a s informal,
i n f o r m a l , exemplary
e x e m p l a r y in the truest sense;
his life
life was
w a s entirely
entirely devoted
d e v o t e d to
to enacting
e n a c t i n g the
the Zen
Zen
drama.
drama.
Wandering
hamlet
in search
Wandering ffrom
r o m hhamlet
a m l e t tto
o h
a m l e t in
search oof
f aa worthy
w o r t h y foil,
foil,
P'anq Yun
P'ang
Yun
ig
19
he spent his days
he
days iimprovising
m p r o v i s i n g his spirituality. Free
Free of
o f monastic
monastic
tl.wghter
travelednnorth,
d.mghter traveled
o r t h , sstopping
t o p p i n g to sell
sell their wares
w a r e s en
en route
route
rules
rules and
a n d hierarchical
hierarchical duties, he
h e dared to
to challenge
c h a l l e n g e the
the best
best and
and
brightest
b r i g h t e s t of
o f his day.
day. Nor
N o r did
did he
he neglect
n e g l e c t the
the marketplaces
m a r k e t p l a c e s and
and
country
c o u n t r y roads,
r o a d s , engaging
e n g a g i n g mendicant
m e n d i c a n t monks
m o n k s and
and cattle
cattle herders
herders
iu
their mmode
in the
to Hsiang-yang,
H s i a n g - y a n g , their
o d e oof
f life
life captured
c a p t u r e d in
the three
three
h u n d r e d poems
p o e m s the
the Layman
L a y m a n penned
p e n n e d to
to describe
describe his
his mendicant,
mendicant,
hundred
i m p r o m p t u , everyday
e v e r y d a y Zen
Z e n style.
style. Here
H e r e are
are aa few
f e w samples.
samples.
impromptu,
as
and ggentlefolk.
In the
the lecture
as well
w e l l as
as scholars
scholars and
e n t l e f o l k . In
lecture fforum
o r u m of
o f aa
town
t o w n where
w h e r e professional
p r o f e s s i o n a l orators
orators delivered
delivered sermons
s e r m o n s and disdisthe BBuddhist
he once
ccourses
o u r s e s oon
n the
u d d h i s t scriptures,
scriptures, he
o n c e stood
s t o o d listening
listening to
to
a talk
talk on
o n The
The Diamond
Diamond Sutra.
Sutra. When
W h e n the
the speaker
s p e a k e r reached
reached the
the
line
to "no
line rreferring
e f e r r i n g to
" n o self,
self, no
n o person,"
p e r s o n , " the
the Layman
L a y m a n called
called out
out
from
f r o m the
the audience,
audience, "Lecture
" L e c t u r e master,
m a s t e r , since
since there
there is
is no
n o self
self and
and
Wellversed
versedininthe
the Buddha
Buddha way,
way, II ggo
Well
o the non-Way.
non-Way.
Without abandoning
ordinary man's affairs,
Without
abandoning any
m y ordinary
affairs,
The
and name-and-form all
all are
are flowers
flowers in the sky.
sky.
The conditioned and
Nameless and formless, I leave
leave birth-and-death.
Nameless
When the mind's
When
mind's as
as is,
is, circumstances
circumstances also
also are
areas
asis.
is.
There's
real and also no unreal.
unreal.
There's no real
Giving no
no heed
Giving
heed to existence
existence
And holding
holding not to nonexistence,
And
nonexistence,
You're neither
neither saint nor sage,
You're
sage, just
just
A
n ordinary
w h o has
has settled
settled his
his affairs.
affairs.
An
ordinary man who
Easy, so easy . . .
Easy,
no
n o person,
p e r s o n , who
w h o is he
h e who's
w h o ' s lecturing,
l e c t u r i n g , who
w h o is
is he
he who's
who's
listening?"
listening?"
The
T
h e lecture
lecture master
m a s t e r had
had no
n o answer,
a n s w e r , and
and P'ang
P'ang
continued,
continued,
""Though
T h o u g h I'm
I ' m just
j u s t aa commoner,
c o m m o n e r , II know
k n o w aa little
little about
a b o u t faith."
faith."
"What
" W h a t is
is your
y o u r idea?"
i d e a ? " asked
a s k e d the lecture master.
master.
P'ang
replied
with
a
short
poem.
P ' a n g replied w i t h a s h o r t p o e m .
...
'lb a seeker
off pperfection,
To
seeker o
e r f e c t i o n , P'ang
P ' a n g offers
offers advice.
advice.
There's no self
self and no person,
person,
How
How then kinfolk
kinfolk and
and stranger'.
stranger!
cease going from lecture
lecture to
to lecture;
lecture;
I beg you, cease
It's better to seek
seek truth directly.
directly.
o f Diamond Wisdom
Wisdom
The nature of
The
past isisalready
alreadyppastThe past
ast—
Don't
D o n ' t try
try to
to regain
regain it.
it.
The
present does
doesnot
notsstayThe present
tay—
Don't
D
o n ' t try to
to touch
touch it from moment to
to moment.
moment.
The future
futureisisnot
not ccomeThe
ome—
Don't think
think about
aboutititbeforehand.
beforehand....
Don't
. . .
Whatsoever comes
comes to eye
Whatsoever
eye leave
leave it be.
be.
There are no
no commandments
commandments to be kept,
kept,
There is no filth
fdth to
to be
be cleansed.
cleansed.
With
empty mind
With empty
mind really
really penetrated,
penetrated,
The dharmas have
have no life.
life.
When
When you
y o u can
can be like
like this
this
You've completed
completed the ultimate attainment.
You've
attainment.
Excludes even
speck ooff dust.
Excludes
even a speck
From "Thus
" T h u s have
have I heard," to
to "This
"This IIbelieve,"
believe,"
an array
array of
o f unreal
unreal names.
names.
All's but an
The
T
h e lecture
lecture master
m a s t e r could
c o u l d only
o n l y sigh in response.
response.
Once,
O n c e , while
w h i l e selling
selling bamboo
b a m b o o baskets,
baskets, the
the Layman
L a y m a n slipped
slipped
and fell.
fell. W
When
his ddaughter
this, she
ran to
to her
and
h e n his
a u g h t e r Ling-chao
L i n g - c h a o saw
saw this,
she ran
her
father's side
side and
and tthrew
herself
the gground
father's
hrew h
e r s e l f ddown
o w n oon
n the
r o u n d next
n e x t to
to
h
im.
him.
"What
" W h a t are you
y o u doing!"
d o i n g ! " cried
cried P'ang.
P'ang.
"I
Dad
to the
the ground,
" I saw
saw D
a d fall
fall to
g r o u n d , so
so I'm
I ' m helping,"
h e l p i n g , " she
she replied.
replied.
"Luckily,
" L u c k i l y , no
n o one
o n e was
w a s looking,"
l o o k i n g , " said
said P'ang
P ' a n g with
w i t h aa smile.
smile.
A
A Zen
Z e n woman
w o m a n of
o f achievement,
a c h i e v e m e n t , Ling-chao
Ling-chao w
was
a s as
as m
much
u c h her
father's dharma
his ddaughter.
father's
d h a r m a friend as she was
w a s his
a u g h t e r . Portraits of
o f the
the
Speaking
to all
all the
the dharma
S
p e a k i n g ddirectly
i r e c t l y to
d h a r m a heirs
heirs in his
his lay
lay lineage
lineage
today, P'ang
today,
P ' a n g Yun
Y u n says:
says:
Food and
and clothes
clothessustain
sustainbody
bodyand
andl lifeFood
ife—
advise yyou
I advise
o u to learn being
being as
as is.
When
m y hermitage and
and go,
go,
When it's
it's time, I move my
A
n d there's
to be
be left
left behind.
behind.
And
there's nothing to
t w o depict
depict them
t h e m as
as aa pair
pair of
o f sharp-eyed,
s h a r p - e y e d , alert
alert companions
companions
two
eengaged
n g a g e d in
d a i l y activities.
activities. Between
B e t w e e n 8o6
806 and
and 820,
820, father
father and
and
in daily
20
20
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
I
P'ang
P'ang Yun
Yun
21
21
L
Rinzai:
Rin,7ai:
The
The Spiritual
Spiritual
Storm
The
T h e T'ang
T ' a n g period
p e r i o d in
in China
C h i n a (618-907)
(618-907) is
is called
called the
the Golden
G o l d e n Age
Age
Zen.
the age
oof
f Z
e n . In
In its
its earliest
earliest phase
p h a s e it may
m a y also
also be
b e called
called the
a g e of
of
iinnovation
n n o v a t i o n in
r e l i g i o n , diplomacy,
d i p l o m a c y , and
and business.
business. It
It was
w a s aa
in art,
art, religion,
pperiod
e r i o d oof
f u
n p r e c e d e n t e d ccosmopolitanism
o s m o p o l i t a n i s m that,
m o n g other
other
unprecedented
that, aamong
tthings,
h i n g s , saw
saw the
i n v e n t i o n of
o f the newspaper
n e w s p a p e r and the
the civil
c i v i l service
service
the invention
e x a m i n a t i o n . The
T h e T'ang
T ' a n g emperors
e m p e r o r s created
created aa center
center for
f o r monks,
monks,
examination.
students, merchants,
m e r c h a n t s , and
and travelers,
travelers, w
h o gathered
g a t h e r e d from
f r o m as
as far
far
students,
who
west
as
G
r
e
e
c
e
,
and
i
n
c
l
u
d
e
d
citizens
o
f
A
r
a
b
i
a
,
India,
Persia,
west as Greece, and included citizens of Arabia, India, Persia,
Syria, TTurkey,
u r k e y , SSamarkand,
a m a r k a n d , and
o k h a r a . TThe
h e early
a n dydySyria,
and BBokhara.
early H
Han
nasty
o f the
the second
s e c o n d century
c e n t u r y C.E.
C . E . had
h a d already
already seen
seen the
the penetrapenetranasty of
tion
o f Buddhism
B u d d h i s m from
f r o m India,
India, transforming
t r a n s f o r m i n g Chinese
C h i n e s e cultural
cultural
tion of
life
and
i
n
s
t
i
t
u
t
i
o
n
s
,
and
in
t
u
r
n
b
e
i
n
g
t
r
a
n
s
f
o
r
m
e
d
b
y
Confulife and institutions, and in turn being transformed by Confucian
p
r
a
g
m
a
t
i
s
m
and
i
n
d
i
g
e
n
o
u
s
Taoist
attitudes
t
o
w
a
r d nanacian pragmatism and indigenous Taoist attitudes toward
ture.
ture.
The
dynamism
the pperiod
with
it, ttoo,
T
he d
y n a m i s m oof
f the
e r i o d bbore
ore w
i t h it,
o o , the problems
problems
of
state that
that hhad
the ""age
o f centralizing
c e n t r a l i z i n g aa state
a d bbeen
e e n rreduced
e d u c e d dduring
u r i n g the
a g e of
of
d i s u n i o n " (the
(the years
years between
b e t w e e n r8o
180 and
and 581)
581) to
to factionalism
f a c t i o n a l i s m and
and
disunion"
rregional
e g i o n a l ddomination
omination b
y powerful
p o w e r f u l aristocrats.
h e entire
entire T'ang
T'ang
by
aristocrats. TThe
p
e r i o d saw
m p e r i a l government
g o v e r n m e n t struggle
s t r u g g l e to
to retain
retain execuexecuperiod
saw the
the iimperial
tive p
o w e r tthroughout
h r o u g h o u t the
r e a l m by
b y wresting
w r e s t i n g it
it from
f r o m great
great
tive
power
the realm
clans w
h o were
w e r e eengaged
n g a g e d in
e r p e t u a l rebellion.
r o u g h t tto
o its
clans
who
in pperpetual
rebellion. BBrought
knees b
y the
the An
A n Lu-shan
L u - s h a n rebellion
r e b e l l i o n of
o f 755-763,
7 5 5 - 7 6 3 , the
the imperial
imperial
knees
by
g o v e r n m e n t was
w a s reduced
r e d u c e d to dispersing
d i s p e r s i n g its power
p o w e r to
to regional
regional
government
military
who
m
i l i t a r y governors
governors w
h o maintained
m a i n t a i n e d total autonomy
a u t o n o m y over
o v e r their
their
until
until the
the total
total collapse
collapse of
o f the civil
c i v i l administration
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n marked
m a r k e d the
the
end o
T ' a n g era
era in
in 907.
907.
cnd
off the
the great T'ang
Unlike
its ccontemporary
in EEurope,
U
n l i k e its
o n t e m p o r a r y in
u r o p e , the Carolingian
C a r o l i n g i a n empire,
empire,
the T
' a n g was
w a s not
n o t feudal
feudal but
b u t aristocratic,
aristocratic, w
i t h nine
nine grades
g r a d e s of
of
the
T'ang
with
n o b i l i t y , all
all related
related tto
o the imperial
i m p e r i a l family.
f a m i l y . Its
Its first
first and greatest
greatest
nobility,
m o n a r c h , T'ai-tsung,
T ' a i - t s u n g , created
created the
the Chinese
C h i n e s e civil
c i v i l service,
s e r v i c e , propromonarch,
m o t i n g aa social
social caste
caste system
s y s t e m molded
m o l d e d by
b y Confucian
C o n f u c i a n doctrines
doctrines
inoting
still pervades
pervades A
s i a n ssociety
o c i e t y ttoday.
o d a y . TThe
he h
ouse o
L i , from
from
that still
Asian
house
off Li,
w
h
i
c
h
T
'
a
i
t
s
u
n
g
c
l
a
i
m
e
d
his
l
e
g
i
t
i
m
a
c
y
,
e
x
p
a
n
d
e
d
its
t
erriwhich T'ai-tsung claimed his legitimacy, expanded its territtory
o r y halfway
h a l f w a y across
across A
s
i
a
,
o
p
e
n
i
n
g
the
c
o
u
n
t
r
y
to
f
o
r
e
i
g
n
ideas
Asia, opening the country to foreign ideas
and disseminating
d i s s e m i n a t i n g Chinese
C h i n e s e culture
culture west,
w e s t , east,
o r t h , and
and
and
east, nnorth,
south. Ch'ang-an
C h ' a n g - a n was
w a s the
the capital
capital of
o f the
the empire,
e m p i r e , the
the greatest
greatest
south.
city in
E a s t Asia,
A s i a , with
w i t h more
m o r e than
than two
t w o million
m i l l i o n inhabitants.
i n h a b i t a n t s . Its
Its
city
in East
prefectures.
It was
this form
p
r e f e c t u r e s . It
w a s precisely
p r e c i s e l y this
f o r m of
o f provincial
p r o v i n c i a l governgovernment
Zen
m
e n t that allowed
a l l o w e d iindependent,
n d e p e n d e n t , antihierarchical
antihierarchical Z
e n reformers
reformers
like
to cchange
the face
Buddhism
in China
like Rinzai
R i n z a i (Lin-chi)
(Lin-chi) to
h a n g e the
face oof
f B
u d d h i s m in
China
during
the late
d
u r i n g the
late T'ang
T ' a n g dynasty
d y n a s t y and
and throughout
t h r o u g h o u t the
the
world
world
thereafter. TThe
Hsien-tsung
was
the tthrone
thereafter.
h e eemperor
mperor H
sien-tsung w
a s oon
n the
h r o n e when
when
Rinzai
R i n z a i was
w a s born
b o r n sometime
s o m e t i m e between
b e t w e e n 81o
810 and
a n d 815;
815; and HsienHsientsung
and
his
successors
were
too
busy
suppressing
rebellions
t s u n g and his successors w e r e t o o b u s y s u p p r e s s i n g rebellions
in the Lower
and SSzechuan
and rrestoring
in
L o w e r Yangtze
Y a n g t z e and
z e c h u a n rregions,
e g i o n s , and
e s t o r i n g at
least aa semblance
least
s e m b l a n c e oof
f bureaucratic
b u r e a u c r a t i c uunity
n i t y over
o v e r all
all but
b u t aa few
few
fractious
northeastern
districts,
to
be
bothered
with
the
small
fractious n o r t h e a s t e r n districts, to b e b o t h e r e d w i t h the s m a l l
affairs ooff the
the eccentric
priests wwho
affairs
eccentric bbackwater
a c k w a t e r ZZen
e n priests
h o were
w e r e RinRinzai's teachers.
zai's
m a r k e t s aand
n d harbors
h a r b o r s were
w e r e stocked
stocked w
i t h goods
g o o d s from
f r o m India,
India,
markets
with
In 820,
In
820, powerful
p o w e r f u l court
c o u r t eunuchs
e u n u c h s usurped
u s u r p e d the
the throne,
throne,
murmurdered
Hsien-tsung,
d
ered H
s i e n - t s u n g , and, for
f o r twenty
t w e n t y years,
y e a r s , succeeded
s u c c e e d e d in breakbreakdown
bureaucracy
by
iing
ng d
o w n the centralized
centralized b
ureaucracy b
y manipulating
m a n i p u l a t i n g a series
series
weak
In 840,
840, EEmperor
Wu-tsung
oof
f w
e a k ppuppet
u p p e t eemperors.
m p e r o r s . In
mperor W
u - t s u n g saw
saw his
his
by
ddynasty
y n a s t y in crisis,
crisis, faced
faced b
y fluctuating
fluctuating foreign
f o r e i g n affairs
affairs and
and beset
beset
disaster and
and ccontinuous
internal rrebellion.
bby
y financial
financial disaster
o n t i n u o u s internal
e b e l l i o n . Egged
Egged
on
o n by
b y aa fanatic
fanatic Taoist
Taoist minister,
m i n i s t e r , the
the emperor
e m p e r o r decided
d e c i d e d to
to solve
solve
his
problems
by
focusing
on
the
Buddhists
as
the
country's
his p r o b l e m s b y f o c u s i n g o n the B u d d h i s t s as the c o u n t r y ' s
eenemy-a
n e m y — agood
g o o dexcuse
e x c u s e for
f o r seizing
seizing the
the enormous
e n o r m o u s wealth
w e a l t h of
o f the
the
m
o n a s t e r i e s and
r e a t i n g aa new
n e w source
s o u r c e of
o f revenue.
revenue. The
T h e BudBudmonasteries
and ccreating
dhist
e r s e c u t i o n lasted
n l y ttwo
w o yyears;
e a r s ; then
m p e r o r Wu
Wu
dhist ppersecution
lasted for
for oonly
then EEmperor
died
r i n k i n g ttoo
o o much
m u c h Taoist
Taoist elixir
m m o r t a l i t y , and
and his
died ooff ddrinking
elixir ooff iimmortality,
successor H
s u a n - t s u n g (r.
847-59) decreed
d e c r e e d aamnesty
m n e s t y ffor
o r BudBudsuccessor
Hsuan-tsung
(r. 847-59)
Java,
o r e i g n e r s ccame
a m e to
t u d y Buddhism,
B u d d h i s m , to
to
Java, Iran,
Iran, and
and Japan.
Japan. FForeigners
to sstudy
seek w
e a l t h , or
o r to
to freely
freely practice
practice religions
r e l i g i o n s like
like Nestorianism
Nestorianism
seek
wealth,
and Manicheanism.
M a n i c h e a n i s m . In
In this
this atmosphere,
a t m o s p h e r e , Buddhists
B u d d h i s t s flourished,
flourished,
and
and,
in
868,
i
n
v
e
n
t
e
d
p
r
i
n
t
i
n
g
.
T
h
e
w
o
r
l
d
'
s
first
b
o
o
w a s The
The
and, in 868, invented printing. The world's first bookk was
Diamond
Sutra.
Poets
like
L
i
P
o
,
Tu
Fu,
and
P
o
C
h
u
y
i
,
and
Diamond Sutra. Poets like Li Po, Tu Fu, and Po Chu-yi, and
painters like Y e n L i - p e n led m o v e m e n t s in art w h o s e s o p h i s t i painters
like Yen Li-pen led movements in art whose sophistication rivals that o f the E u r o p e a n Renaissance, w h i c h d i d n o t
cation rivals that of the European Renaissance, which did not
take place until e i g h t centuries later.
take
place until eight centuries later.
Buddhism
B u d d h i s m was
w a s the single
single most
m o s t dominant
d o m i n a n t foreign
f o r e i g n influence
influence
on Chinese
C h i n e s e life
life from
f r o m the second
s e c o n d to
to the
the eleventh
eleventh century.
c e n t u r y . It
It
on
b r o u g h t Indian
Indian monasticism
m o n a s t i c i s m into
i n t o direct
direct conflict
conflict with
w i t h ConfuConfubrought
cian social
o r l d l y hhierarchy
i e r a r c h y and
o t i o n s of
o f secular
secular moralmoralcian
social and
and wworldly
and nnotions
ity. During
D u r i n g the
the T'ang,
T ' a n g , the
the Buddhist
B u d d h i s t monasteries
m o n a s t e r i e s grew
g r e w rich
rich and
and
ity.
p o w e r f u l , holding
h o l d i n g vast
vast estates,
estates, doing
d o i n g business,
business, keeping
k e e p i n gslaves,
slaves,
powerful,
and administering
a d m i n i s t e r i n g agricultural
a g r i c u l t u r a l pproduction
r o d u c t i o n of
o f precious
p r e c i o u s comcomand
m
o
d
i
t
i
e
s
like
rice
and
oil.
M
o
n
a
s
t
i
c
s
b
e
c
a
m
e
m
o
n
e
y
l
e
n
ders,
inodities like rice and oil. Monastics became money lenders,
teachers,
and
political
and
spiritual
advisers
to
i
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t
militeachers, and political and spiritual advisers to important military governors,
g o v e r n o r s , their
their influence
influence spreading
s p r e a d i n g throughout
t h r o u g h o u t urban
urban
tary
dhists and
and tried
tried his
his luck
l u c k at
at financial
financial rreform
e f o r m and
and the
the codification
codification
dhists
o f llaws.
aws. B
u t rebellion
r e b e l l i o n in
the Yangtze
Y a n g t z e vvalley
a l l e y and
economof
But
in the
and in
in the
the economically
o w e r f u l ssouthern
o u t h e r n rregions
egions d
i s r u p t e d his
p l a n s . In
In the
the
ically ppowerful
disrupted
his plans.
n
o r t h w e s t province
p r o v i n c e of
o f Nan-chao,
N a n - c h a o , war
w a r dragged
d r a g g e d on
o n from
f r o m 858
858 to
to
northwest
866, the
ear R
i n z a i died.
entire span
span o
this obscure
obscure
866,
the yyear
Rinzai
died. For
For the
the entire
off this
Z
e n monk's
m o n k ' s life,
life, China
C h i n a was
w a s engaged
e n g a g e d in
a r , beset
beset b
y troops
troops
Zen
in wwar,
by
centers in
s o u t h and
and at
at the
the imperial
i m p e r i a l court
c o u r t in
in Ch'ang-an
Ch'ang-an
centers
in the
the south
itself.
B
u
t
the
T
'
a
n
g
c
o
u
r
t
w
a
s
also
u
n
d
e
r
the
c
ontinuous
itself. But the T'ang court was also under the continuous
loyal often
o n
o one,
o n e , murdering
m u r d e r i n g and
and pillaging
p i l l a g i n g their
their way
w a y back
back
loyal
often tto
no
h
o
m
e
f
r
o
m
o
n
e
front
o
r
another.
B
y
880,
the
g
r
e
a
t
w
e
s
tern
home from one front or another. By 880, the great western
influence oof
f TTaoism
a o i s m and
o n f u c i a n i s m , and
and the
the three
three religions
religions
influence
and CConfucianism,
often
clashed.
T
h
e
fate
o
f
a
n
y
o
f
t
h
e
m
f
r
e
q
u
e
n
t
l
y
d
e
p
e
n d e d on
on
often clashed. The fate of any of them frequently depended
the whims
w h i m s and
a n d preferences
p r e f e r e n c e s of
o f individual
i n d i v i d u a l eemperors,
m p e r o r s , so
so it
it is
is no
no
the
capital oof
f Ch'ang-an
C h ' a n g - a n itself
i t s e l f was
w a s captured
c a p t u r e d and
and the
the emperor
emperor
capital
driven from
f r o m the
the palace.
palace. Political
Political and
and economic
e c o n o m i c chaos
c h a o s ruled,
ruled,
driven
24
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
I
Rinzai
Rinzai
25
25
surprise that
that the
the An
whose
military
surprise
A n Lu-shan
L u - s h a n rrebellion,
ebellion, w
hose m
i l i t a r y comcom-
daily affairs
off Buddhist
daily
affairs o
B u d d h i s t life
life most
m o s t accurately.
a c c u r a t e l y . He
H e describes
describes
manders
were
m
anders w
e r e sstrongly
t r o n g l y Buddhist,
B u d d h i s t , should
s h o u l d have
have led
led indirectly
i n d i r e c t l y to
to
three categories
three
c a t e g o r i e s of
o f Buddhist
B u d d h i s t officers:
officers: archbishops,
a r c h b i s h o p s , bishops,
bishops,
the
B u d d h i s t persecution
p e r s e c u t i o n oof
f 845.
845. M
i l i t a r y men
m e n were
w e r e particuparticuthe Buddhist
Military
and monastery
and stewards.
To earn
earn m
money
and
m o n a s t e r y supervisors
s u p e r v i s o r s and
s t e w a r d s . To
o n e y for
for
larly
attracted to
Z e n , peasants
peasants to
t o Pure
P u r e Land;
L a n d ; and
and popular
popular
larly attracted
to Zen,
their temples,
their
t e m p l e s , such
s u c h high-level
h i g h - l e v e l monks
m o n k s as
as these
these traveled
traveled about
about
B
u d d h i s m , with
w i t h its
its adoration
a d o r a t i o n of
o f relics,
relics, its
itsreligious
r e l i g i o u s festivals,
festivals,
Buddhism,
giving
lectures to
to the
the ppublic
sutras, often
g i v i n g lectures
u b l i c oon
n ppopular
o p u l a r sutras,
o f t e n attracting
attracting
p
i l g r i m a g e s , and
shrines, appealed
v e r y o n e . BBy
y the
midpilgrimages,
and shrines,
appealed to
to eeveryone.
the mid-
as
The
as many
m a n y as
as eighteen
e i g h t e e n hundred
h u n d r e d people.
people. T
h e lectures
lectures at
at the
the
n
i n t h century,
c e n t u r y , though,
t h o u g h , Buddhism
B u d d h i s m had
had declined
d e c l i n e d as
as aa force
force in
in
ninth
monasteries
the fform
question
and aanswer
m
o n a s t e r i e s ttook
o o k the
o r m of
of q
u e s t i o n and
n s w e r pperiods
e r i o d s that
the
affairs o
state and
and as
as an
an intellectual
intellectual movement.
m o v e m e n t . This
T h i s was
was
the affairs
off state
eenforced
n f o r c e d iimperial
m p e r i a l sale
certification and
r d i n a t i o n for
for the
the
sale ooff certification
and oordination
were often
often combative,
with
were
combative, w
i t h much
m u c h aggressive
a g g r e s s i v e shouting
s h o u t i n g and
and
challenging
c h a l l e n g i n g ffrom,
r o m bboth
o t h audiences
audiences and
and speakers.
speakers. Afterward,
Afterward,
participants spent
spent several
several hhours
in ceremonial
participants
o u r s in
c e r e m o n i a l chanting
c h a n t i n g and
and
cclergy.
lergy.
shrine worship.
worship.
shrine
The
T
h e Taoists
Taoists often
often attacked
attacked Buddhism
B u d d h i s m most
m o s t harshly
h a r s h l y as
as aa
fforeign
o r e i g n iimport,
m p o r t , and
and urged
u r g e d aa return
return to
to native
native Chinese
C h i n e s e traditradittions.
i o n s . Yet
Yet bboth
o t h Buddhist
B u d d h i s t and Taoist
Taoist priests
priests were
w e r e regarded
r e g a r d e d as
as
eighth
e i g h t h century
c e n t u r y under
u n d e r Hui
H u i Neng,
N e n g , the
the famous
f a m o u s Sixth
S i x t h Patriarch,
Patriarch, it
it
an aberration
to traditional
pproved
r o v e d an
a b e r r a t i o n to
traditional Buddhists
B u d d h i s t s like
like those
t h o s e dede-
p o t e n t i a l l y dangerous
d a n g e r o u s agents
agents of
o f rrebellion,
e b e l l i o n , ffor
o r they
t h e y represented
represented
potentially
scribed
in EEnnin's
to Zen
scribed in
n n i n ' s ddiary-which
i a r y — w h i c h refers
refers throughout
t h r o u g h o u t to
Zen
m
u c h of
o f the
the local
l o c a l peasantry,
p e a s a n t r y , the
the marginal
m a r g i n a l and
and disaffected
disaffected
much
monks
as ""uncouth
m
o n k s as
u n c o u t h and
and rough-hearted
r o u g h - h e a r t e d fellows."
f e l l o w s . " Liang
L i a n g Su,
Su, a
p
a r t l y caused
c a u s e d bby
y the
o r r u p t i o n of
o f the
the monasteries,
m o n a s t e r i e s , and
and by
b y the
the
partly
the ccorruption
the time
at the
the end
FFrom
r o m the
t i m e the
the Zen
Z e n school
s c h o o l surfaced
surfaced at
e n d of
o f the
the
m
e m b e r s oof
f the
the population.
p o p u l a t i o n . When,
W h e n , under
u n d e r Wu-tsung,
W u - t s u n g , in
in 845,
845,
members
mid-ninth-century
ffamous
amous m
i d - n i n t h - c e n t u r y Buddhist
B u d d h i s t author,
a u t h o r , excoriates
e x c o r i a t e s his
his Zen
Zen
Taoists ssucceeded
u c c e e d e d in
i s s i o n to
x p u n g e the
the "foreign
"foreign
the Taoists
in their
their m
mission
to eexpunge
ccontemporaries.
ontemporaries.
i m p o r t , " over
o v e r forty-six
f o r t y - s i x thousand
t h o u s a n d Buddhist
B u d d h i s t monasteries
m o n a s t e r i e s and
and
import,"
Nowadays, few
few men
men have
havethe
the true
true faith.
faith. Those
Those who
Nowadays,
w h o travel
travel the
t e m p l e s were
w e r e laicized,
o u r hundred
h u n d r e d thousand
t h o u s a n d clergy
c l e r g y were
were
temples
laicized, and
and ffour
d
e
f
r
o
c
k
e
d
and
stripped
o
f
their
r
e
l
i
g
i
o
u
s
e
x
e
m
p
t
i
o
n
s
,
p
r
o
perdefrocked and stripped of their religious exemptions, proper-
path ooff Ch'an
Ch'an go
path
go so
so far
far as
as to
to teach
teach people
people that there is neither
neither
Buddha nor
nor law,
law, and
Buddha
and that neither
neither sin
sin nor
nor goodness
goodness has
has any
any
significance.
When they
they preach
significance. When
preach these
these doctrines
doctrines to the
the average
average
man, or men
man,
men below
below the
the average,
average, they
they are
are believed
believed by all
all those
those
who
w
h o live
live their lives
lives of
o f worldly
worldly desires.
desires. Such
Such ideas
ideas are
are accepted
accepted
ties,
and slaves.
slaves. Other
O t h e r foreign
f o r e i g n religions
r e l i g i o n s were
w e r e persecuted
p e r s e c u t e d as
as
ties, and
w
ell; N
e s t o r i a n s , Manicheans,
M a n i c h e a n s , and
and Zoroastrians
Z o r o a s t r i a n s were
w e r e forced
f o r c e d to
to
well;
Nestorians,
leave the
o u n t r y , and
e w aattempt
t t e m p t at
at centralization
centralization ffrom
r o m the
the
leave
the ccountry,
and aa nnew
tthrone
h r o n e met
m e t with
w i t h aa reasonable
r e a s o n a b l e amount
a m o u n t of
o f temporary
t e m p o r a r y success.
success.
Buddhist
rituals at
at ccourt
had
only
been aadmitted
to maintain
B
u d d h i s t rituals
ourt h
ad o
n l y been
d m i t t e d to
maintain
the illusion
illusion that the
the emperors
e m p e r o r s were
w e r e no
n o different
different from
f r o m famous
famous
B u d d h i s t rulers of
o f the past. The
T h e faith
faith was
w a s therefore doctrinally
doctrinally
Buddhist
stable b
u t politically
p o l i t i c a l l y shaky.
s h a k y . Since
Since ritual
ritual and
and ceremony
c e r e m o n y were
were
stable
but
never
trong p
o i n t s of
o f meditation
m e d i t a t i o n schools
s c h o o l s like
e n , monks
monks
never the
the sstrong
points
like ZZen,
like
i n z a i ccould
o u l d carry
n w
i t h o u t attracting negative
n e g a t i v e attention
attention
like RRinzai
carry oon
without
f r o m the imperial
i m p e r i a l authorities. This
T h i s was
w a s particularly
p a r t i c u l a r l y true
the
from
true in the
n
o r t h , where
w h e r e Rinzai
R i n z a i uultimately
l t i m a t e l y settled
a u g h t — a n area
area that
that
north,
settledand
andt taught-an
as
to the
as great
great truths
truths which
which sound
sound so
so pleasing
pleasing to
the ear.
ear. And
A n d the
the
people are
are attracted
attracted to
to them
them just
just as
as moths
moths in
in the
the night
night are drawn
people
to their
to
their burning death
death by
by the
the candlelight.
candlelight. . .. .. Such
Such doctrines
.
are as
as injurious
and dangerous
as the
are
injurious and
dangerous as
the devil
devil and
and the
the ancient
ancient
heretics.
heretics.
Entrenched
E
n t r e n c h e d philosophical
p h i l o s o p h i c a l schools
s c h o o l s of
o f Mahayana
M a h a y a n a Buddhism
Buddhism
like TT'ien-t'ai
little to
to fear
like
' i e n - t ' a i oor
r Hua-yen
H u a - y e n hhad
a d little
fear from
f r o m the
the Zen
Zen
heretics until
until the
the An
heretics
A n Lu-shan
L u - s h a n rebellion
r e b e l l i o n shattered
shattered the
the entire
entire
p
l a c e d ggreat
r e a t eemphasis
m p h a s i s oon
n m
e d i t a t i o n and
i e t i s m , while
w h i l e the
the
placed
meditation
and ppietism,
political aand
A spiritual
spiritual ccounterpart
political
n d rreligious
e l i g i o u s ssystem.
ystem. A
o u n t e r p a r t oof
f the
ssouth
o u t h focused
f o c u s e d largely
l a r g e l y on
o n scriptural
scriptural exegesis.
exegesis.
individualist ggenerals
participated in
in this
this m
movement,
individualist
e n e r a l s wwho
h o participated
o v e m e n t , Zen
Zen
The
diary
Japanese m
monk
T h e travel
travel d
i a r y of
o f the Japanese
o n k Ennin,
E n n i n , which
w h i c h begins
begins
in 838
in
838 and
and ends
ends after
after the persecution
p e r s e c u t i o n in 845,
845, documents
d o c u m e n t s the
the
perpetuated
h e active
active nonconformism
n o n c o n f o r m i s m that
that characterized
characterized the
the
perpetuated tthe
26
26
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
age in
in wwhich
it erupted.
age
h i c h it
e r u p t e d . Not
N o t at
at all
all speculative,
speculative, it appealed
appealed to
I
Rinzai
Rinzai
27
It emphasized
the practical-minded
Chinese
man
the
practical-minded C
hinese m
a n of
o f action.
a c t i o n . It
emphasized
sspontaneity
p o n t a n e i t y and
d i d not
n o t clash
clash with
w i t h Taoist
Taoist
and naturalness,
naturalness, and
and itit did
attitudes
t o w a r d nature.
nature. It
It also
also bore
b o r e aa healthy
h e a l t h y distaste
distaste for
for
attitudes toward
plturt;cd
the experiential
reality ooff enlightenment
p
l u n g e d iinto
n t o the
experiential reality
e n l i g h t e n m e n t in an
an
tentirely
ntircly new
n e w way.
way.
iinstitutionalism,
n s t i t u t i o n a l i s m , and,
u n l i k e the
the vast
vast landholding
l a n d h o l d i n g parasitic
parasitic
and, unlike
m o n a s t e r i e s of
o f rival
rival sects,
o n k s worked
w o r k e d to feed
feed and clothe
clothe
monasteries
sects, its
its m
monks
tthemselves.
hemselves. C
o
m
p
l
e
t
e
l
y
i
n
d
e
p
e
n
d
e
n
t
o
f
scripture
and
d
o
c
trine,
Completely independent of scripture and doctrine,
Z
e
n
t
e
a
c
h
i
n
g
d
e
s
t
r
o
y
e
d
all
n
o
t
i
o
n
s
o
f
subject
and
object
and
Zen teaching destroyed all notions of subject and object and
o
p e r a t e d in
the often
often giddy
g i d d y realm
r e a l m of
o f play
play and
and paradox.
p a r a d o x . Its
Its
operated
in the
eexponents
x p o n e n t s bbroke
roke w
i t h Indian
Indian quietism,
q u i e t i s m , idol
i d o l worship,
w o r s h i p , and
and
with
m
e t a p h y s i c s , ppreaching
r e a c h i n g the
and practical
practical approach
a p p r o a c h to
to
metaphysics,
the direct
direct and
eenlightenment
n l i g h t e n m e n t for
for all
all in
in everyday
e v e r y d a y llanguage
a n g u a g e that
c o u l d be
b e easily
easily
that could
u
n d e r s t o o d by
b y even
even the
the coarsest
coarsest Chinese
C h i n e s e peasant
peasant
understood
listener.
listener.
T h u s , while
w h i l e courtly
c o u r t l y Buddhism
B u d d h i s m went
w e n t into
i n t o decline,
decline, rough-andrough-andThus,
ttumble
u m b l e Zen
Z e n flourished,
flourished, surviving
s u r v i v i n g even
even the
the great
great persecution
persecution
o f 845.
845.
of
Both
B
o t h Zen
Z e n and
and Taoist
Taoist monks
m o n k s used
u s e d the
the technique
t e c h n i q u e of
o f breath
breath
that is basic
to meditation
ccounting
o u n t i n g that
basic to
m e d i t a t i o n to
t o this
this day;
day; both
b o t h emphaemphasized n
e g a t i o n rather
w o r s h i p , and
and the
the experience
e x p e r i e n c e of
of
sized
negation
rather than
than worship,
e
m
p
t
i
n
e
s
s
as
the
basis
for
their
practice.
Z
e
n
m
a
s
t
e
r
B
a
s
emptiness as the basis for their practice. Zen master Basoo
established the
great lineage
l i n e a g e that
that bore
b o r e figures
f i g u r e s like
like Nansen,
Nansen,
established
the great
Hyakujo, O
b a k u ((Huang-po),
H u a n g - p o ) , aand
n d j oJoshu
s h u ((Chao-chou)-whose
Chao-chou)—whose
Hyakujo,
Obaku
insistence oon
n the
o r d i n a r y " way
w a y to
t o enlightenment
e n l i g h t e n m e n t was
w a s often
often
insistence
the ""ordinary"
eexpressed
x p r e s s e d in
the
m
o
s
t
strange
and
e
x
t
r
a
o
r
d
i
n
a
r
y
w
a
y
s
.
in the most strange and extraordinary ways.
The
off the Zen
T
h e life
life o
Z e n monk
m o n k was
w a s simple,
s i m p l e , consisting
c o n s i s t i n g of
o f hard
hard
manual
m a n u a l llabor
a b o r and
and community
c o m m u n i t y sharing
sharing of
o f resources.
r e s o u r c e s . One
O n e slept
slept
and meditated
m e d i t a t e d on
o n the same
s a m e mat,
m a t , patched
p a t c h e d one's
o n e ' s own
o w n robes,
r o b e s , and
and
and
g r e w one's
o n e ' s own
o w n food.
f o o d . Moreover,
M o r e o v e r , one's
o n e ' s teachers
teachers participated
participated in
grew
w o r k and indulged
i n d u l g e d in
in what
w h a t appeared
appeared to
to outsiders
outsiders like
like Liang
Liang
the work
Su tto
o b
e w
i l d and
r a n k s , shouts,
s h o u t s , and blows.
b l o w s . While
W h i l e their
Su
be
wild
and antic
antic ppranks,
d
octrinaire B
u d d h i s t counterparts
c o u n t e r p a r t s were
w e r e spending
s p e n d i n g their time
time
doctrinaire
Buddhist
aadoring
d o r i n g iimages
m a g e s oof
f the
the Buddha
B u d d h a in
in countless
c o u n t l e s s temples
t e m p l e s and
and
shrines,
Z e n monks
m o n k s were
w e r e reputed
r e p u t e d to
to be
be burning
b u r n i n g those
those
shrines, the
the Zen
iimages
m a g e s and
d v o c a t i n g the
e s t r u c t i o n oof
f the
h a t their
their
and aadvocating
the ddestruction
the sutras.
sutras. W
What
critics
o t understand
understand w
a s that
e w fform
o r m of
of
critics did
did nnot
was
that an
an entirely
entirely nnew
B
uddhism w
as b
e i n g fashioned
f a s h i o n e d in
n i n t h - c e n t u r y China,
C h i n a , one
one
Buddhism
was
being
in ninth-century
that
r e m o v e d all
all its
its Indian
Indian coverings
c o v e r i n g s and,
t h o u g h using
u s i n g its
its
that removed
and, though
l e g e n d s , figures,
f i g u r e s , gods,
g o d s , and
and heavenly
heavenly realms
realms as
as metaphors,
m e t a p h o r s , had
had
legends,
28
28
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
An
A n oobscure
b s c u r e monk
m o n k named
n a m e d I-hsuan
I-hsuan was
w a s making
m a k i n g his
his way
w a y south
south
to Chiang-nan
835 toto sstudy
10
C h i a n g - n a n ssomewhere
o m e w h e r e aaround
r o u n d 835
t u d y with
w i t h the
the
famous ZZen
en m
a s t e r OObaku.
b a k u . ItIt w
a s this
o u r n e y that
a s to
I.urrous
master
was
this jjourney
that wwas
1 ulnrinate
ulinmate in
the movement
m o v e m e n t we
w e call
call Rinzai
R i n z a i Zen
Z e n today.
t o d a y . The
The
in the
m o n k I-hsuan had lived
lived a very
v e r y ordinary
o r d i n a r y life,
life, even
even according
a c c o r d i n g to
to
monk
the
e n master
master b
iography w
r i t t e n by
b y the
the lineage
lineage
tltc traditional
traditional ZZen
biography
written
lollowers wwho
h o kknew
n e w hhim
i m as
Rinzai. T
h e boy
b o y I-hsuan,
I-hsuan, born
born
followers
as Rinzai.
The
ssomewhere
o m e w h e r e bbetween
e t w e e n 810
an-hua, T
s ' a o prefecture,
prefecture,
8io and
and 815
815 in
in NNan-hua,
Ts'ao
was called
y the
f a m i l y nname
ame H
sing. G
r o w i n g uup
p in
in the
the
was
called bby
the family
Hsing.
Growing
iregion
c g i o n nnow
o w kknown
n o w n as
as Y
e n - c h o u - f u in
h a n t u n g , j ujust
s t ssouth
outh o
Yen-chou-fu
in SShantung,
off
the
e l l o w RRiver,
i v e r , h he
e f ofound
u n d his
o n k ' s calling
a r l y aand
n d was
was
t lieYYellow
his mmonk's
calling eearly
o r d a i n e d at
wenty. N
o t unlike
u n l i k e many
m a n y bright
b r i g h t young
young
ordained
at the
the age
age ooff ttwenty.
Not
men oof
f his
i m e , I-hsuan
I-hsuan ttook
o o k up
u p the
the path
p a t h of
o fscholarship,
scholarship,
wren
his ttime,
particularly
e v o t i n g h himself
i m s e l f toto an
n - d e p t h sstudy
t u d y of
o f the
the
particularlyddevoting
an iin-depth
Buddhist
e spent
e a r s iimmersed
m m e r s e d in
the
litiddhist scriptures.
scriptures. H
He
spent five
five oorr six
six yyears
in the
esoteric
h i l o s o p h y oof
f the
H u a - y e n and
and Wei-shih
W e i - s h i h sschools
c h o o l s of
of
esoteric pphilosophy
the Hua-yen
M a h a y a n a BBuddhism.
u d d h i s m . Then,
T h e n , one
o n e day,
day, he
he experienced
e x p e r i e n c e d revulsion
revulsion
Mahayana
ttoward
o w a r d his
o o k s as
o n l y medicines
m e d i c i n e s for
for salvation
salvation and
and displays
displays
his bbooks
as ""only
o f o p i n i o n , " and t h r e w t h e m all away. T h i s s t o r y is c h a r a c t e r of
opinion," and threw them all away. This story is characteristic o f s o m a n y great Z e n teachers in the m a k i n g that o n e
istic of so many great Zen teachers in the making that one
w o n d e r s w h e t h e r o r n o t it b e c a m e a f o r m u l a : the b r i g h t y o u n g
wonders whether or not it became a formula: the bright young
titan, spiritually inclined, turns early to the Buddhist priesth o o d , delves i n t o the intellectual tradition, and, l o n g i n g for
Irood, delves into the intellectual tradition, and, longing for
the direct e x p e r i e n c e o f B u d d h a h o o d , turns away f r o m l e a r n i n g
the
direct experience of Buddhahood, turns away from learning
t o w a r d the t e a c h i n g b e y o n d w o r d s and scriptures. N o d o u b t
toward
the teaching beyond words and scriptures. No doubt
the l u x u r y and c o r r u p t i o n o f the B u d d h i s t m o n a s t i c establishthe luxury and corruption of the Buddhist monastic establishm e n t w e r e in m a r k e d c o n t r a s t to the already e n s c o n c e d line o f
ment were in marked contrast to the already ensconced line of
m a n , spiritually inclined, turns early to the B u d d h i s t priest-
Z e n established b y the g r e a t B a s o and passed o n to O b a k u ,
/en
established by the great Baso and passed on to Obaku,
w h o s e s h o u t s a n d b l o w s and disdain for all traditional f o r m s
whose shouts and blows and disdain for all traditional forms
of
Buddhism
appealed
to disaffected
young
monks
like
of
Buddhism appealed to disaffected young monks like
I-hsuan.
I-hsuan.
Joining
Joining Obaku's
O b a k u ' s assembly,
a s s e m b l y , the
the young
y o u n g novice
n o v i c e attracted
attracted little
little
attention and
and w
was
in fact
attention
a s in
fact sso
o sshy
h y that it took
t o o k him
h i m almost
a l m o s t three
three
years bbefore
e f o r e hhe
e ccould
o u l d ggather
a t h e r the
the courage
c o u r a g e to
face the
the great
great
years
to face
Rinzai
Rinzai
29
2g
master
m a s t e r in aa personal
personal interview.
i n t e r v i e w . According
A c c o r d i n g to
to The
The Record
Record of
of
Rinzai, written
w r i t t e n during
d u r i n g the
the Sung
S u n g dynasty
d y n a s t y almost
a l m o s t three
three hundred
hundred
Rinzai,
years
after his
his death,
y e a r s after
death, he
he was
w a s noticed
n o t i c e d by
b y the
the head
h e a d monk,
monk,
p
r o b a b l y Bokushu
B o k u s h u (Mu-chou
( M u - c h o u Tao-ming)
T a o - m i n g ) (who
( w h o was
w a s to
to become
become
probably
a n o t h e r of
o f Obaku's
O b a k u ' s gifted
gifted eccentric
eccentric heirs),
heirs), and
and was
w a s advised
a d v i s e d to
to
another
seek an
interview w
i t h the
the abbot.
a b b o t . I-hsuan
I-hsuan followed
f o l l o w e d the
the head
head
seek
an interview
with
m o n k ' s advice
a d v i c e and
e n t iinto
nto O
b a k u ' s quarters,
a s k i n g , "What
"What
monk's
and wwent
Obaku's
quarters, asking,
is
r i n c i p l e oof
f the
u d d h a - D h a r m a ? " — a stock-instock-inis the
the cardinal
cardinal pprinciple
theBBuddha-Dharma?"-a
trade
q
u
e
s
t
i
o
n
o
f
n
o
v
i
c
e
Z
e
n
m
o
n
k
s
.
O
b
a
k
u
'
s
a
n
s
w
e
w a s aa
trade question of novice Zen monks. Obaku's answerr was
b l o w . Puzzled,
P u z z l e d , I-hsuan
e t u r n e d to
the head
h e a d monk
m o n k and
and told
told
blow.
I-hsuan rreturned
to the
"Whippersnapper!"
criedDDaigu,
to ddo
" W h i p p e r s n a p p e r ! " cried
a i g u , ""I've
I ' v e nnothing
o t h i n g to
o with
with
yyou;
o u ; yyou're
o u ' r e Obaku's
O b a k u ' s problem.
p r o b l e m . Go
G o back
b a c k to
him!"
to him!"
I-hsuan
I-hsuan rreturned
e t u r n e d tto
o his
his hhome
ome m
monastery
o n a s t e r y and
and ggreeted
r e e t e d Obaku
Obaku
with
w
i t h aa slap.
slap.
"You
lunatic, ccoming
here to
to ppull
the ttiger's
" Y o u lunatic,
o m i n g bback
a c k here
u l l the
i g e r ' s whiskers!"
whiskers!"
sshouted
h o u t e d the
master, delighted
d e l i g h t e d at his
his student's
s t u d e n t ' s enlightenment.
enlightenment.
the master,
I-bsuan
e s p o n d e d wwith
i t h aa lloud
o u d shout,
s h o u t , the
the katsu!
katsul that
a s to
to
I-hsuan rresponded
that wwas
bbecome
e c o m e his
a l l m a r k as
as aa Z
e n teacher
teacher thereafter.
thereafter.
his hhallmark
Zen
this madman
""Take
T a k e this
m a d m a n bback
a c k tto
o the
the monk's
m o n k ' s quarters,"
q u a r t e r s , " said
said
O
b a k u , laughing.
laughing.
Obaku,
h
i m of
o f his
his eexperience
xperience w
i t h the
aster. B
okushu u
r g e d him
h i m to
to
him
with
the m
master.
Bokushu
urged
This
marked
the real
real bbeginning
T h i s apparently
a p p a r e n t l y mad
m a d exchange
exchange m
a r k e d the
e g i n n i n g of
of
ggo
o back
b a c k and
and ask
ask again.
a g a i n . Eagerly,
E a g e r l y , I-hsuan
I-hsuan sought
s o u g h t aa second
second
I-hsuan's
e n training.
training. Remaining
R e m a i n i n g with
w i t h Obaku
O b a k u and
and traveling
traveling
I-hsuan's ZZen
iinterview
n t e r v i e w and
s k e d the
a m e qquestion.
u e s t i o n . AAgain,
gain, O
b a k u hit
him.
and aasked
the ssame
Obaku
hit him.
back and
and fforth
between
Chiang-nan
and DDaigu's
back
orth b
etween C
h i a n g - n a n and
a i g u ' s hermitage
h e r m i t a g e in
A
g a i n he
e t u r n e d to
o k u s h u and
and related
related w
h a t had
h a d happened.
happened.
Again
he rreturned
to BBokushu
what
H
ung-chou p
r o v i n c e , he
h e honed
h o n e d his
his realization.
realization. The
T h e Buddhist
Buddhist
Hung-chou
province,
" G o back
b a c k and
and ask
ask again,"
a g a i n , " was
w a s the
the head
h e a d monk's
m o n k ' s advice.
a d v i c e . For
For aa
"Go
p
e r s e c u t i o n oof
f 845
i m sitting
u i e t l y at
a i g u ' s hermithermitpersecution
845 saw
sawhhim
sitting qquietly
at DDaigu's
tthird
h i r d time,
t i m e , the
the hapless
hapless young
y o u n g monk
m o n k returned
r e t u r n e d to
to Obaku's
Obaku's
age, making
m a k i n g occasional
o c c a s i o n a l forays
u t to
s t u d y with
w i t h Obaku's
Obaku's
age,
foraysoout
to study
B
u d d h a - D h a r m a ? " Again
A g a i n he
h e received
received aa b
l o w for
for his
his trouble.
trouble.
Buddha-Dharma?"
blow
T
h i s ttime
i m e he
h e went
w e n t back
b a c k to
to Bokushu
B o k u s h u and
and confessed
c o n f e s s e d that
that he
h e had
had
This
d h a r m a brothers
b r o t h e r s Isan
Isan (Kuei-shan)
( K u e i - s h a n ) and
and Kyozan
K y o z a n (Yang-shan),
(Yang-shan),
dharma
but
a
l
w
a
y
s
r
e
t
u
r
n
i
n
g
to
his
h
o
m
e
base
in
C
h
i
a
n
g - n a n . The
The
but always returning to his home base in Chiang-nan.
interchanges
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
I-hsuan
and
O
b
a
k
u
t
h
r
o
u
g
h
o
u
t
these
interchanges between I-hsuan and Obaku throughout these
in h i m s e l f for u p s e t t i n g O b a k u and g e t t i n g beaten, he h a d
in
himself for upsetting Obaku and getting beaten, he had
training years
y e a r s provide
p r o v i d e aa living
l i v i n g picture
p i c t u r e of
o f two
t w o religious
r e l i g i o u s geniuses
geniuses
training
in action.
action.
in
quarters
a s k e d , "What
" W h a t is
is the
the cardinal
cardinal principle
principle oof
f the
the
quarters and
and asked,
n
o idea
hat w
a s ggoing
o i n g oon,
n , but,
b u t , sure
sure that
that there
there was
w a s some
s o m e fault
fault
no
idea wwhat
was
r e s o l v e d t o leave the m o n a s t e r y . B o k u s h u , k e e n l y p e r c e p t i v e ,
resolved to leave the monastery. Bokushu, keenly perceptive,
secretly went to the master and told him of I-hsuan's plight,
r e c o m m e n d i n g that O b a k u k e e p an e y e o n the talented y o u n g
recommending
that Obaku keep an eye on the talented young
secretly w e n t to the m a s t e r a n d told h i m o f I-hsuan's p l i g h t ,
f e l l o w . T h e n he w e n t b a c k t o I-hsuan and t o l d h i m t o say
fellow.
Then he went back to I-hsuan and told him to say
g o o d - b y e t o O b a k u b e f o r e l e a v i n g . I-hsuan d u t i f u l l y f o l l o w e d
good-bye
to Obaku before leaving. I-hsuan dutifully followed
Bokushu's advice and went to pay his respects to the master.
D u r i n g the m e e t i n g , O b a k u m a d e casual reference t o D a i g u
During the meeting, Obaku made casual reference to Daigu
( T a - y u ) , a c o l l e a g u e l i v i n g in a h e r m i t a g e n o t far away, s u g (Ta-yu),
a colleague living in a hermitage not far away, sugg e s t i n g that I-hsuan m i g h t there find an a n s w e r to his q u e s t i o n .
gesting that I-hsuan might there find an answer to his question.
The
T h e ingenuous
i n g e n u o u s young
y o u n g monk
m o n k made
m a d e off
o f f for Daigu's
D a i g u ' s hermitage
hermitage
and, as
as ssoon
he arrived,
arrived, stated
stated his
his ddilemma.
rright
i g h t away
away and,
o o n as
as he
i l e m m a . But
But
B o k u s h u ' s a d v i c e and w e n t to pay his respects to the m a s t e r .
the cranky
the
c r a n k y old
o l d hermit
h e r m i t reproved
r e p r o v e d him,
h i m , saying,
s a y i n g , "You
" Y o u didn't
didn't
aappreciate
ppreciate O
b a k u ' s grandmotherly
grandmotherly k
i n d n e s s . " With
W i t h these
these
Obaku's
kindness."
Once,
O n c e , at
at work,
w o r k , hoeing
h o e i n g the
the ground,
g r o u n d , I-hsuan
I-hsuan saw
saw Obaku
Obaku
coming
and stopped
c o m i n g and
s t o p p e d to lean
lean on
o n his
his hoe.
h o e . Approaching,
A p p r o a c h i n g , Obaku
Obaku
called oout,
u t , "Is
" I s this guy
g u y tired
tired already?"
already?"
called
"How
" H o w can
c a n II be
b e tired when
w h e n II haven't
haven't even
even picked
p i c k e d up
u p my
m y hoe?"
hoe?"
I-hsuan
r
e
t
o
r
t
e
d
.
I-hsuan retorted.
Obaku
O b a k u hit him,
h i m , and
and I-hsuan
I-hsuan next
n e x t seized
seized the
the teacher's
teacher's stick,
stick,
poking
with
p o k i n g hhim
im w
i t h it
it until
until the
the older
o l d e r man
m a n fell
fell down.
d o w n . "Hey,
"Hey,
f o r e m a n , " hhe
e cried
cried oout
u t to the
the work
w o r k leader,
leader, "Help
" H e l p me
m e up!"
up!"
foreman,"
T
h a t I-hsuan
I-hsuan could
c o u l d knock
k n o c k Obaku
O b a k u down
d o w n was
w a s in itself
i t s e l f aa feat,
feat,
That
since
aster w
a s aa sseven-foot-tall
e v e n - f o o t - t a l l ppowerhouse
o w e r h o u s e oof
f aa man.
man.
since the
the m
master
was
The
and sshouted,
why
T
h e fforeman
o r e m a n ccame
a m e rrunning
u n n i n g and
h o u t e d , ""Master,
Master, w
h y do
do
y o u let
let this madman
m a d m a n get
g e t away
a w a y with
w i t h such
s u c h disrespect?"
disrespect?"
you
As
as OObaku
A
s ssoon
o o n as
b a k u was
w a s upright,
u p r i g h t , he
he hit
hit the
the work
w o r k leader.
leader.
w
o r d s , I-hsuan
I-hsuan achieved
achieved realization
h o u t e d , ""Ah
A h .. .. . . so
so
words,
realization and
and sshouted,
I-hsuan wwent
to his
I-hsuan
e n t bback
a c k to
his hoeing,
h o e i n g , exclaiming,
e x c l a i m i n g , ""They
T h e y bury
bury
there's
o t much
m u c h to
to Obaku's
O b a k u ' s dharma
d h a r m a at
at all!"
a l l ! " Daigu
D a i g u answered
answered
there's nnot
the
dead all
the dead
all oover.
v e r . But
B u t here II bury
b u r y people
p e o p l e alive!"
alive!"
This
T
h i s insistence
insistence oon
n the absolute
a b s o l u t e dignity
d i g n i t y of
o f even
even the youngest
youngest
h
im w
i t h a blow,
b l o w , which
w h i c h I-hsuan
I-hsuan returned
returned in
in kind.
kind.
him
with
30
30
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
Rinzai
Rinzai
31
31
traditional
the ""finished"
Zen
traditional ppilgrimage
i l g r i m a g e oof
f the
finished" Z
e n monk.
m o n k . Mature
Mature
in his
to challenge
eenough
n o u g h in
his understanding
u n d e r s t a n d i n g to
c h a l l e n g e aa host
h o s t of
o f famous
famous
teachers
teachers tthroughout
h r o u g h o u t the land, I-hsuan
I-hsuan displayed
d i s p l a y e d his
his charactercharacter-
man
m a n in
in the
the pecking
p e c k i n g order
o r d e r was
w a s not
n o t merely
m e r e l y symbolic
s y m b o l i c of
o f Zen
Zen
p
l a y f u l n e s s , bbut
u t aa p
r o f o u n d l y serious challenge
c h a l l e n g e to the imperial
imperial
playfulness,
profoundly
h
i e r a r c h y oof
f the
the T'ang
T ' a n g code,
c o d e , where
w h e r e insubordination
i n s u b o r d i n a t i o n was
w a s aa
hierarchy
istic iindependence
spirit even
even atathis
hispparting
Obaku.
istic
n d e p e n d e n c e oof
f spirit
a r t i n g ffrom
rom O
b a k u . As
As
capital offense.
b a k u ' s appreciation
a p p r e c i a t i o n of
o f such
s u c h clear understandunderstandcapital
offense. O
Obaku's
iing
n g of
o f the "great
" g r e a t matter"
m a t t e r " of
o f life
life and
and death
death is
is illustrated
illustrated by
b y his
his
consistent
a
p
p
r
o
v
a
l
o
f
I-hsuan's
apparent
r
u
d
e
n
e
s
s
.
In
a
s
o
c
i
e
ty
consistent approval of I-hsuan's apparent rudeness. In a society
the master
the
m a s t e r bid
b i d him
h i m good-bye
g o o d - b y e at the
the gate,
gate, he
he offered
o f f e r e d him
him
several articles
articleshe
he had
had inherited
inherited ffrom
several
r o m his
his teacher,
teacher, the
the great
great
Hyakujo.
H y a k u j o . ""Here,
H e r e , take
take this
this armrest
a r m r e s t and
and lectern,"
l e c t e r n , " said
said Obaku,
Obaku,
r i d d l e d with
w i t h Confucian
C o n f u c i a n notions
n o t i o n s of
o f "place,"
" p l a c e , " these
these two
t w o freely
freely
riddled
i m p r o v i s e d their
their spiritual
spiritual drama
d r a m a of
o f "revolution"
" r e v o l u t i o n " and
a n d individindividimprovised
ssymbolically
y m b o l i c a l l y ggranting
r a n t i n g ddhartna
h a r m a transmission
t r a n s m i s s i o n tto
o his
his departing
departing
ual freedom.
freedom.
ual
student.
d o w n the hall,
hall, Bokushu,
B o k u s h u , the
the head
h e a d monk,
m o n k , was
w a s sitting
sitting diligently
diligently
down
m e d i t a t i o n . Obaku
O b a k u hit
hit the
the sounding
s o u n d i n g board
b o a r d again
a g a i n and
and walked
walked
in meditation.
u p directly
d i r e c t l y behind
behind h
i m , shouting,
s h o u t i n g , "That
" T h a t young
y o u n g fellow
f e l l o w sitting
sitting
up
him,
d o w n there
there in
in the
the lesser
lesser seat
seat is
is really
really m
e d i t a t i n g . You
Y o u and
your
down
meditating.
and your
ffancy
a n c y nnotions-what
o t i o n s — w h a t do
d o you
y o u think
t h i n k you're
y o u ' r e doing?"
doing?"
Bokushu
the old
B
o k u s h u replied,
replied, ""What
W h a t does
d o e s the
o l d boy
b o y want
w a n t from
f r o m me?"
me?"
O
b a k u hit the board
b o a r d once
o n c e again
again and
and w
a l k e d out.
out.
Obaku
walked
"The
" T h e dharma
d h a r m a has
has no
n o need
n e e d of
o f such
s u c h things,"
t h i n g s , " replied
replied I-hsuan,
I-hsuan,
""why
w h y don't
d o n ' t you
y o u burn
b u r n them?"
them?"
Obaku,
O
b a k u , who
w h o knew
k n e w his
his dharma
d h a r m a heir
heir intimately,
i n t i m a t e l y , said,
said, "Take
"Take
them
In the
the future,
future, yyou'll
the ttongue
t h e m along
a l o n g anyway.
a n y w a y . In
o u ' l l cut
cut off
o f f the
o n g u e of
of
every
man
in the world!"
every m
a n in
world!"
Still, I-hsuan
I-hsuan sstubbornly
refused, lleaving
the armStill,
t u b b o r n l y refused,
e a v i n g wwithout
i t h o u t the
armrest and
lectern. Even
at the
the last,
last, an
an aapparently
and lectern.
E v e n at
p p a r e n t l y iironic
r o n i c exchange
exchange
signified
the deep
signified the
d e e p and
and abiding
a b i d i n g wordless
w o r d l e s s connection
c o n n e c t i o n between
between
the two
t w o radical
radical Zen
Z e n men.
men.
Having
H a v i n g ggrown
r o w n a beard
b e a r d and
and shoulder-length
s h o u l d e r - l e n g t h hair,
hair, I-hsuan
I-hsuan
wandered
w a n d e r e d for
for over
o v e r a year,
y e a r , testing
testing his
his realization
realization along
a l o n g the
the way
way
Contrary
C o n t r a r y to
to the
the teacher
teacher worship
w o r s h i p and
and miracle
m i r a c l e seeking
s e e k i n g that
that
w
ent o
n in the
the vast
vast majority
m a j o r i t y of
o f Buddhist
B u d d h i s t monasteries,
m o n a s t e r i e s , these
these
went
on
awaywwith
the cconfidence
that nnone
aalways
l w a y s ccoming
o m i n g away
i t h the
o n f i d e n c e that
o n e were
w e r e any
any
Once
O
n c e when
w h e n I-hsuan
I-hsuan was
w a s asleep
asleep on
o n his
his meditation
m e d i t a t i o n cushion,
cushion,
O b a k u came
c a m e into
i n t o the
the hall
hall and hit
hit the
the wooden
w o o d e n sounding
s o u n d i n g board
board
Obaku
w i t h his
his stick.
stick. I-hsuan
I-hsuan oopened
p e n e d his
e y e s , saw
saw who
w h o it
it was
was
his eyes,
with
b a n g i n g on
o n the board,
b o a r d , and
and went
w e n t right
r i g h t back
b a c k to
to sleep.
sleep. Further
Further
banging
with
w i t h aa series
series of
o f famous
f a m o u s and
and not-so-famous
n o t - s o - f a m o u s Zen
Z e n teachers,
teachers,
Z
e n students were
w e r e exercising
e x e r c i s i n g the finest
finest display
display oof
f the
BuddhaZen
the Buddha-
kind ooff match
kind
m a t c h for
for him.
h i m . Was
Was this
this arrogance,
a r r o g a n c e , or
or was
w a s it more
more
D
h a r m a . Perfectly
Perfectly "democratic"
" d e m o c r a t i c " in
in their
their expression
e x p r e s s i o n of
o f insight,
insight,
Dharma.
perhaps an
an eexpression
perhaps
x p r e s s i o n of
o f the absolute
a b s o l u t e freedom
f r e e d o m he
he had
had achieved?
achieved?
Att last
last hhe
made
his wway
in ChenA
e m
a d e his
a y nnorth,
o r t h , eending
n d i n g his
his ppilgrimage
i l g r i m a g e in
Chen-
l u c i d and
and aware
aware at
all times
t i m e s of
o f what
w h a t they
t h e y and
and their
their teachers
teachers
lucid
at all
w
e
r
e
u
p
t
o
,
t
h
e
y
declared
their
basic
h
u
m
a
n
f
r
e
e
d
o
m
in
every
were up to, they declared their basic human freedom in every
ggesture
e s t u r e and
s
h
o
u
t
.
I-hsuan
w
a
s
consistent,
b
e
h
a
v
i
n
g
the
same
and shout. I-hsuan was consistent, behaving the same
w
a y even
i t h venerable
v e n e r a b l e teachers
okusan. O
n c e , while
while
way
even wwith
teachers like
like TTokusan.
Once,
aattending
t t e n d i n g the
o l d man,
m a n , he
he responded
r e s p o n d e d to
to the
the master's
m a s t e r ' s assertion
assertion
the old
that
he was
w a s tired
tired by
b y saying,
s a y i n g , "What
" W h a t is
is this
this old
o l d guy
g u y mumbling
mumbling
that he
in
his
s
l
e
e
p
?
"
W
h
e
n
T
o
k
u
s
a
n
hit
h
i
m
in
r
e
s
p
o
n
s
e
I-hsuan
in his sleep?" When Tokusan hit him in response,, I-hsuan
p
u
l
l
e
d
the
teacher's
seat
o
u
t
f
r
o
m
u
n
d
e
r
h
i
m
.
T
o
k
u
s
a
n
o t up
up
pulled the teacher's seat out from under him. Tokusan ggot
in HHopei.
Here,
under
the generous
cchou
h o u pprefecture
r e f e c t u r e in
opei. H
ere, u
n d e r the
g e n e r o u s patronage
patronage
of
o f the
the autonomous
a u t o n o m o u s military
m i l i t a r y governor
g o v e r n o r Wang,
W a n g , oon
n the
the banks
b a n k s of
of
the river
river HHu-to,
the
u - t o , the monk
m o n k I-hsuan
I-hsuan became
b e c a m e the
the teacher
teacher Rinzai,
Rinzai,
after his
Yuan),
nnamed
a m e d after
his temple
t e m p l e Rinzai-ji
R i n z a i - j i (Lin-chi
(Lin-chi Y
u a n ) , ""the
t h e temple
temple
overlooking
the ford."
o
v e r l o o k i n g the
ford."
Though
was
left to
T h o u g h Rinzai
Rinzai w
a s left
to his
his own
o w n devices
devices by
b y the
the local
local
governor,
g o v e r n o r , he
h e did
did not
n o t achieve
achieve great fame,
f a m e , and his temple
t e m p l e always
always
and
w e n t back
b a c k to
to his
his room.
r o o m . Most
M o s t significant
significant in
in understanding
understanding
and went
remained
rather ssmall
the beaten
beatenttrack-no
r e m a i n e d rather
m a l l aand
n d ooff
f f the
r a c k — n o competicompetition
Wu-t'ai
the hholy
tion ffor
o r the
the fabulous
fabulous W
u - t ' a i monastery
m o n a s t e r y aatop
t o p the
o l y mounmounrain
that
towered
over
Chen-chou
and
gathered
thousands
tain that t o w e r e d o v e r C h e n - c h o u and g a t h e r e d t h o u s a n d s of
of
Buddhist
all over
B
u d d h i s t ppilgrims
i l g r i m s ffrom
r o m all
o v e r Asia.
A s i a . His
H i s popularity
p o p u l a r i t y was
was
these
pparently w
i l d and
n r u l y exchanges
e x c h a n g e s is
man
these aapparently
wild
and uunruly
is that
that neither
neither man
is
e n g a g e d in
c o n t e s t to
t o prove
p r o v e his
his superiority,
s u p e r i o r i t y , that
that neither
neither
is engaged
in aa contest
w i n s n o r loses; the p l a y ' s the t h i n g .
wins nor loses; the play's the thing.
modest
well;
no
m o d e s t as
as w
ell; n
o rrecord
e c o r d of
o f a huge
h u g e assembly
a s s e m b l y of
o f monks
m o n k s exists,
exists,
Around
I-hsuan, nnow
in his
his forties,
set oout
A r o u n d 849,
849, I-hsuan,
o w in
forties, set
u t on
o n the
the
32
32
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
I
Rinzai
Rinzai
33
33
monks;
and even
tthough
h o u g h visitors
v i s i t o r s appeared,
a p p e a r e d , both
b o t h laypeople
l a y p e o p l e aand
nd m
o n k s ; and
even
bray.
R i n z a i sshouted,
h o u t e d , ""This
T h i s robber!"
r o b b e r ! " And
A n d Fuke
F u k e took
took
hi-ay. Rinzai
an
en m
a s t e r like
o s h u wwas
a s kknown
n o w n to
urn u
p at
an illustrious
illustrious ZZen
master
likeJJoshu
to tturn
up
(ailing
u d l y , ""Robber,
R o b b e r , robber!"
robber!"
,fillingl oloudly,
No
in oone-upmanship,
N
o mere
m e r e exercise
exercise in
n e - u p m a n s h i p , this
this kind
k i n d of
o f encounter
encounter
served
as aa fine
fine oopportunity
served as
p p o r t u n i t y ffor
o r sharpening
s h a r p e n i n g ZZen
e n insight.
i n s i g h t . No
No
his
a t e . But
B u t more
m o r e important
i m p o r t a n t was
w a s the
the appearance
a p p e a r a n c e of
o f Fuke
F u k e (P'u(P'uhis ggate.
hua),
divine
h
u a ) , a mysterious
mysterious d
i v i n e ffool
o o l oof
f a man,
m a n , the
the enigmatic
e n i g m a t i c helper
helper
w
h o , it
it had
h a d been
been predicted
p r e d i c t e d years
y e a r s before,
b e f o r e , would
would
who,
event
a s ttoo
o o oordinary,
r d i n a r y , no
n o place
place was
w a s unfit, and no
n o person
p e r s o n was
was
event wwas
manifest
manifest
ttoo
oo h
i g h or
o r too
t o o low
l o w for
f o r dharma
d h a r m a play.
play. Fuke,
F u k e , even
even m
o r e literally
high
more
himself
h
i m s e l f ffor
o r Rinzai's
R i n z a i ' s benefit.
benefit. Fuke
F u k e was
w a s an
an almost
a l m o s t supernatural
supernatural
ffigure,
i g u r e , appearing
a p p e a r i n g and
and disappearing
d i s a p p e a r i n g from
f r o m Rinzai's
Rinzai's
than RRinzai,
was
monk,
but
than
inzai, w
a s aa hhomeless
omeless m
onk, b
u t both
b o t h were
w e r e homeless
h o m e l e s s in
in
assembly,
assembly,
the
the truest
truest sense,
sense, for
f o r both
b o t h had
h a d abandoned
a b a n d o n e d all
all egoistic
e g o i s t i c craving
craving
w
a n d e r i n g tthrough
h r o u g h the
the marketplace,
m a r k e t p l a c e , and
and goading
g o a d i n g even
even the
Zen
wandering
the Zen
.findnnotions
were
and
o t i o n s oof
f sself-importance.
e l f - i m p o r t a n c e . AAnd
n d bboth
oth w
e r e ttherefore
h e r e f o r e at
establishment w
i t h his
r a n k s . Much
M u c h of
o f his
his style
style
establishment
with
his riddles
riddles and
and ppranks.
h o m e everywhere.
everywhere.
home
rrubbed
u b b e d off
o f f on
o n Rinzai,
R i n z a i , whose
w h o s e personal
p e r s o n a l bbrand
rand o
eccentric
off eccentric
Fuke,
the social
F u k e , entirely
entirely outside
o u t s i d e the
social oorder,
r d e r , a cartwheel-turning
cartwheel-turning
curmudgeon,
c u r m u d g e o n , used
u s e d to
to roam
r o a m about
a b o u t in
in the
the streets
streets ringing
r i n g i n g aa bell
bell
:mnd
it comes
and c rcrying
y i n g oout:
u t : ""When
W h e n it
c o m e s in
in brightness,
b r i g h t n e s s , I hit
hit the
the
iindividualism
n d i v i d u a l i s m flourished
y e a r s of
o f his
his teaching
teaching
flourished in
in the
the short
short ten
ten years
career.
T h e i r antic
antic partnership
p a r t n e r s h i p is
is depicted
d e p i c t e d in
in several
several vignettes
vignettes
career. Their
aappearing
p p e a r i n g in
in The
The Record
Record of
of
off,
off,
Rinzai.
Rinzai.
brightness.
When
in ddarkens,
brightness. W
h e n itit ccomes
o m e s in
a r k e n s s , II hit
hit the
the darkness.
darkness.
Rinzai
once
R
i n z a i aand
n d Fuke
Fuke o
n c e went
w e n t to aa vegetarian
vegetarian banquet
b a n q u e t given
g i v e n in
in
When
it ccomes
directions,
hit like
like aa wwhirlwind,
W h e n it
o m e s ffrom
r o m all
all d
i r e c t i o n s , I hit
h i r l w i n d , and
and
when
w h e n it comes
c o m e s out
o u t of
o f the blue,
b l u e , II flail
flail it."
it."
their
their honor
h o n o r by
b y aa local
l o c a l supporter.
s u p p o r t e r . Rinzai
R i n z a i presented
p r e s e n t e d aa k
o a n to
koan
Fuke
F u k e while
w h i l e they
t h e y were
w e r e eating.
eating.
Hearing
this, Rinzai
his monks
H e a r i n g this,
R i n z a i iinstructed
n s t r u c t e d oone
n e oof
f his
m o n k s to
t o grab
grab
""A
A hair
hair swallows
s w a l l o w s the vast
vast ocean,
o c e a n , aa mustard
m u s t a r d seed
seed contains
contains
Fuke
and ddemand,
F
u k e and
e m a n d , ""If
I f it does
d o e s not
n o t come
c o m e in
in any
a n y of
o f these
these ways,
ways,
Mount
M
o u n t Sumeru.
S u m e r u . Does
D o e s this
this happen
h a p p e n by
by m
e a n s of
o f supernatural
supernatural
means
w
h a t then?"
then?"
what
is the
the wwhole
body
Fuke
to the
ppowers,
o w e r s , oor
r is
hole b
o d y like
like tthis?"
his?" F
u k e rresponded
e s p o n d e d to
The
wriggled
T h e monk
m o n k did
d i d as
as he
h e was
w a s bid.
b i d . But
B u t Fuke
F u k e only
only w
r i g g l e d out
o u t of
of
kkoan
o a n by
b y kicking
k i c k i n g over
o v e r the table.
table.
his ggrasp
said, "Tomorrow
his
r a s p aand
n d said,
" T o m o r r o w there's aa nice
nice free
free lunch
l u n c h at the
the
""You
Y o u rruffian!"
u f f i a n ! " cried
cried Rinzai.
Rinzai.
Monastery
Great
M
o n a s t e r y oof
f G
r e a t Compassion."
Compassion."
place
is this
this to
""What
What p
l a c e is
to speak
s p e a k of
o f rough
r o u g h and
and refined?"
r e f i n e d ? " Fuke
Fuke
When
W h e n the
the monk
m o n k returned
r e t u r n e d and
a n d told
t o l d Rinzai
R i n z a i what
w h a t had
h a d haphap-
ccountered.
ountered.
pened,
Rinzai
said, ""II wwas
that guy."
p
ened, R
i n z a i said,
a s aalways
l w a y s i intrigued
n t r i g u e d bby
y that
guy."
The
T h e next
n e x t day
day they
t h e y again
again went
w e n t out
o u t together
t o g e t h e r tto
o a supporter's
supporter's
luncheon,
l u n c h e o n , and
a n d Rinzai
R i n z a i opened
o p e n e d the
the discussion,
d i s c u s s i o n , saying,
s a y i n g , "How
"How
does
d o e s today's
t o d a y ' s meal
m e a l compare
c o m p a r e with
w i t h yesterday's?"
y e s t e r d a y ' s ? " Fuke
F u k e kicked
kicked
over
o
v e r the
the table
table again,
again, and
and Rinzai
R i n z a i said,
said, "You
" Y o u certainly
certainly underunderstand it,
it, but
stand
b u t you're
y o u ' r e still
still aaruffian.
r u f f i a n ." This
T h i s time
t i m e Fuke
F u k e replied,
replied,
man;
what
""You
Y o u bblind
lind m
an; w
h a t are you
y o u doing
d o i n g preaching
p r e a c h i n g roughness
r o u g h n e s s and
and
fineness in
in the
the BBuddha-Dharma!"
by
fineness
u d d h a - D h a r m a ! " Rinzai
R i n z a i ccountered
ountered b
y sticking
sticking
his ttongue,
oout
u t his
o n g u e , an old
o l d Chinese
C h i n e s e expression
e x p r e s s i o n oof
f admiration.
admiration.
In perhaps
In
p e r h a p s the most
m o s t folkloric
f o l k l o r i c of
o f their
their exchanges,
e x c h a n g e s , Fuke
F u k e and
and
Rinzai
off Zen,
R
i n z a i ddemonstrated
e m o n s t r a t e d nothing
n o t h i n g less
less than the central issue
issue o
Zen,
the question
the
q u e s t i o n of
o f birth
b i r t h and
and death.
d e a t h . Begging
B e g g i n g every
every passerby
p a s s e r b y in
in the
the
itation hall
itation
hall chomping
c h o m p i n g on
o n raw
r a w cabbage.
c a b b a g e . Rinzai
R i n z a i saw
i m and
and
saw hhim
marketplace
to give
him
m a r k e t p l a c e to
give h
i m a robe,
r o b e , Fuke
F u k e refused
refused all
all offers
offers until
until
Rinzai
coffin ffor
R i n z a i ppurchased
u r c h a s e d aa coffin
o r hhim,
i m , saying,
s a y i n g , "Here,
" H e r e , I've
I've had
had aa
robe m
a d e ffor
o r you."
you."
robe
made
Fuke
F u k e ttook
o o k up
u p the
the coffin,
coffin, slung
s l u n g it
it across
across his
his shoulders,
s h o u l d e r s , and
and
returned
to
the
market,
crying,
"Rinzai
had
this
robe
made
returned to
m a r k e t , c r y i n g , " R i n z a i h a d this r o b e m a d e for
for
me!
m e ! II'm
' m off
o f f to the
the east
east gate
g a t e of
o f the
the city
city to
t o die!"
d i e ! " People
P e o p l e gathered
gathered
and
and ran after
after the town
t o w n fool
f o o l to
to see
see what
w h a t he was
w a s up
u p to this
this time.
time.
Approaching
the east
east gate,
gate, FFuke
and said,
said, "No,
A
p p r o a c h i n g the
u k e tturned
u r n e d aaround
r o u n d and
"No,
and
die."
not
I'll go
n
o t today.
t o d a y . I'll
g o to the
the south
s o u t h gate
gate tomorrow
t o m o r r o w and d i e . " This
This
called oout,
have quite
quite the
the air
air ooff an
called
u t , "You
" Y o u have
s s ! " FFuke
u k e started
an aass!"
started to
charade wwent
three days,
charade
e n t oon
n ffor
o r three
d a y s , until the people
p e o p l e stopped
s t o p p e d paying
paying
On
O
n another
a n o t h e r occasion,
o c c a s i o n , Fuke,
F u k e , who
w h o ccame
a m e and
w e n t as
as he
he
and went
pleased, ssometimes
pleased,
o m e t i m e s jjoining
o i n i n g Rinzai's
R i n z a i ' s assembly,
a s s e m b l y , but
b u t mostly
mostly
hanging
sitting ooutside
the medh
a n g i n g aaround
r o u n d the marketplace,
m a r k e t p l a c e , was
w a s sitting
u t s i d e the
med-
34
34
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
I
Rinzai
Rinzai
35
35
to him.
aattention
t t e n t i o n to
h i m . On
O n the
the fourth
f o u r t h day,
day, all
all alone,
a l o n e , Fuke
F u k e carried
carried
*
the coffin
coffin oout
the city
city wwalls,
it, and
the
u t bbeyond
e y o n d the
a l l s , ggot
o t iinto
n t o it,
and stretched
stretched
*
*
All
the wwritten
A
l l the
r i t t e n information
i n f o r m a t i o n that
that remains
r e m a i n s of
o f Rinzai's
R i n z a i ' s life
life and
and
hhimself
i m s e l f oout
u t like a corpse.
corpse.
the
o t e i (Pu-tai),
B o d h i s a t t v a of
o f the
marketplace.
the spirit
spirit ooff H
Hotei
(Pu-tai), the Bodhisattva
the marketplace.
is contained
of Rinzai
Rinzai in
in the
the form
tteaching
e a c h i n g is
c o n t a i n e d within
w i t h i n The
The Record
Record of
form
of
his
discourses
to
students
and
visitors
at
Rinzai
ji,
o f his d i s c o u r s e s to students and v i s i t o r s at R i n z a i - j i , and
a n d an
an
it was
aappended
p p e n d e d bbiography.
i o g r a p h y . TThough
h o u g h it
w a s not
n o t collected
c o l l e c t e d ffor
o r more
more
than three
three hundred
than
h u n d r e d years
y e a r s after
after his
his death,
death, it
it is
is nonetheless
n o n e t h e l e s s aa
powerful
to the
vvividly
ividly p
o w e r f u l ttestimony
e s t i m o n y to
the revolutionary,
r e v o l u t i o n a r y , colloquial,
colloquial,
even
even vvulgar
u l g a r sstrength
t r e n g t h of
o f Rinzai's
R i n z a i ' s teaching
t e a c h i n g style.
style. Indeed,
I n d e e d , he
he
brilliant iimproviser,
ccomes
o m e s fforth
o r t h as
as aa brilliant
m p r o v i s e r , exhorting
e x h o r t i n g his
his listeners
listeners in
in
words
and gestures
to bbe
sshocking
hocking w
o r d s and
g e s t u r e s aalways
l w a y s to
e themselves.
t h e m s e l v e s . Using
Using
the direct
the
direct Socratic
S o c r a t i c dialogue
d i a l o g u e approach,
a p p r o a c h , he invited
i n v i t e d questioners
questioners
to
challenge
him
in
nose-to-nose
confrontation,
and
did not
to c h a l l e n g e h i m in n o s e - t o - n o s e c o n f r o n t a t i o n , and did
not
hesitate tto
and pphysically
less than
than worthy
hesitate
o vverbally
e r b a l l y and
h y s i c a l l y bbrowbeat
r o w b e a t less
worthy
opponents.
Rinzai's
o p p o n e n t s . Belying
Belying R
i n z a i ' s hharsh
a r s h eexterior,
x t e r i o r , tthough,
h o u g h , is
is his
his
rremarkable
e m a r k a b l e hhumanism,
u m a n i s m , his
his insistence
insistence on
o n the
the unconditioned
unconditioned
value ooff iindividual
value
n d i v i d u a l hhuman
u m a n ddignity,
i g n i t y , aa ttheme
h e m e that
that was
w a s unheard
unheard
A ppasserby
his rrequest
to nail
nail ddown
A
a s s e r b y oobliged
b l i g e d his
e q u e s t to
o w n the lid
lid and
and then
then
entered
the marketplace
e n t e r e d the
m a r k e t p l a c e tto
o rreport
e p o r t to the
the townsfolk
t o w n s f o l k about
a b o u t the
the
s t r a n g e occurrence.
occurrence. T
h e local
l o c a l ppeople
e o p l e all
a s h e d to
the spot,
spot,
strange
The
all ddashed
to the
eeager
a g e r tto
o see
see w
h a t Fuke
Fuke w
a s uup
p tto;
o ; but
b u t when
w h e n they
t h e y opened
o p e n e d the
the
what
was
coffin
t
h
e
y
f
o
u
n
d
it
e
m
p
t
y
.
A
l
l
that
w
a
s
left
o
f
the
d
i
v
i
n
e
f
o
ol
coffin they found it empty. All that was left of
divine fool
w
a s the
tinkle of
o f his
his bell
o m i n g ffrom
r o m high
h i g h up
u p in
in the
the sky.
sky.
was
the tinkle
bell ccoming
Rinzai
was
R
inzai w
a s rreputed
e p u t e d ffor
o r his
his fierceness,
fierceness, FFuke
u k e ffor
o r his
his antic
antic
disposition.
Together,
in the
the fashion
artists, tthey
d
isposition. T
o g e t h e r , in
fashion oof
f artists,
h e y took
t o o k Zen
Zen
tteaching
e a c h i n g iinto
n t o the
the streets
streets and
and made
m a d e it
it available
available to
to even
even the
the
ssimplest
i m p l e s t sshopkeeper.
hopkeeper. W
With
i t h nno
o interest
interest in
in ppropagating
r o p a g a t i n g monastic
monastic
B
uddhism, w
i t h o u t even
even aa concern
c o n c e r n ffor
o r the
the appropriateness
a p p r o p r i a t e n e s s of
of
Buddhism,
without
their
o d i u m or constituency,
c o n s t i t u e n c y , they
t h e y lived,
lived, acted,
acted, and
and embodied
embodied
their ppodium
The
the small
the ford
T
h e world
w o r l d around
a r o u n d the
s m a l l ttemple
e m p l e oon
n the
f o r d was
w a s in
in
in the
and social
socialmmilieu
oof
f in
the spiritual
spiritual and
i l i e u ininwwhich
h i c h hhe
e ttaught-in
aught—in
constant
c o n s t a n t turmoil.
t u r m o i l . Soldiers
S o l d i e r s were
w e r e everywhere,
e v e r y w h e r e , and
and invasions
i n v a s i o n s by
by
northern
n
o r t h e r n barbarians
barbarians were
w e r e an
an almost
a l m o s t daily
daily concern.
c o n c e r n . Politically,
Politically,
n
o t h i n g could
c o u l d be
be more
m o r e dangerous
d a n g e r o u s than
r e a c h i n g aany
n y sort
of
nothing
than ppreaching
sort of
iindividualism
ndividualism o
r
a
d
v
o
c
a
t
i
n
g
a
b
o
l
i
t
i
o
n
o
f
rank.
Yet
it
w
a
s
here
or advocating abolition of rank. Yet was here
that
R i n z a i ' s unmitigated
u n m i t i g a t e d nondualism,
n o n d u a l i s m , his insistence
insistence oon
n comcomthat Rinzai's
Taoism,
which
T
aoism, w
h i c h was
w a s nature-centered,
n a t u r e - c e n t e r e d , or
o r in
in Confucianism,
Confucianism,
plete
a b a n d o n m e n t oof
f religious
r e l i g i o u s dogma
d o g m a or dependence
d e p e n d e n c e on
on
plete abandonment
listeners wwere
often as
as not
listeners
e r e often
n o t shocked
s h o c k e d at
at hearing
h e a r i n g themselves
themselves
eexternal
x t e r n a l events,
r e w iinto
n t o the
c h o o l that
a m e to
e kknown
n o w n in
events, ggrew
the sschool
that ccame
to bbe
referred to
to as
referred
as Bodhisattvas,
B o d h i s a t t v a s , Buddhas,
B u d d h a s , and
and Patriarchs,
Patriarchs, and
and his
his
which
was
w
hich w
a s preoccupied
p r e o c c u p i e d wwith
i t h social
social fform
o r m and
a n d denied
d e n i e d any
any
to the
aautonomy
u t o n o m y to
the individual,
i n d i v i d u a l , or
or in
in Buddhism,
B u d d h i s m , which
w h i c h was
was
and ootherworldly.
ddevotional
e v o t i o n a l and
t h e r w o r l d l y . For
F o r Rinzai,
R i n z a i , the human
h u m a n being
b e i n g was
was
no
n
o philosophical
p h i l o s o p h i c a l aabstraction,
b s t r a c t i o n , bbut
u t a Buddha
B u d d h a in the
the flesh.
flesh. His
His
Japan
as Rinzai
R i n z a i Zen.
Z e n . His
H i s immediate
i m m e d i a t e disciples
disciples numbered
n u m b e r e d no
no
Japan as
patrons wwere
probably
no
patrons
ere p
robably n
o less
less abashed
abashed bby
y his
his total disregard
disregard
m
o r e than
than twenty-five,
t w e n t y - f i v e , with
w i t h Sansho
S a n s h o Enen
E n e n (San-sheng
( S a n - s h e n g Hui-jan)
Hui-jan)
more
for caste
caste oor
in his
his ddoctrine
the "true
for
r aauthority,
u t h o r i t y , expounded
e x p o u n d e d in
o c t r i n e oof
f the
"true
listed
a m o u s unorthodox
unorthodox
listed as
as his
his direct
direct heir
heir after
after the
the master's
master's ffamous
man
off nnoo rank.
m
an o
r a n k .""
last
o r d s oof
f ttransmission:
r a n s m i s s i o n : ""Who
W h o would
w o u l d have
have tthought
h o u g h t II would
would
last wwords
Facing
his aaudience,
criedoout,
F
a c i n g his
u d i e n c e , hhe
e cried
u t , ""On
O n your
y o u r lump
l u m p of
o f red
red
flesh
is
a
true
man
of
no
rank
who
is
always
coming
in
and
flesh is a true m a n o f n o r a n k w h o is a l w a y s c o m i n g
and
pass
n m
y dharma
d h a r m a to
to such
such a
a blind
b l i n d donkey!"
d o n k e y ! " It
It was
w a s oonly
n l y in
the
pass oon
my
in the
seventh ggeneration
eneration o
R i n z a i ' s successors,
successors, with
w i t h Sekiso
S e k i s o Soen
Soen
seventh
off Rinzai's
((Shih-shuang
S h i h - s h u a n g CCh'u-yuan,
h ' u - y u a n , 986-1039),
9 8 6 - 1 0 3 9 ) , that
that his
his line
line spread
spread south
south
and
o v e r c a m e all
ther Z
e n schools
s c h o o l s oof
f the
S u n g ddynasty.
y n a s t y . The
The
and overcame
all oother
Zen
the Sung
rrecords
e c o r d s conflict
n the
date of
o f his
his death,
death, one
o n e claiming
c l a i m i n g that
that he
he
conflict oon
the date
off yyour
ggoing
o i n g oout
u t of
o f each
each o
o u r faces.
faces. Those
T h o s e who
w h o haven't
haven't yet
y e t verified
verified
him,
h i m , look,
l o o k , look!"
look!"
Am
monk
and asked,
A
o n k approached
a p p r o a c h e d hhim
i m and
asked, ""What
W h a t about
a b o u t the
the true
man
without
m
an w
i t h o u t rank?"
rank?"
Rinzai
and, putting
R
i n z a i sstepped
t e p p e d ddown
o w n ffrom
r o m his teaching
t e a c h i n g seat
seat and,
p u t t i n g his
his
face close
closeuup
the m
monk's,
face
p tto
o the
o n k ' s , said,
said, "What
" W h a t about
a b o u t the true
true man
man
oof
f nno
o rrank?"
a n k ? " Then,
T h e n , seizing
s e i z i n g the
the monk
m o n k by
b y the
the lapels
lapels of
o f his
his robe,
robe,
he
shouted,
"Speak!
Speak!"
he s h o u t e d , " S p e a k ! S p e a k ! "
died
n 18
18 F
e b r u a r y 867,
867, aand
n d aanother
n o t h e r saying
s a y i n g 27
a y 866.
Both
died oon
February
27 M
May
866. Both
aaccounts
c c o u n t s aagree,
gree, h
o w e v e r , that
as n
o t ill,
and that
that he
h e seated
seated
however,
that hhee w
was
not
ill, and
h
i m s e l f and
p o k e to
to his
his disciples
disciples with
w i t h characteristic
characteristic humor
humor
himself
and sspoke
and
e f o r e closing
c l o s i n g his
his eyes
e y e s and
and dying
d y i n g peacefully.
peacefully.
and alacrity
alacrity bbefore
36
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
I
Rinzai
Rinzai
37
37
The
T
h e monk
m o n k hesitated,
hesitated, and
and Rinzai
R i n z a i shoved
s h o v e d him
h i m aside,
aside, crying,
crying,
"The
" T h e man
m a n without
w i t h o u t rank,
rank, how
h o w full
full of
o f shit
shit he
h e is!"
i s ! " And
A n d he
h e stalked
stalked
o
u
t
o
f
the
hall.
out of the hall.
Rinzai
teach aanything
in ZZen,
R
i n z a i ddid
i d nnot
o t teach
n y t h i n g nnew
e w in
e n , but
b u t he
he radically
radically
altered the
the delivery
off the message.
altered
delivery o
m e s s a g e . He
H e excoriated
e x c o r i a t e d people
p e o p l e for
for
rrunning
u n n i n g back
b a c k and
and forth
f o r t h between
b e t w e e n teachers,
teachers, llooking
o o k i n g for
enlightfor enlighteenment
n m e n t in the words
w o r d s and
and reputations
r e p u t a t i o n s of
o f others.
others.
present, or
obstruct
present,
o r future
future could
could o
b s t r u c t or
o r bring
b r i n g about
a b o u t the
the experience
experience
practice. AAll
oof
f enlightenment.
e n l i g h t e n m e n t . Satori
Satori iitself
t s e l f rrequired
e q u i r e d nno
o practice.
l l that
that
w
a s left
the sincere
sincere seeker
seeker w
a s faith
o r her
her
was
left to
to the
was
faith inin his
his or
aabout
b o u t Buddha,
B u d d h a , Buddhism,
B u d d h i s m , eenlightenment,
n l i g h t e n m e n t , and
rest, he
he
and the
the rest,
replied,
T h e Buddha
B u d d h a is
o u , listening
l i s t e n i n g to
m y discourse
d i s c o u r s e right
right
replied, ""The
is yyou,
to my
n
ow b
e f o r e my
m y very
v e r y eyes!"
eyes!"
now
before
with
and with
IImpatient
mpatient w
i t h ttoo
o o much
m u c h sitting
sitting meditation
m e d i t a t i o n and
w i t h inin-
speak this
this way
way only
only because
because yyou
seekers keep
keep running
running around
II speak
o u seekers
structive ttechniques
for prompting
Rinzai
often bestructive
e c h n i q u e s for
p r o m p t i n g kensho,
kensho, R
i n z a i often
be-
everywhere looking
looking for
for the worthless
everywhere
worthless contrivances
contrivances oof
f people
people
ccame
a m e frustrated
h a v i n g to speak
speak at
at all.
all. Several
Several lectures
lectures are
are
frustrated at
at having
who
and gone.
gone. From
From m
my
w
h o are
are long
long dead
dead and
y point
point of
o f view,
view, the
the
therefore
e v o t e d to
d m o n i s h i n g students
students for
f o r running
r u n n i n g every
every
therefore ddevoted
to aadmonishing
Bodhisattvas are
are nothing
nothing but
but shit
shit in the
Bodhisattvas
the toilet,
toilet, hitching
hitching posts
posts
w
hich w
a y , llooking
o o k i n g aaround,
r o u n d , scrounging
s c r o u n g i n g Zen
Z e n experience
e x p e r i e n c e from
from
which
way,
for asses,
asses, prisoners
prisoners in shackles.
for
shackles. Buddha is merely aa name!
name!
""the
t h e secondhand
secondhand w
o r d s oof
f oothers."
t h e r s . " For
For Rinzai,
Rinzai, n
o t h i n g but
but
words
nothing
u
n c o n d i t i o n a l mental
m e n t a l detachment
d e t a c h m e n t and
and passionate
passionate engagement
engagement
unconditional
for spiritual
for the
SSuch
u c h ddemands
e m a n d s for
spiritual self-confidence
s e l f - c o n f i d e n c e wwere
e r e nnot
o t for
the
in
v e r y activity
a c t i v i t y of
o f lliving
i v i n g iitself
tself w
o u l d ddo.
o. A
A tall
tall order
o r d e r for
for aa
in the
the very
would
inclined. In
In order
ttimid
i m i d or
o r the
the devotionally
d e v o t i o n a l l y inclined.
o r d e r to give
g i v e living
living
sstruggling
t r u g g l i n g young
y o u n g novice,
n o v i c e , no
n o doubt.
d o u b t . ItIt must
m u s t have
have been
b e e n difficult
difficult
meaning
his words,
not
to shake,
m
e a n i n g tto
o his
w o r d s , Rinzai
R i n z a i ddid
id n
o t hesitate
hesitate to
s h a k e , hit,
to
accept the master's
m a s t e r ' s rejection
rejection of
o f traditional
traditional Zen
Z e n instruction,
instruction,
to accept
at his
his students,
students, uusing
aand
n d sshout
h o u t at
s i n g ""shock
s h o c k ttherapy"
h e r a p y " to enlighten
enlighten
difficult
o abandon
a b a n d o n the
the cause
cause and
and effect
effect notion
n o t i o n implicit
i m p l i c i t in
in
difficult tto
tthem.
h e m . Not
N o t surprisingly,
s u r p r i s i n g l y , he
he debunked
d e b u n k e d quietism,
q u i e t i s m , and
and preferred
preferred
zazen
o u l d lead
e n l i g h t e n m e n t . Rinzai's
R i n z a i ' s insisinsiszazen that
that sitting
sitting wwould
lead ttoo enlightenment.
live iinterchange,
and ggesture
to llong
aaction,
c t i o n , live
n t e r c h a n g e , and
e s t u r e to
o n g pperiods
e r i o d s oof
f medimedi-
tence
n immediate
i m m e d i a t e experience
e x p e r i e n c e over
o v e r induced
i n d u c e d tranquillity
t r a n q u i l l i t y is
is
tence oon
tation. He
monks
as ""a
tation.
H e characterized
characterized ssanctimonious
anctimonious m
o n k s as
a bbunch
u n c h of
of
beautifully
y the
the following
f o l l o w i n g exchange
e x c h a n g e with
w i t h aa rather
rather
beautifully illustrated
illustrated bby
baldies wwho
with
bblind
l i n d baldies
h o stuff
s t u f f themselves
themselves w
i t h food
f o o d and sit like
like lumps
lumps
s e l f - c o n f i d e n t monk.
monk.
self-confident
Standing
the aassembly,
Rinzai
said, ""II spent
S
t a n d i n g bbefore
e f o r e the
ssembly, R
i n z a i said,
spent twenty
twenty
hours
in meditation,
ffor
or h
o u r s in
m e d i t a t i o n , stopping
s t o p p i n g the
the flow
flow oof
f tthoughts,"
h o u g h t s , " and
and
he warned
he
w a r n e d tthem
h e m that
that sitting
sitting like
like this
this could
c o u l d only
o n l y result
result in
in
years wwith
Obaku.
three ttimes
him
years
ith O
b a k u . When
W h e n three
i m e s II asked
asked h
i m about
a b o u t the
the
cardinal
Buddhism,
me
cardinal pprinciple
r i n c i p l e oof
f B
u d d h i s m , he gave
gave m
e three
three blows
b l o w s with
with
his stick.
It was
w a s llike
i k e bbeing
e i n g ppatted
atted w
i t h a branch
b r a n c h of
o f mugwort.
mugwort.
his
stick. It
with
making
m
a k i n g "hell
" h e l l karma"
k a r m a " for
f o r themselves.
themselves.
Rinzai
traded on
R
i n z a i traded
o n radical statements
s t a t e m e n t s like these, even
even going
g o i n g so
so
far
o u
r g e students to slay
slay Buddhas,
B u d d h a s , ancestral
ancestral teachers,
and
far as
as tto
urge
teachers, and
I'd love
l o v e another
a n o t h e r taste
taste o
that stick
stick now.
n o w . Who
W h o can
can give
g i v e it
it to
to
I'd
off that
their
w n parents
ell. N
o t ssurprisingly,
u r p r i s i n g l y , these
exhortations
their oown
parents as
as wwell.
Not
these exhortations
rue?"
mer
stirred
p the
pposition o
onfucians, w
ho w
e r e ooutraged
u t r a g e d at
stirred uup
the oopposition
off CConfucians,
who
were
at
A mmonk
A
o n k sstepped
t e p p e d fforward,
o r w a r d , ssaying,
a y i n g , ""I
I can."
can."
ssuch
u c h disregard
d i s r e g a r d for
filial piety.
p i e t y . Traditional
Traditional Buddhists,
B u d d h i s t s , moremorefor filial
Rinzai
his stick.
stick. TThe
R
i n z a i hheld
e l d oout
u t his
h e monk
m o n k tried
tried taking
t a k i n g it;
it; as
as he
he did
did
so,
Rinzai
hit
him
with
it.
so, R i n z a i hit h i m w i t h
Everything
in the
E
v e r y t h i n g in
the Rinzai
R i n z a i style
s t y l e of
o f Zen
Z e n lay
lay in
in performance,
performance,
direct sspeech
dramatically
perfect ppresentation
direct
p e e c h aand
n d rresponse,
e s p o n s e , aa d
r a m a t i c a l l y perfect
resentation
oof
f the
h o l e . All
A l l the esoteric
esoteric principles
principles of
o f Mahayana
Mahayana p
hilosothe w
whole.
philosop
hy w
e r e ccondensed
o n d e n s e d in
l o w , translated
translated into
i n t o the challenging
challenging
phy
were
in aa bblow,
w
o r d s ooff aa dare.
Today, R
inzai m
i g h t be
b e called
called aa m
e t h o d actor,
actor,
words
dare. Today,
Rinzai
might
method
w
hose w
o r d s and
a n d exaggerated,
e x a g g e r a t e d , even
even distorted,
e a r t h y delivery
delivery
whose
words
distorted, earthy
oover,
v e r , sshrank
h r a n k ffrom
r o m Rinzai's
R i n z a i ' s iincitements
n c i t e m e n t s to
o m m i t such
s u c h "hei"heito ccommit
n
o u s crimes.
crimes."
nous
If
I f you
y o u wanted
w a n t e d to
t o be
b e Rinzai's
R i n z a i ' s student,
student, nothing
n o t h i n g less
less than
than
ccomplete
o m p l e t e hhomelessness
o m e l e s s n e s s wwould
o u l d ddo-not
o — n o t by
b y becoming
b e c o m i n g aa monk,
monk,
b
u t by
b y rejecting
rejecting any
a n y sort of
o f clinging
c l i n g i n g to
to the
the phenomenal
p h e n o m e n a l world
world
but
at
n d this
this iincluded
ncluded m
e d i t a t i o n and
o t i o n of
o f enlightenlightat all.
all. AAnd
meditation
and the
the nnotion
eenment
n m e n t itself.
R i n z a i , no
n o "Buddhas"
" B u d d h a s " existed.
existed. No
N o past,
past,
itself. For
For Rinzai,
38
38
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
own
own
aactivity
c t i v i t y ""right
r i g h t now."
n o w . " To
To all
all who
w h o continued
c o n t i n u e d questioning
q u e s t i o n i n g him
him
I
Rinzai
Rinzai
3Q
39
convey n
o t h i n g less
less than
than the profoundest
p r o f o u n d e s t spiritual
spiritual experience.
experience.
convey
nothing
individual
H i s genius
g e n i u s tailored
tailored that
that experience
e x p e r i e n c e for
for every
every i n d i v i d u a l conconHis
fronting
f r o n t i n g him.
h i m . In
In interviews,
i n t e r v i e w s , he
h e could
c o u l d "discern
" d i s c e r n a man
m a n through
through
and
t h r o u g h " with
w i t h his
his different
different brand
b r a n d of
o f Zen
Z e n insight,
i n s i g h t , his
his
and through"
refusal to
to make
m a k e comparisons
c o m p a r i s o n s between
b e t w e e n secular
secular and
a n d sacred.
sacred.
refusal
in
the
When
even aa flicker
W
h e n detecting
d e t e c t i n g even
n i c k e r oof
f doubt
d o u b t in the student,
s t u d e n t , aa
moment's
m o m e n t ' s hesitation,
h e s i t a t i o n , he'd
h e ' d let
let loose
l o o s e a blow
b l o w or
o r a shout
s h o u t to
to bring
bring
the
s t u d e n t back
b a c k to
to his
his center
center of
o f confidence,
c o n f i d e n c e , ssaying,
a y i n g , "One
"One
the student
Fearless in
in the
off doubt
tthought
hought o
d o u b t in
in your
y o u r mind
m i n d is
is the
the devil."
d e v i l . " Fearless
the
face
s t r a c i s m ffrom
r o m the
Z e n community,
c o m m u n i t y , he
h e advocated
a d v o c a t e d that
that
face ooff oostracism
the Zen
his
m o n k s avoid
avoid hierarchy,
h i e r a r c h y , temple
t e m p l e security,
s e c u r i t y , and
a n d patronage,
patronage,
his monks
who,
and warned
w a r n e d them
t h e m not
n o t to
t o become
b e c o m e temple
t e m p l e masters
masters w
h o , like
like
and
n e w brides,
b r i d e s , were
w e r e terrified
terrified of
o f being
b e i n g ""thrown
t h r o w n out
o u t with
w i t h nothing
nothing
new
really great
great ZZen
oon
n their
their backs."
b a c k s . " The
T h e really
e n men,
m e n , Rinzai
R i n z a i said,
said, had
had
recognized
for
their
the start,
bbeen
e e n ooutcasts
u t c a s t s ffrom
r o m the
start, and
and were
w e r e r e c o g n i z e d for their
his eeyes,
w
o r t h only
o n l y years
y e a r s later.
A n d that
that was,
w a s , in
i n his
y e s , ""a
a good
good
worth
later. And
all aaround,
tthing,
h i n g , because
b e c a u s e if
i f they
t h e y were
w e r e accepted
a c c e p t e d all
r o u n d , what
w h a t would
would
t h e y have
have bbeen
e e n ggood
o o d for
f o r anyway?"
anyway?"
they
Rinzai
listeners to
to avoid
avoid the
the ""luxuries"
R
i n z a i uurged
r g e d his
his listeners
l u x u r i e s " of
o f monastic
monastic
life as
u c h as
r g e d tthem
h e m to stop
s t o p seeking
s e e k i n g for
for the
the Buddha.
Buddha.
life
as m
much
as he
he uurged
the face
He
H
e encouraged
e n c o u r a g e d them
t h e m to
to be
b e brave
brave even
even in the
face of
o f miracles
miracles
and demons.
and
d e m o n s . Nothing,
N o t h i n g , not
n o t even
even gods,
g o d s , was
w a s permanent.
p e r m a n e n t . How
How
the most
m
u c h less
less p
e r m a n e n t , then,
t h e n , were
w e r e the
the words
w o r d s ooff even
even the
most
much
permanent,
master?
vvenerable
e n e r a b l e ZZen
en m
a s t e r ? ""If
I f you
y o u base
base your
y o u r understanding
u n d e r s t a n d i n g on
on
scolded,
secondhand
notes
from
some
dead
old
guy,"
he
s e c o n d h a n d n o t e s f r o m s o m e dead o l d g u y , " he s c o l d e d ,
""wrap
w r a p up
u p your
y o u r notebooks
n o t e b o o k s in
in squares
squares of
o f cloth
c l o t h and declare
declare them
them
idiot. What
secret,
o u are
are n
o t h i n g but
b u t aa bblind
l i n d idiot.
W h a t kind
k i n d of
o f juice
juice
secret, yyou
nothing
dried-up
old
bones?"
He
preferred
live
can
y
o
u
find
in
s
u
c
h
d
r
i
e
d
u
p
o
l
d
b
o
n
e
s
?
"
H
e
preferred
live
can you find in such
dialectical
paradox,
and
d
i s c o u r s e , the
p u n g e n t dialogue,
d i a l o g u e , the
the dialectical p a r a d o x , a n d
discourse,
the pungent
the apparently
a p p a r e n t l y illogical
i l l o g i c a l ttwist.
w i s t . Take
T a k e for example
e x a m p l e his
his discussion
discussion
Like
the typical
off his time,
L
i k e the
t y p i c a l Chinese
C h i n e s e intellectual
intellectual o
t i m e , Rinzai
R i n z a i was
was
to ccategorizing.
the ZZen
ggiven
i v e n to
a t e g o r i z i n g . Yet,
Yet, the
en m
a n Rinzai
Rinzai u
sed w
o r d s and
and
man
used
words
to shatter
ccategories
a t e g o r i e s to
shatter conceptual
c o n c e p t u a l thinking,
t h i n k i n g , tossing
t o s s i n g lightning
lightning
bolts
the intuitive
intuitive m
mind.
b o l t s to
t o awaken
a w a k e n the
i n d . He
He w
a s vvery
ery m
u c h aa tutor,
tutor,
was
much
privately
working
the
teacher-disciple
privately w o r k i n g
teacher-disciple relationship
relationship itself
i t s e l f iinto
n t o aa
viable
means
for enlightenment.
viable m
e a n s for
e n l i g h t e n m e n t . His
H i s own
o w n rich
rich mind
m i n d and
and psypsycchological
h o l o g i c a l pperception
e r c e p t i o n interacted
interacted instantaneously
i n s t a n t a n e o u s l y oon
n multiple
multiple
levels, sso
patience ffor
the sslow
levels,
o hhe
e hhad
a d nno
o patience
o r the
l o w aand
n d ssteady
t e a d y approaches
approaches
of
other
teachers.
He
was
therefore
openly
critical
o f o t h e r teachers. H e w a s t h e r e f o r e o p e n l y critical n
o t only
o n l y of
of
not
Buddhist
sects ooutside
B
u d d h i s t sects
u t s i d e of
o f his own,
o w n , but
b u t of
o f fellow
f e l l o w Zen
Z e n teachers
teachers
as wwell,
as
e l l , ffor
o r not
n o t letting
l e t t i n g students
s t u d e n t s "experience
" e x p e r i e n c e ttruth
r u t h ffor
o r themthemA superficial
off his
sselves."
elves." A
superficial rreading
eading o
his techniques,
t e c h n i q u e s , the
t h e freewheelfreewheeliing
n g blows
b l o w s and
and deafening
d e a f e n i n g shouts,
s h o u t s , might
m i g h t therefore
therefore
obscure
obscure
relationship
bbetween
e t w e e n qquestioner
u e s t i o n e r aand
n d respondent,
r e s p o n d e n t , whose
w h o s e process-oriented
process-oriented
Rinzai's ssophisticated
Rinzai's
o p h i s t i c a t e d ddoctrine
o c t r i n e oof
f the
the fourfold
fourfold
approach
uses the
the gguest
a p p r o a c h uses
u e s t and
and host
h o s t metaphor
m e t a p h o r to
to describe
d e s c r i b e the
the
ttransformation
r a n s f o r m a t i o n of
o f the ego
e g o at work.
work.
In the
the first
first situation,
situation, ""guest,"
In
g u e s t , " the
the limited
l i m i t e d ego,
e g o , meets
m e e t s "host,"
"host,"
the universal,
universal, or
o r essential
essential nature.
L
i
m
i
t
e
d
g
u
e
s
t
asks
a
q
uestion
nature. Limited guest asks a question
and
and is
is replied
replied to
t o by
b y universal
universal host.
h o s t . This
T h i s isis exemplified
exemplified
in
in
Rinzai's oown
wn m
eeting w
ith O
b a k u , when,
w h e n , in
in his
his unenlightened
unenlightened
Rinzai's
meeting
with
Obaku,
state,
y o u n g monk
m o n k asked
a s k e d his
his three
three questions
q u e s t i o n s aand
n d ggot
o t his
his
state, the
the young
three
l o w s , delivered
delivered bby
y the
u n e n c u m b e r e d and
a n d spontaneous
spontaneous
three bblows,
the unencumbered
ffunctioning
u n c t i o n i n g of
o f the
the universal
universal self.
self.
it
grasps and
and seizes,
seizes, in
feet it
it runs
runs and
and carries.
carries. FundamenFundamenit grasps
in the feet
In
In the
the second
s e c o n d situation,
situation, "host"
" h o s t " sees
g u e s t " ; that happens
happens
sees ""guest";
when
the
questioner
takes
the
universal
position
and
w h e n the q u e s t i o n e r takes t h e universal p o s i t i o n and the
rethe reis the
the distinct
distinct eego.
This
when
sspondent
p o n d e n t is
go. T
h i s oobtains
btains w
h e n the enlightened
enlightened
Rinzai asks
asks aa qquestion
his unenlightened
Rinzai
u e s t i o n oof
f his
u n e n l i g h t e n e d sstudent,
t u d e n t , oor
r when
when
an
e
n
l
i
g
h
t
e
n
e
d
s
t
u
d
e
n
t
a
n
s
w
e
r
s
f
r
o
m
the
p
o
i
n
t
o
f
v
i
e
w
o
his
an enlightened student answers from the point of view off his
limited eego,
the m
monk
dumb,
limited
g o , the
o n k playing
playing d
u m b , for
f o r example.
example. O
r , when
when
Or,
the m
monk
the
o n k really
really responds
r e s p o n d s from
f r o m the
the level
level of
o f dualistic
dualistic mind.
mind.
In
the third
third situation,
situation, wwhen
In the
h e n ""host
h o s t sees
sees hhost,"
o s t , " the questioner
questioner
.uuid
respondent
are
both
functioning
and r e s p o n d e n t are b o t h f u n c t i o n i n g as
h a t is
is
as universal
universal self.
self. TThat
the six
tally,
one pure
pure radiance;
radiance; divided,
divided, it
it becomes
becomes the
six harhartally, itit is one
tthe
hebest
bestccondition
the ffour.
In this
this case,
case, RRinzai's
o n d i t i o n oof
f the
o u r . In
i n z a i ' s enlightened
enlightened
o f Mind.
Mind.
of
in the
M
i n d is without form
form and
and pervades
pervades the
the ten
ten directions:
directions: in
the
Mind
hearing, in the nose
eye
called seeing,
ear it is called
called hearing,
nose
eye it
it is called
seeing, in the car
it
holds conversation,
conversation, in the hand
hand
it smells
smells odors,
odors, in the mouth itit holds
40
moniously united
united spheres
sense. Since
Since the
the mind
mind is
is nonexistmoniously
spheres ooff sense.
ent, wherever
wherever you are,
are, you
you are
are emancipated.
emancipated.
Crazy
Clouds
Rinzai
Rinzai
41
41
teacher and
e x c h a n g e wwith
ith D
a i g u — s t r i k i n g the
t h e old
o l d teacher
a n d saying
saying
exchange
Daigu-striking
haveyyou
n
o t h i n g in response
r e s p o n s e tto
o his
his q
u e s t i o n , "What
" W h a t have
o u sseen?"een?"—
nothing
question,
is
n d i c a t i v e oof
f ""host"
h o s t " ggreeting
r e e t i n g ""host."
host."
is iindicative
"Jojoza,
why
don't
"Jojoza, w
hy d
o n ' t you
y o u bow?"
b o w ? " asked
a s k e d a monk
m o n k in
in the
the assemassembly.
Jojoza bbowed,
b l y . As
A s Jojoza
o w e d , he
h e suddenly
s u d d e n l y had
h a d great
g r e a t satori.
satori.
Finally,
lets both
Finally, Rinzai
R i n z a i lets
b o t h subjectivity
s u b j e c t i v i t y and
and objectivity
o b j e c t i v i t y be
b e as
as
the condition
are
u n f o r t u n a t e l y in the
c o n d i t i o n where
w h e r e limited
l i m i t e d ego
e g o and
and
are unfortunately
oordinariness,
r d i n a r i n e s s , his
l t i m a t e reality
"just shitting,
shitting, p
i s s i n g , and
and
his uultimate
reality ooff "just
pissing,
When,
in the
W
h e n , in
the fourth
f o u r t h situation,
situation, "guest"
" g u e s t " meets
m e e t s "guest,"
" g u e s t , " we
we
with
tthey
h e y are,
are, perfectly
perfectly identical
identical w
i t h each
each other
o t h e r in a state
of
in a state of
try to
llimited
i m i t e d eego
g o meet
m e e t in ignorance
i g n o r a n c e and
and misguidedly
m i s g u i d e d l y try
to comcom-
bbecoming
e c o m i n g ordinary."
ordinary."
municate.
That,
m
unicate. T
h a t , says
says Rinzai,
R i n z a i , is
is what
w h a t happens
h a p p e n s during
d u r i n g most
most
students
who
student-teacher
encounters:
"There
are
some
s t u d e n t - t e a c h e r e n c o u n t e r s : " T h e r e are s o m e students w h o
carry
carry around
a r o u n d their
their ball
ball and
and chain
chain and
and appear
appear before
before a
a Zen
Zen
burden.
Student
and
teacher
who
just
adds
another
lock
to
the
teacher w h o j u s t adds a n o t h e r l o c k t o the b u r d e n . S t u d e n t a n d
of what is
teacher
teacher are
are very
v e r y pleased,
pleased, since
since both
b o t h are
are unaware
u n a w a r e o f w h a t is
ggoing
o i n g on."
on."
from subjectivity and
In
In his
his "four
" f o u r processes
p r o c e s s e s of
o f liberation
liberation f r o m s u b j e c t i v i t y and
shout in
objectivity,"
Rinzai
presentsaa kkoan,
blow,
objectivity," R
i n z a i presents
o a n , aa b
l o w , or
o r aa s h o u t in
the subject-object
order
o r d e r to
to free
free the
the student
s t u d e n t on
o n the
the spot
s p o t from
f r o m the subject-object
By
meditation
B y rejecting
rejecting m
e d i t a t i o n aand
n d eexperimenting
x p e r i m e n t i n g with
w i t h new
n e w teachteaching
forms,
Rinzai
even
called
into
question
i n g f o r m s , R i n z a i even called i n t o q u e s t i o n traditional definidefinitions of
tions
o f enlightenment
e n l i g h t e n m e n t and
and transmission.
t r a n s m i s s i o n . Yet
Yet he
h e managed
m a n a g e d to
to
iimplement
m p l e m e n t aa school
school o
Z e n that,
that, though
t h o u g h eccentric,
eccentric, w
a
s
selfoff Zen
was selfsufficient
sufficient eenough
n o u g h to
t o outlast many
m a n y of
o f its
its hierarchical,
hierarchical, establishestablishm
ent-based o
p p o n e n t s . Alongside
A l o n g s i d e its friendly
f r i e n d l y contemporary,
contemporary,
ment-based
opponents.
S o t o line
line stemming
s t e m m i n g from
f r o m Master
M a s t e r Tozan
Tozan R
y o k a i (Tung-shan
(Tung-shan
the Soto
Ryokai
L i a n g - c h i e n ) , Rinzai
Rinzai Z
e n developed
developed u
n h a m p e r e d bby
y politics
or
Liang-chien),
Zen
unhampered
politics or
rreligious
e l i g i o u s iinstitutionalism.
n s t i t u t i o n a l i s m . Over
O v e r time,
t i m e , however,
h o w e v e r , its
its original
original
creative
o w e r , the
i l d eenergy
n e r g y and
a n d freshness
freshness oof
f its
its founder,
founder,
creative ppower,
the wwild
w
a
s
itself
s
w
a
l
l
o
w
e
d
u
p
b
y
sectarian
i
m
i
t
a
t
o
r
s
and,
in
Japan,
was itself swallowed up by sectarian imitators and, in Japan,
bby
y the
the military,
m i l i t a r y , which
w h i c h ossified
ossified its
its sspontaneous
p o n t a n e o u s sshouts
h o u t s and
and
gestures iinto
n t o aa ""system."
s y s t e m . " Rinzai's
R i n z a i ' s exchange
e x c h a n g e with
w i t h the
the military
military
gestures
ggovernor
overnor W
a n g , his
w n ppatron
a t r o n and
t u d e n t , thus
thus rings
r i n g s ironiironiWang,
his oown
and sstudent,
cally across
h e centuries.
centuries.
cally
across tthe
One
the ttemple
O
n e day,
day, Governor
G o v e r n o r Wang
W a n g visited
visited the
e m p l e and met
m e t Rinzai
Rinzai
in
in ffront
r o n t of
o f the monks'
m o n k s ' hall.
hall.
"Do
" D o the
the monks
m o n k s here
here read
read sutras?"
s u t r a s ? " he
he asked.
asked.
"No,
they
don't,"
replied
Rinzai.
" N o , they d o n ' t , " replied Rinzai.
""Do
D o they
t h e y learn meditation,
m e d i t a t i o n , then?"
then?"
"No,
" N o , they
t h e y don't
d o n ' t learn
learn meditation."
meditation."
"If
" I f they
t h e y don't
d o n ' t read
read sutras
sutras or
o r learn
learn meditation,
m e d i t a t i o n , what
w h a t on
o n earth
earth
;ire tthey
the governor.
are
h e y ddoing
o i n g hhere?"
e r e ? " asked
a s k e d the
governor.
do
is m
make
become
Buddhas
""All
All I d
o is
a k e tthem
hem b
ecome B
u d d h a s aand
n d Bodhisattvas,"
Bodhisattvas,"
Rinzai
i t h aa smile.
smile.
Rinzai replied
replied w
with
his objective
split
the pperson
split mind.
m i n d . First,
First, he
he takes
takes away
away the
e r s o n bbut
u t nnot
o t his objective
attachments to the
world
remain. To this
subjective wworld,
subjective
o r l d , but
b u t lets
lets the
the objective
objective w o r l d r e m a i n . T o this
the natural landscape
hee uses
eend
nd h
uses poems
p o e m s totally
t o t a l l y descriptive
d e s c r i p t i v e oof
f the n a t u r a l l a n d s c a p e
the objecwith
no
first-person
perspective..
Second,
w i t h n o f i r s t - p e r s o n p e r s p e c t i v e . S e c o n d , to
t o remove
r e m o v e the objeceliminates
all
notions
of
tive
situation and
the person,
tive situation
and leave
leave the
p e r s o n , he
h e eliminates all n o t i o n s o f
"There
are
some
Budsseeking
e e k i n g eenlightenment
n l i g h t e n m e n t from
f r o m outside:
o u t s i d e : " T h e r e are s o m e B u d mistake of seeking for
dhist
learners
who've
already
dhist learners w h o ' v e already made
m a d e the
the m i s t a k e o f s e e k i n g for
Wu-t'ai. There is no
[the
Bodhisattva]
Manjusri
at
Mount
[the B o d h i s a t t v a ] M a n j u s r i at M o u n t W u - t ' a i . T h e r e is n o
He is at
Manjusri
at W
Wu-t'ai.
M
a n j u s r i at
u - t ' a i . Do
D o you
y o u want
w a n t to
to know
k n o w Manjusri?
M a n j u s r i ? H e is at
unshakeably,
with
no
room
this
moment
this m
o m e n t working
w o r k i n g within
w i t h i n you,
you, unshakeably, w i t h n o r o o m
for
f o r doubt.
d o u b t . This
T h i s is
is the
t h e living
l i v i n g Manjusri."
Manjusri."
and subjective
Thus,
liberating
a
student
T h u s , l i b e r a t i n g a s t u d e n t from
f r o m both
b o t h objective
objective a n d subjective
slap,
or
a push. Such
attachment
is
accomplished
by
a
shout,
a
a t t a c h m e n t is a c c o m p l i s h e d b y a s h o u t , a slap, or a p u s h . Such
reasoning
and
physical
the m
mind
p
h y s i c a l sshocks
h o c k s jjolt
o l t the
i n d out
o u t of
o f intellectual
intellectual r e a s o n i n g and
either
subject
or
object.
free the
the pperson
free
e r s o n from
f r o m identifying
i d e n t i f y i n g with
w i t h either subject or object.
of The Blue Cliff
This
is
dramatically
illustrated
T h i s is d r a m a t i c a l l y illustrated in
in Case
C a s e 32
32 o f The Blue
Cliff
situation, that
that is,
is, he
situation,
h e frees
frees him
h i m from
f r o m his
his a t t a c h m e n t s t o the
today.
Record,aaccollection
still used
used in
in ZZen
Record,
o l l e c t i o n oof
f kkoans
o a n s still
e n centers
centers t o d a y .
"What is the essence
Jojoza
Jojoza (Ting
( T i n g Shang-tso)
S h a n g - t s o ) asked
a s k e d Rinzai,
R i n z a i , " W h a t is the essence
grasped Jojoza
off BBuddhism?"
o
u d d h i s m ? " Rinzai
R i n z a i descended
d e s c e n d e d from
f r o m his
his seat,
seat, g r a s p e d Jojoza
slapped
him,
and pushed
by
the
lapels
of
his
robe,
shook
him,
b y the lapels o f his r o b e , s h o o k h i m , slapped h i m , a n d p u s h e d
him
Jojozaj just
h
i m away.
away. Jojoza
u s t sstood
t o o d there.
there.
42
42
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
I
Rinzai
Rinzai
43
43
3
Bassui:
Bassui:
The Lover
Lover
of Sounds
Sounds
Though
he heard
T
h o u g h he
h e a r d nothing
n o t h i n g but
b u t the
the battle
battle cries
cries of
o f civil
c i v i l war
war
tthroughout
h r o u g h o u t his
his life,
life, Bassui
B a s s u i found
f o u n d his
his great
great enlightenment
e n l i g h t e n m e n t in
in
the
sounds o
the world.
w o r l d . Born
B o r n in Japan
Japan dduring
u r i n g the
e i g h t of
of
the sounds
off the
the hheight
the
i n a m o t o military
m i l i t a r y dictatorship
d i c t a t o r s h i p that
that spanned
s p a n n e d two
t w o centuries
centuries
the M
Minamoto
(1338-1500), B
assui's Z
e n developed
d e v e l o p e d against a political contest
contest
(1338-1500),
Bassui's
Zen
b
e t w e e n rival
o u r t s and
and feudal
feudal chaos.
c h a o s . In 1333,
1333, when
w h e n Bassui
Bassui
between
rival ccourts
w
a s seven
seven yyears
e a r s oold,
l d , the
the shogunate
s h o g u n a t e was
w a s overthrown
o v e r t h r o w n in
in aa
was
factional
t t e m p t to
e t h r o n e d emperor.
e m p e r o r . This
T h i s spasspasfactional aattempt
to restore
restore the
the ddethroned
m
o d i c rebellion
rebellion w
a s unsuccessful
u n s u c c e s s f u l and
open
modic
was
and resulted
resulted in
in an open
scramble b
e t w e e n the
s h o g u n a t e and
and the
the imperial
i m p e r i a l forces
forces for
for
scramble
between
the shogunate
ccontrol
o n t r o l oof
f the
n
a
t
i
o
n
.
D
i
s
l
o
d
g
e
d
f
r
o
m
their
seat
o
f
p
o
w
e
r
and
the nation. Dislodged from their seat of power and
culture, courtiers,
c o u r t i e r s , poets,
p o e t s , artists,
artists, and
and warriors
w a r r i o r s became
b e c a m e wanderwanderculture,
iing
n g Buddhists,
B u d d h i s t s , emblematic
e m b l e m a t i c of
o f the
the deep
deep sense
sense of
o f impermanence
impermanence
that characterized
characterized the
a g e . It
It was
w a s aa period
p e r i o d of
o f aesthetic
aesthetic melanmelanthat
the age.
c h o l y that
that upheld
u p h e l d the
the beauties
beauties of
o f imperfection
i m p e r f e c t i o n and
and sought
sought
choly
refuge in
the very
v e r y instability
instability that
that gave
gave it
it life.
life.
refuge
in the
Living
and 1387,
did survive
L i v i n g between
b e t w e e n 1327
1327 and
1387, Bassui
B a s s u i did
s u r v i v e to
t o see
see aa
brief
b
r i e f period
p e r i o d of
o f order
o r d e r under
u n d e r the
theshogun
s h o g u nYoshimitsu
Yoshimitsu
(1358(1358-
1408), and
and aa ppatronage
the arts
arts and
and ZZen
1408),
a t r o n a g e oof
f the
e n that overlapped
o v e r l a p p e d into
into
the
w o r l d of
o f diplomacy
d i p l o m a c y and
and trade.
trade. But
B u t the greater
greater part of
o f his
his
the world
o
wn Z
e n career
career was
w a s spent in avoiding
a v o i d i n g the
s l i p p e r y politics
own
Zen
the slippery
politics and
the
e n hhierarchy
i e r a r c h y that
s p i r i t u a l llife"
i f e " oof
f the
the gozan
gozan ZZen
that fueled
fueled the
the ""spiritual
M
u r o m a c h i era.
era.
Muromachi
For m
more
For
o r e than
than sixty
s i x t y years,
y e a r s , Japan
Japan was
w a s engaged
e n g a g e d in a struggle
struggle
for iimperial
brawling
with
for
m p e r i a l power
p o w e r bby
y b
rawling w
i t h palace
palace gguards
u a r d s and
a n d lopping
lopping
off
o f f the branches
b r a n c h e s of
o f the emperor's
e m p e r o r ' s sacred
sacred maple
m a p l e trees.
aamong
m o n g feudal
feudal barons
b a r o n s greedy
g r e e d y for
f o r personal
p e r s o n a l gain
g a i n and
a n d eager
e a g e r to
to
During
D u r i n g Bassui's
B a s s u i ' s lifetime,
lifetime, the
the Ashikaga
A s h i k a g a cultivated
c u l t i v a t e d the
the arts
arts
more
than they
m o r e successfully
successfully than
t h e y managed
m a n a g e d their
their unruly
u n r u l y subjects.
subjects.
This
T h i s new,
n e w , boorish
b o o r i s h military
m i l i t a r y "aristocracy"
" a r i s t o c r a c y " sought
s o u g h t respectability
respectability
in imitation
and iin
in
i m i t a t i o n of
o f Sung
S u n g Chinese
C h i n e s e aesthetics
aesthetics and
n Zen.
Z e n . To
To be
be
modern
m
o d e r n meant
m e a n t to be
b e conversant
c o n v e r s a n t with
w i t h all
all things
t h i n g s Chinese;
C h i n e s e ; inin-
spread their
their names
spread
n a m e s across
across the
the land.
land. Even
E v e n the
the great
great medieval
medieval
bushido
o d e oof
f kknightly
n i g h t l y cchivalry
hivalry w
as w
a n t o n l y abandoned
a b a n d o n e d in
in
bushidoc code
was
wantonly
the
o p e n thrust
thrust for
for power.
p o w e r . Obligation
O b l i g a t i o n to
to lord
l o r d and
and vassals
vassals
the open
narrowed
little m
more
than the
n
a r r o w e d tto
o encompass
e n c o m p a s s little
o r e than
the immediate
i m m e d i a t e family
family
or
clan. The
T h e once
o n c e great
great lords
l o r d s had
h a d lost
lost control
c o n t r o l over
o v e r their
their fiefs,
fiefs,
or clan.
deed, trade with
w i t h China
C h i n a had
had proven
p r o v e n to
to be
b e not
n o t only
o n l y an
an economic
economic
necessity
but
necessity b
u t a spiritual
spiritual one.
o n e . Zen
Z e n priests
priests were
w e r e iimported
m p o r t e d along
along
with
w i t h rice, silk, and
and the arts. Under
U n d e r the
the Ashikaga
A s h i k a g a shogunate,
s h o g u n a t e , in
in
fact,
fact, Zen
Z e n Buddhism
B u d d h i s m provided
p r o v i d e d Japan
Japan with
w i t h aa w
h o l e new
n e w class
class of
of
whole
ecclesiastical
businessmen
who
handled
customs
and
duties
ecclesiastical b u s i n e s s m e n w h o h a n d l e d c u s t o m s and
as
as
well
as souls.
w e l l as
s o u l s . Money
M o n e y changing
c h a n g i n g was
w a s another
a n o t h e r lucrative
l u c r a t i v e priestly
priestly
business. So
business.
S o powerful
p o w e r f u l was
w a s the
the connection
c o n n e c t i o n between
b e t w e e n religious
religious
hierarchy
and trade, that
h
i e r a r c h y and
that the
the merchant
m e r c h a n t vessels
vessels sailing
sailing between
between
Japan
and
the
Chinese
mainland
were
named
after
the
Japan and
C h i n e s e m a i n l a n d w e r e n a m e d after
great
great
Kyoto
K
y o t o temples.
temples.
The
T h e fourteenth
f o u r t e e n t h century
c e n t u r y also
also saw
s a w the
the development
d e v e l o p m e n t ofJapanese
o f Japanese
trade
trade guilds,
g u i l d s , which
w h i c h survived
s u r v i v e d almost
a l m o s t entirely
entirely on
o n the patronage
patronage
and anarchy
and
a n a r c h y ruled.
ruled. All
A l l sorts
sorts of
o f adventurers,
a d v e n t u r e r s , petty
p e t t y samurai,
samurai,
p
r o v i n c i a l s , and stewards
stewards n
o w rushed
r u s h e d for
for the prize
p r i z e of
o f lland
a n d that
provincials,
now
h
ad b
e e n wrested
w r e s t e d from
f r o m the
the conquered
c o n q u e r e d imperial
i m p e r i a l court.
c o u r t . Rewards
Rewards
had
been
and
no
and punishments
punishments n
o longer
l o n g e r rested
rested in the
the hands
h a n d s of
o f overlords,
overlords,
n o feudal
feudal jjustice
u s t i c e ssystem
y s t e m oof
f any
a n y kind
k i n d presided.
p r e s i d e d . The
T h e intricate
intricate
no
chain of
o f power
p o w e r known
k n o w n as
as shiki,
shiki, consisting
c o n s i s t i n g oof
f overlords,
o v e r l o r d s , stewstewchain
ards,
in a crazyards, and
and provincial
p r o v i n c i a l officers,
officers, dissolved,
dissolved, rresulting
e s u l t i n g in
crazyquilt
o f baronates
b a r o n a t e s with
w i t h only
o n l y nominal
n o m i n a l allegiance
allegiance to
t o the
the
quilt pattern
pattern of
rruling
u l i n g Ashikaga
A s h i k a g a sshogunate.
hogunate. T
h e division
d i v i s i o n into
i n t o Southern
S o u t h e r n and
and
The
Northern
N
o r t h e r n kingdoms
k i n g d o m s that
that kept
k e p t war
w a r alive
alive provided
p r o v i d e d aa perfect
perfect
b
a c k d r o p for
for the
the shifting
shifting loyalties
loyalties and
and legitimized
l e g i t i m i z e d banditry
banditry
backdrop
that
w e r e the order
o r d e r of
o f the
the day.
day. Kyoto
K y o t o was
w a s the
the constant
c o n s t a n t scene
scene
that were
of
attack;
first
secured
by
the
warriors
of
the
Southern
faction,
o f attack; first s e c u r e d b y the w a r r i o r s o f the S o u t h e r n f a c t i o n ,
and
and bribery
b r i b e r y of
o f powerful
p o w e r f u l monastery
m o n a s t e r y abbots.
abbots. A
A fortunately
fortunately
placed
or skilled
placed bbusinessman
u s i n e s s m a n or
skilled llaborer
a b o r e r could
c o u l d attach himself
h i m s e l f to aa
tthen
h e n retaken
r e t a k e n by
b y the
the Ashikaga,
A s h i k a g a , then
t h e n the
the Yoshiakira
Y o s h i a k i r a clan, and on
on
and be
ttemple
e m p l e and
b e assured
assured that
that the tax
tax collector
c o l l e c t o r would
w o u l d look
l o o k the
the
and on,
o n , until
until the
the Ashikaga
A s h i k a g a finally
finally bought
b o u g h t peace
peace by
b y offering
offering
and
other
were
hardest sstruck;
o t h e r way.
w a y . As
A s always,
a l w a y s , the peasants
peasants w
e r e hardest
t r u c k ; victims
victims
of
outrageous
transportation
tolls
and
extortionist
middlemen,
o f o u t r a g e o u s t r a n s p o r t a t i o n tolls and e x t o r t i o n i s t m i d d l e m e n ,
they
t h e y often
often resorted
r e s o r t e d to
to violence
v i o l e n c e against
against their
their secular
secular creditors,
creditors,
but were
the power
off their monastic
w e r e virtually
v i r t u a l l y helpless
helpless against
against the
power o
monastic
overlords.
Consequently,
in addition
o
verlords. C
o n s e q u e n t l y , in
a d d i t i o n to
t o feudal
feudal warfare,
w a r f a r e , nunumerous
m e r o u s agrarian
a g r a r i a n uprisings
u p r i s i n g s accompanied
a c c o m p a n i e d the radical
radical economic
economic
the
rival Yoshiakiras
Y o s h i a k i r a s aautonomy
u t o n o m y over
o v e r six
s i x provinces.
provinces.
the rival
In 139o,
the Yamana
clan, wwho
In
1390, the
Y a m a n a clan,
h o ccontrolled
o n t r o l l e d aa ssixth
i x t h oof
f the
the
c o u n t r y , launched
l a u n c h e d an attack on
o n the
the Ashikaga.
A s h i k a g a . Again
A g a i n the
the busibusicountry,
n
ess-minded A
s h i k a g a bbought
o u g h t peace,
t i m e ending
e n d i n g aa war
war
ness-minded
Ashikaga
peace, this
this time
that
h a d lasted
lasted for
for over
o v e r thirty
t h i r t y years
y e a r s by
b y feeding
f e e d i n g still
still more
more
that had
tterritory
e r r i t o r y to the
the insatiable
insatiable Yamanas.
Y a m a n a s . In
f a s h i o n , the
the AshiAshiIn this
this fashion,
sswings
w i n g s oof
f the Muromachi
M u r o m a c h i period.
p e r i o d . Similarly,
S i m i l a r l y , the
the individual
individual
kkaga
a g a sshogunate
h o g u n a t e restored
h a d o w oof
f oorder
r d e r to
K y o t o , at the
the
restored aa sshadow
to Kyoto,
unit uunderwent
ffamily
a m i l y unit
n d e r w e n t a dramatic
d r a m a t i c change,
c h a n g e , with
w i t h all
all hereditary
hereditary
ssame
a m e ttime
i m e ccreating
r e a t i n g aa link
i t h the
utlying p
r o v i n c e s . Samurai
Samurai
link wwith
the ooutlying
provinces.
rule
prevailed, w
hich m
e a n t that
that brutality
b r u t a l i t y and
and
rule prevailed,
which
meant
reserved for
for eldest
eldest ssons
pprivileges
r i v i l e g e s reserved
o n s ((who
w h o ccould
o u l d ppresumably
r e s u m a b l y fight
fight
corruption
corruption
for the
the ffamily
necessary) and
and women
for
a m i l y lland
a n d if
i f necessary)
w o m e n now
n o w subordinated
subordinated
served
a w and
o r d e r . Kyoto
K y o t o was
w a s filled
filled with
w i t h threadbare
threadbare
served as
as llaw
and order.
to
to the position
p o s i t i o n of
o f chattel.
chattel. In
In situations
situations where
w h e r e there
there were
w e r e no
no
soldiers,
o r t u n e seekers,
seekers, h
e d o n i s t s , and
u c k s t e r s . The
T h e ememsoldiers, ffortune
hedonists,
and hhucksters.
sons to
to retain
retain the family
sons
f a m i l y name,
n a m e , perfect
perfect strangers
strangers were
w e r e adopted
adopted
p
e r o r was
was p
e r m i t t e d to
r e m a i n at
at court,
court, ruling
r u l i n g in
in name
n a m e only,
only,
peror
permitted
to remain
and ggiven
allddue
andpprivileges-a
and
i v e n all
u e rrights
i g h t s and
r i v i l e g e s — a procedure
p r o c e d u r e that
that is
is still
still
w
h i l e the
the great
great military
m i l i t a r y clans
clans reveled
reveled in
their mansions.
m a n s i o n s . One
One
while
in their
practiced in
in Japan
Japan today.
today. TThe
population
practiced
he p
o p u l a t i o n was
w a s therefore
t h e r e f o r e entirely
entirely
g a n g of
o f samurai
s a m u r a i retainers
retainers even
even proved
p r o v e d their
their brazen
b r a z e n contempt
contempt
gang
46
46
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
preoccupied
with
p
reoccupied w
i t h maintaining
m a i n t a i n i n g family
f a m i l y prestige,
p r e s t i g e , securing
s e c u r i n g a name
name
11
Bassui
Bassui
4J
47
and
i e c e oof
f land.
v e n peasant
r a f t s m e n ' s families
families were
were
and aa ppiece
land. EEven
peasant and
and ccraftsmen's
who
ttracked
r a c k e d bby
y masters
masters w
h o sought
s o u g h t the
the "right"
" r i g h t " to
t o their
their services
services
for
posterity.
for posterity.
Within
this rigid
W
i t h i n this
r i g i d feudal
feudal way
w a y of
o f life,
life, patience
patience and
a n d shame
shame
became
the ffamily
name
and cconforming
b
e c a m e vvirtues;
i r t u e s ; gguarding
u a r d i n g the
amily n
a m e and
o n f o r m i n g to
to
a u t h o r i t y were
w e r e elevated
elevated to
the status
status of
o f national
n a t i o n a l social
social norms.
norms.
authority
to the
For
a n y luckless
l u c k l e s s yyounger
o u n g e r sons
sons and daughters
d a u g h t e r s the
the religious
religious
For m
many
life
a s the
o n l y refuge,
r e f u g e , as
as it was
w a s for
for aa variety
v a r i e t y of
o f spiritual
spiritual
life wwas
the only
seekers,
a l c o n t e n t s , and
and independent
i n d e p e n d e n t thinkers.
t h i n k e r s . Monasteries
Monasteries
seekers, m
malcontents,
w
e r e aa safe
a r b o r , ttoo,
o o , for
for artists
artists and
and poets
p o e t s who
w h o basked
b a s k e d in
were
safe hharbor,
the
a t r o n a g e of
o f great
great Zen
Z e n priests
priests like
like Muso
M u s o Kokushi
K o k u s h i (1275(1275the ppatronage
1 3 5 1 ) . SSo
o ppowerful
owerful w
a s this
a t i o n a l Teacher
Teacher oof
f the
shogun
1351).
was
this N
National
the shogun
Takauji
e convinced
c o n v i n c e d tthe
h e dictator
d i c t a t o r to
t o build
b u i l d temples
temples
Takauji that
that hhe
tthroughout
h r o u g h o u t the
the land
land in
in restitution
restitution for
f o r the
the lives
lives lost
lost during
d u r i n g the
the
ccivil
ivil w
a r s . Zen
Z e n temple
t e m p l e building
b u i l d i n g rose
to fever
fever pitch,
p i t c h , with
with
wars.
rose to
T
e n r y u - jji,
i,
Tenryu
the
h e a d Kyoto
K y o t o branch,
b r a n c h , erected
erected in
o n l y three
three
the head
in only
m
onths! M
u s o ' s memorable
m e m o r a b l e praise
praise for
for Takauji,
Takauji, his
his primary
primary
months!
Muso's
Z
e n pupil,
p u p i l , was
w a s that
that even
even after
ight o
h e a v y ddrinking,
r i n k i n g , the
the
Zen
after aa nnight
off heavy
sshogun
hogun m
a n a g e d to
p u t in
in long
l o n g hours
h o u r s of
o f zazen
z a z e n before
b e f o r e falling
falling
managed
to put
asleep.
asleep.
Such
was
the state
Such w
a s the
state of
o f Zen
Z e n when
w h e n Bassui
B a s s u i Tokusho
T o k u s h o was
w a s born
born
to an
to
an obscure
o b s c u r e samurai
s a m u r a i family
f a m i l y in the
the province
p r o v i n c e of
o f Sagami,
Sagami,
K
a n a g a w a pprefecture,
r e f e c t u r e , oon
n 6
N o v e m b e r 1327.
1327. While
W h i l e pregnant,
pregnant,
Kanagawa
6 November
his
o t h e r had
d r e a m e d that
she was
w a s about
a b o u t to
to
his superstitious
superstitious mmother
had dreamed
that she
ggive
i v e birth
to aa demon,
d e m o n , and
and so
s o she
she abandoned
a b a n d o n e d the
the newborn
newborn
birth to
b
a b y in
o t far
r o m her home.
home. A
A family
f a m i l y servant
servant found
found
baby
in aa field
field nnot
far ffrom
the
infant and
and raised
raised it as his
his own.
o w n . When
W h e n Bassui
B a s s u i was
w a s four,
f o u r , his
his
the infant
stepfather
l e a v i n g the
child with
w i t h aa terrible fear
fear of
o f falling
falling
stepfather died,
died, leaving
the child
iinto
n t o hell.
hell. At
A t aa memorial
m e m o r i a l service
s e r v i c e for
for his stepfather
stepfather held
h e l d when
when
the
b o y was
w a s seven,
seven, aa priest
m a k i n g food
f o o d offerings
o f f e r i n g s at the
the altar
altar
the boy
priest making
w
a s startled
h e n the
c h i l d asked
asked h
i m who
w h o was
w a s going
g o i n g to
t o eat
eat
was
startled wwhen
the child
him
the
f o o d . "The
" T h e soul
s o u l of
o f your
y o u r father,"
f a t h e r , " he
h e answered.
a n s w e r e d . "What
" W h a t is
is
the food.
this
t h i n g called
called aa soul?"
s o u l ? " the boy
b o y pressed
pressed on.
o n . But
B u t he
he could
c o u l d be
be
this thing
g i v e n nno
o satisfactory
satisfactory aanswer.
nswer. B
y the
t i m e Bassui
B a s s u i turned
t u r n e d nine
nine
given
By
the time
he
w a s having
h a v i n g nightmares
n i g h t m a r e s about
a b o u t eternal
eternal damnation,
d a m n a t i o n , waking
waking
he was
Bassui bbegan
meditating
early oon
Bassui
egan m
e d i t a t i n g early
n life
life after
after death.
death. Gradually,
Gradually,
he refined
u e s t i o n , cchanging
h a n g i n g itit ffrom
r o m ""What
W h a t is
is the
the nature
nature
he
refined his
his qquestion,
off the soul
o
s o u l that
that can
can enjoy
enjoy food
f o o d and
and suffer
suffer pain
pain after
after physical
physical
d
e a t h ? " to
" W h o is the
n e sseeing,
e e i n g , hhearing,
e a r i n g , and
understanding
death?"
to "Who
the oone
and understanding
in this
in
this very
v e r y moment?"
m o m e n t ? " As
A s an
a d o l e s c e n t he
d i s c o v e r e d that
an adolescent
he discovered
n
o t h i n g could
c o u l d be called
called aa soul,
s o u l , that all
all was
w a s in
fact eempty,
m p t y , and
and
nothing
in fact
he
a s ttemporarily
e m p o r a r i l y appeased.
appeased. But
B u t one
o n e day
day he
he happened
h a p p e n e d on
o n aa
lie wwas
bbook
o o k and
T h e mind
m i n d is
o s t , the
the body
b o d y is
is guest,"
g u e s t , " and
and he
he
and read,
read, ""The
is hhost,
w
a
s
o
n
c
e
a
g
a
i
n
p
l
u
n
g
e
d
i
n
t
o
d
o
u
b
t
.
I
f
the
m
i
n
d
w
a
s
h
o
s
t
was once again plunged into doubt. If the mind was host itit
ccouldn't
ouldn't b
e empty,
e m p t y , he
he reasoned.
r e a s o n e d . Indeed,
Indeed, m
i n d must
m u s t be
b e that
that
be
mind
w
h i c h sees
n d e r s t a n d s that
d o e s . But
B u t rumirumiwhich
sees and
and hears,
hears, and
and uunderstands
that itit does.
n
a t i n g like
a s ggetting
etting h
i m nowhere,
n o w h e r e , sso
o at
w e n t y he
h e went
went
nating
like this
this wwas
him
at ttwenty
ooff
f f to
p
o
n
d
e
r
his
s
p
o
n
t
a
n
e
o
u
s
k
o
a
n
u
n
d
e
r
the
g
u
i
d
a
n
c
e
o
f
Zen
to ponder his spontaneous koan under the guidance of Zen
master
e at
i f u k u - j iji,
, aa temple
t e m p l e in
his home
h o m e province
p r o v i n c e of
of
master OOe
at JJifiiku
in his
SSagami.
agami.
From
F
r o m the
the very
v e r y start,
start, Bassui
B a s s u i refused
refused to
to shave
shave his
his head
h e a d or
or
practice aany
ritual. Dressed
practice
n y rreligious
e l i g i o u s ritual.
D r e s s e d as
a y m a n , never
never recitrecitas aa llayman,
iing
n g sutras,
sutras, he spent
spent every
every waking
waking m
o m e n t in
in zazen,
z a z e n , deterdetermoment
mined
to discover
was master."
m
i n e d to
d i s c o v e r ""who
w h o Was
m a s t e r . " Coming
C o m i n g and
a n d going
going
his hhome
ffrom
r o m his
o m e temple
t e m p l e on
o n pilgrimages,
p i l g r i m a g e s , Bassui
B a s s u i sought
s o u g h t oout
u t the
the
Zen
Z
e n teachers
teachers oof
f the
the day,
day, testing
t e s t i n g his
his question,
q u e s t i o n , but
b u t always
always
refusing toto remain
with
refusing
remain w
i t h them
t h e m as
as a
a monk,
m o n k , finding
f i n d i n g it more
more
compatible
to sit zazen
in isolated
mountain
c o m p a t i b l e to
zazen in
isolated m
o u n t a i n huts
h u t s and
a n d even
even in
trees.
Once,
hearing
of
a
hermit
monk
named
Tokukei
trees. O n c e , h e a r i n g o f a h e r m i t m o n k n a m e d T o k u k e i Jisha,
Jisha,
Bassui, his
his head
as a concession
to temple
Bassui,
h e a d now
n o w shaved
shaved as
c o n c e s s i o n to
t e m p l e etietiquette, but
quette,
b u t still
still dressed
dressed in layman's
l a y m a n ' s clothing,
c l o t h i n g , decided
d e c i d e d to
to pay
pay
him
visit. LLooking
his hhut,
the hhermit
called, "Why
h
i m aa visit.
o o k i n g oout
u t ffrom
r o m his
u t , the
e r m i t called,
"Why
aren't
you
wearing
monk's
robes?"
aren't y o u w e a r i n g m o n k ' s r o b e s ? "
monk
""I
I became
b e c a m e aa m
o n k to understand
u n d e r s t a n d the ggreat
r e a t matter
m a t t e r of
o f life
life and
and
death, not
death,
n o t to
to wear
w e a r Buddhist
B u d d h i s t robes!"
r o b e s ! " Bassui
B a s s u i called
called back.
back.
"I
" I see.
see. Then
T h e n are
are you
y o u looking
l o o k i n g into
i n t o the
the koans
k o a n s of
o f the
the old
old
tteachers?"
eachers?"
"Of
" O f course
c o u r s e not.
n o t . How
H o w can
can II appreciate
appreciate the
t h e words
w o r d s of
o f others
others
when
don't
w
h e n II d
o n ' t even
even know
k n o w my
m y oown
w n mind?"
m i n d ? " Bassui
B a s s u i replied.
replied.
u p in the darkness
d a r k n e s s and
and seeing
s e e i n g flashes
flashes of
o f hellfire
hellfire in his room.
room.
up
do
""Well,
W e l l , hhow
o w tthen
hen d
o you
y o u approach
a p p r o a c h yyour
o u r religious
r e l i g i o u s practice?"
practice?"
Growing
outsider
haunted
the agonies
G r o w i n g up
u p as a social
social o
utsider h
a u n t e d bby
y the
a g o n i e s of
of
the
the "three
" t h r e e evil
evil paths"
p a t h s " of
o f hell,
hell, hungry
h u n g r y ghosts,
g h o s t s , and
a n d animals,
animals,
became
monk
in oorder
the source
""I
I b
e c a m e aa m
o n k in
r d e r to
t o clarify
clarify the
s o u r c e of
o f the great
great
48
48
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
Buddha-Dharma.
After
attain eenlightenment
B
uddha-Dharma. A
f t e r II attain
nlightenment I w
a n t to
t o save
save
want
Bassui
Bassui
49
49
all
all bbeings,
e i n g s , bright
b r i g h t and
and dull,
d u l l , teaching
t e a c h i n g everyone
e v e r y o n e according
a c c o r d i n g to
to his
his
or
or her
h e r ability.
ability. What
W h a t II want
w a n t most
m o s t is
is to
to relieve
relieve people
p e o p l e of
o f their
their
suffering
myself
may
have to
to fall
fall iinto
suffering even
even iiff II m
yself m
a y have
n t o hell."
hell."
Tokukci
was
and wwelcomed
the yyoung
T
okukei w
a s iimpressed
m p r e s s e d and
e l c o m e d i in
n the
o u n g unorunortthodox-looking
h o d o x - l o o k i n g monk.
monk.
Unju ji and
himself
Unju-ji
and formally
f o r m a l l y declared
declared h
i m s e l f aa disciple.
disciple. Irritated
Irritated at
being
tried to
to strike a compromise:
b e i n g cornered
c o r n e r e d this
this way,
w a y , Bassui
B a s s u i tried
compromise:
he would
Koho
daily and
and sit
sit zzazen
in the
the m
monastery,
he
w o u l d see
see K
o h o daily
a z e n in
o n a s t e r y , but
but
he wwould
do
as aa ccommuter,
in aa hhut
he
ould d
o sso
o as
o m m u t e r , lliving
i v i n g in
u t ssomewhere
o m e w h e r e off
off
the
the temple
t e m p l e grounds.
g r o u n d s . To
To his surprise,
surprise, the great
great teacher,
teacher, having
having
detected aa ppromising,
detected
r o m i s i n g , if
i f difficult,
difficult, sstudent,
t u d e n t , agreed,
a g r e e d , instructing
instructing
Bassui
i t h the
e g i n n e r ' s kkoan,
o a n , JJoshu's
o s h u ' s ""Mu."
M u . " (A
( A monk
monk
Bassuitoto sit
sitwwith
thebbeginner's
asked JJoshu,
asked
o s h u , ""Does
D o e s a dog
d o g have
have Buddha
B u d d h a nature?"
n a t u r e ? " Joshu
J o s h u anansswered,
w e r e d , "Mu!")
"MM!")
In aa m
morning
In
o r n i n g interview,
i n t e r v i e w , Koho
K o h o asked,
a s k e d , "What
" W h a t is
is mu?"
m«?"
""Mountains,
M o u n t a i n s , rivers, and the great earth, grass,
g r a s s , trees, and the
the
forests, all
all are
are mu,"
forests,
mu," replied
replied Bassui
B a s s u i with
w i t h some
s o m e self-satisfaction
self-satisfaction
at having
h a v i n g solved
s o l v e d the koan
k o a n so
s o quickly.
quickly.
Suddenly
Koho
in aa sshout.
Suddenly K
o h o eerupted
r u p t e d in
h o u t . ""Don't
D o n ' t use
use your
y o u r mind!"
mind!"
These
T h e s e words
w o r d s prompted
p r o m p t e d Bassui's
B a s s u i ' s deep
d e e p and unmistakable
u n m i s t a k a b l e rerealization.
Finding
drenched
hee later
alization. F
i n d i n g himself
himself d
r e n c h e d in sweat,
s w e a t , it was,
w a s , as h
described
disciple, ""as
described tto
o aa disciple,
a s tthough
h o u g h I had lost my
m y life
life root,
r o o t , like
like
whose
aa barrel
barrel w
h o s e bbottom
o t t o m had
had been
b e e n smashed
s m a s h e d oopen."
p e n . " Groping
G r o p i n g to
Now
N
o w in
in his
his twenties,
t w e n t i e s , Bassui
B a s s u i engaged
e n g a g e d in meditation
m e d i t a t i o n for
for
decade,
until oone
aalmost
l m o s t aa d
e c a d e , until
n e morning,
m o r n i n g , after
after having
h a v i n g sat
sat zazen
z a z e n the
night
n i g h t through,
t h r o u g h , he
h e got
g o t up
u p to
to wash
w a s h in
in aa nearby
n e a r b y mountain
m o u n t a i n stream.
stream.
Suddenly
the
sound
of
the
gurgling
water
gushed
through
S u d d e n l y the s o u n d o f the g u r g l i n g w a t e r g u s h e d t h r o u g h him
him
and
and he
h e had
had aa moment
m o m e n t of
o f realization.
realization. Having
H a v i n g vowed
v o w e d never
never to
to
the cconfirmation
aannounce
n n o u n c e hhimself
i m s e l f wwithout
i t h o u t the
o n f i r m a t i o n oof
f aa real
real Zen
Zen
master,
he iimmediately
set oout
Mongo,
m
a s t e r , he
m m e d i a t e l y set
u t to approach
a p p r o a c h Kozan
Kozan M
o n g o , the
the
off Kencho-ji
in Kamakura.
It was
aabbot
bbot o
K e n c h o - j i in
K a m a k u r a . It
w a s March
M a r c h 1358,
1358, and
and
Bassui
was
now
B
assui w
as n
o w tthirty-one.
h i r t y - o n e . Perhaps
Perhaps because
because he
he was
w a s dissatisfied
dissatisfied
somehow
s o m e h o w with
w i t h the
the easy
easy confirmation
c o n f i r m a t i o n he
he received
received from
f r o m Kozan,
Kozan,
Bassui
that m
moment
B a s s u i cchose
h o s e that
o m e n t to
t o don
d o n Buddhist
B u d d h i s t robes
r o b e s and
and declare
declare
himself
traditional ZZen
monk.
h
i m s e l f aa traditional
en m
o n k . From
F r o m this time
t i m e forward,
f o r w a r d , his
his
life bbecame
an uunending
life
e c a m e an
n e n d i n g pilgrimage.
pilgrimage.
After
many
at Horin-ji,
A
f t e r ttracking
racking m
a n y miles,
m i l e s , Bassui
B a s s u i sstopped
t o p p e d at
Horin-ji, a
find his
his way
find
w a y out
o u t of
o f the
the teacher's
teacher's room,
r o o m , Bassui
B a s s u i bumped
b u m p e d his
his
where
he had
had hhigh
true m
master,
ttemple
emple w
h e r e he
i g h hhopes
o p e s oof
f ffinding
i n d i n g aa true
a s t e r , but
but
head.
head. On
O n the
the path
p a t h leading
l e a d i n g back
b a c k to
to his
his little
little hut,
h u t , he
h e was
w a s still
still so
so
gripped
that he
g r i p p e d by
b y the
the experience
e x p e r i e n c e of
o f his
his satori
satori that
he had
h a d to
t o grasp
g r a s p at
at
the
the walls
w a l l s to keep
k e e p from
f r o m falling.
falling. When
W h e n he
he finally
finally arrived
arrived and
and
threw
t h r e w himself
h i m s e l f down
d o w n inside,
inside, he burst
b u r s t into
i n t o tears.
tears.
The
next
much
T
he n
e x t evening's
e v e n i n g ' s iinterview
n t e r v i e w was
w a s aalmost
l m o s t as
as m
u c h of
o f aa shock,
shock,
for
Bassui
his m
mouth,
for even
even bbefore
efore B
a s s u i hhad
a d oopened
p e n e d his
o u t h , Koho
K o h o cried
cried out,
out,
he was
unimpressed
the ffamous
he
w a s sso
o u
n i m p r e s s e d bby
y the
a m o u s FFukuan
u k u a n SSoko,
o k o , aabbot
b b o t in
charge
c h a r g e oof
f two
t w o thousand
t h o u s a n d disciples,
disciples, that he returned
r e t u r n e d to
t o Tokukei
Tokukei
and announced
his intention
and
a n n o u n c e d his
i n t e n t i o n to become
b e c o m e aa hermit.
h e r m i t . Tokukei
Tokukei
claimed
he detected
c l a i m e d he
detected aa bit
bit of
o f arrogance
a r r o g a n c e in
in the
the decision
d e c i s i o n and
and
warned
Bassui
against iisolating
himself. ""All
w
arned B
a s s u i against
s o l a t i n g himself.
A l l rright,
i g h t , tthen,"
h e n , " said
said
Bassui,
B
a s s u i , ""I'm
I ' m your
y o u r disciple."
d i s c i p l e . " And
A n d he
he moved
m o v e d into
i n t o his
his friend's
friend's
"My
" M y dharma
d h a r m a will
w i l l not
n o t vanish.
v a n i s h . All
A l l may
m a y now
n o w be
b e happy.
h a p p y . My
My
hermitage
h
e r m i t a g e for
for the next
n e x t full
full year.
year.
dharma
d
h a r m a will
w i l l not
n o t disappear!"
disappear!"
At
Tokukei's
set oout
A
t T
o k u k e i ' s rrecommendation,
e c o m m e n d a t i o n , Bassui
B a s s u i nnext
e x t set
u t to check
check
His
now
H
i s enlightenment
enlightenment n
o w true,
true, and
and truly
t r u l y confirmed,
c o n f i r m e d , Bassui
Bassui
his eenlightenment
with
Kakumyo
his
n l i g h t e n m e n t experience
experience w
i t h Koho
Koho K
a k u m y o at Unju-ji
Unju-ji
replied wwith
the following
replied
i t h the
f o l l o w i n g poem.
poem.
in IIzuma.
in
z u m a . Assured
A s s u r e d that he
h e would
w o u l d find
find a ttruly
r u l y great
g r e a t teacher
teacher this
was
Koho
was,
after all,
all, in
in the
the direct
ttime,
i m e , Bassui
Bassui w
a s ooptimistic.
ptimistic. K
oho w
a s , after
direct
Six windows
windows naturally open,
Six
open, aa cold
cold lone
lone flower,
flower,
line ooff Dogen,
line
D o g e n , who
w h o had
h a d brought
b r o u g h t Chinese
C h i n e s e Zen
Z e n to
t o Japan;
Japan; and
and
Unju [Koho]
strikes the
the rubbish
rubbish from my
Unju
[Koho] strikes
m y eyes,
eyes,
Koho's
had
K
o h o ' s teacher
teacher h
a d taken
t a k e n the precepts
p r e c e p t s from
f r o m Keizan
K e i z a n JJokin,
o k i n , the
the
Crushes the
the gem
Crushes
g e m in my
m y hand right
right before
before me,
me,
third patriarch
third
patriarch in the
the Japanese
Japanese Soto
S o t o Zen
Z e n sect.
sect. Bassui
B a s s u i was
w a s not
not
So be
be it,
it, this gold has become hard iron.
So
iron.
disappointed.
who
d
i s a p p o i n t e d . KKoho,
oho, w
h o was
w a s strict
strict and
and uncompromising
uncompromising
aabout
b o u t both
b o t h the
the Buddhist
B u d d h i s t precepts
p r e c e p t s and
and the
the practice
practice of
o f zazen,
zazen,
Nonetheless,
without
Nonetheless, w
i t h o u t waiting
w a i t i n g to
to receive
receive Koho's
K o h o ' s formal
formal
refused to
to confirm
refused
c o n f i r m Bassui's
B a s s u i ' s realization
realization unless
unless he
he remained
r e m a i n e d at
at
transmission,
wanderer
t r a n s m i s s i o n , the
the restless
restless w
a n d e r e r ttook
o o k to the road
r o a d again.
again. At
At
50
50
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
a
Bassui
Bassui
51
31
mr-
<sg
tthirty-two,
h i r t y - t w o , Bassui
B a s s u i returned
r e t u r n e d to his
his old
o l d hermitage
h e r m i t a g e to
t o announce
announce
amazement
a m a z e m e n t that
that he
h e had
had collected
collected over
o v e r eight
e i g h t hundred
h u n d r e d disciples!
disciples!
Reluctantly,
he formally
R
e l u c t a n t l y , he
f o r m a l l y became
b e c a m e a Zen
Z e n teacher.
teacher. Nevertheless,
Nevertheless,
w a s still
still so
s o stubbornly
s t u b b o r n l y antimonastic
a n t i m o n a s t i c that
that he
h e refused
refused to
to call
call
he was
his temple
t e m p l e a monastery,
m o n a s t e r y , using
u s i n g the
the suffix
suffix an
an (temple)
(temple) instead of
of
his
jiji (monastery)
( m o n a s t e r y ) when
w h e n naming
n a m i n g it Kagaku-an.
K a g a k u - a n . Here,
H e r e , at
at age
a g e fiftyfiftyfour, with
w i t h only
o n l y seven
seven years
years left
left to live,
live, Bassui
B a s s u i ddrew
rew u
p thirtythirtyfour,
up
f o r the
the behavior
b e h a v i o r of
o f his
his disciples.
disciples. It
It was
w a s an
an eccentric
eccentric
three rules for
the good
that Bassui
was
the
g o o d news.
n e w s . Tokukei,
T o k u k e i , seeing
s e e i n g that
Bassui w
a s truly
t r u l y ripe
ripe
now,
own
hermitage
n
o w , advised
a d v i s e d him
h i m to build
b u i l d his
his o
wn h
e r m i t a g e and
a n d teach.
t e a c h . Again
Again
ffollowing
o l l o w i n g his
his old
o l d friend's
friend's advice,
a d v i c e , Bassui
B a s s u i established
established himself
h i m s e l f aa
sshort
h o r t distance
distance away
away in
o m e province
p r o v i n c e at
at Nanasawa.
Nanasawa.
in his
his hhome
passed, and
and oone
Bassui
that Koho
FFour
o u r yyears
e a r s passed,
n e nnight
ight B
a s s u i ddreamed
r e a m e d that
Koho
w
a s aabout
b o u t to
die. Immediately,
I m m e d i a t e l y , hhe
e set
ut o
n a return
r e t u r n visit
visit to
to
was
to die.
set oout
on
U n j u - jji,
i , where
w h e r e indeed
i n d e e d he found
f o u n d his
his teacher
t e a c h e r gravely
gravely ill.
ill. But
But
Unju
w
h o was
w a s this tree-dwelling
t r e e - d w e l l i n g eccentric
eccentric w
h o refused
refused to recite
recite the
the
who
who
d o c u m e n t , dispensing
d i s p e n s i n g with
w i t h the
the usual
usual religious
r e l i g i o u s emphasis
e m p h a s i s on
on
document,
llineage
i n e a g e and
c
e
r
e
m
o
n
y
in
favor
o
f
zazen
p
r
a
c
t
i
c
e
d
in
s
i
m
p
l
and ceremony in favor of zazen practiced in simple,e ,
h
e
r
m
e
t
i
c
style; but
but he
he was
w a s scathing
s c a t h i n g in
in his
his attacks
attacks on
o n drunkendrunkenhermetic style;
ness,
r o h i b i t i n g aany
n y oof
f his
o n k s ffrom
r o m taking
t a k i n g so
s o much
m u c h as
as a
a
ness, pprohibiting
his m
monks
sutras
insisted o
n special
special ddispensation
i s p e n s a t i o n to
t o live
live ooff
f f monastery
monastery
sutras and
and insisted
on
d
r o p of
o f alcohol.
a l c o h o l . "The
" T h e true
true meaning
m e a n i n g of
o f the
the precepts,"
p r e c e p t s , " he
he
drop
B
a s s u i ' s relations
i t h the
t h e r monks
m o n k s were
w e r e so
s o strained
strained that
that
Bassui's
relations wwith
the oother
conflicts arose
e hhad
a d to
beat a
a quick
q u i c k retreat.
retreat. After
A f t e r all,
all,
conflicts
arose and
and hhe
to beat
ggrounds?
rounds? W
h y had
o t t e n such
such a
a quick
q u i c k and
and easy
easy transmistransmisWhy
had he
he ggotten
declared
n i g m a t i c a l l y , " "is
i s that
n e sshould
h o u l d refrain
o t only
only
declared eenigmatically,
that oone
refrain nnot
sion?
i d nnot
o t take
o n g for
for the
the nornadic
n o m a d i c Bassui
B a s s u i to
t o realize
realize that
that
sion? ItIt ddid
take llong
ffrom
r o m drinking
d r i n k i n g alcohol
a l c o h o l bbut
u t also
also from
f r o m getting
g e t t i n g drunk
d r u n k on
o n nirnir-
he
a s n ' t welcome,
w e l c o m e , and
and h
m m e d i a t e l y lit
lit out
o u t for
for another
a n o t h e r one
one
he wwasn't
hee iimmediately
vvana."
a n a . " Then,
T h e n , on
o n one
o n e memorable
m e m o r a b l e occasion,
occasion, h
e openly
o p e n l y got
got
he
oof
f his
e m p o r a r y hermitages
h e r m i t a g e s in
e a r b y province
province o
i . On
On
his ttemporary
in the
the nnearby
off KKi.
d
r u n k in
in front
front of
o f all
all his
t u d e n t s , and,
w h e n questioned
q u e s t i o n e d about
about
drunk
his sstudents,
and, when
the
w a y , he
h e visited
visited an
an acquaintance
a c q u a i n t a n c e named
n a m e d Jikushitsu
J i k u s h i t s u Genko,
Genko,
the way,
it,
said it
w a s to
to show
s h o w tthem
h e m how
h o w not
n o t to
to get
g e t stuck
s t u c k on
o n regularegulait, said
it was
aabbot
b b o t of
o f Eigen
E i g e n - jji,
i , where
w h e r e he
he was
w a s so
s o well
w e l l received
received that
that he
he was
was
tions!
tions!
even
s k e d tto
o deliver
o r m a l ddharma
h a r m a talk.
talk. Being
B e i n g Bassui,
B a s s u i , he
he
even aasked
deliver aa fformal
Having
the ssound
H
a v i n g bbeen
e e n eenlightened
n l i g h t e n e d oon
n hhearing
e a r i n g the
o u n d oof
f aa mounmoun-
eencouraged
n c o u r a g e d the
o n k s to
avoid m
o n k i s h ZZen
e n and
a p p l y their
their
the m
monks
to avoid
monkish
and apply
tain sstream,
identified sstrongly
the BBuddhist
tain
t r e a m , Bassui
B a s s u i identified
t r o n g l y wwith
i t h the
u d d h i s t ar-
m
a l i z e d rituals,
a n d hierarchy.
hierarchy.
malized
rituals, institutions,
institutions, and
oof
f the
o r l d . Bassui
B a s s u i therefore
a d aa shrine
Kannon,
the wworld.
therefore hhad
shrine erected
erected to
to Kannon,
realization
d e p e n d i n g on
o n forforrealization inin their
their actual
actual lives
lives rather
rather than
than depending
cchetype
h e t y p e oof
f the
odhisattva K
annon, o
ne w
h o hears
hears the
the sounds
sounds
the BBodhisattva
Kannon,
one
who
A
A true
true example
e x a m p l e of
o f his
his own
o w n preaching,
p r e a c h i n g , Bassui
B a s s u i remained
remained
i n d i c a t i n g to his followers
f o l l o w e r s that he wished
w i s h e d it to
to serve
serve as his
his own
own
indicating
elusive,
efusing m
any m
onastery p
o s t s , preferring
p r e f e r r i n g to
to sit
sit alone
alone
elusive, rrefusing
many
monastery
posts,
burial
n the
t w e n t i e t h oof
f March,
M a r c h , in
in 1387,
1387, he
sat up
up
burial place.
place. OOn
the twentieth
he sat
s m a l l hermitages
h e r m i t a g e s and
and temples,
t e m p l e s , and
and secretly
s e c r e t l y stealing
stealing away
away in
in
in small
the
i g h t as
as soon
s o o n as
as too
t o o many
m a n y disciples
disciples collected
c o l l e c t e d aaround
r o u n d him.
him.
the nnight
For
w e n t y yyears,
e a r s , ffrom
r o m the
g e oof
f tthirty-two
h i r t y - t w o until
until he
he was
w a s fiftyfiftyFor ttwenty
the aage
t w o , he
he moved
m o v e d around
a r o u n d Japan in this
this fashion,
f a s h i o n , spending
s p e n d i n g periods
periods
two,
straight, with
w i t h legs
l e g s crossed
c r o s s e d in
in zazen
z a z e n posture,
p o s t u r e , and
and addressed
a d d r e s s e d his
his
straight,
students in
in a
a loud
l o u d voice:
v o i c e : ""Look
L o o k directly!
directly! What
W h a t is
is this?
o o k in
in
students
this? LLook
this m
a n n e r and
and you
y o u won't
w o n ' t be
b e fooled!"
f o o l e d ! " Again
A g a i n he repeated
repeated the
this
manner
phrase,
t h e n passed
passed away.
away. TTrue
r u e to
his vow
v o w to
to save
save all
all
phrase, and
and then
to his
in various
v a r i o u s hermitages,
h e r m i t a g e s , aand
n d visiting
v i s i t i n g teachers.
teachers. H
i s Zen
Z e n was
was
in
His
pportable,
o r t a b l e , rrequiring
e q u i r i n g nno
o ritual
ritual or
o r priestly
p r i e s t l y formalities,
f o r m a l i t i e s , no
n o traditraditional koans,
k o a n s , although
a l t h o u g h he
he did
d i d work
w o r k through
t h r o u g h The
The Record
Record of
of
tional
bbeings,
e i n g s , like
a n n o n herself,
a s s u i did
ot h
o l d himself
h i m s e l f aloof
aloof
like KKannon
herself, BBassui
did nnot
hold
ffrom
r o m the
the muddy
m u d d y world,
w o r l d , but
b u t spent
spent the
the years
years after
after his
his enlightenlighteenment
n m e n t eencouraging
n c o u r a g i n g oothers
t h e r s tto
o seek
n a t u r e and
and be
be
seek their
their true
true nature
Rinzai
and The
The Blue
Blue Cliff
Cliff Record
o a n ccollections
o l l e c t i o n s wwith
i t h ChikuChikuRinzai and
Recordk koan
relieved
suffering.
relieved ooff their
their suffering.
g a n Teizosu,
T e i z o s u , aa hhermit
ermit m
onk w
i t h whom
w h o m he
h e studied
studied for
for aa time,
time,
gan
monk
with
and later
later used
u s e d koans
k o a n s to
to illustrate
illustrate his
his own
o w n teachings.
teachings.
and
Inevitably, aage
caused BBassui
to sslow
Inevitably,
g e caused
a s s u i to
l o w ddown,
o w n , and,
a n d , in
in 1378,
1378,
he was
w a s fforced
o r c e d tto
o settle
settle in
emple o
n Mount
M o u n t Takemori
T a k e m o r i in Kai
Kai
he
in aa ttemple
on
p r o v i n c e . As
A s soon
s o o n as
as the
the word
w o r d went
w e n t out,
o u t , Bassui
B a s s u i found
f o u n d to
to his
his
province.
52
52
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
A Zen
to Zen,
A
Z e n teacher
teacher who
w h o avoided
avoided all
all formal
f o r m a l approaches
a p p r o a c h e s to
Zen,
B
Bassui
assui w
warned
a r n e d students
students nnot
o t to indulge
i n d u l g e in
in koan
k o a n practice
practice before
before
tthey
h e y had
seen aa bit
bit into
i n t o their
their own
o w n nature.
nature. Spontaneous
S p o n t a n e o u s in
had seen
m
e t h o d , striving
s t r i v i n g foremost
f o r e m o s t to
t o bring
b r i n g people
p e o p l e to
to realization,
realization, he
he
method,
t a u g h t according
a c c o r d i n g to
the capacity
c a p a c i t y and
and temperament
t e m p e r a m e n t of
o f the
the
taught
to the
I
Bassui
Bassui
53
53
who
individual
to those
i n d i v i d u a l sstudent,
t u d e n t , even
even recommending
r e c o m m e n d i n g to
those w
h o were
were
questioning,
is sure
q u e s t i o n i n g , he
h e says,
says, is
sure to break
b r e a k the
the delusory
d e l u s o r y fiction
fiction we
we
call
that ""Mind
call oour
u r "self,"
" s e l f , " revealing
revealing that
M i n d is
is itself Buddha."
Buddha."
inclined tto
do
inclined
o d
o so
s o that copying
c o p y i n g down
d o w n sutras
sutras was
w a s a good
g o o d way
w a y to
to
Again
A g a i n and
and again
again he
h e urges
u r g e s his
his students
s t u d e n t s to
t o rreturn
e t u r n tto
o the
the
"empty
" e m p t y the
the mind."
m i n d . " Bassui
B a s s u i even
even went
w e n t so
so far
far as
as to
to encourage
encourage
dead
in order
p e o p l e to
to mount
m o u n t memorial
m e m o r i a l services
services for
f o r the
the d
e a d in
o r d e r to
to
people
question,
q
u e s t i o n , even
even after
after they
t h e y have
have had some
s o m e realization.
realization. ""Cast
C a s t off
off
well.
ggive
i v e the
d e c e a s e d aa cchance
h a n c e ffor
o r eenlightenment
n l i g h t e n m e n t as
as w
e l l . He
H e used
used
the deceased
what
tells tthem,
w
h a t has
has been
b e e n realized,"
r e a l i z e d , " hhe
e tells
h e m , "turn
" t u r n back
b a c k to
the
to the
bit of
and llegend,
and was
not
ffolklore
o l k l o r e and
e g e n d , and
was n
o t above
a b o v e throwing
t h r o w i n g in aa bit
of
subject that
that realizes,
realizes,toto the
the rroot
subject
o o t bottom,
b o t t o m , and
and resolutely
r e s o l u t e l y go
go
to prod
ssuperstition
u p e r s t i t i o n when
w h e n necessary
necessary to
p r o d his
his disciples
disciples into
i n t o realiza-
on."
o n . " Still
Still further,
further, even
even after
after attaining
attaining deep
d e e p insight,
i n s i g h t , Bassui
Bassui
exhorts
until
e x h o r t s the
the seeker
seeker to
t o polish
p o l i s h realization
realization u
n t i l "it
" i t positively
positively
the entire
entire uuniverse."
To tthose
who
iillumines
l l u m i n e s the
n i v e r s e . " To
hose w
h o do
do n
o t attain
attain
not
tion. All
A l l teachings
t e a c h i n g s were
w e r e directed
directed tto
o aa single
single point:
p o i n t : namely,
namely,
tion.
s e e i n g iinto
n t o one's
o n e ' s original
o r i g i n a l nature
n a t u r e is
is Buddhahood.
Buddhahood.
that seeing
His
H i s rustic style
style is evident
evident in the title
title of
o f his
his rrecorded
e c o r d e d teachteachMud and Water
i n g s , Enzan
Enzan Wadeigassui
Wadeigassui (A
(A Collection
Collection of
Water From
From
ings,
of Mud
ordinary
Enzan),
p u b l i s h e d in
in colloquial
c o l l o q u i a l Japanese
Japanese ffor
o r the
the o r d i n a r y
Enzan),
published
satoriinin this
this llifetime,
meditating
satori
i f e t i m e , bbut
u t ccontinue
ontinue m
e d i t a t i n g in
in this fashion,
fashion,
he ppromises
realization inin the
the nnext
life, ccomparing
their hard
he
r o m i s e s realization
e x t life,
o m p a r i n g their
hard
work
w
o r k to
to preparation
p r e p a r a t i o n for
for aa journey
j o u r n e y in
in advance,
a d v a n c e , with
w i t h an easy
easy
outcome
o u t c o m e as
as soon
s o o n as
as the
the traveler
traveler embarks.
embarks.
reader. TTirelessly,
and in
in a variety
reader.
i r e l e s s l y , and
v a r i e t y of
o f ways,
w a y s , he posed
p o s e d to
to his
When
what
to do
W
h e n aasked
sked w
h a t to
d o about
a b o u t thoughts,
t h o u g h t s , Bassui
B a s s u i told
t o l d his
disciples
to
accept
them
disciples t o a c c e p t t h e m as
as transient
transient unreality
unreality aand
n d go
g o on
on
aasking,
s k i n g , "What
" W h a t is
is this
this mind?"
m i n d ? " or
o r "Who
" W h o is
is h
e a r i n g these
these
hearing
sounds?"
s o u n d s ? " Alluding
A l l u d i n g to Kannon
K a n n o n as
as his
his archetypal
a r c h e t y p a l model
m o d e l for
for
penetrating
p e n e t r a t i n g the
t h e essential
essential sself
e l f tthrough
h r o u g h sound,
s o u n d , he
h e prepared
p r e p a r e d the
the
listener
listener ffor
o r experiences
e x p e r i e n c e s oof
f "emptiness,"
" e m p t i n e s s , " for
for encountering
e n c o u n t e r i n g aa
great
great Void:
V o i d : ""Do
D o not
n o t mistake
m i s t a k e this state
state for self-realization,"
s e l f - r e a l i z a t i o n , " he
he
warned,
w a r n e d , "but
" b u t continue
c o n t i n u e to
to ask
ask yourself
y o u r s e l f even
even m
o r e intensely,
intensely,
more
students the
the question
that had
brought
students
q u e s t i o n that
had b
r o u g h t him
h i m to
to his
his own
o w n enlightenlight-
the master that
that is
is hearing
h e a r i n g at
at this
this very
very
eenment:
n m e n t : "Who
" W h o is
is the m a s t e r
moment?"
moment?"
Bassui's
Crazy
B
a s s u i ' s ggentle
entle C
r a z y Cloud
C l o u d approach,
a p p r o a c h , his
his anarchistic
anarchistic bias,
did
n
o
t
adapt
itself
t
o
a
f
o
r
m
a
l
i
z
e
d
Z
e
n
lineage.
e w
a s to
did not adapt itself to formalized Zen lineage. H
He
was
to the
reluctant
reformer
whose
vvery
e r y ccore
o r e aa hermit
h e r m i t monk,
m o n k , aa reluctant r e f o r m e r w h o s e own
own
distaste
o r the ceremonial
c e r e m o n i a l trappings
t r a p p i n g s associated
associated w
i t h Zen
Z e n led
distaste ffor
with
h
i m to follow
f o l l o w aa single-minded,
s i n g l e - m i n d e d , individualistic
individualistic path
him
path to
to realizauniversal
tion. Quite
Q u i t e spontaneously
s p o n t a n e o u s l y he
he came
c a m e upon
u p o n aa universal question
question
tion.
`What
is itit that
that hears?'
hears?' " Presently,
' W h a t is
P r e s e n t l y , the
the voidness
v o i d n e s s will
w i l l disappear,
disappear,
giving
way
to
total
darkness.
Still,
he
enjoins
the
student,
giving way to
d a r k n e s s . Still, h e enjoins
s t u d e n t , keep
keep
c o m m o n to all
all children,
children, "Who
" W h o am
a m l?",
I ? " , and
and forged
f o r g e d it into
i n t o aa
common
follow
k
o
a
n
that
c
o
n
t
i
n
u
e
s
t
o
liberate
t
h
o
s
e
w
h
o
w
o
u
l
d
f
o
l
l
o w it
koan that continues to liberate those who would
method
tthrough
h r o u g h anywhere
a n y w h e r e and
and anytime.
a n y t i m e . Bassui's
B a s s u i ' s zazen
zazen is
is the m e t h o d
oon
n asking
a s k i n g relentlessly,
relentlessly, "What
" W h a t is
is it that
h e a r s ? " Even
E v e n the
the
that hears?"
serenity
serenity obtained
o b t a i n e d through
t h r o u g h zazen
z a z e n is
is illusory,
i l l u s o r y , Bassui
B a s s u i maintains,
maintains,
nothing
n o t h i n g but
b u t aa transient
transient reflection.
reflection. "You
" Y o u must
m u s t advance
a d v a n c e beyond
beyond
the
stage
where
your
reason
is
of
the s t a g e w h e r e y o u r r e a s o n is o f aany
n y aavail"-to
v a i l " — t o discover
d i s c o v e r the
the
all-embracing
mind
that does
not
all-embracing m
i n d that
does n
o t come
c o m e into
i n t o existence
e x i s t e n c e with
w i t h the
the
body
with
b o d y oor
r die
die w
i t h the body's
b o d y ' s destruction,
d e s t r u c t i o n , yet
y e t suffuses
suffuses every act
act
()t
seeing, hhearing,
o f seeing,
e a r i n g , ssmelling,
m e l l i n g , speaking,
s p e a k i n g , moving.
moving.
Like
all ZZen
L
i k e all
e n reformers,
r e f o r m e r s , Bassui
B a s s u i emphasized
e m p h a s i z e d experience
e x p e r i e n c e over
over
ceremony
c e r e m o n y and
and traditional
traditional forms
f o r m s of
o f religious
r e l i g i o u s worship.
w o r s h i p . Yet
Yet he
he
was mmore
than m
most
was
o r e ttolerant
o l e r a n t than
o s t in his
his handling
h a n d l i n g of
o f students
s t u d e n t s who
who
were nnot
to abandon
were
o t yyet
e t rready
e a d y to
a b a n d o n the timeworn
t i m e w o r n sutras
sutras or
or to
to give
give
til,
savior BBuddhas.
Sutras, he
he ttold
up ppetitioning
e t i t i o n i n g tthe
h e savior
u d d h a s . Sutras,
o l d tthem,
h e m , were
were
whether
oof
f llooking
o o k i n g iinto
n t o the
the mind,
m i n d , asking
a s k i n g continuously,
continuously, w
h e t h e r sleepsleepiing,
n g , waking,
w a k i n g , or
o r working,
w o r k i n g , "What
" W h a t is
is my
m y own
o w n mind?
m i n d ? Who
W h o is it
it
that
sees ccolors,
o l o r s , hears
hears sounds,
s o u n d s , moves
m o v e s the
the limbs
limbs o
m y body?
body?
off my
that sees
W
h a t is
i n d that
has n
o color,
c o l o r , sex,
sex, or
o r distinction
d i s t i n c t i o n of
o f any
any
What
is this
this m
mind
that has
no
k
i n d , is
is unborn
u n b o r n and
and undying,
u n d y i n g , yet
y e treflects
reflects countless
c o u n t l e s s thoughts
thoughts
kind,
and images
i m a g e s like
like a
a mirror?"
m i r r o r ? " He
H e assures
assures his
his students
students that
that no
no
and
B
u d d h a oor
r Bodhisattva
B o d h i s a t t v a ccan
a n penetrate
penetrate this
q u e s t i o n ffor
o r them,
them,
Buddha
this question
that
it is
is like
e i n g hhurt
u r t in
r e a m , crying
c r y i n g for
for its parent
parent
that it
like aa child
child bbeing
in aa ddream,
to rescue it. T h e parent w o u l d llove
o v e nnothing
othing m
o r e than
than to
t o come
come
more
to rescue it. The parent would
to its aid, to s t o p its suffering; b u t only
b y waking
w a k i n g itself
itself will
will
to
its aid, to stop its suffering; but o n l y by
helpful
helpful iif
f they
t h e y focused
f o c u s e d the
t h e mind
m i n d aaway
w a y ffrom
r o m ruminating
ruminating
the child
child be
b e free
free of
o f the
the painful
painful dream.
d r e a m . Deep
D e e p and
and constant
constant
the
54
54
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
were
for that
that matter.
tthoughts;
h o u g h t s ; sso
o w
e r e kkoans,
o a n s , or
o r memorial
m e m o r i a l services
services for
matter.
1
Bassui
Bassui
55
55
But
all these
these wwere
to the
the mmoon,
B
u t all
e r e oonly
n l y ""fingers
f i n g e r s ppointing
o i n t i n g to
o o n , and
and not
not
the m
moon
the
o o n itself."
i t s e l f . " The
T h e last
last refuge
r e f u g e for those
t h o s e wishing
w i s h i n g to discover
discover
the eexperience
mind,
tthemselves
h e m s e l v e s wwas
a s the
x p e r i e n c e oof
f oone's
n e ' s oown
wn m
i n d , the very
very
ffoundation
o u n d a t i o n ffor
o r every
oan, B
u d d h a , and
" I f you
y o u catch
catch
every kkoan,
Buddha,
and sutra.
sutra. "If
even aa gglimpse
l i m p s e oof
f yyour
o u r sself-nature,"
e l f - n a t u r e , " he
r o m i s e d , ""it
i t is
is the
the
even
he ppromised,
same
s a m e as
as reading
r e a d i n g and
and understanding
u n d e r s t a n d i n g all
all the sutras
sutras simultanesimultane-
ously,
o u s l y , none
n o n e excepted,
e x c e p t e d , without
w i t h o u t so
s o much
m u c h as
as holding
h o l d i n g one
o n e in your
your
hand
and
reading
a
word."
To
prepare
for
the
experience
hand and reading
w o r d . " To prepare for the e x p e r i e n c e one
one
could
c o u l d use
use bowing
b o w i n g before
b e f o r e the
the Buddha
B u d d h a as
as a preliminary
p r e l i m i n a r y exercise,
exercise,
what
hee called
the mmast
w
hat h
called ""horizontalizing
h o r i z o n t a l i z i n g the
a s t oof
f eego."
g o . " But
B u t Bassui
Bassui
a d v i s e d against
against fasting
fasting and
and other
o t h e r ascetic
ascetic practices,
practices, claiming
claiming
advised
practice of
o f Zen
Z e n was
w a s purification
p u r i f i c a t i o n enough.
e n o u g h . Wanting
W a n t i n g to
to
that the practice
b
e different
different frorn
f r o m ordinary
o r d i n a r y people,
p e o p l e , he
he chided
c h i d e d students
students who
who
be
ssought
o u g h t visionary
v i s i o n a r y experiences,
experiences, w
a s as
u c h a delusion
d e l u s i o n as any
any
was
as m
much
other
o
t h e r distracting
d i s t r a c t i n g tthought.
h o u g h t . "Don't
" D o n ' t involve
i n v o l v e yourself
y o u r s e l f in
in
such
such
fantasies bbut
only
is the
fantasies
ut o
n l y inquire:
inquire: `What
' W h a t is
the master
m a s t e r who
w h o sees
sees all
all
this?' ""
this?'
He
H
e used
u s e d certain
certain traditional
traditional Zen
Z e n koans
k o a n s for
for individual
i n d i v i d u a l stustudents, presumably
after tthey
had sshown
off
dents,
p r e s u m a b l y after
h e y had
h o w n ssome
o m e ppenetration
enetration o
his preliminary,
the master
is hearing
his
p r e l i m i n a r y , "Who
" W h o is
is the
m a s t e r that
that is
h e a r i n g this
this
Bassui
was
in his
Bassui w
a s very
v e r y psychological
p s y c h o l o g i c a l in
his approach
a p p r o a c h to
t o self-realiself-realization.
z a t i o n . He
H e alluded
alluded always
a l w a y s to the
the cognitive
c o g n i t i v e process
p r o c e s s of
o f blending
blending
subject
and object.
subject and
object. His
H i s method
m e t h o d stressed
stressed mental
m e n t a l reflection
reflection on
on
the subject
subject rather than
than the
the sensory
s e n s o r y approach
a p p r o a c h emphasized
e m p h a s i z e d by
b y aa
teacher
teacher like
like Bankci,
B a n k e i , for example.
e x a m p l e . Bassui
B a s s u i worked
w o r k e d almost
a l m o s t excluexclu-
sively
means
sively bby
y m
e a n s oof
f qquestioning-"Who
u e s t i o n i n g — " W h o is
is itit that
that hears,
hears, sees,
sees,
walks?"-a
w a l k s ? " — a method
m e t h o dthat
thatlends
lends itself
itself as
as comfortably
c o m f o r t a b l y to
to today's
today's
psychologically-oriented
practitioner
p s y c h o l o g i c a l l y - o r i e n t e d Western
Western ZZen
en p
r a c t i t i o n e r as it did
did to
to
the
the large
l a r g e lay
lay audience
a u d i e n c e of
o f his
his own
o w n day.
day. The
T h e question-andquestion-andanswer,
a n s w e r , or
o r public
p u b l i c dharma
d h a r m a combat
c o m b a t mode
m o d e found
f o u n dininhis
hisCollection
Collection
of
and Water
fromEnzan
Enzanpprovides
us wwith
of Mud
Mud and
Water from
r o v i d e s us
i t h a very
v e r y clear
clear
model
m o d e l of
o f his
his approach.
a p p r o a c h . When
W h e n aa lay
lay student
student asks
asks how
h o w Zen,
Zen,
with
w i t h its
its koans
k o a n s and
and records
r e c o r d s of
o f old
o l d masters,
m a s t e r s , can
can be
b e considered
c o n s i d e r e d aa
teaching
t e a c h i n g "outside
" o u t s i d e the scriptures,"
s c r i p t u r e s , " Bassui
B a s s u i cries
cries out:
o u t : "Layman!"
"Layman!"
When
W h e n the man
m a n responds,
r e s p o n d s , "Yes?"
" Y e s ? " Bassui
B a s s u i asks,
asks, "From
" F r o m which
which
teachings
did
that yes
teachings d
i d that
y e s come?"
c o m e ? " The
T h e layman,
l a y m a n , getting
g e t t i n g the
the point,
point,
lowers
l o w e r s his head
h e a d and bows.
bows.
Bassui
to address
the audience:
B a s s u i ccontinues
o n t i n u e s to
address the
a u d i e n c e : ""When
W h e n you
y o u decide
decide
to
t o come
c o m e here, you
y o u do
d o so
s o by
b y yourself.
y o u r s e l f . When
W h e n you
y o u want
w a n t to
t o ask
ask aa
question,
you
do
it
by
yourself.
You
do
not
depend
on
another
q u e s t i o n , y o u d o it b y yourself. Y o u d o n o t d e p e n d o n a n o t h e r
monks
moving
m
o n k s arguing
a r g u i n g over
o v e r a flag
flag m
o v i n g in
in the wind,
w i n d , one
o n e saying
s a y i n g it
it
nor
n o r do
d o you
y o u use
use the
theteachings
t e a c h i n g s of
o f the
theBuddha.
B u d d h a . . . . Clever
Clever
worldly
the wwritten
and duty,
w o r l d l y sstatements,
t a t e m e n t s , the
r i t t e n word,
w o r d , reason
reason and
d u t y , disdiscrimination
reach this
this Zen."
c r i m i n a t i o n aand
n d understanding,
u n d e r s t a n d i n g , cannot
c a n n o t reach
Z e n . " He
He
is the
the wwind
is
i n d that moves,
m o v e s , the other
o t h e r saying
s a y i n g it is the flag,
flag, with
w i t h the
the
warns
w a r n s further that those
t h o s e who
w h o use
use scripture
scripture and
and formal
f o r m a l religious
religious
patriarch aassuring
them
that itit isis their
patriarch
ssuring th
e m bboth
o t h that
their minds
m i n d s that
that arc
are
teaching
aren't necessarily
either, and
and that
t e a c h i n g aren't
necessarily eenlightened
n l i g h t e n e d either,
that Zen
Zen
moving-provided
m
o v i n g — p r o v i d e dBassui
B a s s u iwith
w i t haauseful
useful barometer
b a r o m e t e r for measurmeasur-
monks
m o n k s who
w h o are
are ignorant
i g n o r a n t of
o f scripture
scripture aren't
aren'tall
alldeeply
d e e p l y realized.
realized.
Nonetheless,
N o n e t h e l e s s , neither Buddha
B u d d h a nor
n o r scriptures
scriptures should
s h o u l d stand
stand in
in the
the
way
off perceiving
that which
way o
p e r c e i v i n g that
w h i c h is there
there from
f r o m the
the beginning
b e g i n n i n g in
in
the
and pperfection
every bbeing.
the completeness
c o m p l e t e n e s s and
e r f e c t i o n oof
f every
e i n g . ""The
T h e leg
leg and
and
arm
a r m movements
m o v e m e n t s of
o f aa newborn
n e w b o r n baby
b a b y are
are also
also the
the splendid
s p l e n d i d work
work
of
is the
bird, the running
o f Buddha
B u d d h a nature
n a t u r e . . . . so
s o is
the flying
flying bird,
r u n n i n g hare,
hare,
ssound?"
ound?" A
A favorite
favorite case
case from
f r o m the
theMumonkan
Mumonkan
(The
(The Gateless
Gateless
Gate)-in which
Gate)—in
w h i c h the
the sixth
s i x t h Zen
Z e n patriarch
patriarch comes
c o m e s upon
u p o n two
two
off his
Another
iing
n g the
the degree
degree o
his students'
s t u d e n t s ' insight.
insight. A
n o t h e r kkoan-in
oan—in
which
Zen
to the Layman
w
hich Z
e n master
m a s t e r Baso
B a s o replies
replies to
L a y m a n P'ang's
P ' a n g ' s quesquestion, "What
tion,
" W h a t kind
k i n d of
o f man
m a n is
is it
it that
that has
has no
n o companion
c o m p a n i o n among
among
the
the ten
ten thousand
t h o u s a n d things?",
t h i n g s ? " , with,
w i t h , "I'll
" I ' l l tell
tell you
y o u after
after you've
you've
drunk
River
in oone
d r u n k up
u p the
the waters
w a t e r s of
o f the
the West
West R
i v e r in
n e gulp!"-also
gulp!"—also
.
.
.
.
.
""Who
W h o is
is hearing?"
h e a r i n g ? " as
as the
the surefire
surefire means
m e a n s to
to self-realization.
self-realization.
the
the scudding
s c u d d i n g cloud.
c l o u d . So
S o too
t o o is
is the
the very
v e r y conversation
c o n v e r s a t i o n we
w e are
are
having
right
now."
The
difference
between
the
Zen
practih a v i n g r i g h t n o w . " T h e difference b e t w e e n the Z e n p r a c t i tioner
tioner and the
the scriptural
scriptural Buddhist
B u d d h i s t is
is that
that the
the former
f o r m e r lives
lives by
by
appears
in BBassui's
with
students on
appears in
a s s u i ' s eexchanges
xchanges w
i t h students
o n more
m o r e than
than one
one
occasion.
But
he
relied
most
often
on
his
own
natural
koan,
o c c a s i o n . B u t he relied m o s t often o n
o w n natural k o a n ,
hear, nnor
""Your
Y o u r pphysical
h y s i c a l bbeing
e i n g ddoesn't
o e s n ' t hear,
o r does
does the
the void.
v o i d . Then
Then
direct
off the
direct experience
experience o
the Buddha
B u d d h a and the
the latter
latter is
is like
like someone
someone
what
Strive tto
find oout.
w
h a t does?
does? Strive
o find
u t . Put
P u t aside
aside your
y o u r rational
rational intellect,
intellect,
who
hit by
w h o sees
sees another
a n o t h e r person
p e r s o n hit
b y an
an arrow
a r r o w and
and stands
stands there
there
allt techniques....
ggive
i v e uup
p all
e c h n i q u e s . . . .Just
Just get
g e t rid
rid of
o f the
the notion
n o t i o n of
o f self."
self."
talking
t a l k i n g about
a b o u t it
it from
f r o m the
the sidelines.
sidelines.
56
56
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
Bassui
Bassui
57
57
N)
with
questions
precepts
off Budlo tthose
hose w
ith q
u e s t i o n s aabout
b o u t the
the ethical
ethical p
recepts o
Buddhism
d h i s m apart from
f r o m direct
direct Zen
Z e n experience,
e x p e r i e n c e , Bassui
B a s s u i says
says that
that the
the
that wwould
that
o u l d "lead
" l e a d to hell."
h e l l . " Bassui's
B a s s u i ' s Zen
Z e n was
w a s strictly
strictly nonsectarnonsectar-
p lrarnihasallallb oboil
seeingi ninto
paramitas
i l d odown
w n totoseeing
t o y your
o u r oown
w n BBuddha
u d d h a nature.
ian, embracing
ian,
e m b r a c i n g even
even non-Buddhists
n o n - B u d d h i s t s and
and social
social outcasts.
o u t c a s t s . For
For
him,
with
h i m , seeing
s e e i n g into
i n t o original
o r i g i n a l nature
nature was
w a s synonymous
synonymous w
i t h the
the
Anger,
A n g e r , attachment,
a t t a c h m e n t , and
and the
the rest
rest are
are all
all telescoped
t e l e s c o p e d into
i n t o the
the one
one
h
i g h e s t fform
o r m of
o f religious
r e l i g i o u s practice.
practice. Meditation
M e d i t a t i o n did
d i d not
n o t require
require
highest
peak eexperience
the reality
off the hearer,
peak
x p e r i e n c e oof
f gglimpsing
l i m p s i n g the
reality o
hearer, seer,
seer,
walker,
sleeper, llover,
hater, and
w
a l k e r , sleeper,
o v e r , hater,
and so
s o oon.
n . For
For people
p e o p l e fascinated
fascinated
o n e to
t o be
b e aa Buddhist,
B u d d h i s t , or
or aa man,
m a n , or
o r an
anascetic.
ascetic. Buddha,
B u d d h a , he
he
one
a
r
g
u
e
d
,
did
n
o
t
g
a
i
n
B
u
d
d
h
a
h
o
o
d
f
r
o
m
r
e
a
d
i
n
g
and
reciting
argued, did not gain Buddhahood from reading and reciting
with the
t h e supernatural
s u p e r n a t u r a l gifts
g i f t s that
t h a t are
are supposedly
s u p p o s e d l y attained
attained
sutras, but
b u t from
f r o m meditating.
meditating.
sutras,
with
through
t h r o u g h deep
d e e p meditation,
m e d i t a t i o n , Bassui
B a s s u i has
has this to
say: "Wise
" W i s e men
men
to say:
Bassui
monks
to cite
B a s s u i cchallenged
h a l l e n g e d ZZen
en m
o n k s to
cite the
the exact
e x a c t records
records
cconsider
o n s i d e r physical
p h y s i c a l manifestations
manifestations of
o f supernatural powers
p o w e r s a karkar-
prescribing
periods
p r e s c r i b i n g designated
designated p
e r i o d s for
for religious
r e l i g i o u s services,
s e r v i c e s , stating
stating
these customs
c u s t o m s only
o n l y dated
dated back
b a c k to the time
t i m e of
o f the
the Mongol
Mongol
that these
i n v a s i o n oof
f Japan,
h e n the
r u l i n g house
h o u s e commanded
c o m m a n d e d prayer
prayer
invasion
Japan, wwhen
the ruling
services. ""The
The m
o r e II tthink
h i n k aabout
b o u t i it,"
t , " he
d d e d , ""these
t h e s e .... ..
services.
more
he aadded,
p e r i o d s of
o f religious
r e l i g i o u s service
service w
e r e nnot
o t prayers,
prayers, b
u t simply
s i m p l y the
the
periods
were
but
result
o
f
a
decline
in
the
B
u
d
d
h
a
Way
and
the
R
o
y
a
l
W
a
y."
result of a decline in the Buddha Way and the Royal Way."
mic
m
i c hhindrance....
i n d r a n c e . . . They
. T h e yare
arethe
theresults
results of
o f attachment
a t t a c h m e n t to
drugs
to drugs
and
and charms,
c h a r m s , the
the evil
evil deeds
deeds of
o f demons
d e m o n s and
a n d heretics
heretics and
a n d the
the
powers
off delusion."
powers o
d e l u s i o n . " Similarly,
S i m i l a r l y , he
he interprets
interprets all
all traditional
traditional
religious
r e l i g i o u s injunctions
injunctions metaphorically:
m e t a p h o r i c a l l y : fasting
fasting thus
thus becomes
becomes
llooking
o o k i n g iinto
n t o one's
o n e ' s own
o w n nature
n a t u r e and
and cutting
c u t t i n g off
o f f delusion;
d e l u s i o n ; when
when
literally ppracticed,
however,
fasting isis nnothing
literally
racticed, h
o w e v e r , fasting
o t h i n g more
m o r e than herheresy. Breaking
the precepts
is lliving
esy.
B r e a k i n g the
p r e c e p t s is
i v i n g bby
y the
the deluded
d e l u d e d mind,
m i n d , and
and
sseeing
e e i n g iinto
n t o oone's
n e ' s true nature
n a t u r e is
is keeping
k e e p i n g them
t h e m all
all perfectly.
p e r f e c t l y . The
The
T h e n he
he enjoined
enjoined his
o n k s not
n o t to
t o waste
w a s t e time
t i m e on
o n such
s u c h matters,
matters,
Then
his m
monks
b u t to
to cut
cut off
o f f everything
e v e r y t h i n g and
and practice
practice zazen.
zazen. In
In keeping
k e e p i n g with
with
but
his iiconoclasm,
c o n o c l a s m , Bassui
B a s s u i reinterpreted
all the
the traditional
traditional religious
religious
his
reinterpreted all
oother
t h e r approach,
a p p r o a c h , guarding
g u a r d i n g the
the precepts,
p r e c e p t s , or
o r working
w o r k i n g ffrom
r o m withwith-
practices oof
f his
his time:
t i m e : sutra
sutra study,
s t u d y , ceremonies,
c e r e m o n i e s , Buddha
B u d d h a worworpractices
oout,
u t , can
can be
b e a ""shortcut
s h o r t c u t for entering
e n t e r i n g the Buddha
B u d d h a ggate"
a t e " when
w h e n it
sship,
h i p , and
and the
the search
search for
h r o u g h miracles.
m i r a c l e s . He
H e divested
divested
for salvation
salvation tthrough
is
used
for m
meditating
is u
s e d for
e d i t a t i n g on
o n "Who
" W h o is
is it that
that keeps
k e e p s the precepts?"
precepts?"
Several students
students ccame
to BBassui
with
Several
a m e to
assui w
i t h the practice
practice of
o f calling
calling
on
the
names
of
savior
Buddhas
like
Jizo.
With
great
patience,
on
n a m e s o f savior B u d d h a s like J i z o . W i t h g r e a t patience,
he
to tthem
h
e explained
e x p l a i n e d to
h e m that
that jiji means
m e a n s "earth"
" e a r t h " and
and zo
zo means
means
"storehouse,"
" s t o r e h o u s e , " or
o r mind
m i n d nature. Then
T h e n he
he urged
u r g e d them
t h e m to "realize
"realize
that all
the names
that
all the
n a m e s of
o f the Bodhisattvas
B o d h i s a t t v a s are
are jjust
u s t different
different names
names
z a z e n oof
f all
u p e r s t i t i o u s , and
and social
social aaccretions,
c c r e t i o n s , somesomezazen
all cultural,
cultural, ssuperstitious,
for
for the
the nature
n a t u r e of
o f the
the Mind.
Mind.
t i m e s with
w i t h gentle
g e n t l e irony.
i r o n y . "Reciting
" R e c i t i n g part
sutra with
w i t h the
the
times
part ooff aa sutra
desire
benefit others
r e c i t i n g aa recipe
recipe in
h o p e it
it
desire to
to benefit
others is
is like
like reciting
in the
the hope
w
i
l
l
prevent
p
e
o
p
l
e
f
r
o
m
s
t
a
r
v
i
n
g
.
"
To
a
c
u
l
t
u
r
e
steeped
in
will prevent people from starving." To a culture steeped in
rreligious
e l i g i o u s superstition
orship o
a u t h o r i t y such
s u c h teaching
teaching
superstition and
and wworship
off authority
m a y have a p p e a r e d b l a s p h e m o u s . N o n e t h e l e s s , t h o u s a n d s of
of
may have appeared blasphemous. Nonetheless, thousands
spiritual seekers came to hear him assure them that the voices
o f f r o g s and w o r m s , the s o u n d o f w i n d and r a i n d r o p s , w e r e
of frogs and worms, the sound of wind and raindrops, were
all s p e a k i n g the w o n d e r f u l l a n g u a g e o f the d h a r m a .
all speaking the wonderful language of the dharma.
Bassui
was
the most
Bassui w
a s the
m o s t encouraging
e n c o u r a g i n g of
o f Zen
Z e n teachers.
teachers. Instead
Instead
off bbrowbeating
o
r o w b e a t i n g his students into
i n t o realization,
realization, he
h e coaxed
c o a x e d and
and led
led
tthem.
h e m . Students
S t u d e n t s who
w h o complained
c o m p l a i n e d of
o f no
n o results
results were
w e r e assured
assured
that
c o n t i n u e d meditation
meditation w
o u l d bbring
r i n g them
t h e m further
further along
a l o n g in
in
that continued
would
their
k a r m i c preparation
p r e p a r a t i o n for
for self-realization.
self-realization. Some,
S o m e , he
he said,
said,
their karmic
w e r e sharp
and quick,
q u i c k , others
o t h e r s more
m o r e gradual
g r a d u a l and
and dense.
dense. Yet
Yet all
all
were
sharp and
m
i
n
d
s
c
o
u
l
d
b
e
applied
u
n
i
v
e
r
s
a
l
l
y
;
e
v
e
r
y
o
n
e
c
o
u
l
d
see
c
o
l
o
rs
minds could be applied universally; everyone could see colors
w
i
t
h
their
e
y
e
s
,
hear
s
o
u
n
d
s
w
i
t
h
their
ears,
s
m
e
l
l
w
i
t
h
their
with their eyes, hear sounds with their cars, smell with their
noses, have
have discussions
i t h their
m o u t h s , and
and feel
feel with
w i t h their
their
noses,
discussions wwith
their mouths,
spiritual seekers c a m e to hear h i m assure t h e m that the voices
. . . Ordinary
O r d i n a r y people,
p e o p l e , being
being
unaware
this truth,
truth, become
to the
u n a w a r e oof
f this
b e c o m e attached
attached to
the names,
n a m e s , and, in
in
.
.
.
the
the hope
h o p e of
o f attaining
attaining Buddhahood,
B u d d h a h o o d , seek
seek the
the Buddha
B u d d h a and
and
Dharma
outside
in the
D
harma o
u t s i d e oof
f their
their minds.
m i n d s . It's like
like cooking
c o o k i n g sand
sand in
the
hope
off producing
The
metaphor
that "the
h
ope o
p r o d u c i n g rice.
r i c e . "" T
h e JJizo
izo m
e t a p h o r sshows
h o w s that
"the
true nature
true
nature of
o f the
the Dharma
D h a r m a body
b o d y of
o f ordinary
o r d i n a r y people
p e o p l e is
is everyevery-
where
w
h e r e tteaching
e a c h i n g oof
f the
the many
m a n y creations
creations that
that ccome
o m e ffrom
r o m it."
it."
Bassui
this even
even further,
further, adding
B
a s s u i eextended
x t e n d e d this
a d d i n g that all the sermons
sermons
all the
the Buddhas
are oonly
oof
f all
B u d d h a s are
n l y metaphors
m e t a p h o r s pointing
p o i n t i n g tto
o the
the minds
minds
of
o f ordinary
o r d i n a r y people.
p e o p l e . Thus
T h u s he
h e made
m a d e no
n o distinctions
distinctions whatsoever
whatsoever
between
and m
monks,
his m
mixed
audiences that
that
b
e t w e e n llaypeople
a y p e o p l e and
o n k s , telling
telling his
i x e d audiences
those teachers
who
those
teachers w
h o did
did so
so were
w e r e preaching
p r e a c h i n g fallacious
fallacious doctrine
doctrine
58
58
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
I
Bassui
Bassui
59
59
skins.
Most
skins. This
T h i s made
m a d e them
t h e m all Buddhas.
Buddhas. M
o s t iimportant,
m p o r t a n t , students
students
were
to have
w
e r e to
have faith
faith in
in themselves
t h e m s e l v e s rather
rather than
than in
in miraculous
miraculous
shrines
shrines or
o r in lineage
l i n e a g e charts, or
or in
in ascetic
ascetic practices that included
included
b
u r n i n g the body,
b o d y , or
or in
in aggressive
a g g r e s s i v e question-and-answer
q u e s t i o n - a n d - a n s w e r comcomburning
bat.
H
e
w
a
r
n
e
d
against
b
e
c
o
m
i
n
g
o
b
s
e
s
s
e
d
w
i
t
h
o
n
e
k
o
a
or
bat. He warned against becoming obsessed with one koann or
p
r e c e p t , and
and scolded
s c o l d e d students
students who
w h o arrogantly
a r r o g a n t l y criticized
criticized and
and
precept,
ccondemned
o n d e m n e d oother
t h e r Zen
Z e n practitioners.
practitioners. He
H e kept
k e p t aa careful
careful check
check
oon
n disciples
disciples w
h o evidenced
evidenced a p
r e d i l e c t i o n ffor
o r occult
o c c u l t practices,
practices,
who
predilection
and
k n o c k e d others
o t h e r s out
o u t of
o f their
their stuporous
s t u p o r o u s trances.
trances. Fanatical
Fanatical
and knocked
m
o r a l i s t s and
edonists w
e r e bboth
o t h "sick
" s i c k in
in mind"
m i n d " as
as far
far as
as he
he
moralists
and hhedonists
were
w
a s cconcerned,
o n c e r n e d , and
u r g e d serious
serious Zen
Z e n students
s t u d e n t s to
to avoid
avoid
was
and he
he urged
s u c h people.
p e o p l e . He
H e likened
l i k e n e d all
all ssuch
u c h eextreme
x t r e m e behavior
b e h a v i o r to
to notorious
notorious
such
4Ikkyu:
The
The Emperor
Renegades
of Renegades
r o b b e r s whose
w h o s e overlord
overlord w
a s the
onscious m
i n d , ""the
t h e pit
of
robbers
was
the cconscious
mind,
pit of
k
n o w l e d g e bbased
a s e d oon
n aattachment
t t a c h m e n t to
form."
knowledge
to form."
How
to conquer
H
o w to
c o n q u e r this
this notorious
n o t o r i o u s band?
band? "Just
"Just sstop
t o p your
y o u r wanwan-
dering,
d e r i n g , look
l o o k penetratingly
p e n e t r a t i n g l y iinto
n t o your
y o u r inherent
inherent nature,
n a t u r e , and,
and,
cconcentrating
o n c e n t r a t i n g yyour
o u r spiritual
spiritual eenergy,
n e r g y , sit
sit in zazen
z a z e n and
a n d break
break
tthrough."
h r o u g h . " No
N o expedient
e x p e d i e n t means
m e a n s arc
are necessary
necessary in
in Bassui's
B a s s u i ' s Zen.
Zen.
A
l l it
u i c k llook
o o k at
o n e who
w h o is reading
r e a d i n g this right
right
All
it takes
takes isis aa qquick
at the
the one
n
o w . Who
W h o is that one?
one?
now.
The
T h e Muromachi
M u r o m a c h i period
p e r i o d (1338-1573),
(1338—1573), which
w h i c h sawJapan's
saw Japan's artistic
artistic
renaissance as
as wwell
as its
its m
most
renaissance
e l l as
o s t devastating
devastating starvation,
s t a r v a t i o n , plagues,
plagues,
and riots, served
fittingly ttumultuous
served as a fittingly
u m u l t u o u s backdrop
b a c k d r o p for
f o r the
the life
life
o f Ikkyu,
I k k y u , Japan's
Japan's most
m o s t popular
p o p u l a r and
and controversial
c o n t r o v e r s i a l genius,
g e n i u s , aa
of
m
a n the
critic R.
H . Blyth
B l y t h called
called "the
" t h e greatest
greatest Z
e n monk
m o n k in
in
man
the critic
R. H.
Zen
J
a p a n . " By
B y the
the time
t i m e Ikkyu
I k k y u was
w a s born
b o r n in
in 1394,
1394, the
the warring
warring
Japan."
factions that
a d split
o v e r n m e n t inint w
o — t h e Northern
Northern
factions
that hhad
split the
the ggovernment
two-the
ccourt
o u r t in
in Kyoto,
K y o t o , and
and the
S
o
u
t
h
e
r
n
c
o
u
r
t
at
Y
o
s
h
i
n
o
—
h
a d been
been
the Southern court at Yoshino-had
f o r g e d into
i n t o an
an uneasy
u n e a s y and
and ever-volatile
ever-volatile coexistence
c o e x i s t e n c e under
u n d e r the
the
forged
powerful w
a r r i o r shogun
s h o g u n Ashikaga
A s h i k a g a Takauji.
Takauji. Loyal
L o y a l to
to the
the line
line
powerful
warrior
o f the
the late
late emperor
e m p e r o r Go-daigo,
G o - d a i g o , the
the Southern
S o u t h e r n faction
faction continued
continued
of
to resist
resist Ashikaga
A s h i k a g a rule
1392, w
h e n aa compromise
c o m p r o m i s e rulerrulerto
rule until
until 1392,
when
ship
a
g
r
e
e
m
e
n
t
w
a
s
r
e
a
c
h
e
d
—
t
h
o
u
g
h
never
practiced.
In
1272,
ship agreement was reached-though never practiced. In 1272,
in
o
r
d
e
r
t
o
avoid
disputes
o
v
e
r
his
line
o
f
s
u
c
c
e
s
s
i
o
n
,
E
m
p
eror
in order to avoid disputes over his line of succession, Emperor
G
o
s
a
g
a
had
i
n
t
r
o
d
u
c
e
d
a
r
o
y
a
l
edict
i
m
p
l
e
m
e
n
t
i
n
g
alternating
Gosaga had introduced a royal edict implementing alternating
s u c c e s s i o n ddrawn
r a w n ffrom
r o m the
descendants oof
f his
his second
s e c o n d and
and
succession
the descendants
seventh
o n s . Instead
n s u r i n g the
the emperor's
e m p e r o r ' s line,
line, however,
however,
seventh ssons.
Instead ooff eensuring
the
plan created
created even
even greater
greater disputes
disputes and
and questions
q u e s t i o n s of
o f successuccesthe plan
sion
that resulted
resulted in
in over
o v e r one
o n e hundred
h u n d r e d years
years of
o f factional
factional strife.
strife.
sion that
B
y 1392,
1392, Go-komatsu,
Go-komatsu, a
a pawn
p a w n of
o f the
the victorious
v i c t o r i o u s strongman
strongman
By
A s h i k a g a Takauji, b e c a m e the l e g i t i m a t e o n e - h u n d r e d t h e m -
Ashikaga Takauji, became the legitimate one-hundredth emperor of Japan for both Southern and Northern parties. Ruling
in n a m e o n l y , G o - k o m a t s u served as a c o n v e n i e n t n a t i o n a l
in name only, Go-komatsu served as a convenient national
p e r o r o f Japan f o r b o t h S o u t h e r n and N o r t h e r n parties. R u l i n g
6o
60
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
fashion, tthus
the hhallmark
ccommercial-military
o m m e r c i a l - m i l i t a r y fashion,
h u s became
b e c a m e the
a l l m a r k of
o f the
figurehead
for the real
powerholders,
the Ashikaga
f i g u r e h e a d for
real p
o w e r h o l d e r s , the
A s h i k a g a sshoguns
h o g u n s of
of
the house
h o u s e of
o f Hosokawa.
Hosokawa.
The
T h e religious,
r e l i g i o u s , political,
political, and economic
e c o n o m i c shifts
shifts in these
these most
most
terrible and
and vital
the ZZen
terrible
vital years
years nnot
o t only
o n l y directly
d i r e c t l y parallel
parallel the
e n monk
monk
Ilkkyu's
k k y u ' s life,
life, personality,
p e r s o n a l i t y , and
and teachings,
t e a c h i n g s , but
b u t they
t h e y are
are virtually
virtually
the sstuff
off his
his oown
history.
the
tuff o
wn h
i s t o r y . For
F o r Ikkyu
I k k y u was
w a s the illegitimate
i l l e g i t i m a t e son
son
off EEmperor
dangerous
o
m p e r o r Go-komatsu
G o - k o m a t s u himself,
himself, and thus a d
a n g e r o u s potenpotential heir
heir to
to the
tial
the throne,
t h r o n e , after
after his
his mother,
m o t h e r , aa concubine
c o n c u b i n e sent
sent as
as a
peace
gift
by
the
Southern
Yoshino
faction,
was
pushed
out
off
peace gift b y the S o u t h e r n Y o s h i n o faction, w a s p u s h e d o u t o
rruling
u l i n g warrior
w a r r i o r class.
class.
The
had made
T
h e emperor
e m p e r o r Go-daigo
G o - d a i g o had
m a d e Daitoku
D a i t o k u - jji
i in Kyoto
K y o t o the
the
""place
p l a c e oof
f imperial
i m p e r i a l worship"
w o r s h i p " in 1333.
1 3 3 3 . His
H i s successor
s u c c e s s o r Go-hanaGo-hanazzono
ono p
atronized M
yoshin-ji, o
n l y a few
f e w miles
m i l e s distant,
thereby
patronized
Myoshin-ji,
only
distant, thereby
initiating
e c o n d strain
f ZZen
e n that,
k k y u ' s ttime,
i m e , came
c a m e to
to
initiating aa ssecond
strain oof
that, in
in IIkkyu's
rival
p a r e n t temple.
t e m p l e . The
T h e original
o r i g i n a l school,
s c h o o l , before
b e f o r e it split
split
rival its
its parent
u
n d e r the
f the
h o g u n a t e — w h o favored
favored MyoshinMyoshinunder
the influence
influenceoof
the sshogunate-who
jjii and
and therefore
t h e r e f o r e pressed
a i t o k u - j iji i into
n t o the
ackground—was
pressed DDaitoku
the bbackground-was
kknown
n o w n as
O t o k a n Zen,
Z e n , an
an acronym
a c r o n y m referring
referring to
its three
three
as Otokan
to its
favor bby
Northern
and ddriven
favor
y aa N
o r t h e r n rival
rival and
r i v e n ffrom
r o m ccourt
o u r t to raise
raise her
her
ffounding
o u n d i n g fathers,
aio, D
a i t o , and
and Kanzan.
K a n z a n . It
It was
w a s to
to these
these
fathers, DDaio,
Daito,
f o u n d i n g fathers,
a i o and
D a i t o in
in particular,
particular, that
that Ikkyu
Ikkyu
founding
fathers, DDaio
and Daito
infant son
infant
s o n in secret.
secret.
Japan
in the fifteenth-century
Japan in
f i f t e e n t h - c e n t u r y was
w a s in many
m a n y ways
w a y s as mobile,
mobile,
as itit has
oopen,
p e n , violent,
v i o l e n t , and
and economically
e c o n o m i c a l l y shifting
shifting as
has been
b e e n in the
the
flourished,
great merchant
ttwentieth.
w e n t i e t h . Trade
Trade n
o u r i s h e d , great
m e r c h a n t ships
ships plied
plied the
the
seas, bbringing
with
seas,
ringing w
i t h them
t h e m a developing
d e v e l o p i n g ccurrency
u r r e n c y eeconomy
c o n o m y and
and
modernized
methods,
m
o d e r n i z e d ffarming
arming m
e t h o d s , making
m a k i n g overnight
o v e r n i g h t ffortunes
o r t u n e s for
l o o k e d for
for a
a "pure"
" p u r e " Zen
Z e n that
that surpassed
surpassed all
all imperial
i m p e r i a l boundaries,
boundaries,
looked
aa Zen
Z e n practiced
p r a c t i c e d in
in the
the manner
m a n n e r of
o f Daio
D a i o Kokushi
K o k u s h i (1235-1309),
(1235-1309),
w
h o brought
b r o u g h t the
the lineage
l i n e a g e directly
d i r e c t l y from
f r o m China's
C h i n a ' s Kido
K i d o Chigu
Chigu
who
((Hsii-t'ang
Hsii-t'ang C
h i h - y i i ) , and
and passed
passed it
o n to
to his
his successor
s u c c e s s o r Daito
Daito
Chih-yii),
it on
K
o k u s h i ((1282-1337).
1 2 8 2 - 1 3 3 7 ) . DDaito,
a i t o , after
r e c e i v i n g inka
inka (the
seal of
of
Kokushi
after receiving
(the seal
rice bbrokers
and usurers,
and opening
the way
rice
r o k e r s and
u s u r e r s , and
o p e n i n g the
w a y for
for roving
roving
aapproval
p p r o v a l aand
n d acknowledgment
a c k n o w l e d g m e n t oof
f enlightenment)
e n l i g h t e n m e n t ) ffrom
r o m his
his
armies and
and m
mercenaries
to pplunge
war
armies
e r c e n a r i e s rready
e a d y to
l u n g e iinto
nto w
a r at any
a n y slight,
teacher,
i m s e l f in
u n d o w n hhut
ut o
u t s i d e of
o f Kyoto.
Kyoto.
teacher, established
established hhimself
in aa rrundown
outside
both
b o t h real and
a n d imaginary.
i m a g i n a r y . From
F r o m the
the Chinese
C h i n e s e mainland
m a i n l a n d came
c a m e art
and
philosophy-especially
and Buddhist
Buddhist p
h i l o s o p h y — e s p e c i a l l y the
the Rinzai
R i n z a i form
f o r m of
o f Zen
Zen
associated
with
the "manly"
associated w
i t h the
" m a n l y " discipline
discipline expected
e x p e c t e d of
o f the powerpower-
W
i t h his
his handful
h a n d f u l of
o f disciples,
disciples, he
he spent
spent seven
seven obscure
o b s c u r e years
years
With
e a r n i n g his k e e p a m o n g the b e g g a r s o c c u p y i n g the mudflats
earning
his keep among the beggars occupying the mudflats
u
n
d
e
r
the
Gojo b
ridge. D
aito b
rought Z
e n out
o u t of
o f the
the court
court
under the Gojo
bridge.
Daito
brought
Zen
and i n t o the streets, t h e r e b y c r e a t i n g a p o p u l a r v e r s i o n o f the
and into the streets, thereby creating a popular version of the
sect that w a s t o influence every aspect o f art and c u l t u r e o f the
sect that was to influence every aspect of art and culture of the
p e r i o d . C a l l e d b a c k b y the e m p e r o r G o - d a i g o as a b b o t o f the
period. Called back by the emperor Go-daigo as abbot of the
ful ruling
ful
r u l i n g samurai
s a m u r a i class.
class. The
T h e shogun
s h o g u n leadership,
l e a d e r s h i p , or
or
Hojo,
Hojo,
established
Five Mountain
M o u n t a i n temple
t e m p l e hierarchy
h i e r a r c h y known
k n o w n as
as
established the
the Five
gozan
m i t a t i o n of
o f the
the contemporary
c o n t e m p o r a r y Chinese
C h i n e s e temple
t e m p l e syssysgozan in
in iimitation
ttem,
e m , where,
w h e r e , in
in exchange
e x c h a n g e for
for patronage,
p a t r o n a g e , the
the monks
m o n k s would
would
t e m p l e n a m e d i n his h o n o r ,
D a i t o r e l u c t a n t l y r e t u r n e d to
temple named in his honor, Daito
reluctantly returned to
clerical l i f e — a s I k k y u , his d h a r m a heir, w a s to d o o v e r a
clerical
Life --as Ikkyu, his dharma heir, was to do over a
p
r o v i d e cculture
u l t u r e and
and B
u d d h i s m to
t o the brutal warrior
w a r r i o r class.
class. The
The
provide
Buddhism
h u n d r e d y e a r s l a t e r — a n d b e c a m e " t e a c h e r o f the n a t i o n . "
hundred
years later-and became "teacher of the nation."
By
the fifteenth
fifteenth ccentury,
B
y the
e n t u r y , the struggle
s t r u g g l e between
b e t w e e n the imperially
imperially
sponsored
Daitoku
sponsored D
a i t o k u - jji
i and
and the shogunate's
s h o g u n a t e ' s chief
c h i e f temple,
t e m p l e , NanNanzen-ji, had
h a d encompassed
e n c o m p a s s e d Myoshin-ji
M y o s h i n - j i as well.
w e l l . The
T h e spirituality
spirituality
zen-ji,
in the monasteries,
m o n a s t e r i e s , whether
w h e t h e r emperor-dominated
e m p e r o r - d o m i n a t e d or
o r shogunshogunin
gozan were
w e r e structured
s t r u c t u r e d around
a r o u n d Kyoto,
K y o t o , the
the capital
capital associated
associated
gozan
w
i
t
h
the
A
s
h
i
k
a
g
a
s
h
o
g
u
n
a
t
e
,
and
s
o
o
n
p
u
s
h
e
d
i
n
t
o
the backbackwith the Ashikaga shogunate, and soon pushed into the
gground
r o u n d the
the more
m o r e esoteric
esoteric and
and elaborate
elaborate Tendai
Tendai and
and Shingon
Shingon
fforms
o r m s of
o f Buddhism
B u d d h i s m that
that had
h a d been
b e e n favored
favored b
y the
the emperors.
emperors.
by
Several
u n d r e d state
t e m p l e s comprised
c o m p r i s e d the
the gozan
gozan system,
system,
Several hhundred
state temples
w
h
e
r
e
r
e
l
i
g
i
o
u
s
a
d
v
a
n
c
e
m
e
n
t
i
n
c
l
u
d
e
d
p
a
y
i
n
g
fees
in
high
where religious advancement included paying fees in high
places
o m p e t i n g for
for bureaucratic
b u r e a u c r a t i c influence.
influence. Zen
Z e n abbots
abbots
places and
and ccompeting
in
major
t
e
m
p
l
e
s
like
N
a
n
z
e
n
j
i
in
K
y
o
t
o
f
u
n
c
t
i
o
n
e
d
m
o r e as
as
in major temples like Nanzen-ji in Kyoto functioned more
ttutors,
u t o r s , advisers,
a d v i s e r s , diplomats,
d i p l o m a t s , businessmen,
b u s i n e s s m e n , poets,
p o e t s , and
a n d artists
artists
than
h e y did
did as
as clergymen.
c l e r g y m e n . Zen
Z e n Buddhism,
B u d d h i s m , in
this bluntly
bluntly
than tthey
in this
62
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
sponsored, w
as d
e c a y e d . TThe
h e priests
seals of
of
sponsored,
was
decayed.
priests sold
sold inka,
inka, oorr seals
e n l i g h t e n m e n t , to
t o wealthy
w e a l t h y donors,
d o n o r s , and
and spent
spent less
less time
t i m e training
training
enlightenment,
n
o
v
i
c
e
s
in
m
e
d
i
t
a
t
i
o
n
than
in
s
h
a
v
i
n
g
their
e
y
e
b
r
o
w
s
,
p
owdernovices in meditation than in shaving their eyebrows, powderiing
n g their
r e s s i n g tthem
h e m in
o m e n ' s cclothing,
l o t h i n g , and
and pushpushtheir faces,
faces, ddressing
in wwomen's
iing
n g tthem
h e m into
i n t o homosexual
h o m o s e x u a l acts.
acts. Brewing
B r e w i n g and
and drinking
d r i n k i n g sake
sake
0
Ikkyu
Ikkyu
63
hecanie the
the nnorm,
poetry
became
o r m , writing
w r i t i n g elegant
e l e g a n t Chinese
Chinese p
o e t r y to order,
order,
Shuken
bee a born
S h u k e n pproved
r o v e d tto
o b
b o r n musician
m u s i c i a n and
a n d poet.
p o e t . From
F r o m his
his
teaching effete
etlcte calligraphy
teaching
c a l l i g r a p h y tto
o effete
effete shoguns,
s h o g u n s , and
a n d attending
attending
priest-teachers
priest-teachers he
h e learned
learned the eelegant
l e g a n t fforms
o r m s of
o f Chinese
C h i n e s e poetry,
poetry,
literature, and
and appeared,
appeared, ffrom
r o m his early
early imitations
i m i t a t i o n s of
of
art, literature,
lavish
a n q u e t s t took
o o k uup
p the
t i m e of
o f the
the Muromachi
M u r o m a c h i Zen
Zen
lavish bbanquets
the time
ni,1sters.
masters.
Chinese
C h i n e s e llyrics,
y r i c s , tto
o be headed
h e a d e d for
f o r the
the typical
t y p i c a l life
life of
o f aa gozan
gozan
priest. Unlike
priest.
U n l i k e the other
other temple
t e m p l e boys,
b o y s , however,
h o w e v e r , IIkkyu
k k y u had
h a d no
no
ffamily
a m i l y tto
o speak
speak of.
of. He
H e was
w a s kept
k e p t strictly
strictly isolated
isolated from
f r o m his
his
mother,
himself
m
o t h e r , consoling
consoling h
i m s e l f bby
y turning
t u r n i n g out
o u t sad
sad verses
verses about
about
ancient CChinese
who
ancient
h i n e s e cconcubines
oncubines w
h o had
h a d found
f o u n d disfavor
disfavor at court
court
Only
scattered mmostly
the ooutskirts
O
n l y a few
f e w subtemples
s u b t e m p l e s scattered
o s t l y oon
n the
u t s k i r t s of
of
the
poor
maintained
the capital,
capital, p
o o r and
and shabby
s h a b b y dwellings
dwellings m
a i n t a i n e d bby
y Otokan
Otokan
diehards,
diehards, upheld
u p h e l d the
the spiritual
spiritual discipline
discipline of
o f devoted
d e v o t e d Zen
Z e n medimeditation,
tation, thereby
t h e r e b y contributing
c o n t r i b u t i n g tto
o the
the continuation
c o n t i n u a t i o n of
o f the
the BudBudd
h a - D h a r m a . It
It was
w a s in two
t w o such
s u c h subtemples
s u b t e m p l e s that Ikkyu
I k k y u would
would
dha-Dharma.
receive his
his spiritual
spiritual training.
receive
outIIkkyu
k k y u was
w a s born
b o r n on
o n New
N e w Year's
Year's Day,
D a y , 1394,
1394, in Saga,
Saga, an o
utoff KKyoto
where
aristocrats wwho
noo longer
oof-the-way
f - t h e - w a y ssuburb
uburb o
yoto w
h e r e aristocrats
ho n
longer
enjoyed the
the favors
favorsoof
were
retired. FForced
byy hher
enjoyed
f ccourt
ourt w
e r e qquietly
u i e t l y retired.
orced b
er
enemies
her
Goe n e m i e s to leave
leave h
e r seventeen-year-old
s e v e n t e e n - y e a r - o l d llover,
o v e r , eemperor
mperor G
okomatsu,
k o m a t s u , Ikkyu's
I k k y u ' s pregnant
p r e g n a n t mother
m o t h e r had
h a d retreated
retreated to
t o aa mansion
mansion
and suffered
and
suffered exile.
exile. Moreover,
M o r e o v e r , he
he was
w a s physically
p h y s i c a l l y unattractive,
unattractive,
with
pug
w
i t h a squat,
squat, rectangular
r e c t a n g u l a r face,
face, unaristocratic
unaristocratic p
u g nose,
n o s e , and
and
doleful
His
brilliance hhad
to m
make
upp for
d
o l e f u l eeyes.
yes. H
i s intellectual
intellectual brilliance
a d to
ake u
f o r his
ccommon
o m m o n features
features and rumored
r u m o r e d heritage.
heritage.
At
A t thirteen,
thirteen, Ikkyu
I k k y u moved
m o v e d to
t o Kennin-ji,
K e n n i n - j i , the
t h e oldest
o l d e s t Zen
Zen
temple
Kyoto,
t e m p l e iin
n K
y o t o , to study
s t u d y under
u n d e r Botctsu,
B o t e t s u , aa priest
priest famous
f a m o u s for
for
his ooutstanding
As
one
his
u t s t a n d i n g scholarship
s c h o l a r s h i p aand
n d ppoetic
o e t i c iinstruction.
nstruction. A
s o
n e of
of
the
the five
five highest-ranking
h i g h e s t - r a n k i n g temples
t e m p l e s of
o f the
the Ashikaga
A s h i k a g a shogunate,
shogunate,
in
S a g a , happy
h a p p y to
t o have
have been
b e e n spared
spared her
h e r life.
life. The
T h e baby
b a b y was
was
in Saga,
raised b
y servants
servants and
a n d was
w a s permanently
p e r m a n e n t l y separated
separated from
f r o m his
his
raised
by
m
o t h e r at the
the age
a g e of
o f five,
five, when
w h e n he
h e was
w a s placed
placed iin
n Ankoku-ji,
A n k o k u - j i , aa
mother
Kennin-ji
was
fiercely ccompetitive,
filled wwith
the best
best budding
Kennin-ji w
a s fiercely
o m p e t i t i v e , filled
i t h the
budding
young
wrote
y o u n g poet-priests
p o e t - p r i e s t s of
o f the day. Here
H e r e IIkkyu
kkyu w
r o t e his adolescent
adolescent
n
earby R
i n z a i ZZen
e n ttemple,
e m p l e , tto
o kkeep
eep h
i m ffrom
r o m any
a n y identification
identification
nearby
Rinzai
him
versions
T'ang
versions oof
f T
' a n g dynasty
d y n a s t y poetry,
p o e t r y , even
even managing
m a n a g i n g tto
o get
g e t aa
versei into
print. BBut
it w
was
here, ttoo,
vvolume
o l u m e oof
f verse
n t o print.
u t it
a s here,
o o , in the
t h e very
very
seat of
o f power
p o w e r and
a n d political
political influence,
influence, that Ikkyu's
I k k y u ' s religious
religious
seat
n o n c o n f o r m i s m burst
b u r s t forth.
f o r t h . Soon
S o o n his
his teenage
teenage poetry
p o e t r y stocked
stocked
nonconformism
w i t h plum
p l u m blossoms
b l o s s o m s and
a n d waning
w a n i n g moons
m o o n s gave
gave way
w a y to
t o biting
biting
with
w
i t h future political
political aspirations
aspirations and
a n d thus save
save h
i m ffrom
r o m assasassaswith
him
sination.
was n
o t unusual
u n u s u a l for
f o r aristocrats
aristocrats of
o f the
the Muromachi
Muromachi
sination. It
It was
not
pperiod
e r i o d tto
o place
place their
sons iin
n Zen
Z e n temples,
t e m p l e s , for
f o r they
t h e y functioned
functioned
their sons
as the
" f i n i s h i n g schools"
s c h o o l s " of
o f an
an era
era in
in which
w h i c h priests
priests held
held the
as
the "finishing
the
k
e y tto
o high
h i g h culture.
culture. As
As a
am
o n k , Ikkyu
I k k y u could
c o u l d blend
b l e n d in
in with
w i t h the
the
key
monk,
criticism o
K e n n i n - j i hierarchy,
h i e r a r c h y , attacking
a t t a c k i n g the
t h e temple
t e m p l e for
for
criticism
off the Kennin-ji
its worldly
w o r l d l y pursuits,
p u r s u i t s , its lack
lack of
o f spiritual
spiritual training, its
its snobbish
snobbish
its
class ddistinctions
i s t i n c t i o n s aamong
m o n g monks,
m o n k s , its
its emphasis
e m p h a s i s on
o n politics
p o l i t i c s over
over
class
e
n
l
i
g
h
t
e
n
m
e
n
t
.
O
n
his
o
w
n
,
I
k
k
y
u
d
o
g
g
e
d
l
y
sat
z
a
z
e
n
until
he
enlightenment. On his own, Ikkyu doggedly sat zazen until he
c o u l d no
n o longer
l o n g e r endure
e n d u r e the
t h e Kennin
K e n n i n - jjii environment,
e n v i r o n m e n t , and
a n d in
in the
the
could
fall
o
f
1
4
1
0
,
h
e
m
o
v
e
d
t
o
M
i
b
u
,
a
t
e
m
p
l
e
h
e
a
d
e
d
b
y
the
a
b
bot
fall of r4to, he moved to Mibu, a temple headed by the abbot
Seiso,
a
C
o
n
f
u
c
i
a
n
specialist
a
n
d
c
h
a
n
t
i
n
g
m
a
s
t
e
r
.
T
h
i
s
s
h
o
rtSeiso, a Confucian specialist and chanting master. This shortlived
r o v i n g eequally
q u a l l y uunbearable,
n b e a r a b l e , the
o u n g Ikkyu
I k k y u moved
moved
lived stay
stay pproving
the yyoung
o
n
c
e
a
g
a
i
n
—
t
h
i
s
t
i
m
e
o
u
t
o
f
the
p
o
w
e
r
f
u
l
gozan
s
y
s
t
e
m
an
once again-this time out of the powerful gozan system ttoo an
o
b
s
c
u
r
e
t
e
m
p
l
e
o
n
the
s
h
o
r
e
s
o
f
L
a
k
e
B
i
w
a
,
w
h
e
r
e
h
e
f
o
u
nd
obscure temple on the shores of Lake Biwa, where he found
h i m s e l f tto
o be
b e the
t h e single
single disciple
disciple of
o f Keno,
K e n o , Modest
M o d e s t Old
O l d Man,
Man,
himself
o
t h e r boys
b o y s of
o f his
his class
class and
a n d survive
s u r v i v e even
even as
as the
the emperor's
emperor's
other
iillegitimate
l l e g i t i m a t e sson.
on.
The
off ttraining
T h e curriculum
c u r r i c u l u m at Ankoku-ji
A n k o k u - j i consisted
consisted o
r a i n i n g in ChiChinese llanguage
nese
a n g u a g e aand
n d cculture,
u l t u r e , the paragon
p a r a g o n of
o f attainment
a t t a i n m e n t in
in high
high
Japanese circles.
circles. TTypically,
Ankoku
Japanese
y p i c a l l y , IIkkyu's
kkyu's A
n k o k u - j ji
i masters
m a s t e r s spent
spent
more
m
o r e time
t i m e in
in teaching
t e a c h i n g literary
l i t e r a r y and
and artistic
artistic subjects
subjects than
than in
in
training their shaven-headed
s h a v e n - h e a d e d nnovices
o v i c e s tto
o m
e d i t a t e . Gozan
Gozan Z
en
training
meditate.
Zen
w a s so
o p u l a r , in
i n fact,
fact, that
that the
t h e shogun
s h o g u n himself
h i m s e l f had
h a d his head
head
was
so ppopular,
shaved and
a s oordained
r d a i n e d as a Z
e n priest.
priest.
shaved
and w
was
Zen
As
A
s aa nnovice,
o v i c e , the illegitimate
i l l e g i t i m a t e son
s o n of
o f the emperor
e m p e r o r received
received the
name
was
not
later that
n
a m e Shuken;
S h u k e n ; itit w
as n
o t until
until nineteen
nineteen years
years later
that he
he
a b b o t of
o f Saikin
Saikin-ji,
T e m p l e of
o f Western
Western Gold.
G o l d . This
T h i s shabby
shabby
abbot
ji, Temple
became
b
e c a m e IIkkyu,
k k y u , One
O n e Pause,
Pause, the name
n a m e conferred
c o n f e r r e d upon
u p o n him
h i m by
by
t e m p l e , with
w i t h its
its lone
l o n e disciplinarian
disciplinarian master
master who
w h o refused
refused to
t o give
give
temple,
his m
master
Kaso
as aa cconfirmation
off enlightenment.
his
aster K
a s o as
onfirmation o
e n l i g h t e n m e n t . The
T h e boy
boy
64
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
=
Ikkyu
Ikkyu
65
65
written
w
r i t t e n inka,
inka, at last provided
p r o v i d e d Ikkyu
I k k y u with
w i t h the
the brand
b r a n d of
o f Rinzai
Rinzai
sity,
himself
in aa violent
sity, leveled
leveled uupon
pon h
i m s e l f in
v i o l e n t suicidal
suicidal ggesture
e s t u r e aa momo-
Zen
Z e n he'd
h e ' d been
b e e n longing
l o n g i n g for.
for.
Rinzai's
to accept
inka ffrom
Obaku,
R i n z a i ' s refusal
refusal to
accept inka
rom O
b a k u , his master,
m a s t e r , and
and
K
e n o ' s refusal
r a n t it, appealed
appealed as
u c h to
r e f o r m e r in
in
Keno's
refusal to
to ggrant
as m
much
to the reformer
IIkkyu
k k y u as
as it did
did to
t o the
the renegade.
r e n e g a d e . After
A f t e r all,
all, weren't
w e r e n ' t inka
inka being
being
bbought
o u g h t and
a n d sold
s o l d in
in the
the gozan
gozan marketplace
m a r k e t p l a c e aalong
long w
i t h patronpatronwith
age?
e n o ' s eexample,
x a m p l e , and
i n z a i ' s before
before h
i m , exerted
e x e r t e d such
s u c h aa
age? KKeno's
and RRinzai's
him,
p
o w e r f u l influence
n IIkkyu's
kkyu's m
i n d that he
h e never
never accepted
a c c e p t e d or
or
powerful
influenceoon
mind
gave
h r o u g h o u t his
e n sstudent
tudent o
teacher. For
For
gave inka
inkatthroughout
his life
life as
as aa ZZen
orr teacher.
m
e n t later.
later.
ment
the
l e g i t i m a t e heir
o f Rinzai,
R i n z a i , true
true Zen
Z e n meant
m e a n t transmission
transmission
the legitimate
heir of
had been.
had
b e e n . He,
H e , too,
t o o , hated
hated the
the corruption
c o r r u p t i o n of
o f the
the capital
capital and
and
bbeyond
e y o n d words,
w o r d s , scriptures,
scriptures, or
o r written
w r i t t e n certificates
certificates of
o f enlightenenlightenm
e n t . And
A n d Keno
K e n o was
w a s just
j u s t such
s u c h aa master-unconventional,
master—unconventional,
ment.
uuncompromising,
n c o m p r o m i s i n g , strict
e d i c a t i o n to
e d i t a t i o n , with
with
strict in
in his
his ddedication
to m
meditation,
nno
o worldly
w o r l d l y ambitions
a m b i t i o n s whatsoever.
w h a t s o e v e r . IIkkyu
k k y u spent
spent four
f o u r years
years
training
the lonely
l o n e l y Temple
T e m p l e of
o f Western
Western G
o l d , until
until Keno's
Keno's
training in
in the
Gold,
ssudden
u d d e n death
u t an
an end
e n d to
to his
his Zen
Z e n idyll.
idyll.
death pput
In DDecember
off 1414,
the ttwenty-year-old
In
ecember o
1 4 1 4 , the
w e n t y - y e a r - o l d Ikkyu
I k k y u fasted
fasted and
and
performed
the funeral
rites alone
alone ffor
the old
p e r f o r m e d the
funeral rites
o r the
o l d priest
priest who
w h o had
had
h
a d no
n o other
o t h e r disciples.
disciples. For
For seven
seven days,
days, Ikkyu
I k k y u carried
carried out
o u t his
his
had
rreligious
e l i g i o u s dduties,
u t i e s , tthen,
h e n , in
c o n d i t i o n of
o f shock,
s h o c k , hunger,
h u n g e r , and
and
in a condition
despair,
t t e m p t e d to
to drown
d r o w n himself
h i m s e l f in
in Lake
L a k e Biwa.
B i w a . Like
L i k e his
despair, hhee aattempted
cchoice
h o i c e oof
f K
e n o as
e n teacher,
teacher, this
this first
first suicide
suicide attempt
attempt
Keno
as his
his ZZen
Desperate
for eenlightenment,
set oout
to find
D e s p e r a t e for
n l i g h t e n m e n t , IIkkyu
k k y u set
u t to
find a new
new
teacher. H
He
had
heard of
old
teacher.
e h
a d heard
o f aanother
n o t h e r severe,
severe, iincorruptible
ncorruptible o
l d Zen
Zen
disciplinarian,aa mmaster
Kaso
who
disciplinarian,
a s t e r nnamed
amed K
aso w
h o headed
h e a d e d a branch
branch
off Daitoku
ttemple
emple o
D a i t o k u - jji,
i , also
also located
l o c a t e d on
o n Lake
L a k e Biwa,
B i w a , the
the fateful
fateful
site ooff Ikkyu's
suicide, and
and wwhat
was
site
I k k y u ' s attempted
a t t e m p t e d suicide,
hat w
a s tto
o be
b e his
his
eventual G
Great
eventual
r e a t Death
D e a t h (satori)
(satori) experience
e x p e r i e n c e six years
y e a r s later.
later.
Kaso's
Zenko-an,
K
a s o ' s ttemple,
emple, Z
e n k o - a n , was
w a s no
n o less
less rrundown
u n d o w n than Keno's
Keno's
refused
offersoof
in the
refused rrepeated
e p e a t e d offers
f hhigh
i g h position
p o s i t i o n in
the Daitoku
D a i t o k u -ji
ji
hierarchy.
But
at least
hierarchy. B
u t Kaso
K a s o at
least hhad
a d aa few
f e w monks
m o n k s studying
s t u d y i n g with
with
him,
h
i m , and
a n d one
o n e nun.
n u n . His
H i s head
h e a d monk,
m o n k , Yoso,
Y o s o , a man
m a n of
o f twenty
twenty
and in
in keeping
yyears'
e a r s ' training,
training, acted
acted as
as chief
c h i e f disciplinarian,
disciplinarian, and
keeping
with
w i t h true Zen
Z e n tradition
tradition on
o n greeting
g r e e t i n g new
n e w applicants,
applicants, poured
p o u r e d aa
slop wwater
on
bbucket
u c k e t oof
f slop
ater o
n Ikkyu's
I k k y u ' s head
h e a d when
w h e n he
he appeared
a p p e a r e d at the
the
gate. Undeterred,
ttemple
e m p l e gate.
U n d e t e r r e d , Ikkyu
I k k y u waited
w a i t e d outside
o u t s i d e for
f o r three
three days,
days,
while
pondered
whether
w
h i l e aa reluctant
reluctant Kaso
Kaso p
ondered w
h e t h e r to
t o accept
accept a novice
novice
who
had oonly
suicide
w
h o had
n l y rrecently
e c e n t l y a tattempted
t e m p t e d suicide
a n and-on
d — o n t otop
p o foft hthatat—
w
a s rrumored
u m o r e d tto
o be
b e the
the emperor's
e m p e r o r ' s illegitimate
i l l e g i t i m a t e sson.
on. O
n the
the
was
On
ffourth
o u r t h day
day h
w e l c o m i n g Ikkyu
I k k y u into
i n t o the most
m o s t Spartan
spartan
hee relented,
relented, welcoming
sshows
h o w s the
u n c o m p r o m i s i n g , emotional,
e m o t i o n a l , even
even excessively
e x c e s s i v e l y selfselfthe uncompromising,
oof
f Z
e n temples,
t e m p l e s , where
w h e r e novice
n o v i c e and
and teacher
teacher alike
alike worked
w o r k e d in the
the
Zen
d
r a m a t i z i n g side
k k y u ' s nature. Later,
Later, as
as aa venerated
v e n e r a t e d Zen
Zen
dramatizing
side ooff IIkkyu's
bbiting
i t i n g cold
c o l d until hands
hands bled
b l e d and icicles
icicles fformed
ormed o
n their blanblanon
m
a s t e r himself,
e w
ould n
o t hesitate
hesitate to try
t r y suicide
suicide again
a g a i n in
in
master
himself, hhe
would
not
kkets.
ets.
ppublic
u b l i c pprotest
r o t e s t oover
ver w
hat h
e saw
saw as
the shogun's
s h o g u n ' s attempt
a t t e m p t to
to
what
he
as the
destroy his
Z e n lineage
l i n e a g e and
ruin the
the nation.
n a t i o n . Both
B o t h suicide
suicide
destroy
his Zen
and ruin
m
e d i t a t i n g on
o n them
t h e m every
every day,
day, then
then facing
facing Kaso
K a s o morning
m o r n i n g and
and
meditating
a t t e m p t s were,
w e r e , coincidentally,
c o i n c i d e n t a l l y , aaborted
borted b
y the
the timely
t i m e l y intervenintervenattempts
by
eevening
v e n i n g in
p r i v a t e interviews
i n t e r v i e w s and answering
a n s w e r i n g checking
c h e c k i n g quesquesin private
t i o n of
o f the
the royal
r o y a l family.
f a m i l y . At
A t the
the Lake
L a k e Biwa
B i w a shore
s h o r e it was
w a s his
his
tion
m o t h e r ' s messenger,
m e s s e n g e r , sent
f o l l o w the
the distraught
d i s t r a u g h t young
young
mother's
sent ttoo follow
m o n k , who
w h o saved
saved hhim
im w
i t h her
g o on
o n living
l i v i n g for
f o r her
her
monk,
with
her plea
plea to
to go
sake.
u b l i c ""fast
f a s t to
d e a t h " when
w h e n he
he was
w a s fifty-three,
fifty-three,
sake. In
In his
his ppublic
to the
the death"
it
w a s his
his father's successor,
s u c c e s s o r , his
his cousin
c o u s i n Go-hanazono,
G o - h a n a z o n o , whose
whose
it was
iimperial
m p e r i a l decree
r e v e n t e d his
eath. F
r o m the first,
first, Ikkyu
I k k y u was
was
decree pprevented
his ddeath.
From
n
o t one
o n e to hide his emotions,
e m o t i o n s , his
his weaknesses,
w e a k n e s s e s , and his character
character
not
flaws. H
i s sscathing
c a t h i n g ccriticism
r i t i c i s m ccould
ould b
t u r n e d against
against the corcorflaws.
His
bee turned
rupt
r e l i g i o u s hhierarchy
i e r a r c h y in
ne m
o m e n t , and
and with
w i t h equal
e q u a l intenintenrupt religious
in oone
moment,
66
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
For
For nine
nine years,
y e a r s , Ikkyu
I k k y u struggled
s t r u g g l e d with
w i t h his
his assigned
a s s i g n e d koans,
koans,
tions
that either
either confirmed
c o n f i r m e d or
o r denied
d e n i e d his
his penetration
p e n e t r a t i o n oof
f the
the
tions that
kkoan.
o a n . Characterizing
C h a r a c t e r i z i n g the
painful process
process of
o f his
his deepening
deepening
the painful
iinsight,
n s i g h t , Ikkyu
I k k y u wrote
w r o t e in
in aa poem:
p o e m : "I
" I suffer
suffer the pains
pains oof
f H
e l l . " In
Hell."
ssummer
u m m e r he
m e d i t a t e d aalone
l o n e oon
n Lake
Lake B
i w a in
little boat
boat
he meditated
Biwa
in a little
lloaned
o a n e d to
h i m by
b y aa fisherman
f i s h e r m a n friend.
friend. His
H i s artistic
artistic gifts
gifts were
were
to him
tturned
u r n e d to
to doll
d o l l making
m a k i n g in
in aa Kyoto
K y o t o shop,
s h o p , where
w h e r e he
he spent
spent as
as long
long
as aa month
m o n t h earning
e a r n i n g money
m o n e y for
for the
the temple.
t e m p l e . In
In his
free
his sparse free
as
m
o m e n t s , he
w o u l d mingle
mingle w
i t h the
the wild,
w i l d , poor
poor
moments,
he would
with
fortunefortune-
Ikkyu
Ikkyu
67
tellers,
t e l l e r s , wine
w i n e merchants,
m e r c h a n t s , prostitutes,
p r o s t i t u t e s , and
a n d fishermen
f i s h e r m e n who
who
comprised
the citizenry
c o m p r i s e d the
citizenry of
o f Katada,
K a t a d a , the
the town
t o w n surrounding
surrounding
orr her own
all bbeings),
o
o w n enlightenment
e n l i g h t e n m e n t to
to save
save all
e i n g s ) , bbut
u t not
n o t yet
y e t a Zen
Zen
master."
master.,,
"So
" S o I'm
I ' m an
an arhat,"
arhat," Ikkyu
I k k y u replied.
replied. "I
" I don't
d o n ' t need
n e e d to
to be
b e aa Zen
Zen
Zenko-an.
Zenko-an.
As
and ppoet,
A s a musician
m u s i c i a n and
o e t , Ikkyu's
I k k y u ' s first
first enlightenment
e n l i g h t e n m e n t experiexperi-
master.
m
a s t e r . ""
ence
not
ence n
o t surprisingly
s u r p r i s i n g l y came
c a m e tthrough
h r o u g h sound.
s o u n d . In
In 1418,
1 4 1 8 , he
he was
was
With
W i t h that, Kaso
K a s o cried,
cried, "Ah,
" A h , so
s o you
y o u really
really are
are aa Zen
Z e n master
master
working
w o r k i n g on
o n Case
C a s e 15
15 of
o f the
the Mumonkan,
Mumonkan, ""Tozan's
T o z a n ' s Sixty
S i x t y Blows."
Blows."
In the koan,
k o a n , Tozan
T o z a n Ryokai
R y o k a i (Tung-shan
( T u n g - s h a n Liang-chieh)
L i a n g - c h i e h ) ccomes
o m e s to
after aall!"-and
after
l l ! " — a n d immediately
i m m e d i a t e l y wrote
w r o t e out
o u t aacertificate
certificate of
o f inka.
inka.
IIkkyu
k k y u ttook
o o k the
the certificate,
certificate, ppromptly
r o m p t l y tthrew
h r e w itit tto
o the
the ground,
ground,
see
the great
see the
great master
m a s t e r Unmon
U n m o n (Yin-men
( Y i i n - m e n Wen-yen),
W e n - y e n ) , who
w h o asks
asks
him
h i m several
several ""ordinary"
o r d i n a r y " questions
q u e s t i o n s like, "Where
" W h e r e have
have yyou
o u come
come
from?,"
f r o m ? , " "Where
" W h e r e have
have you
y o u trained during
d u r i n g the
the summer?"
s u m m e r ? " and
and so
so
then tturned
the room.
then
u r n e d and left
left the
room.
forth. Tozan
and isis ttold,
T o z a n gives
gives sstraightforward
t r a i g h t f o r w a r d answers
a n s w e r s and
o l d , ""I
I spare
spare
had tto
not
this impuhad
o endure
endure n
o t only
o n l y the great
great enlightenment
e n l i g h t e n m e n t oof
f this
impu-
you
y o u sixty
s i x t y blows."
b l o w s . " When
W h e n he
he returns
returns the
the next
n e x t day,
day, he
h e asks
asks
Unmon
U n m o n where
w h e r e he
he was
w a s at
at fault
fault in
in calling
calling down
d o w n the
the master's
master's
wrath.
w r a t h . Unmon
U n m o n says,
says, "You
" Y o u rice
rice bag!
b a g ! Do
D o you
y o u wander
w a n d e r around
around
dent ttwenty-six-year-old
to suffer
suffer his
his sscorn
dent
w e n t y - s i x - y e a r - o l d i intruder,
n t r u d e r , bbut
u t to
c o r n of
of
When
W h e n head
head monk
m o n k Yoso
Y o s o ggot
o t word
w o r d of
o f Ikkyu's
I k k y u ' s behavior,
b e h a v i o r , he
he
became
serious ZZen
student for
for ttwenty
b
e c a m e eenraged.
n r a g e d . AA serious
e n student
w e n t y years,
y e a r s , he
the most
in Zen
the
m o s t coveted
c o v e t e d seal
seal in
Z e n circles.
circles. For
For his
his own
o w n part,
part, Yoso
Yoso
had
h a d treasured
treasured aa portrait
portrait of
o f Kaso
K a s o as
as aa "symbolic"
" s y m b o l i c " seal
seal of
o f his
his
insight
i n s i g h t and
and dharma
d h a r m a succession,
s u c c e s s i o n , bbut,
u t , on
o n seeing
s e e i n g him
h i m show
s h o w it
it
his hhopes
aaround,
r o u n d , Kaso
K a s o dashed
dashed his
o p e s bby
y shouting,
s h o u t i n g , "If
" I f you
y o u ever
ever call
call
west
w e s t of
o f the river,
river, south
s o u t h of
o f the
thelake?"
l a k e ? " And
A n d Tozan
T o z a n experiences
experiences
great satori.
satori.
One
at Zenko-an
O
n e day
day a troupe
t r o u p e of
o f blind
b l i n d singers
singers stopped
s t o p p e d at
Z e n k o - a n to
this scroll
scroll inka,
inka, I'll
I'll bburn
only
this
u r n iit!"
t ! " IIkkyu's
k k y u ' s arrogance
arrogance o
n l y added
a d d e d salt
salt
perform
p e r f o r m aa popular
p o p u l a r ballad
ballad of
o f tragic
t r a g i c love.
l o v e . As
A s he
h e was
w a s listening to
to
the performance,
the
p e r f o r m a n c e , Ikkyu
I k k y u suddenly
s u d d e n l y penetrated
penetrated the
the Tozan
T o z a n koan.
koan.
to
t o Yoso's
Y o s o ' s wounds,
w o u n d s , and
and the two
t w o soon
s o o n became
b e c a m e bitter
bitter enemies.
enemies.
Each
man
tried to show
E
ach m
a n tried
s h o w his
his loyalty
l o y a l t y to the
the teacher
teacher in his
his own
own
His
was
in his
H i s experience
experience w
a s confirmed
c o n f i r m e d in
his formal
f o r m a l interview
i n t e r v i e w with
with
Kaso,
and
he
was
given
the
dharma
name
Ikkyu,
One
Pause,
K a s o , and
was given
d h a r m a n a m e Ikkyu, O n e Pause,
way.
When
Kaso
w
ay. W
hen K
a s o grew
g r e w ill
ill with
w i t h dysentery,
d y s e n t e r y , Ikkyu,
I k k y u , whose
whose
enlightenment
served toto develop
his bizarre
bizarre style
style of
e n l i g h t e n m e n t oonly
n l y served
d e v e l o p his
of
to commemorate
c o m m e m o r a t e the
the "single
" s i n g l e moment"
m o m e n t " insight
i n s i g h t he
he had
had attained.
attained.
In response,
r e s p o n s e , IIkkyu
k k y u wrote
w r o t e a poem.
poem.
cleaned the
the eexcrement
eexpression,
x p r e s s i o n , cleaned
x c r e m e n t with
w i t h his
his hands.
h a n d s . Yoso
Y o s o and
and
the other
used
the
o t h e r disciples
disciples u
s e d bbrooms
r o o m s and sticks.
sticks. When
W h e n confronted
confronted
by
b
y Yoso
Y o s o for
f o r his
his strange
s t r a n g e show
s h o w of
o f devotion,
d e v o t i o n , Ikkyu
Ikkyu
From the world of
From
o f passions,
passions,
returning to
to the
the world
world of
o f passions.
passions.
There
is aa moment's
moment's pause—
pauseThere is
it rains,
rains, let it rain,
if it
if the
the wind
wind blows, let it blow.
If
blow.
Increasingly,
to irritate
irritate nnot
I n c r e a s i n g l y , I[kkyu's
k k y u ' s bbehavior
e h a v i o r bbegan
e g a n to
o t only
only
Yoso,
Kaso
as wwell.
When
Y
o s o , bbut
ut K
a s o as
ell. W
h e n lay
lay ppatrons
a t r o n s vvisited,
i s i t e d , the
the young
young
monk
would
like, ""Zen
isn't aa matter
m
onk w
o u l d bblurt
l u r t oout
u t insults
insults like,
Z e n isn't
m a t t e r of
of
and stalk
ffashion,"
a s h i o n , " and
stalk out
o u t of
o f the
the room.
r o o m . He
H e also
also leveled
leveled many
many
attacks against
against the
the stylish
stylish life
life inin ZZenko-an's
parent temoopen
p e n attacks
e n k o - a n ' s parent
temple,
ple, Daitoku
D a i t o k u - jji,
i , and
and publicly
p u b l i c l y excoriated
e x c o r i a t e d the
the "phony
" p h o n y monks
m o n k s in
in
ccow
o w sskirts"
k i r t s " at a memorial
m e m o r i a l feast
feast he attended
attended there. Finally,
Finally, his
his
uunorthodox
n o r t h o d o x behavior
b e h a v i o r among
a m o n g the
the townspeople
t o w n s p e o p l e of
o f Katada,
K a t a d a , his
his
revels, and
and his
his mockery
ddrunken
r u n k e n revels,
m o c k e r y of
o f Zen
Z e n rites
rites of
o f succession
succession
for the unconventional
Kaso,
who,
pproved
r o v e d ttoo
o o much
m u c h even
even for
unconventional K
aso, w
h o , in
in
1423,
gave YYoso
inkaand
and mmade
his formal
1423, gave
o s o inka
a d e hhim
i m his
f o r m a l dharma
d h a r m a heir.
heir.
was
and ttypical.
He
left the
the monIIkkyu's
k k y u ' s response
response w
a s iimmediate
m m e d i a t e and
ypical. H
e left
mon-
Then,
T h e n , in
in the
the summer
s u m m e r of
o f 1420,
1420, as
as he
he was
w a s sitting
sitting in
in his
his little
little
boat
b o a t on
o n Lake
L a k e Biwa
B i w a engaged
e n g a g e d in meditation,
m e d i t a t i o n , again
again aa sound
sound
provoked
an aawakening-but
this time,
p r o v o k e d an
w a k e n i n g — b u t this
t i m e , at
at the
the cawing
c a w i n g of
of a
crow
c r o w in early
early evening,
e v e n i n g , Ikkyu
I k k y u achieved
achieved his
his great
great satori.
satori. The
The
entire universe
the ccawing
the ccrow,
universe bbecame
e c a m e the
a w i n g oof
f the
r o w , and
and even
even "One
"One
Pause"
P a u s e " dropped
d r o p p e d away.
away. Kaso
K a s o confirmed
c o n f i r m e d the
the satori,
satori, tested him
him
further
further with
w i t h checking
c h e c k i n g questions,
q u e s t i o n s , and
and said,
said, "This
" T h i s is
is the
the answer
answer
of
arhat (a
(a BBuddhist
adept wwho
o f an arhat
u d d h i s t adept
h o has
has not
n o t yet
y e t gone
g o n e beyond
b e y o n d his
his
68
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
replied,
replied,
"Since
it is
is the
the dirt
dirt of
our
" S i n c e it
of o
u r master
m a s t e r I must
m u s t not
n o t dislike
dislike it."
it."
I
Ikkyu
Ikkyu
69
69
astery
astery for
f o r a life
life of
o f wandering,
w a n d e r i n g , turning
t u r n i n g up
u p every
every now
n o w and
and then
then
at Daitoku-ji
D a i t o k u - j i ceremonies
c e r e m o n i e s in the
the patched
p a t c h e d robe
r o b e and
and straw
straw sandals
sandals
poems
the usurious
p
o e m s against
against the
u s u r i o u s Zen
Z e n temples
t e m p l e s and
and their
their rich
rich and
and
o f aa mendicant.
m e n d i c a n t . When
W h e n admonished
a d m o n i s h e d bby
y Kaso
K a s o for
for his
his rude
rude
of
farmers
whom
f a r m e r s aand
n d townspeople,
townspeople, w
h o m he
he counted
c o u n t e d among
a m o n g his
his stustu-
powerful
He
up
p
o w e r f u l ooverlords.
verlords. H
e ttook
ook u
p the
the cause
cause of
o f the
the hardpressed
hardpressed
a p p e a r a n c e , IIkkyu
k k y u qquoted
uoted R
i n z a i , ssaying,
a y i n g , ""Do
D o nnot
o t hold
h o l d on
o n to
to
appearance,
Rinzai,
r o b e s , " and
and walked
w a l k e d off.
off. Recognizing
R e c o g n i z i n g Ikkyu's
I k k y u ' s genius
g e n i u s beneath
beneath
robes,"
his
anarchist's guise,
guise, a
a hapless
hapless Kaso
K a s o replied
replied later
that day
day to
to
his anarchist's
later that
the
q u e s t i o n of
o f who
w h o would
w o u l d be
b e his
his successor:
successor: "It
w i l l be
b e the
the
the question
"It will
dents,
dents, writing
w r i t i n g during
d u r i n g one
o n e of
o f the
the many
m a n y citizens'
citizens' uprisings
uprisings
demanding
d e m a n d i n g cancellation
cancellation of
o f debts from
f r o m the
the Hosokawa
H o s o k a w a shoguns:
shoguns:
m a d one."
o n e . " Kaso's
K a s o ' s spiritual
spiritual preference
p r e f e r e n c e for
heir was
w a s the
the
mad
for an
an heir
Robbers never
never strike
strike poor
poor houses.
Robbers
One
O
n e man's wealth
wealth is not wealth for the whole country.
country.
" m a d " Ikkyu,
I k k y u , but
b u t when
w h e n the
the old
o l d master
m a s t e r died,
as Y
oso—the
"mad"
died, itit wwas
Yoso-the
""cultivated
c u l t i v a t e d oone"-who
n e " — w h o became
b e c a m e abbot
a b b o t of
o f Daitoku
D a i t o k u -ji.
ji.
believe that
that calamity
calamity has
has its
its origin
origin in good fortune.
I believe
fortune.
You lose
lose your
your soul
soul over
over aa hundred
hundred thousand pieces
You
pieces of
o f copper.
copper.
Ikkyu
in the
I k k y u wandered
w a n d e r e d aabout
b o u t in
the spirit
spirit of
o f his
his beloved
b e l o v e d idols
idols
In 1425,
the nnewly
In
1 4 2 5 , Yoshikaza,
Y o s h i k a z a , the
e w l y aappointed
p p o i n t e d sshogun,
h o g u n , died
died of
of
R
i n z a i and
a i t o , characterizing
c h a r a c t e r i z i n g himself
h i m s e l f in his poems
p o e m s as
as KyoKyoRinzai
and DDaito,
and his
had
aalcoholism,
l c o h o l i s m , and
his retired father
father Yoshimochi
Yoshimochi h
a d to resume
resume
uun,
n , Crazy
Crazy C
l o u d — a pun
p u n on
o n the
the "cloud"
" c l o u d " prefix
p r e f i x constituting
constituting
Cloud-a
the position
was
mentally
the
p o s i t i o n again.
a g a i n . Yoshimochi
Yoshimochi w
a s hhimself
i m s e l f sso
o m
e n t a l l y dede-
the traditional
traditional wword
for m
monk,
or "cloud-water,"
the
o r d for
o n k , unsui,
unsui, or
" c l o u d - w a t e r , " and
and
rranged
a n g e d by
b y alcoholism
a l c o h o l i s m that he
h e could
c o u l d not
n o t rule
rule and
and gave
gave way
w a y to
to aa
ppointing
o i n t i n g tto
o his
his singularly
s i n g u l a r l y ""crazy"
c r a z y " fform
o r m of
o f Zen.
Z e n . Unlike
U n l i k e his
his
who
assassinated. In
In the
the m
midst
ssuccessor
uccessor w
h o was
w a s ssoon
o o n assassinated.
i d s t of
o f this social
social
ppredecessors,
redecessors, w
h o s e pilgrimage
p i l g r i m a g e years
years were
w e r e relatively
relatively brief,
brief,
whose
breakdown,
criticizednnot
the corruption
b
r e a k d o w n , Ikkyu
I k k y u fearlessly
fearlessly criticized
o t oonly
n l y the
corruption
IIkkyu's
k k y u ' s footloose
footloose w
a n d e r i n g s lasted
r o m the
i m e he
h e was
was
wanderings
lastedf from
the ttime
off Zen,
o
Z e n , but
b u t the
the political
political situation
situation as
as well.
w e l l . In
In aa collection
c o l l e c t i o n of
of
ttwenty-nine
w e n t y - n i n e to the age
a g e of
o f fifty-seven.
fifty-seven. U
nlike R
i n z a i and
aito,
Unlike
Rinzai
and D
Daito,
openly
Crazy
Cloud
o
p e n l y seditious
seditious C
razy C
l o u d poems,
p o e m s , he
h e wrote:
wrote:
ttoo,
o o , Ikkyu
I k k y u refused
refused to
take up
u p the
the formal
f o r m a l role
role of
of a
a Zen
Z e n master
master
to take
o
the abbotship
a b b o t s h i p of
o f aa temple.
t e m p l e . Somewhere
S o m e w h e r e in
in his
his wanderings,
wanderings,
orr the
Greed for
for luxuries,
luxuries, for
for rice
rice and
and money
money undermines
undermines the
Greed
tthough,
h o u g h , Ikkyu
I k k y u managed
m a n a g e d to
t o attract
attract aa handful
handful of
o f like-minded
like-minded
imperial palace.
palace.
It
o o d that II even
even think
when all
all
It isis not
not ggood
think about beautiful women when
eccentrics,
e l l as
w i f e and
and son.
son. The
The Chronicle
Chronicle of
of the
the
eccentrics, asas wwell
as aa wife
Japanese
e a r - b y - y e a r aaccount
c c o u n t oof
f his
eportJapaneseMonk
MonkIkkyu,
Ikkyu,aay year-by-year
his life,
life, rreport-
extremely deplorable condition.
condition.
Japan is in an extremely
This
one
retainer
has
his
heart
in
shreds!
This
in shreds!
eedly
d l y documented
d o c u m e n t e d by
b y his
his major
major disciple
disciple Bokusai,
Bokusai,
describes
describes
IIkkyu's
k k y u ' s circle
as
students
m
a
d
e
"
o
f
stern
stuff,
able
to
forget
circle as students made "of stern stuff, able to forget
bbodily
o d i l y ccomforts
o m f o r t s for
the sake
sake of
o f the
the Dharma.
D h a r m a . They
T h e y gathered
gathered
for the
d
r
y
sticks
for
f
i
r
e
w
o
o
d
and
s
c
o
o
p
e
d
d
r
i
n
k
i
n
g
w
a
t
e
r
f
r o m the
the
dry sticks for firewood and scooped drinking water from
torrents.
.
.
.
T
h
e
y
w
e
r
e
d
i
l
i
g
e
n
t
and
u
n
t
i
r
i
n
g
.
"
In
a
r
a
mtorrents.
They were diligent and untiring." In a ramshackle
d
w
e
l
l
i
n
g
n
a
m
e
d
T
h
e
H
u
t
o
f
the
B
l
i
n
d
D
o
n
k
e
y
in
shackle dwelling named The Hut of the Blind Donkey in
h
o
n
o
r
o
f
R
i
n
z
a
i
'
s
appellation
for
his
successors,
I
k
k
y
u
settled
honor of Rinzai's appellation for his successors, Ikkyu settled
.
.
Unable
U
n a b l e tto
o hide
h i d e from
f r o m the
the terrible
terrible realities
realities of
o f daily
d a i l y life
life in
in
Muromachi
Japan, hhe
M u r o m a c h i Japan,
e assumed
a s s u m e d the
the nonmonastic
n o n m o n a s t i c life
life of
o f aa laylay-
man,
m a n , eating
e a t i n g meat
m e a t and
and fish,
fish, drinking
d r i n k i n g wine,
w i n e , making
m a k i n g love
l o v e to
to
.
women,
w o m e n , and
and celebrating
c e l e b r a t i n g them
t h e m in
in his
his poems.
p o e m s . As
A s aa lliving
i v i n g examexample
ple of
o f Rinzai's
R i n z a i ' s dictum
d i c t u m to
to avoid
avoid "loving
" l o v i n g the
the sacred
sacred and
and hating
hating
d o w n to
to teach,
teach, by
b y his
his own
o w n life's
life's example,
e x a m p l e , Rinzai's
R i n z a i ' s exhortation
exhortation
down
to "shit and piss and just be ordinary." When his wife died, he
t o o k his s o n as a disciple i n t o his B l i n d D o n k e y t e m p l e , w i t h
took his son as a disciple into his Blind Donkey temple, with
the
to bring
the secular,"
s e c u l a r , " IIkkyu
k k y u ssought
o u g h t to
b r i n g true
true Zen
Z e n practice
practice oout
u t of
of
the
the monastery
m o n a s t e r y and
and into
i n t o the
the street,
street, where,
w h e r e , like
l i k e Daito
D a i t o before
before
belonged.
h i m , he
he felt
felt it b
e l o n g e d . Striking
S t r i k i n g out
o u t openly
o p e n l y against
against the
the
him,
dissolute
Rinzai
Zen
institutions
in
the
capital,
he
developed
dissolute R i n z a i Z e n institutions
the capital, he d e v e l o p e d
to " s h i t and piss and j u s t b e o r d i n a r y . " W h e n his w i f e died, h e
its b r o k e n w a l l s and r o t t e n r i d g e p o l e . T h i s w a s n o d u b i o u s
its broken walls and rotten ridgepole. This was no dubious
honor, for Ikkyu refused admittance to anyone who came for
h o n o r , for I k k y u refused a d m i t t a n c e to a n y o n e w h o c a m e for
the persona
p e r s o n a of
o f the mad
m a d monk
m o n k to
to enforce
e n f o r c e his
his message
m e s s a g e that
that "it
" i t is
is
easy to
t h e realm
r e a l m of
o f the
the Buddhas.
B u d d h a s . Much
M u c h harder
h a r d e r to
t o enter
enter
easy
to enter the
a n y t h i n g b u t serious Z e n s t u d y .
anything but serious Zen study.
Here,
H
e r e , too,
t o o , he
he continued
c o n t i n u e d to
to write
w r i t e his
his seditious,
seditious, muckraking
muckraking
70
70
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
the
w o r l d oof
f demons."
d e m o n s . " So
S o far,
far, he
h e had
had trained
trained for
for more
m o r e than
than
the world
I
Ikkyu
Ikkyu
71
71
_<ag
fifteen
in the
the cconventional,
strict,and
and ""manly"
style of
fifteen yyears
e a r s in
o n v e n t i o n a l , strict,
m a n l y " style
of
Zen;
Z e n ; now
n o w he was
w a s determined
d e t e r m i n e d to "enter
" e n t e r the
the marketplace
m a r k e t p l a c e with
with
bliss-bestowing
b l i s s - b e s t o w i n g hhands,"
a n d s , " mingling
m i n g l i n g with
w i t h ordinary
o r d i n a r y people,
p e o p l e , living
living
as oordinary
as
r d i n a r y people
p e o p l e lived,
lived, and thereby
t h e r e b y preaching
p r e a c h i n g the
the dharma
d h a r m a in
in
whatever
unconventional
it might
whatever u
n c o n v e n t i o n a l fforms
o r m s it
m i g h t take.
take.
Unlike
Rinzai,
however,
was
U
nlike R
inzai, h
o w e v e r , IIkkyu
kkyu w
a s nnot
o t a fierce
fierce and
a n d physiphysically
man,
but
cally vviolent
iolent m
an, b
u t a lover,
l o v e r , a poet
p o e t who
w h o could
c o u l d memorialize
memorialize
aa pet
pet sparrow
s p a r r o w and
and write
w r i t e tenderly
t e n d e r l y about
a b o u t the
the beauty
b e a u t y of
o f women
women
e x p a n d e d bby
y his
his lay
lay students,
students, many
m a n y of
o f whom
w h o m were
w e r e leading
leading
expanded
while at
at the
t h e same
s a m e time
t i m e trashing
t r a s h i n g the
t h e Zen
Z e n establishment.
establishment.
b
o o m t o w n along
a l o n g the
the banks
b a n k s of
o f Lake
L a k e Biwa,
B i w a , which,
w h i c h , like
like Katada,
Katada,
boomtown
Though
Rinzai wwas
T
h o u g h the
the rough-and-tumble
r o u g h - a n d - t u m b l eRecord
Record o/'
of Rinzai
a s his
his bible
bible
was
wandering
w a s ppopulated
o p u l a t e d by
b y ruffians,
ruffians, w
a n d e r i n g women,
w o m e n , pirates, wealthy
wealthy
painters,
a c t o r s , and sculptors
sculptors o
e r i o d . Among
A m o n g them
t h e m was
was
painters, actors,
off the
the pperiod.
his
s o n Jotei,
Jotei, who
w h o later
later became
b e c a m e one
o n e of
o f Japan's
Japan's leading
l e a d i n g tea
tea
his son
masters. Above
masters.
A b o v e all,
all, Ikkyu
I k k y u cultivated
cultivated aa life
life of
o f sparseness
sparseness and
and
p
poverty
o v e r t y that
that resulted
resulted in
in the
thehighly
h i g h l yvalued
v a l u e dJapanese
Japanese wahi
wabi ideal
ideal
o
s i m p l i c i t y , which
w h i c h characterizes
characterizes that
c o u n t r y ' s aesthetic
aesthetic
off stark
stark simplicity,
that country's
even
today.
even today.
His
style eemerged
with
his m
move
to Sakai,
H
i s ffolksy
o l k s y rreligious
e l i g i o u s style
merged w
i t h his
o v e to
Sakai, a
while
(he even
went
so far
(he
even w
e n t so
far as
as to
to memorize
m e m o r i z e it),
it), Ikkyu
Ikkyu
translated
translated
m e r c h a n t s , and
o n aartists-Ikkyu's
r t i s t s — I k k y u ' s ideal
ideal "congregants."
" c o n g r e g a n t s . " In
In
merchants,
and ccon
Rinzai's
his own
R
i n z a i ' s tteaching
e a c h i n g tthrough
h r o u g h the
the highly
h i g h l y sensitive
sensitive vessel
vessel of
o f his
own
this aatmosphere,
band
t m o s p h e r e , accompanied
a c c o m p a n i e d by
b y his little b
a n d of
o f lloyal
o y a l monks
monks
and
and lay
lay sstudents,
t u d e n t s , Ikkyu
I k k y u turned
t u r n e d forty-one
f o r t y - o n e on
o n New
N e w Year's
Year's Day
Day
nature and
and eexperience.
nature
x p e r i e n c e . AAnd
n d tthough
h o u g h he
he imitated
i m i t a t e d Rinzai
R i n z a i physiphysically bby
beard and
and llong
cally
y ggrowing
r o w i n g a beard
o n g hair while
w h i l e still remaining
remaining a
of
o f 1435.
1435. Instead
Instead of
o f preaching
p r e a c h i n g aa traditional
traditional New
N e w Year's
Year's Day
Day
sermon,
woke
early and
and rrushed
s e r m o n , however,
h o w e v e r , hhe
e w
o k e early
u s h e d oout
u t iinto
n t o the
the city
city
streets, brandishing
b r a n d i s h i n g a long
l o n g wooden
w o o d e n sword
s w o r d and
and smacking
s m a c k i n g the
the
streets,
hilt to
t o call
call the
the people
p e o p l e to
to attention.
attention. According
A c c o r d i n g to
to Bokusai's
Bokusai's
hilt
Chronicle,
u z z l e d ttownspeople
o w n s p e o p l e ggathered,
a t h e r e d , ccrying,
r y i n g , "What
"What
Chronicle,the
theppuzzled
monk,
m
o n k , Ikkyu
I k k y u departed
departed from
f r o m Rinzai's
R i n z a i ' s "masculine"
" m a s c u l i n e " Zen
Z e n style,
style,
women
as his
iincluding
ncluding w
o m e n as
his students,
students, dharma
d h a r m a companions,
c o m p a n i o n s , and
and
social and
and intellectual
intellectual equals.
equals. HHis
rejection oof
life inin the
the Zen
social
i s rejection
f life
Zen
was
as m
much
his hatred
hatred for
for their
their homottemples
emples w
a s pprompted
r o m p t e d as
u c h bby
y his
homo-
sexual abuses
abuses asas for
for their
sexual
their religious
r e l i g i o u s hypocrisy.
h y p o c r i s y . Indeed,
Indeed, in a
use
o e s aa m
o n k have
have ffor
o r aa ssword?
word? S
w o r d s are
s e d for
killing!"
use ddoes
monk
Swords
are uused
for killing!"
where
the ruling
their misogyny
ssociety
ociety w
h e r e the
r u l i n g samurai
s a m u r a i flaunted
flaunted their
m i s o g y n y in
To wwhich
replied: ""You
To
h i c h IIkkyu
k k y u replied:
Y o u ddon't
o n ' t kknow
n o w itit yyet,
e t , but
b u t these
these
their ppreference
for the
the llove
their
r e f e r e n c e for
o v e oof
f yyoung
o u n g bboys,
o y s , IIkkyu's
k k y u ' s "feminist"
"feminist"
days the
the wworld
is full
days
o r l d is
full of
o f aa false
false wisdom
w i s d o m that is
is just
j u s t like
like this
this
alonewwere
labelhhim
mad.
It wwas
vviews
i e w s alone
e r e eenough
n o u g h toto label
im m
a d . It
a s iin
n the
the
wooden
As
it is kept
w
o o d e n ssword.
word. A
s llong
o n g as
as it
k e p t in the
the scabbard,
s c a b b a r d , it looks
looks
brothels
b r o t h e l s and
and geisha
geisha houses
h o u s e s that he
he developed
d e v e l o p e d his
his Red
R e d Thread
Thread
Zen,
Z
e n , a notion
n o t i o n he borrowed
b o r r o w e d from
f r o m the
the old
o l d Chinese
C h i n e s e master
m a s t e r Kido,
Kido,
and extended
in "this
and
e x t e n d e d to deep
d e e p and
and subtle
subtle levels
levels of
o f realization
realization in
"this
it is
is seen
seen to be
b e only
o n l y aa sliver
sliver of
o f wood.
wood.
vvery
e r y bbody"
o d y " as
as the
the "Lotus
" L o t u s of
o f the
the true
true law,"
l a w , " linking
l i n k i n g human
human
llaughingly
a u g h i n g l y ggot
o t the
the point
p o i n t and
and applauded
a p p l a u d e d their
their eccentric
eccentric priest.
priest.
to birth
birth and death by
bbeings
e i n g s to
b y the
the red
red thread
thread of
o f passion,
p a s s i o n , and
and its
its
IIkkyu
k k y u felt
a l o n e held
h e l d the great
great sword
s w o r d of
o f Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
felt that
that he alone
resulting bbloody
umbilicus.
Closely
related toto tantric
resulting
loody u
mbilicus. C
l o s e l y related
tantric BudBud-
Manjusri,
the blade
off wwisdom
M
a n j u s r i , the
blade o
i s d o m that
that cuts
cuts all
all delusion
d e l u s i o n and grants
grants
dhism,
ritual, Ikkyu's
d
h i s m , which
w h i c h used
u s e d sexual
s e x u a l uunion
n i o n as
as aa religious
r e l i g i o u s ritual,
Ikkyu's
realization.
as
o o d as
l a d e , bbut
u t iif
f itit is
r a w n oout
u t ffrom
r o m the
scabbard,
as ggood
as aa real
real bblade,
is ddrawn
the scabbard,
c a n n o t even
even kill
kill
ItItcannot
ppeople-much
e o p l e — m u c h less
less make
m a k e them
t h e m live!"
l i v e ! " The
T h e citizens
citizens of
o f Sakai
Sakai
Red
R
e d TThread
h r e a d fform
o r m of
o f Zen
Z e n practice
practice was
w a s the most
m o s t radical
radical nonnon-
Yet
Yet despite
despite his
his ooutward
u t w a r d "madness,"
" m a d n e s s , " by
b y all
all evidence,
e v i d e n c e , Ikkyu
Ikkyu
dualist iinterpretation
the sexual
act pproposed
dualist
n t e r p r e t a t i o n oof
f the
s e x u a l act
r o p o s e d bby
y any
a n y Zen
Zen
w
a s aa strict
d h e r e n t tto
o Rinzai's
R i n z a i ' s rrigorous
i g o r o u s Zen;
Z e n ; his
his demand
d e m a n d for
for
was
strict aadherent
master
before
m
aster b
e f o r e or
o r since.
since.
sstrong
t r o n g commitment
c o m m i t m e n t to
to meditation
m e d i t a t i o n and
and koan
k o a n practice
practice and
and forfor-
By
B
y encouraging
e n c o u r a g i n g ssuch
u c h worldly
w o r l d l y varieties
varieties oof
f Zen
Z e n practice,
practice,
mal
with
the core
m a l iinterviews
nterviews w
i t h an enlightened
e n l i g h t e n e d teacher
teacher fformed
o r m e d the
c o r e of
of
an eentirely
IIkkyu
k k y u developed
d e v e l o p e d an
n t i r e l y new
n e w aesthetic
aesthetic in
in the
the
process,
process,
creating
new
forms
of
calligraphy,
poetry,
Noh
theater,
c r e a t i n g n e w f o r m s o f c a l l i g r a p h y , p o e t r y , N o h theater, tea
tea
his own
his
o w n career.
career. The
T h e setting
s e t t i n g may
m a y have
have been
b e e n informal,
i n f o r m a l , his
his
ceremony,
His
c e r e m o n y , and
and ceramics.
ceramics. H
i s ""running"
r u n n i n g " calligraphic
calligraphic style
style and
students
students more
m o r e often
often laypeople
l a y p e o p l e than formally
f o r m a l l y ordained
o r d a i n e d monks,
monks,
b u t his Zen
Z e n practice was
w a s far
far m
o r e traditional than the ritualized
ritualized
but
more
effete
business ggoing
effete business
o i n g oon
n in the
the gozan
gozan temples.
t e m p l e s . For
For ten
ten disasdisas-
kyo or
or "crazy,"
kyo
" c r a z y , " even
even sometimes
s o m e t i m e s pornographic
p o r n o g r a p h i c poetry
p o e t r y were
were
72
72
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
-1
Ikkyu
Ikkyu
73
73
hee tried
tried to
to perform
ttrous
r o u s days,
days, h
p e r f o r m as abbot
a b b o t of
o f Nioi-an,
N i o i - a n , aa subtemsubtem-
Tsu
T s u and
and Kin.
K i n . Both
B o t h men
m e n turned
t u r n e d up
u p at
at Ikkyu's
I k k y u ' s shabby
s h a b b y Sakai
Sakai
headquarters
day, asking
h e a d q u a r t e r s oone
n e day,
a s k i n g to
to become
b e c o m e his
his disciples,
disciples, and
and
Ikkyu
I k k y u greeted
g r e e t e d them
t h e m warmly.
w a r m l y . But
B u t this
this did
did not
n o t stop
s t o p Yoso
Y o s o from
from
ple
ple oon
n the
the ggrounds
r o u n d s of
of D
Daitoku
a i t o k u - jji,
i , when,
w h e n , prevailed
p r e v a i l e d upon
u p o n by
b y his
his
ffollowers
o l l o w e r s tto
o aassume
s s u m e the
o s i t i o n in
o n o r of
o f his beloved
b e l o v e d old
old
the pposition
in hhonor
teacher
a s o ' s memorial
m e m o r i a l anniversary,
a n n i v e r s a r y , he
he accepted
a c c e p t e d Yoso's
Y o s o ' s offer.
offer.
teacher KKaso's
m a k i n g one
o n e of
o f his
his periodic
p e r i o d i c false
false gestures
gestures o
a t t e m p t e d reconreconmaking
off attempted
ciliation
b
y
i
n
v
i
t
i
n
g
I
k
k
y
u
to
a
clerical
feast.
B
o
k
u
s
a
i
r
ecords
ciliation by inviting Ikkyu to a clerical feast. Bokusai records
w o r d for word
w o r d the ironic, increasingly
i n c r e a s i n g l y bitter exchange
e x c h a n g e between
between
word
t w o old
o l d opponents,
o p p o n e n t s , with
w i t h Yoso
Y o s o appearing
a p p e a r i n g at
e m p l e gate
the two
at the
the ttemple
himself, shouting,
s h o u t i n g , "Your
" Y o u r arrival
arrival is
is much
m u c h delayed.
delayed. II was
w a s about
about
himself,
to
send
s
o
m
e
o
n
e
to
b
r
i
n
g
y
o
u
here.
I
w
a
n
t
e
d
t
o
i
n
f
o
r
m
you
to send someone to bring you here. I wanted to inform you
that
y
o
u
have
h
u
r
l
e
d
s
h
i
t
w
a
t
e
r
in
K
a
s
o
'
s
face
.
.
.
"
that you have hurled shit-water in Kaso's face
"
needn't
IIkkyu
k k y u replied
replied calmly,
c a l m l y , "You
"You n
e e d n ' t play
play the
the filial
filial brother
brother
A
the memorial
m e m o r i a l banquet,
b a n q u e t , however,
h o w e v e r , Yoso's
Y o s o ' s wealthy
w e a l t h y guests
guests
Att the
m
a d e it
clear that
that in
in exchange
e x c h a n g e ffor
o r large
l a r g e donations,
d o n a t i o n s , they
t h e y exexmade
it clear
ppected
e c t e d IIkkyu
k k y u to
hem w
r i t t e n inka.
idst o
the
to sell
sell tthem
written
inka. In
In the
the m
midst
off the
bbanquet,
a n q u e t , IIkkyu
k k y u got
g o t up
u p and
and stalked
stalked out,
o u t , followed
followed b
y his
his chief
chief
by
disciples
o k u s a i and
Bokushitsu.
disciples BBokusai
and Bokushitsu.
Drawing
up
the ggoods
in the temple,
D
rawing u
p an
an inventory
i n v e n t o r y of
o f all
all the
o o d s in
t e m p l e , he
he
.
attached it
p o e m that
that he
he hung
h u n g on
o n the
the wall
w a l l as
as aa declaration
declaration
attached
it to a poem
of
o f his
his resignation.
resignation.
o w n ulterior motives.
motives.
own
Ikkyu
I k k y u retorted,
r e t o r t e d , "I,
" I , on
o n the
the other
o t h e r hand,
h a n d , hear
hear that
that you
y o u extol
extol
the
off
the false
false practice
p r a c t i c e of
o f leaving
leaving o
f f sanzen
sanzen iinterviews
n t e r v i e w s wwith
i t h your
your
What
disciples. That
That is
is what
w h a t Kaso
K a s o never
never heard
heard of.
of. . . . W
h a t other
other
disciples.
More
M
o r e llikely,
i k e l y , Ikkyu
I k k y u really
really spent
spent the
the next
n e x t month
m o n t hsitting
sittingininsesshin
sesshin
(meditation
( m e d i t a t i o n retreat)
retreat) out
o u t in
in the
the fields
fields of
o f patron
p a t r o n Shiten
Shiten Shoiku's
Shoiku's
.
d
h a r m a talks
a n s w e r i n g sstudents'
t u d e n t s ' questions.
q u e s t i o n s . His
H i s Zen
Z e n was
was
dharma
talks and
and answering
r e n d e r e d directly,
d i r e c t l y , in
in face-to-face
f a c e - t o - f a c e encounter.
e n c o u n t e r . To
To organize
o r g a n i z e his
his
rendered
t e a c h i n g and
r g e students
n , he
h e handed
h a n d e d them
t h e m each
each aa scroll
scroll
teaching
and uurge
students oon,
said:
that said:
I am
am aa simple
simple man
man and
and have
have not
not certified
certified anyone
anyone during
during my
my
lifetime;
fear that
that after
after m
my
lifetime; II fear
y death there will be no one
one to
to speak
speak
for
for me.
me. As
A s I Ireceived
received my
m y certification
certification in
in private,
private, I did
did not
not
publicize the
takes it
propagate
publicize
the fact.
fact. But
But ifif aa man
man takes
it on
on himself to propagate
the Dharma
Dharma and starts
starts his
his own
o w n sect
sect in
in secret,
secret, the
the regulations
regulations
the
will be disarrayed.
disarrayed. Such
the
will
Such men
men should
should be
be quickly
quickly reported
reported to the
authorities
h e y betray
betray Buddhism
Buddhism and
and are
are my
my
authorities and
and punished.
punished. TThey
hated
enemies. Important
protection of
o f the
the
hated enemies.
Important indeed
indeed isis the
the protection
Dharma.
How
could
anyone
stand
to
one
side
and
look
on
with
Dharma. How could anyone stand to one side and look on with
folded
arms?
folded arms?
IIkkyu's
k k y u ' s upright
u p r i g h t insistence
insistence oon
n the
the true expression
e x p r e s s i o n oof
f Daito's
Daito's
lineage
even iimpressed
off Yoso's
Daitoku-ji
l i n e a g e even
m p r e s s e d ttwo
wo o
Y o s o ' s oown
wn D
a i t o k u - j i monks,
monks,
Clouds
Clouds
.
.
w a y ccould
o u l d there
o w ccould
o u l d there
e aanything
nything w
i t h o u t the
the
way
there be?
be? HHow
there bbe
without
iinterviews?
n t e r v i e w s ? NNo,
o , it
o u wwho
h o tthrows
h r o w s sshit-water.
h i t - w a t e r . BBut
u t iinto
n t o your
your
it isis yyou
o w n face.
face. Y
o u ccannot
a n n o t ssmear
m e a r KKaso
a s o wwith
i t h yyour
o u r errors."
errors."
own
You
Growing
G r o w i n g angrier, Yoso
Y o s o ssputtered,
p u t t e r e d , "I
" I carry
carry his
his certificate.
certificate. By
By
w h a t right
r i g h t do
d o you
y o u insult
insult me?"
me?"
what
"I
" I was
w a s also
also certified,"
c e r t i f i e d , " said
said IIkkyu,
k k y u , "though
" t h o u g h such
s u c h things
t h i n g s are
are
not
n
o t for
f o r public
p u b l i c comparisons."
comparisons."
"Well,
" W e l l , I suppose
s u p p o s e II have
have no
n o way
w a y to
toprove
prove that
that you
y o u were
were not
not
certified."
certified."
At
A t that, Ikkyu
I k k y u gave
gave a great laugh
l a u g h and
and walked
w a l k e d off.
off.
But
B u t then,
t h e n , in
in 1447,
1447, Ikkyu
I k k y u and
and Yoso
Y o s o had
had to
to join
j o i n forces
forces to
tosave
save
their beloved
their
b e l o v e d llineage
i n e a g e ffrom
r o m being
b e i n g overtaken
o v e r t a k e n by
b y the
the Hosokawa
Hosokawa
sshoguns,
h o g u n s , who,
w h o , as
as patrons
p a t r o n s of
o f Myoshin-ji,
M y o s h i n - j i , had
h a d always
a l w a y s managed
managed
to
p u s h the imperially
i m p e r i a l l y aligned
aligned D
a i t o k u - j i iinto
n t o the background.
background.
to push
Daitoku-ji
A
s the
g r e a t ruling
r u l i n g powers
p o w e r s in
in Japan at the time,
t i m e , the
the Hosokawas
Hosokawas
As
the great
p
r e s s u r e d the
m p e r o r to
g r a n t Daitoku
D a i t o k u - jji's
i ' s chief
c h i e f abbotship
a b b o t s h i p to
to
pressured
the eemperor
to grant
aa M
y o s h i n - j i rival.
his p
r o v o k e d a rrebellion
e b e l l i o n in
a i t o k u - j i that
Myoshin-ji
rival. TThis
provoked
in DDaitoku-ji
resulted
suicide oof
f o
n e priest
priest and
and the imprisonment
i m p r i s o n m e n t of
of
resulted in
in the
the suicide
one
estate
o u t h e r n part of
o f Kyoto
K y o t o with
w i t h his
his disciples,
disciples, giving
giving
estate in
in the
the ssouthern
Crazy
Crazy
.
with
w i t h me.
m e . Kindly
K i n d l y clarify
clarify what
w h a t you
y o u mean
m e a n by
b y `throwing
' t h r o w i n g shitshitw a t e r . ' ""
water.'
Yoso
then wwent
to accuse
Y o s o then
e n t oon
n to
accuse IIkkyu
k k y u of
o f using
u s i n g the Daitoku-ji
Daitoku-ji
llineage
i n e a g e and
e c i t i n g the
d h a r m a lectures
lectures of
o f its masters
m a s t e r s for
f o r his
his
and rreciting
the dharma
After
After ten
ten days
daysininthis
thistemple,
temple,mmy
y mind
mindisisspinning—
spinningThe "red thread"
thread" of
o f passion
passion is
is very
very strong in my
m y loins,
loins,
If yyou
wish to locate
If
o u wish
locate me another day,
day,
Look
Look in the fish stall, the sake shop or the
the brothel!
brothel!
74
74
.
11
Ikkyu
Ikkyu
75
75
enjoinder
to "concentrate
enjoinder to
" c o n c e n t r a t e wholly
w h o l l y on
o n zazen."
z a z e n . " Everyday
E v e r y d a y life,
life,
worst,
not
even at
at its
its w
o r s t , could
could n
o t be
b e separated
separated ffrom
r o m true
true Zen
Zen
even
practice. Thus,
T h u s , meditation
m e d i t a t i o n in Ikkyu's
I k k y u ' s country
c o u n t r y hermitage
h e r m i t a g e conconpractice.
several
In oopen
protest,
several oothers.
t h e r s . In
pen p
r o t e s t , Ikkyu
I k k y u embarked
e m b a r k e d on
o n a hunger
hunger
strike
out
strike o
u t in the mountains
m o u n t a i n s surrounding
s u r r o u n d i n g Kyoto,
K y o t o , writing:
writing:
I am ashamed to
to be
be still
still among the
the living;
living;
So many
many years have
studied Zen
Zen and
and practiced
So
have II studied
practiced the Way,
Way, yet
now heavy
now
heavy problems.
Indeed, the
the Buddhist
Buddhist Truth
Truth seems
seems to
to have
have disappeared.
disappeared.
In its place,
place, the King of
o f Demons
Demons rises
rises aa hundred
hundred feet
feet tall!
tall!
ttinued
i n u e d in the midst
m i d s t of
o f the war.
w a r . It
It was
w a s here, too,
t o o , that
that his
his disciple
disciple
Z e n c h i k o developed
developed N
o h theater,
and that the
the tea
tea ceremony
ceremony
Zenchiko
Noh
theater, and
r e a c h e d its
a p e x as
as aa meditative
m e d i t a t i v e form.
f o r m . Ikkyu
I k k y u continued
c o n t i n u e d to
to
reached
its apex
w
r i t e his stinging
s t i n g i n g criticisms
criticisms of
o f temple
t e m p l e and
and state,
state, reproaching
reproaching
write
" t h e arrogant
a r r o g a n t strong
s t r o n g who
w h o continue
c o n t i n u etotoplay
play music
m u s i c and
andenjoy
enjoy life
life
"the
even
h o u g h the
w h o l e populace
p o p u l a c e is
u f f e r i n g , " and
and published
p u b l i s h e d aa
even tthough
the whole
is ssuffering,"
As
Kaso's
was
A
s K
a s o ' s legitimate
l e g i t i m a t e heir, even
even the hated Yoso
Yoso w
a s preferable
preferable
series
b i l i o u s outpourings
o u t p o u r i n g s against
against Yoso
Y o s o and
and other
o t h e r public
public
series ooff bilious
in the
the Daitoku
tto
o a gozan-appointed
^ o ^ K - a p p o i n t e d iinterloper
n t e r l o p e r in
D a i t o k u - jji
i lineage.
l i n e a g e . As
As
ffigures
i g u r e s under
u n d e r the
the ironic
i r o n i c title
titleSelf
Self Criticisms.
Criticisms.
he
he sat
sat in the
the midst
m i d s t of
o f aa thunderstorm,
t h u n d e r s t o r m , growing
g r o w i n g weak
w e a k with
with
h u n g e r , Ikkyu
I k k y u was
w a s approached
approached b
y an imperial
i m p e r i a l messenger
m e s s e n g e r of
of
hunger,
by
Ikkyu
I k k y u suffered
suffered aa bout
b o u t of
o f dysentery
d y s e n t e r y that
that almost
a l m o s t killed
k i l l e d him,
him,
b
u t he
h e recovered
r e c o v e r e d to enter
enter his
his seventies
seventies and
e r i o d of
o f passionpassionbut
and a pperiod
his ccousin,
his
o u s i n , Go-hanazono.
Go-hanazono.
ate
c o m p a n i o n s h i p that
w a s to
t o last
last into
i n t o his
his eighties.
e i g h t i e s . In
In 1471,
1471,
ate companionship
that was
monk
to ddo
""If
I f the
the reverend
reverend m
o n k ccontinues
o n t i n u e s to
o thus,
t h u s , the
the Buddha's
Buddha's
L
a d y Shin,
Shin, a blind
b l i n d singer,
singer, composer,
c o m p o s e r , and
and skilled
skilled musician,
musician,
Lady
Way
and the
the Imperial
will
Way and
I m p e r i a l Way
Way w
i l l perish! How
H o w can
can he
he cause
cause such?
such?
entered
the circle
circle of
o f Zen-inspired
Z e n - i n s p i r e d musicians,
m u s i c i a n s , painters,
painters, and
and
entered the
How
the master
his country
at this
H
o w can
can the
m a s t e r desert
desert his
c o u n t r y at
this time?"
t i m e ? " the
the
p
o e t s at Thank
T h a n k You
Y o u Hermitage
H e r m i t a g e and
and changed
c h a n g e d Ikkyu's
I k k y u ' s life.
life. The
The
poets
pleaded.
had
his ppoint.
eemperor
mperor p
l e a d e d . IIkkyu
kkyu h
a d made
m a d e his
o i n t . He
H e gave
gave uup
p the
the
o
l d Zen
Z e n master
m a s t e r was
w a s seventy-seven,
s e v e n t y - s e v e n , his
mistress iin
n her
h e r late
late
old
his mistress
fast, and
and DDaitoku
was
and Ikkyu
fast,
a i t o k u - jji
i w
a s ssaved-with
a v e d — w i t h Yoso
Y o s o as
as aabbot,
b b o t , and
Ikkyu
thirties. All
A l l we
w e know
k n o w about
a b o u t the
the romance
r o m a n c e is
is what
w h a t Ikkyu
I k k y u leaves
leaves
thirties.
wandering,
w
a n d e r i n g , as
as much
m u c h the "crazy
" c r a z y cloud"
c l o u d " as
as before.
before.
us
his graphic
g r a p h i c and informative
i n f o r m a t i v e poetry
p o e t r y celebrating
c e l e b r a t i n g their
their love.
love.
us in
in his
By
B
y 1457
1457 the
the Hosokawas
H o s o k a w a s hhad
a d so
so drained
drained the
the population
population
economically
that the
e c o n o m i c a l l y that
the helpless
helpless masses
masses eerupted
r u p t e d in civil
c i v i l war.
war.
B o k u s a i ' s Chronicle
m a i n s mmute
u t e o on
n the
o p i c , bbut
u t he
h e did
did
Bokusai's
Chronicler eremains
the ttopic,
m
a
n
a
g
e
to
e
x
e
c
u
t
e
an
a
m
a
z
i
n
g
official
portrait
o
f
I
k
k
y
u,
manage to execute an amazing official portrait of Ikkyu,
Troops
sides llooted
and bburned
whole
T
r o o p s rrepresenting
e p r e s e n t i n g all
all sides
o o t e d and
urned w
h o l e sections
sections
ccommissioned
o m m i s s i o n e d by
b y the
the master
m a s t e r himself,
himself, which
w h i c h includes
i n c l u d e s the
the blind
blind
off KKyoto,
the Hut
o
y o t o , iincluding
n c l u d i n g IIkkyu's
k k y u ' s city
c i t y headquarters
h e a d q u a r t e r s at the
H u t of
o f the
the
w
o m a n ssinger.
i n g e r . This
T h i s chinzo,
chinzo, aa Zen
Z e n portrait
portrait still
still hanging
h a n g i n g in
in
woman
Blind
Donkey.
he
B
lind D
o n k e y . SSo
o h
e and
and his
his friends
friends moved
m o v e d south
s o u t h to
t o the
the
D
a i t o k u - j i today,
t o d a y , depicts
depicts Ikkyu
I k k y u minus
m i n u s the
the usual
u s u a l priest's
priest's staff,
staff,
Daitoku-ji
country.
c o u n t r y . With
W i t h the
the Onin
O n i n War
W a r flaring
flaring around
a r o u n d them
t h e m and
and all
all the
the
grand
and monasteries
razed, IIkkyu's
g r a n d palaces
palaces and
m o n a s t e r i e s razed,
k k y u ' s band
b a n d felt
felt lucky
lucky
to
t o be
be spared
spared and
and thus
thus gratefully
g r a t e f u l l y named
n a m e d their
their temple
t e m p l e Thank
Thank
w
e a r i n g plain
o n k ' s ggarb.
arb. H
e is
a i n t e d in
g r e y , empty
empty
wearing
plain mmonk's
He
is ppainted
in aa grey,
circle
e n o t i n g the
the essential
essential emptiness
e m p t i n e s s oof
f things,
t h i n g s , while
w h i l e Lady
Lady
circle ddenoting
Shin, seated
seated below,
b e l o w , dressed
d r e s s e d in
in professional
p r o f e s s i o n a l finery
finery and
and playing
playing
Shin,
h
e r koto,
koto, represents
anifest w
orld o
form.
her
represents the
the m
manifest
world
off form.
You
Y
o u Hermitage.
Hermitage.
People
died bby
the tthousands;
at oone
the streets
P
e o p l e died
y the
h o u s a n d s ; at
n e ppoint
o i n t the
streets of
of
In Lady
orr Mori,
L a d y Shin,
Shin, o
M o r i , Ikkyu
I k k y u finally
finally located
l o c a t e d his own
o w n missing
missing
Kyoto
were
by
human
K
yoto w
e r e oobstructed
bstructed b
y animal
a n i m a l and
and h
u m a n corpses
c o r p s e s of
o f those
those
self. Unashamedly,
ffemale
e m a l e self.
U n a s h a m e d l y , he
h e praised
praised her
h e r brilliance
brilliance and
and celecele-
who
w
h o had
h a d starved
starved or
o r died of
o f plague.
p l a g u e . Still,
Still, the shoguns
s h o g u n s and their
their
b
r a t e d her
h e r gifts
gifts in his writing
w r i t i n g and
and in
in their
their public
p u b l i c life
life together.
together.
brated
R
i n z a i priests
n j o y e d an
c o n o m i c hheyday.
e y d a y . IIkkyu's
k k y u ' s response
response
Rinzai
priests eenjoyed
an eeconomic
M
o r e o v e r , Ikkyu
I k k y u incorporated
i n c o r p o r a t e d bold
b o l d elements
e l e m e n t s of
o f their
their physical
physical
Moreover,
to
display o
g r e e d , hatred,
h a t r e d , and
and ignorance
i g n o r a n c e was
w a s aa religious
religious
to the display
off greed,
a l l e g o r y he
h e called
called Skeletons.
Skeletons. T
h i s macabre
m a c a b r e treatise
treatise on
o n death,
death,
allegory
This
erotic
c o n t e x t that bound
b o u n d the
the manifest
manifest and
and essential
essential worlds
w o r l d s in
erotic context
w
h i c h could
c o u l d barely
b a r e l y equal
e q u a l the
the actual
actual misery
m i s e r y and
and
which
relationship iinto
n t o his
t e a c h i n g oof
f Zen,
Z e n , playing
p l a y i n g on
o n koans
k o a n s in an
an
relationship
his teaching
oveknot. T
h u s , in Ikkyu's
I k k y u ' s interpretation,
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n , the koan,
k o a n , "In
" I n what
what
a lloveknot.
Thus,
w
a
y
s
d
o
m
y
h
a
n
d
s
r
e
s
e
m
b
l
e
the
B
u
d
d
h
a
'
s
h
a
n
d
s
?
"
g
i
v
e
n
by
ways do my hands resemble the Buddha's hands?" given by
slaughter
slaughter
a r o u n d him,
h i m , prescribed
p r e s c r i b e d an
an antidote
a n t i d o t e to
to the
the hellish
hellish events
events in
in its
its
around
76
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
I
Ikkyu
Ikkyu
77
77
Oryo
O r y o (Huang-lung
( H u a n g - l u n g Hui-nan),
H u i - n a n ) , an
an eleventh-century
e l e v e n t h - c e n t u r y Rinzai
R i n z a i masmaster, becomes:
becomes:
Calling
Calling My
My Hand
Hand Mori's
Mori's Hand
Hand
My
M y hand, how
how it
it resembles
resembles Mori's handhand.
I believe
believe the lady is the master
master of
o f loveplay;
loveplay;
If I get
get ill, she can
can cure the
the jeweled
jeweled stem.
And
A
n d then they rejoice,
rejoice, the monks at my
m y meetingmeeting.
This
and other
restatements oof
methods
and forT
h i s and
o t h e r radical
radical restatements
f ZZen
en m
e t h o d s and
formalities ooff practice
practice hhonoring
woman
and the
the RRed
that
malities
onoring w
o m a n and
e d TThread
h r e a d that
binds
o s t enlightened
e n l i g h t e n e d oof
f Zen
Z e n masters
masters to passion,
passion,
binds even
even the
the m
most
birth, and
and death,
death, celebrate
celebrate Ikkyu's
I k k y u ' s joy
j o y in
in human
h u m a n love.
l o v e . ReferReferbirth,
ences tto
o hhimself
i m s e l f as
u k e i , the
d r e a m bboudoir"
oudoir" m
o n k , indiindiences
asMMukei,
the""dream
monk,
cate that
that in
in sexuality
s e x u a l i t y there
there lies
lies aa profoundly
p r o f o u n d l y sacred
sacred spiritual
spiritual
cate
practice.
Who
W h o carries on the
the basic
basic tradition of
o f the
the Rinzai
Rinzai sect?
sect?
The ultimate blackness
blackness of
o f annihilation, the
the three
three principles
principles [of
[of
Zen] exist
exist at
at the
the "Hut
"Hut of
Blind Donkey."
Zen]
o f the Blind
Donkey."
This
old priest
priest ""Dream-Boudoir"
This old
D r e a m - B o u d o i r " on
on his
his moon-viewing
moon-viewing
pavilion,
Night after
after night leads
leads a poetic life,
life, over-drinking.
over-drinking.
agreed
to discharge
the impossible
but,
a g r e e d to
d i s c h a r g e the
i m p o s s i b l e rrequest,
equest, b
u t , on
o n accepting
accepting
it, enacted
surrealistic CCrazy
Cloud
e n a c t e d a typically
t y p i c a l l y surrealistic
razy C
l o u d ffounding
o u n d i n g cereceremony.
m o n y . On
O n aa hilltop
h i l l t o p banking
b a n k i n g his
his tiny,
t i n y , obscure
o b s c u r e Sakai
S a k a i temple,
t e m p l e , he
he
recited
recited a strange
s t r a n g e series
series of
o f poems
p o e m s accompanied
a c c o m p a n i e d by
b y mimelike
mimelike
gestures
the yyet-to-be-built
g e s t u r e s rrepresenting
e p r e s e n t i n g the
e t - t o - b e - b u i l t Daitoku-ji
D a i t o k u - j i structures
structures
o n their vacant
v a c a n t "sites."
"sites."
on
"The
" T h e one
o n e remaining
r e m a i n i n g `light'
' l i g h t ' of
o f Daito's
D a i t o ' s school
s c h o o l has
has been
been
destroyed,"
d e s t r o y e d , " he
he chanted.
c h a n t e d . "How
" H o w to
to explain
e x p l a i n the
the heart's
heart's singing
singing
the eternity
This
who
eternity of
o f all?
all? T
h i s priest
priest w
h o for
for fifty
fifty years
y e a r s wore
w o r e only
o n l y aa
straw
and hat,
hat, today,
straw raincoat
raincoat and
t o d a y , shamefully,
s h a m e f u l l y , is a
a purple-robed
purple-robed
abbot."
abbot."
Without
W i t h o u t help
h e l p from
f r o m either
either the
the emperor
e m p e r o r or
o r shogun,
s h o g u n , Ikkyu
Ikkyu
managed
to rebuild.
m a n a g e d to
rebuild. One
O n e disciple
disciple in particular,
particular, aa Sakai
S a k a i mermerchant nnamed
chant
a m e d Owa
O w a Sorin,
S o r i n , even
even went
w e n t so
so far
far as
as to fell the wooden
wooden
masts o
c e a n - g o i n g ships
o ssupport
u p p o r t the
o o f of
o f the
the new
new
masts
off his
his oocean-going
ships tto
the rroof
D a i t o k u - j i doctrine
d o c t r i n e hall.
hall. By
B y 1481,
1 4 8 1 , reconstruction
r e c o n s t r u c t i o n was
w a s comcomDaitoku-ji
plete, and
and Ikkyu
I k k y u was
w a s dead.
h e errant
o n k who
w h o had
h a d tossed
tossed
plete,
dead. TThe
errant m
monk
aside
i t h it all
all credentials
credentials as
as llegal
e g a l heir
Daito
aside his
his inka,
inka, and
and wwith
heir ttoo Daito
and
a s o ' s llineage,
i n e a g e , resurrected
lineage, then left
left it forever
forever
and KKaso's
resurrected that
that lineage,
w
i t h no
n o living
l i v i n g link
l i n k but
b u t aa scroll-painted
s c r o l l - p a i n t e d credo
c r e d o that
that read:
read:
with
After m
my
will be
be those
those wwho
will go
After
y death, among my
m y disciples
disciples will
h o will
go
to the forests
to
forests or to the
the mountains
mountains (to
(to meditate),
meditate), and
and some
some may
may
It was
w a s Lady
L a d y Shin,
Shin, dharma
d h a r m a companion
c o m p a n i o n and
and poetic
p o e t i c inspiration,
inspiration,
who
w h o permitted
p e r m i t t e d the
the "old
" o l d priest"
p r i e s t " deeper
deeper and
and deeper
deeper insight
i n s i g h t into
into
basic tradition
tradition of
the Rinzai
" tthe
h e basic
o f the
R i n z a i sect."
sect."
In 1474,
the reigning
In
1 4 7 4 , Go-tsuchimikado,
G o - t s u c h i m i k a d o , the
r e i g n i n g emperor,
e m p e r o r , coincommanded
m
a n d e d IIkkyu
k k y u to
to become
b e c o m e abbot
a b b o t of
o f Daitoku-ji.
D a i t o k u - j i . Kyoto
K y o t o was
w a s in
in
ruins as
as aa result
ruins
result of
o f the Onin
O n i n War,
War, and
and there
there was
w a s literally
literally no
no
Daitoku-ji
new
D
a i t o k u - j i to house
h o u s e the
the n
e w aabbot.
b b o t . Ikkyu,
I k k y u , now
n o w in
in his eighties,
eighties,
was
the task
task ooff rebuilding
it from
w
a s ggiven
i v e n the
r e b u i l d i n g it
f r o m scratch.
scratch. The
T h e throne
throne
itself wwas
to such
itself
a s rreduced
e d u c e d to
s u c h poverty
p o v e r t y that
that the
the imperial
i m p e r i a l retainers
retainers
had
in exchange
for rice.
rice. OOnly
h a d to sell
sell court
c o u r t treasures
treasures in
e x c h a n g e for
n l y Ikkyu's
Ikkyu's
powerfully
wealthy
merchant
powerfully w
ealthy m
e r c h a n t ppatrons,
a t r o n s , the
the newly
n e w l y emerged
emerged
economic
e c o n o m i c vvictors
i c t o r s of
o f the
the wars,
w a r s , were
w e r e sufficiently
sufficiently solvent
s o l v e n t to
to
the task
task ooff rrestoring
their m
master's
aassume
s s u m e the
e s t o r i n g their
a s t e r ' s hhome
o m e ttemple.
e m p l e . With
With
characteristiczeal
zealf ofor
his bbeloved
lineage, Ilkkyu
characteristic
r his
e l o v e d lineage,
k k y u not
n o t only
only
78
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
drink sake
women, but those disciples
who
drink
sake and
and enjoy
enjoy women,
disciples w
h o lecture
lecture to
an audience
audience (and
(and make
make money
money that
that way),
an
way), talking
talking about Zen
Z e n as
as
"the moral way,"
w a y , " these
these men
men misappropriate
misappropriate Buddhism and are,
in reality,
reality, Ikkyu's enemies
in
enemies (and
(and not
not his
his followers).
followers).
They
They shall
shall be punished
punished by (the
(the spirit)
spirit) of
o f Kaso,
Kaso, because
because they
they
will be
he like
will
like a one-eyed
one-eyed man leading
leading the blind.
blind. II never
never gave
gave an
inka to
to aa single
single student,
student, so
having one),
one), he
inka
so if anyone
anyone boasts
boasts (of having
is not
not of
that he
he
is
o f the Ikkyu school.
school. And
A n d if
if such
such a person
person claims
claims that
understands Buddhism,
Buddhism, summon the
understands
the officials!
officials! Again
Again I entreat
entreat
you, thus can
think upon
you,
can you
y o u show
show loyalty
loyalty to me.
me. Please
Please think
upon this
this
message.
Like
at his
L
i k e Saint
Saint Francis
Francis oof
f Assisi,
A s s i s i , Ikkyu
I k k y u was
w a s celebrated
celebrated at
his
death
m u c h for
f o r his
his public
p u b l i c acts
acts of
o f compassion
c o m p a s s i o n as
as for
f o r his
his
death as
as much
tteachings,
e a c h i n g s , ffor
o r making
m a k i n g no
n o distinctions
d i s t i n c t i o n s between
b e t w e e n rich
rich and
and poor,
poor,
Ikkyu
Ikkyu
79
and courtiers,
pprostitutes
r o s t i t u t e s and
courtiers, the
the illustrious
illustrious and
and the
the despised.
despised.
dialogue
with
his students-like
dialogue w
i t h his
s t u d e n t s — l i k e using
u s i n g the
the renga,
renga, or
o r openopenended,
by
e n d e d , witty
w i t t y poetic
p o e t i c repartee
repartee perfected
perfected b
y his
his disciple,
disciple, poet
poet
Bokusai's
describesaa mmonk
B
o k u s a i ' s Chronicle
Chronicle describes
o n k followed
f o l l o w e d by
b y children
children
who
with
w
h o played
played w
i t h his
his beard,
beard, a man
m a n so
so gentle
g e n t l e that birds
b i r d s would
would
eat oout
his hand;
hand; nevertheless,
nevertheless, IIkkyu
the kind
eat
u t of
o f his
k k y u ""hated
h a t e d the
k i n d of
o f Zen
Zen
that was
that
w a s spooned
s p o o n e d out
o u t by
b y masters
masters who
w h o treated
treated their
their disciples
disciples
like
many
pet birds."
like sso
o m
a n y pet
b i r d s . " With
W i t h his
his students,
s t u d e n t s , he
he was
w a s "strict
" s t r i c t and
and
demanding."
d
e m a n d i n g . " Detecting
Detecting a
a lukewarm
l u k e w a r m petitioner,
p e t i t i o n e r , he
h e excused
excused
himself
h i m s e l f ffrom
r o m teaching,
t e a c h i n g , ssaying,
a y i n g , ""I'm
I ' m only
o n l y aa feeble
feeble old
o l d man";
man";
but
b u t with
w i t h aa sincere
sincere Zen
Z e n student
s t u d e n t "he
" h e could
c o u l d do
d o all
all sorts
sorts of
o f things
things
and ddemonstrate
kinds
He
and
e m o n s t r a t e all
all k
i n d s of
o f abilities.
abilities. H
e ccould
o u l d eexpound
x p o u n d both
both
the pprofound
for them.
the
r o f o u n d truths and
and the
the evidence
e v i d e n c e for
t h e m . . . . He
H e was
w a s aa
surpassing
man,
surpassing m
a n , with
w i t h the
the essential
essential character
character and
and deportment
deportment
of
o f the Buddha
B u d d h a and
and the
the patriarchs."
patriarchs."
.
.
SSocho-Ikkyu
o c h o — I k k y uharvested
harvestedhis
hisown
o w nunique
u n i q u emondo
mondo (Zen
( Z e n dialogue)
dialogue)
style,
direct allusions
allusions toto the
the ancients
style, interpolating
i n t e r p o l a t i n g direct
ancients iinto
n t o the
the
immediate
his circle.
circle. TThus,
i m m e d i a t e eexperience
x p e r i e n c e oof
f his
h u s , a night
n i g h t of
o f drinking
drinking
and poetry
p o e t r y becomes:
becomes:
Men
o f their
drunkenness, what can
can they do
do about
about
Men in
in the
the midst
midst of
their drunkenness,
their wine-soaked guts?
guts?
Sober, at the limit of
Sober,
o f their resources,
resources, they suck
suck the dregs.
The lament
lament of
o f he
he who
w h o embraced
embraced the
the sands
sands and
and cast
cast himself
himself in
in
the river by
by Hsiang-nan
Hsiang-nan
Draws
Draws out of
o f this
this Crazy
Crazy Cloud
C l o u d aa laugh.
laugh.
.
IIkkyu's
k k y u ' s love
l o v e for
for his Zen
Z e n lineage
l i n e a g e convinced
c o n v i n c e d him
h i m to
to devote
d e v o t e his
his
This
to the Chinese
T h i s poem
p o e m includes
i n c l u d e s an allusion
allusion to
C h i n e s e official
official Ch'u
Ch'u
last years
last
y e a r s to
to rebuilding
r e b u i l d i n g the
the temple
t e m p l e whose
w h o s e hierarchy
h i e r a r c h y he
h e had
had
Yuan,
who,
Yuan, w
h o , though
t h o u g h virtuous,
v i r t u o u s , found
f o u n d himself
h i m s e l f slandered
slandered by
by
spent most
in his
his wwritings
m o s t of
o f his life
life ddemolishing
e m o l i s h i n g in
r i t i n g s and ridiculing
ridiculing
with
w i t h his
his antics.
antics. It
It is
is no
n o coincidence
c o i n c i d e n c e that
that he
he chose
c h o s e Rinzai
R i n z a i as
as his
his
enemies.
In his
his dialogue
with
at the
the shore
e n e m i e s . In
dialogue w
i t h a fisherman
f i s h e r m a n at
s h o r e of
o f the
the
lake
where
lake w
h e r e he
he stood
s t o o d contemplating
c o n t e m p l a t i n g suicide,
suicide, Ch'u
C h ' u Yuan
Y u a n said,
said,
""All
A l l the
the world
w o r l d is muddied
m u d d i e d in confusion,
c o n f u s i o n , only
o n l y I am
a m pure!
p u r e ! All
All
men
drunk,
m e n are
are d
r u n k , and
and I alone
alone aam
m ssober,"
o b e r , " an unenlightened
u n e n l i g h t e n e d man's
man's
parody
p a r o d y of
o f the Buddha's
B u d d h a ' s enlightened
e n l i g h t e n e d exclamation,
e x c l a m a t i o n , ""Above
A b o v e the
heavens,
the heavens,
heavens, oonly
I, alone,
alone, and
and sacred."
heavens, bbelow
e l o w the
n l y I,
sacred."
The
T h e fisherman
f i s h e r m a n rejoined,
rejoined, "A
" A true
true sage
sage does
d o e s not
n o t stick
stick at
at mere
mere
t h i n g s . . . . If
I f all
all the
the world
w o r l d is
is a muddy
m u d d y turbulence,
t u r b u l e n c e , why
w h y do
do
things.
you
y o u not
n o t follow
f o l l o w its
its current
current and
and rise
rise upon
u p o n its
its waves?
waves? If
I f all
all men
men
are d
r u n k , why
w h y do
d o you
y o u not
n o t drain
drain their
their dregs
d r e g s and
and swill
s w i l l their
their
are
drunk,
thin wine
w i n e with
w i t h them?"
them?"
thin
But
B u t Ch'u
C h ' u Yuan
Y u a n was
w a s ttoo
o o wrapped
w r a p p e d up
u p in
in dualistic
dualistic concepts
c o n c e p t s of
of
model,
Zen"
m o d e l , for
for the fierce
fierce ""action
action Z
e n " of
o f the
the old
o l d Chinese
C h i n e s e master
master
ssix
i x centuries
centuries before
b e f o r e had also been
b e e n a rebellion
rebellion against
against the castecaste-
dominated
upon
d
o m i n a t e d restrictions
restrictions iimposed
mposed u
p o n it by
b y aa post-Confucian
post-Confucian
court.
c o u r t . Emulating
E m u l a t i n g Rinzai's
R i n z a i ' s outspokenness,
o u t s p o k e n n e s s , assuming
a s s u m i n g his antianti-
clerical beard,
beard, and
and rrefusing
his hhead,
clerical
e f u s i n g tto
o shave
shave his
e a d , Ikkyu,
I k k y u , the
the
emperor's
e m p e r o r ' s son,
s o n , immersed
i m m e r s e d himself
h i m s e l f in
in the
the masses,
masses, blurring
b l u r r i n g class
class
barriers
barriers of
o f every
every kind,
k i n d , blasting
b l a s t i n g the
the corrupt
c o r r u p t clerical
clerical establishestablish-
ment
m
e n t in his
his poetry
poetry
.
and
and communicating
c o m m u n i c a t i n g his
his vast
vast religious
religious
insight
i n s i g h t in extravagant
e x t r a v a g a n t symbols
s y m b o l s that,
that, to
to Western
Western minds,
m i n d s , will
will
immediately
in England
i m m e d i a t e l y recall
recall William
W i l l i a m Blake
B l a k e in
E n g l a n d and
and Walt
Walt WhitWhitman
m a n in America.
A m e r i c a . Like
L i k e them,
t h e m , too,
t o o , he
he loved
l o v e d nature,
nature, extolled
extolled
physical
and used
p h y s i c a l llove,
o v e , and
u s e d his
his art and
and spiritual
spiritual vision
v i s i o n to
to criticize
criticize
the moribund
m o r i b u n d institutions
institutions of
o f his
his time
t i m e with
w i t h incisive
incisive hhumor.
u m o r . He
He
spoke
to
the
heart
and
senses,
rather
than
to
the
samurai's
s p o k e to the heart and senses, rather than to the s a m u r a i ' s
ccomposing
o m p o s i n g aa p
o e m called
called ""Embracing
E m b r a c i n g the
the Sands,"
S a n d s , " he
h e jumped
jumped
poem
iinto
n t o the river
river and drowned.
drowned.
Ikkyu's
in a
I k k y u ' s use
use of
o f this allusion
allusion to perfect
perfect Confucian
C o n f u c i a n vvirtue
i r t u e in
setting
o w n "drunken"
" d r u n k e n " Zen
Z e n teaching
t e a c h i n g not
n o t only
o n l y echoes
echoes
setting ooff his
his own
the
fisherman's w
o r d s , but
b u t lives
lives tthem.
h e m . His
H i s poem,
p o e m , pregnant
pregnant
the fisherman's
words,
w
i t h Zen
Z e n possibilities,
possibilities, itself
i t s e l f becomes
b e c o m e s aa multileveled
m u l t i l e v e l e d koan
k o a n for
for
with
of
o f his
his day.
day. And
A n d he
h e infused
infused Zen
Z e n for
for the
the first
first time
t i m e with
w i t h aa
feminine
f e m i n i n e eclement
l e m e n t that it had
had long
l o n g missed.
missed.
IIkkyu's
k k y u ' s poetic
p o e t i c gifts
gifts were
w e r e useful
useful teaching
t e a c h i n g ttools,
o o l s , particularly
particularly
when
w h e n applied
applied to the
the traditional
traditional koan
k o a n practice
practice associated
associated with
with
his
students to
c o n s i d e r , a stage
s t a g e for
for questions
q u e s t i o n s of
o f right
r i g h t and
and
his students
to consider,
Rinzai
By
in aa more
R i n z a i ZZen.
en. B
y iindulging
n d u l g i n g in
m o r e intimate
i n t i m a t e form
f o r m of
o f Zen
Zen
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
.
vvirtue
i r t u e and
and vice
v i c e to
to heed
h e e d the
the fisherman's
f i s h e r m a n ' s Zen
Z e n advice,
a d v i c e , and,
and,
power
center at
at the
the ggut,
p o w e r center
u t , the kind
k i n d of
o f Zen
Z e n that fueled
fueled the practice
practice
8o
80
.
w
r o n g , drunkenness
d r u n k e n n e s s and sobriety,
s o b r i e t y , virtue
v i r t u e and
and vice.
v i c e . The
T h e laugh
laugh
wrong,
M
Ikkyu
Ikkyu
8i
81
of
o f the
the Crazy
C r a z y Cloud
C l o u d is
is aa succinct
s u c c i n c t emblem
e m b l e m uniting
u n i t i n g form
f o r m and
and
shows
his eesteem
for his
his m
masters.
But
s h o w s his
s t e e m for
asters. B
u t as
as an enlightened
e n l i g h t e n e d indiindihis oown
feet, he
he ccould
vvidual,
i d u a l , sstanding
t a n d i n g on
o n his
w n feet,
o u l d nnot
o t hhelp
e l p bbut
u t respond
respond
to the
off suffering
all aaround
and he
he wwent
to
the call
call o
suffering all
r o u n d hhim,
i m , and
e n t oout
u t into
into
the world
w o r l d to
t o ameliorate
a m e l i o r a t e it.
it. Hell
H e l l and
and heaven,
heaven, priest
priest and
and layman,
layman,
and llow,
sacred tto
hhigh
i g h and
o w , brilliant
brilliant and
and stupid
s t u p i d were
w e r e equally
e q u a l l y sacred
o Ikkyu
Ikkyu
in being
b e i n g "just
" j u s t this."
t h i s . " With
W i t h no
n o concept
c o n c e p t of
o f ultimate
u l t i m a t e truth
t r u t h behind
behind
not
the concept
tthings,
hings, n
o t even
even the
c o n c e p t oof
f eemptiness,
m p t i n e s s , hhe
e ccut
u t the
the link
link to
to
the aanguish
and suffering
that characterize
the pperson
beset by
the
n g u i s h and
suffering that
characterize the
e r s o n beset
by
duality. Yet
Yet IIkkyu
never ddenied
his ""ordinariness."
duality.
k k y u never
e n i e d his
o r d i n a r i n e s s . " He
H e glogloried in
in the
the w
world
and celebrated
with
the song
ried
o r l d and
celebrated itit w
i t h the
s o n g of
o f the divine
divine
emptiness,
e m p t i n e s s , delusion
d e l u s i o n and enlightenment.
enlightenment.
Ikkyu's
I k k y u ' s life
life with
w i t h Lady
L a d y Shin
Shin exemplified
e x e m p l i f i e d Mahayana
M a h a y a n a BudBuddhism
in its tantric
d
h i s m in
tantric sexual
s e x u a l forms,
f o r m s , indicating
i n d i c a t i n g that nirvana
n i r v a n a and
and
this
ery w
orld o
h u m a n love
l o v e and
suffering are
n e aand
n d the
this vvery
world
off human
and suffering
arc oone
same,
popular
s a m e , that this
this very
v e r y body
b o d y is the
the Buddha.
B u d d h a . His
His p
o p u l a r forms
f o r m s of
of
Z e n practice
practice brought
b r o u g h t meditation
m e d i t a t i o n to
t o laypeople
l a y p e o p l e in
in everyday
e v e r y d a y life
life
Zen
activities llike
i k e ccooking,
o o k i n g , ffarming,
a r m i n g , ccreating
r e a t i n g art,
o r caring
c a r i n g for
for
activities
art, or
children.
c h i l d r e n . It suited
suited the
the newly
n e w l y growing
g r o w i n g population
p o p u l a t i o n of
o f "lay
"lay
m o n k s " who
w h o gathered
g a t h e r e d around
a r o u n d him,
h i m , people
p e o p l e who
w h o were
w e r e dedidedimonks"
cated
to Zen,
cated to
Z e n , but
but in
in the
the context
c o n t e x t of
o f secular
secular life
life outside
o u t s i d e the
the
monasteries.
Ikkyu
taught
and
lived
his
brand
of
Rinzai's
m o n a s t e r i e s . I k k y u t a u g h t and lived his b r a n d o f R i n z a i ' s
"action
" a c t i o n Zen"
Z e n " on
o n the
themost
m o s thuman
h u m a nlevel.
level.Secularizing
S e c u l a r i z i n g itit even
even
further than Rinzai
R i n z a i did,
d i d , he
he used
u s e d passionate,
passionate, even
even shocking
shocking
further
ftool.
ool.
i m a g e r y and language
l a n g u a g e to
to get
g e t his
his point
p o i n t across.
across.
imagery
Skirting
the dangerous
S
k i r t i n g the
d a n g e r o u s wwrath
r a t h oof
f the
the shogunate,
s h o g u n a t e , he
he was
was
highly
off the
h i g h l y critical
critical o
the religious
r e l i g i o u s authorities
authorities over
o v e r which
w h i c h the
the
government
g o v e r n m e n t exerted
e x e r t e d direct
direct control.
c o n t r o l . Even
E v e n as
as he
h e overthrew
o v e r t h r e w the
the
monastic
and structures,
structures, his
his ppoetry
and ccommitment
m o n a s t i c fforms
o r m s and
o e t r y and
o m m i t m e n t to
the practice
practiceoof
that he
he was
f ZZen
e n sshow
h o w that
w a s profoundly
p r o f o u n d l y religious
r e l i g i o u s and
and
profoundly
p
r o f o u n d l y democratic,
d e m o c r a t i c , in
in the
the most
m o s t spiritual
spiritual and
and political
political sense
sense
off the
the word.
he or
o
w o r d . Nothing
N o t h i n g could
c o u l d confine
c o n f i n e the individual
i n d i v i d u a l once
o n c e he
or
she wwas
free ooff ddualism.
Moreover,
no
had the
she
a s free
ualism. M
oreover, n
o earthly
earthly power
p o w e r had
rright
i g h t to inhibit
i n h i b i t individual
i n d i v i d u a l freedom
f r e e d o m either.
either.
IIkkyu'sfiryu,
k k y u ' s juryu, or
o r "far
" f a r out"
o u t " Zen
Z e n isis that
that of
o f Hotel,
H o t e i , the
the BodhiBodhisattva ooff the
sattva
the marketplace
m a r k e t p l a c e with
w i t h his
his candy-filled
c a n d y - f i l l e d knapsack
k n a p s a c k for
for
children and
and his
his "bliss-bestowing
in its nonchildren
" b l i s s - b e s t o w i n g hhands."
a n d s . " Radical
R a d i c a l in
nonthis fform
ddualism,
u a l i s m , this
o r m of
o f Zen
Z e n Buddhism
B u d d h i s m includes
includes the
the entire
entire uniuniverse inin its
its realization
realization and
and isis nnot
to the
the traditionally
verse
o t cconfined
o n f i n e d to
traditionally
holy
h o l y or
o r sacred
sacred realms.
r e a l m s . If,
If, as
as the
the Buddha
B u d d h a discovered,
d i s c o v e r e d , all
all beings
beings
have
and are
are perfect
as they
have BBuddha
u d d h a nnature
a t u r e and
perfect jjust
u s t as
t h e y are,
are, then
then
liberation
is nnot
liberation is
o t aa matter
m a t t e r of
o f style
s t y l e and
and etiquette,
etiquette, but
b u t aa living
living
experience.
e x p e r i e n c e . IIkkyu's
k k y u ' s mentors
m e n t o r s Keno
K e n o and
and Kaso
K a s o felt
felt that
that austere
austere
training,
training, suited
suited for
f o r aa few
f e w very
v e r y devoted
d e v o t e d seekers,
seekers, would
w o u l d most
most
bring
llikely
ikely b
r i n g about
a b o u t this
this deep
d e e p realization.
realization. Ikkyu
I k k y u never
never denied
denied
their
their method,
m e t h o d , and
and his
his example
e x a m p l e of
o f following
f o l l o w i n g this
this way
w a y closely
closely
for
more
than
fifteen
years
until
he
reached
great
realization
for m o r e than fifteen y e a r s until he reached great realization
82
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
11
Ikkyu
Ikkyu
83
83
5
5
Bankei:
The Popular
The
Preacher
When
Bankei
was
he was
W
hen B
ankei w
a s eleven,
eleven, he
w a s so
s o dissatisfied
dissatisfied with
w i t h the
the
priest's answers
to his searching
spiritual qquestions
that he
he hid
a n s w e r s to
s e a r c h i n g spiritual
u e s t i o n s that
in a ssmall
shrine and
and stuffed
stuffed his
his m
mouth
m a l l vvillage
i l l a g e shrine
o u t h full of
o f poisonous
poisonous
spiders. TThis
spiders.
h i s eccentric,
eccentric, fortunately
f o r t u n a t e l y unsuccessful,
u n s u c c e s s f u l , suicide
suicide atttempt
e m p t marks
m a r k s the
the beginning
b e g i n n i n g of
o f Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s unique
u n i q u e and
and fearless
fearless
Zen
Z
e n pilgrimage.
pilgrimage.
He
H
e was
w a s born
b o r n in
in 1622,
1622, the
the same
s a m e year
y e a r the
the third
third Tokugawa
Tokugawa
shogun
s h o g u n lemitsu
I e m i t s u took
t o o k power
p o w e r and inaugurated
i n a u g u r a t e d one
o n e of
o f the
the most
most
repressive
and autocratic
autocratic regimes
Japan had
had ever
seen; and
and he
repressive and
r e g i m e s Japan
ever seen;
he
died
died in 1693,
1693, five
five years
y e a r s after
after Tsunayoshi,
T s u n a y o s h i , the
the fifth
fifth Tokugawa
Tokugawa
shogun,
s h o g u n , had
had ushered
u s h e r e d in the Genroku
G e n r o k u period,
p e r i o d , aa loose,
l o o s e , corrupt
corrupt
new
n
e w order
o r d e r led
led by
b y aa recently
r e c e n t l y emerged
e m e r g e d bourgeoisie.
b o u r g e o i s i e . Like
L i k e the
the
times
he llived
in, BBankei's
times he
i v e d in,
a n k e i ' s personality
p e r s o n a l i t y and religious
r e l i g i o u s style
style often
often
in eextremes.
for eexample,
the poweexpressed
x p r e s s e d tthemselves
h e m s e l v e s in
x t r e m e s . Take
Take for
x a m p l e , the
powerful BBakufu
erful
a k u f u shogunate
s h o g u n a t e that, in
in aa sixty-year
s i x t y - y e a r span,
span, expelled
e x p e l l e d all
all
Japan, quelled
fforeigners
o r e i g n e r s ffrom
r o m Japan,
q u e l l e d aa rebellion
rebellion bby
y forbidding
f o r b i d d i n g all
all
Japanese
Japanese ffrom
r o m traveling
traveling aabroad,
b r o a d , and
and so
so centralized
centralized governgovernmental
m e n t a l power
p o w e r as
as to
to paralyze
p a r a l y z e individual
i n d i v i d u a l landowners,
l a n d o w n e r s , village
village
chieftains,
chieftains, ffarmers,
a r m e r s , and townspeople
t o w n s p e o p l e in
in a bureaucratic
b u r e a u c r a t i c web
w e b that
that
held even
even the
the iimperial
prisoner. All
held
m p e r i a l ccourt
o u r t a ceremonial
c e r e m o n i a l prisoner.
A l l major
major
traffic rroutes
by
traffic
o u t e s tthroughout
h r o u g h o u t the
the country
c o u n t r y were
w e r e closed
c l o s e d off
off b
y barribarri-
ers to keep
ers
k e e p would-be
w o u l d - b e travelers
travelers and
and potential
potential conspirators
c o n s p i r a t o r s at
at
home,
in Edo,
h
o m e , and
and the
the government,
g o v e r n m e n t , now
n o w centralized
centralized in
E d o , made
made
his
defined the
the samurai
his succession,
s u c c e s s i o n , defined
s a m u r a i code
c o d e in
in detail
detail and
and mainmaintained aa strict
strict Confucian
C o n f u c i a n know-your-place
k n o w - y o u r - p l a c e discipline
discipline over
over
tained
e v e r y o n e else.
h e hereditary
h e r e d i t a r y daimyo
daimyo wwere
e r e richer
the
everyone
else. TThe
richer than
than the
e m p e r o r and held
h e l d all
all the
u t so
so q
uickly w
a s the
economy
emperor
the land,
land, bbut
quickly
was
the economy
bbeing
e i n g transferred
r o m aagriculture
g r i c u l t u r e to
r o m country
c o u n t r y to
to
transferred ffrom
to trade,
trade, ffrom
city,
heavily ttaxed
a x e d ooutsider
u t s i d e r ssamurai
a m u r a i ssoon
o o n ffound
o u n d themthemcity, that the heavily
selves
o v e r t y stricken.
y 1637,
1637, aa group
g r o u p of
o f such
s u c h masterless
masterless
selves ppoverty
stricken. BBy
ssamurai
a m u r a i ffrom
r o m the Shimabura
S h i m a b u r a peninsula,
peninsula, seeing
seeing n
o t h i n g to
t o lose,
lose,
nothing
cconverted
o n v e r t e d to
C h r i s t i a n i t y and
and started
started an
an unsuccessful
u n s u c c e s s f u l rebellion
rebellion
to Christianity
that
left thirty-seven
t h i r t y - s e v e n thousand
t h o u s a n d Japanese
h r i s t i a n s dead.
This
that left
Japanese CChristians
dead. This
sure that no
n o bridges
b r i d g e s were
w e r e constructed
c o n s t r u c t e d to make
m a k e it easy
easy to
t o get
g e t to
to
the
capital. Since
Since B
ankei w
a s aa ppopular
opular p
r e a c h e r , an anarchist
anarchist
the capital.
Bankei
was
preacher,
in
in aa feudal
feudal dictatorship,
dictatorship, it
it is
is all
m o r e amazing
a m a z i n g that
that he
he
all the
the more
m a n a g e d tto
o come
c o m e and
and go
g o as
as he
he pleased
pleased in
in this
this impassable
impassable
managed
n e t w o r k of
o f spies
spies and
and borderguards,
b o r d e r g u a r d s , that he
h e gathered
g a t h e r e d large,
large,
network
socially m
i x e d audiences
audiences and
r e a c h e d some
s o m e very
v e r y antiestablishantiestablishsocially
mixed
and ppreached
m e n t Zen
Z e n into
i n t o the
the bargain.
bargain.
ment
T
h e paranoid
p a r a n o i d seclusion
seclusion ppolicy
o l i c y that
ominated m
o s t oof
f the
The
that ddominated
most
Tokugawa
T o k u g a w a pperiod
eriod w
was
a s aa response
r e s p o n s e to
to aa strong
s t r o n g and
and successful
successful
m i s s i o n a r y campaign
c a m p a i g n led
l a r g e l y by
b y Portuguese
P o r t u g u e s e Jesuits
Jesuits and
and
missionary
led largely
Franciscans
h o had
h a d also
also managed
m a n a g e d to
to insinuate
insinuate themselves
themselves
Franciscans wwho
single
p a r k e d the
l o s u r e oof
f Japan
the West
West and
and
single event
event ssparked
the cclosure
Japan to
to the
iinto
n t o Japanese
S o pervasive
pervasive w
a s the
h r i s t i a n influence
influence
Japanese politics.
politics. So
was
the CChristian
resulted
brutal persecution
p e r s e c u t i o n of
o f Christians
C h r i s t i a n s that
that lasted
lasted for
for
resulted in
in aa brutal
in
seventeenth-century A
s i a that
C h i n a , Korea,
K o r e a , and
and Vietnam
Vietnam
in seventeenth-century
Asia
that China,
aalmost
l m o s t fifty
fifty years.
years.
ffollowed
o l l o w e d the
x a m p l e and
all cultural
cultural and
and
the Japanese
Japanese eexample
and restricted
restricted all
The
T h e Shimabura
S h i m a b u r a rebellion
r e b e l l i o n only
o n l y exacerbated
e x a c e r b a t e d Bakufu
B a k u f u paranoia.
paranoia.
Spies w
e r e pposted
o s t e d eeverywhere
v e r y w h e r e in
d m i n i s t r a t i o n that
Spies
were
in aa chaotic
chaotic aadministration
had
o legal
l e g a l ccode,
ode, b
u t depended
d e p e n d e d on
o n the
the capricious
c a p r i c i o u s decisions
d e c i s i o n s of
of
had nno
but
llocal
o c a l Tokugawa-appointed
Tokugawa-appointed m
a g i s t r a t e s . Street
Street billboards
b i l l b o a r d s asasmagistrates.
saulted the
ye w
i t h their
a r a n g u e s on
o n proper
p r o p e r ethical
ethical behavior;
behavior;
saulted
the eeye
with
their hharangues
ttrading
r a d i n g ties
ties with
w i t h the
the West
West as
as well.
w e l l . The
T h e rigid
r i g i d physical
p h y s i c a l strictures
strictures
laid in place
place by
b y the
the Bakufu
B a k u f u officials
officials were
w e r e no
n o more
m o r e suffocating
suffocating
laid
than
the social
social scene.
scene. You
You w
ere b
o r n into
i n t o either
either aa samurai,
samurai,
than the
were
born
peasant, artisan,
artisan, or
o r merchant
m e r c h a n t family,
f a m i l y , and
and there
there you
y o u remained.
remained.
peasant,
IIndividual
n d i v i d u a l ssamurai
a m u r a i chieftains,
chieftains, or
daimyo, w
e r e oof
f two
t w o types:
types:
or daimyo,
were
h
e
r
e
d
i
t
a
r
y
(descendants
o
f
t
h
o
s
e
w
a
r
r
i
o
r
s
w
h
o
had
f
o
u
g
h
t
with
hereditary (descendants of those warriors who had fought with
children w
ere w
a r n e d to
b e loyal
loyal to
to parents,
parents, citizens
citizens were
were
children
were
warned
to be
a d m o n i s h e d aabout
b o u t ffrugality
r u g a l i t y and
o r k , and
m e m b e r s of
of
admonished
and hard
hard wwork,
and members
the winning
w i n n i n g side
side under
u n d e r shogun
s h o g u n Ieyasu
Ieyasu at
great battle
of
the
at the
the great
battle of
S e k i g a h a r a ) , and
u t s i d e r (those
(those w
h o had
had surrendered
s u r r e n d e r e d to
to join
join
Sekigahara),
and ooutsider
who
h
i m ) . The
T h e outsiders
outsiders were
w e r e never
never trusted;
trusted; punished
p u n i s h e d with
w i t h heavy
heavy
him).
taxes
and
h
e
l
d
h
o
s
t
a
g
e
in
a
s
y
s
t
e
m
that
r
e
q
u
i
r
e
d
t
h
e
m
to
live
taxes and held hostage in a system that required them to live
all classes
e r e wwarned
a r n e d to
their station
station in
in life.
life. To
To drive
drive
all
classes wwere
to stick
stick ttoo their
the point
p o i n t home,
h o m e , all
all sorts
sorts of
o f torture
t o r t u r e and
and hideous
h i d e o u s public
p u b l i c forms
forms
the
of p
u n i s h m e n t were
were d
e s i g n e d tto
o m
a i n t a i n the
h o g u n ' s idea
of
of
punishment
designed
maintain
the sshogun's
idea of
""law
l a w and
and o
r
d
e
r
.
"
T
h
i
s
m
e
a
n
t
that
a
t
o
w
n
s
m
a
n
o
r
f
a
r
m
e
r
w
o
u
l
order." This meant that a townsman or farmer wouldd
be b
e h e a d e d , drawn
d r a w n and
q u a r t e r e d , and
and his
his corpse
c o r p s e hung
h u n g up
u p in
in
be
beheaded,
and quartered,
the
v
i
l
l
a
g
e
square,
as
an
e
x
a
m
p
l
e
for
the
s
a
m
e
m
i
s
d
e
m
e
a
n
o
the village square, as an example for the same misdemeanorr
that would
w o u l d cost
cost a
a samurai
s a m u r a i oonly
nly a
a ffew
e w yyen.
en. E
very m
a n , woman,
woman,
that
Every
man,
ffor
or a
a year
y e a r at
at court
c o u r t at
at Edo
E d o and
and then
then forced
f o r c e d them
t h e m to
to leave
leave wives
wives
and
vassals bbehind
ehind w
h e n tthey
h e y returned
r e t u r n e d home,
h o m e , these
these samurai
samurai
and vassals
when
l o o s e d their frustrations o n the peasants and t o w n s p e o p l e
loosed
their frustrations on the peasants and townspeople
o c c u p y i n g the n e x t l o w e r r u n g o n the social ladder. Since
occupying the next lower rung on the social ladder. Since
I e m i t s u ' s Japan w a s a m i l i t a r y dictatorship that p e r m i t t e d
lemitsu's
Japan was a military dictatorship that permitted
child, animal,
a n i m a l , and
and resource
resource w
as p
u t on
o n Japan's
Japan's earth
earth for
for the
the
child,
was
put
use and
elight o
i l i t a r y . But
B u t by
b y cutting
c u t t i n g off
o f f all
all trade
with
use
and ddelight
off its
its m
military.
trade with
the West,
West, the
s h o g u n had
h a d placed
p l a c e d himself
h i m s e l f in
in a
a double
d o u b l e bind:
b i n d : the
the
the
the shogun
d
e
m
a
n
d
s
o
f
his
large
and
idle
w
a
r
r
i
o
r
class
c
o
u
l
d
n
o
l
o
n
g
e
r
be
demands of his large and idle warrior class could no longer be
m e t b y Japan's l i m i t e d l o c a l s u p p l y o f material r e s o u r c e s .
met by Japan's limited local supply of material resources.
Until
U
n t i l the installation
installation of
o f the
the seclusion
seclusion laws
laws of
o f 1638,
1638, wealth
wealth
had bbeen
measured
in rice.
rice. Peasants,
Peasants, called
called the
the ""machines
had
een m
e a s u r e d in
m a c h i n e s who
who
v i r t u a l l y a n y m e m b e r o f the w a r r i o r class unrestricted p o w e r
virtually any member of the warrior class unrestricted power
o v e r his vassals, it w a s n o t u n c o m m o n for a s a m u r a i to " t e s t "
over
his vassals, it was not uncommon for a samurai to "test"
his s w o r d o n the n e c k o f a n y hapless v i c t i m w h o c r o s s e d his
his
sword on the neck of any hapless victim who crossed his
path. B a n k e i ' s s e r m o n s are in fact laced w i t h references to
path.
Bankei's sermons are in fact laced with references to
p i o u s travelers and v i o l e n t s a m u r a i c o m i n g face to face in
pious travelers and violent samurai coming face to face in
e n c o u n t e r s o f this sort.
encounters of this sort.
The
T h e Bakufu
B a k u f u constitution,
c o n s t i t u t i o n , aa rigidly
r i g i d l y fixed
fixed document
d o c u m e n t drafted
drafted
by
new
b
y the early
early shogunate
s h o g u n a t e and reaffirmed
reaffirmed by
b y each
each n
e w sshogun
h o g u n on
on
86
86
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
p
r o d u c e rice
o r the
the samurai
s a m u r a i to swallow,"
s w a l l o w , " were
w e r e totally
totally opopproduce
rice ffor
pressed
y their
masters, w
h o , in
in turn,
turn, were
w e r e perennially
p e r e n n i a l l y in
in
pressed bby
their masters,
who,
debt
m e r c h a n t s who
w h o supplied
s u p p l i e d tthem
h e m with
w i t h hard
h a r d goods.
goods.
debt to
to the merchants
0
Bankei
Bankei
87
ccentury,
entury, m
o n e y had
entirely replaced
m e a n s of
of
money
had entirely
replaced rice
rice asas aa means
o f Hamada,
H a m a d a , into aa samurai
s a m u r a i family
f a m i l y that had
had come
c o m e upon
u p o n hard
hard
of
times, BBankei
was
the ffourth
off five
times,
ankei w
a s the
ourth o
five ssons,
o n s , and
and one
o n e of
o f nine
nine
children. W
With
the help
help ooff a local
patron
children.
i t h the
l o c a l samurai
samurai p
a t r o n in
in better
better
financial ccondition
than he,
he, his
financial
o n d i t i o n than
his father
father had
h a d opened
o p e n e d aa medical
medical
practice
e a r b y vvillage.
i l l a g e . TThen,
h e n , when
w h e n Bankei
B a n k e i was
w a s ten, his
his
practice in
in aa nnearby
father died,
died, leaving
leaving his
his eldest
eldest son
s o n Masayasu
M a s a y a s u to
c o n t i n u e the
the
father
to continue
practice. The
T h e family
f a m i l y followed
f o l l o w e d the typical
t y p i c a l Confucian
C o n f u c i a n religious
religious
practice.
line
line that characterized
characterized the
the Tokugawa
T o k u g a w a pperiod,
e r i o d , but
b u t adhered
a d h e r e d in
in
spirit
spirit to the
the Buddhist-inspired
B u d d h i s t - i n s p i r e d samurai
s a m u r a i code.
c o d e . Zen
Z e n had
h a d been
been
organized
sect ssupported
by
o r g a n i z e d iinto
n t o an authoritarian
authoritarian esoteric
esoteric sect
upported b
y the
the
exchange.
exchange.
s h o g u n in
his effort
effort to
to root
r o o t out
o u t Christianity,
C h r i s t i a n i t y , but
b u t itit was
was
shogun
in his
As
the samurai
burdens
A
s the
s a m u r a i transferred
transferred their financial
financial b
u r d e n s to
t o the farmfarm-
ers, they
in ddestroying
the aagricultural
ers,
t h e y succeeded
s u c c e e d e d in
e s t r o y i n g the
g r i c u l t u r a l eeconomy
c o n o m y on
on
which
w
h i c h the
the country
c o u n t r y had
had rested
rested for
for centuries,
centuries, and
and unwittingly
unwittingly
relayed
o w e r to
oney b
r o k e r s and
a n d rice traders,
traders,
relayed the
the financial
financial ppower
to mmoney
brokers
o r chonin.
chonin. TThis
h i s class
o w n s p e o p l e nnot
o t only
o n l y accommodated
accommodated
or
class ooff ttownspeople
the insatiable
insatiable d
e m a n d s oof
f the
s a m u r a i at
at high
h i g h interest
interest rates,
rates,
the
demands
the samurai
b
u t in the
the process
p r o c e s s developed
d e v e l o p e d the huge
h u g e commercial
c o m m e r c i a l centers
centers that
that
but
w
e r e to
b e c o m e Nagasaki,
N a g a s a k i , Edo
E d o (modern
( m o d e r n Tokyo),
T o k y o ) , Osaka,
O s a k a , and
and
were
to become
Sakai.
T
r
a
d
e
g
r
e
w
s
o
fast
that
b
y
the
e
n
d
o
f
the
seventeenth
Sakai. Trade grew so fast that by the end of the seventeenth
Though
T
h o u g h still
still low
l o w on
o n the
the social
social ladder,
ladder, the
thedespised
despised chonin
chonin
essentially drained
i g o r by
b y the
the time
t i m e Bankci
B a n k e i began
b e g a n his
his
essentially
drained ooff its
its vvigor
held all the financial
held
financial power,
p o w e r , leaving
l e a v i n g the
the samurai
s a m u r a i to
t o hold
h o l d sway
sway
rreligious
e l i g i o u s search at the
the age
age of
o f eleven.
eleven.
over
o
v e r traditional
traditional arts
arts like
like swordsmanship,
s w o r d s m a n s h i p , Noh,
N o h , tea,
tea,
flower
flower
aarranging,
r r a n g i n g , and
a n d Confucian
C o n f u c i a n philosophy,
p h i l o s o p h y , while
w h i l e the
the merchant
merchant
class
e v e l o p e d the
a b u k i theater,
theater, the
the arts
arts of
o f wood-block
wood-block
class ddeveloped
the KKabuki
pprinting,
r i n t i n g , and
and prose
p r o s e fiction,
fiction, and
and maintained
m a i n t a i n e d ppopular
o p u l a r fforms
o r m s of
of
B u d d h i s m that
that had
had been
b e e n displaced
displaced by
b y the
the Confucian
C o n f u c i a n aristocaristocBuddhism
racy. It
w a s this
this group
g r o u p of
o f nouveau
n o u v e a u riche
riche merchants
m e r c h a n t s who
who
It was
fformed
o r m e d the
the bulk
b u l k of
o f Bankci's
B a n k e i ' s religious
r e l i g i o u s audience,
a u d i e n c e , for
for Zen
Z e n in
in
particular
m
a
r
k
e
d
the
distinction
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
the
n
e
o
C
o
n
f
u
c
i
a
particular marked the distinction between the neo-Confuciann
intelligentsia,
i t h its
its strict
strict Tokugawa
T o k u g a w a hhierarchy,
i e r a r c h y , and
the
intelligentsia, wwith
and the
n e w l y emerging
e m e r g i n g populist
p o p u l i s t bourgeoisie.
b o u r g e o i s i e . Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s sometimes
sometimes
newly
H
a s aa b
r i g h t and difficult
difficult boy
b o y who,
w h o , though
t h o u g h assertive
assertive and
Hee w
was
bright
almost
harbored
a l m o s t unmanageably
u n m a n a g e a b l y iindependent,
ndependent, h
a r b o r e d such
s u c h aa terrible
terrible
fear o
death that the
the adults
adults in
in his
his family
f a m i l y could
c o u l d discipline
discipline him
him
fear
off death
immediately
to lie
lie ddown
and die.
i m m e d i a t e l y bby
y ppretending
r e t e n d i n g to
o w n and
die. Sent
Sent to the
the
typical
t y p i c a l Confucian
C o n f u c i a n rote-method
r o t e - m e t h o d learning
l e a r n i n g school
s c h o o l of
o f the
the day,
day,
strident denunciations
d e n u n c i a t i o n s of
o f hierarchical
hierarchical Zen,
Z e n , his
his attacks
attacks on
o n timetimestrident
w
o
r
n
institutions
like
m
o
n
a
s
t
i
c
i
s
m
,
k
o
a
n
practice,
official
conworn institutions like monasticism, koan practice, official conffirmation
i r m a t i o n of
o f enlightenment,
e n l i g h t e n m e n t , sutra
sutra chanting,
c h a n t i n g , and
and even
even dharma
dharma
ttransmission,
r a n s m i s s i o n , are
are perfectly
p e r f e c t l y appropriate
a p p r o p r i a t e to
to his
his socially
s o c i a l l y shifting
shifting
ttimes
i m e s and
the needs
needs of
o f his
i x e d audience.
audience. Even
E v e n the
samurai
and to
to the
his m
mixed
the samurai
the
the water
w a t e r and,
and, gasping,
g a s p i n g , walked
w a l k e d across
across with
w i t h his
his toes
toes barely
barely
t o u c h i n g the
u d d y bottom.
bottom.
touching
the m
muddy
T h e death
death of
o f his
his father
father had
h a d provoked
p r o v o k e d the
the boy's
b o y ' s moody
moody
The
search for
n s w e r to
p u z z l e oof
f birth
the
search
for an
an aanswer
to the
the puzzle
birth and
and death,
death, to the
ppoint
o i n t where
w h e r e even
even his
his learned
learned teachers
teachers ccould
ould n
o t satisfy
satisfy his
his
not
penetrating
p
e n e t r a t i n g pphilosophical
h i l o s o p h i c a l qquestions.
u e s t i o n s . OOne
n e day,
day, hearing
h e a r i n g the
the
Bankei
his ccalligraphy
teacher bby
refusing tto
B
a n k e i aannoyed
n n o y e d his
a l l i g r a p h y teacher
y refusing
o ccopy
o p y the
called ddown
the wwrath
ssame
a m e characters as
as everyone
e v e r y o n e else, and
and called
o w n the
r a t h of
of
his
lder b
r o t h e r by
b y playing
p l a y i n g hooky.
h o o k y . When
W h e n Masayasu
M a s a y a s u tried
to
his oolder
brother
tried to
punish
him
p
unish h
i m by
b y instructing
i n s t r u c t i n g the ferryman
f e r r y m a n not
n o t to
t o take
take him
h i m across
across
the river
dividing
the
river d
i v i d i n g school
s c h o o l from
f r o m home,
h o m e , Bankei.
B a n k e i j just
u s t pplunged
l u n g e d into
into
w
h o came
c a m e to
to listen
listen to
to his
his down-home
d o w n - h o m e sermons were
who
verted.
verted.
consermons were con-
Confucian
C
o n f u c i a n dictum:
d i c t u m : "The
" T h e way
w a y of
o f great
great learning
learning lies
lies in
in clarifying
clarifying
Spurred
by
S
purred b
y his
his emphasis
e m p h a s i s on
o n homely
h o m e l y everyday
e v e r y d a y reality,
reality, on
on
b
r i g h t virtue,"
v i r t u e , " Bankei
B a n k e i asked,
a s k e d , "What
" W h a t is
is bright
b r i g h t virtue?"
v i r t u e ? " His
His
bright
conducting
one's
in the
now,
conducting o
n e ' s affairs
affairs in
the here
here and
and n
o w , Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s pupils
pupils
were
increasingly
drawn
from
a
literate
population
of
w e r e i n c r e a s i n g l y d r a w n f r o m a literate p o p u l a t i o n o f town
town
dwellers
more
interested in
in the
d
wellers m
o r e interested
the floating
floating world
w o r l d of
o f prostitutes
prostitutes
and teahouses
teahouses than in the
the Buddhist
B u d d h i s t fleeting
fleeting nature of
o f existence.
existence.
And
hee addressed
addressed tthem
in their
their oown
A
nd h
h e m in
w n language
l a n g u a g e and
and voice.
voice.
teacher replied,
replied, ""The
teacher
T h e intrinsic
intrinsic nature
n a t u r e of
o f good
g o o d in each
each person."
person."
Born
B
o r n on
o n Buddha's
B u d d h a ' s birthday,
birthday, 88April
A p r i l 1622,
1622, in
in the
the small
s m a l l village
village
believed, hheld
e l d the
e y to life
life and
S e e i n g that the answers
answers
believed,
the kkey
and death. Seeing
88
88
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
Dissatisfied,
teachers and
and ggot
Dissatisfied, BBankei
a n k e i aapproached
p p r o a c h e d oother
t h e r teachers
o t anans w e r s like,
" f u n d a m e n t a l nature,"
n a t u r e , " and
and "the
" t h e ultimate
u l t i m a t e truth
t r u t h of
of
swers
like, "fundamental
heaven." B
y n
o w Bankei
B a n k e i was
w a s driven
driven w
i l d with
w i t h the
the desire
desire to
to
heaven."
By
now
wild
find and
and experience
e x p e r i e n c e this
b r i g h t virtue"
v i r t u e " that,
that, he
h e instinctively
instinctively
find
this ""bright
M
Bankei
Bankei
89
89
did not
did
n o t lie
lie at
at school,
s c h o o l , he
he stopped
s t o p p e d attending
a t t e n d i n g classes
classes altogether
altogether
and to be
iimpulsive,
m p u l s i v e , Bankei
B a n k e i demanded
d e m a n d e d to
to have
have his head shaved
shaved and
be
and wwas
the ffamily
his bbrother.
and
a s dismissed
d i s m i s s e d ffrom
r o m the
a m i l y hhome
o m e bby
y his
r o t h e r . At
At
o r d a i n e d oon
n the
the spot.
s p o t . Umpo
U m p o obliged
o b l i g e d him,
h i m , giving
g i v i n g him
h i m the
the
ordained
the aage
already aa passionate
passionate attender
attender ooff sermons
the
g e ooff ttwelve,
w e l v e , already
s e r m o n s and
and
dharma
d
h a r m a nname
a m e YYotaku-"long
o t a k u — " l o n g polishing
p o l i s h i n g of
o f the
the mind
m i n d gem.."
g e m . " He
He
lectures
lectures given
g i v e n by
b y Confucian
C o n f u c i a n scholars
scholars and
and Buddhist
B u d d h i s t priests,
priests,
the age
was n
o t to be
b e called
called Bankei
B a n k e i until the
age oof
f tthirty,
h i r t y , four
f o u r years
years
was
not
after
his eenlightenment,
after his
n l i g h t e n m e n t , when
w h e n he
he was
w a s installed
installed as
as aa Myoshin
M y o s h i n - ji
ji
Z e n priest in
in Kyoto.
Kyoto.
Zen
never
missing
meeting
miles
never m
i s s i n g aa rreligious
eligious m
e e t i n g ffor
or m
i l e s aaround,
r o u n d , Bankei
B a n k e i set
out
o u t to find
find the meaning
m e a n i n g oof
f ""bright
b r i g h t virtue."
virtue."
Like
away early
early ffrom
his m
mother's
L
i k e IIkkyu,
k k y u , also
also cast
cast away
r o m his
o t h e r ' s loving
loving
care, Bankei
B a n k e i was
was p
assionately d
e v o t e d to
o t h e r all
all his life,
care,
passionately
devoted
to his
his m
mother
with
quest
vvowing
o w i n g tto
o share
share w
i t h her his religious
religious q
u e s t and
and to liberate
liberate her
had
oonce
n c e hhe
e h
a d found
f o u n d an answer
a n s w e r to his
his burning
b u r n i n g question.
q u e s t i o n . Later,
Later,
when
his mother,
w
h e n his
m o t h e r , as
as aa ninety-year-old
ninety-year-old n
u n who
w h o had
h a d become
become
nun
his
died in
in his
his aarms,
his disciple,
disciple, died
r m s , Bankei
B a n k e i rremarked
e m a r k e d that he
h e had
h a d not
not
Umpo
as oonly
U
m p o used
u s e d traditional
traditional kkoan
o a n practice
practice as
n l y one
o n e of
o f his
his
teaching m
e t h o d s , preferring
p r e f e r r i n g the "direct"
" d i r e c t " approach
a p p r o a c h of
o f sitting
sitting
teaching
methods,
meditation.
Bankei
sat oon
m
e d i t a t i o n . TThus,
hus, B
a n k e i sat
n his
his question
q u e s t i o n until
until he
he was
was
nineteen, wwhen,
nineteen,
h e n , still
still unenlightened,
u n e n l i g h t e n e d , he
he left on
o n aa pilgrimage
p i l g r i m a g e in
in
the hhope
off casing
his m
mind
his oown.
the
ope o
easing his
i n d oon
n his
w n . Living
L i v i n g in
in temples
t e m p l e s on
on
the wway,
or in
in huts,
in the open,
the
a y , or
h u t s , but
but mostly
m o s t l y sleeping
s l e e p i n g oout
u t in
o p e n , he
he
spent
in vvain,
spent his
his life
life searching
s e a r c h i n g in
a i n , ffor
o r he
he had
h a d seen
seen his
his mother
mother
w
a n d e r e d as
s a k a , eemulating
m u l a t i n g the
e n teachers
of
wandered
as far
far as
as OOsaka,
the great
great ZZen
teachers of
become
b
e c o m e enlightened
e n l i g h t e n e d as a result of
o f his teaching.
teaching.
Umpo's
with
U m p o ' s lineage
l i n e a g e by
b y spending
s p e n d i n g several
several yyears
ears w
i t h the
the beggars
beggars
Though
T h o u g h banished
b a n i s h e d from
f r o m home,
h o m e , Bankei
Bankei w
a s lucky
l u c k y in his
his
was
u
n d e r the Gojo
G o j o bridge
b r i d g e in
in Kyoto.
Kyoto.
under
friendship wwith
father's ppatron
who
friendship
i t h his
his father's
a t r o n Sukeshizu,
Sukeshizu, w
h o offered
o f f e r e d him
him
The
T h e extremist
e x t r e m i s t boy,
b o y , who,
w h o , in
in his
his frustration
frustration at
at encountering
encountering
death,
death, had
h a d swallowed
s w a l l o w e d aa mouthful
m o u t h f u l of
o f poisonous
p o i s o n o u s spiders,
s p i d e r s , now
now
a little
little hut
h u t in
in the
the woods
w o o d s behind
b e h i n d his
his own
o w n property.
p r o p e r t y . The
T h e boy
boy
carved
the words
carved the
w o r d s "practice
" p r a c t i c e hermitage"
h e r m i t a g e " on
o n a shingle,
s h i n g l e , placed
p l a c e d it
outside
o u t s i d e the
the entrance
entrance door,
d o o r , and
and moved
m o v e d inside.
inside. When
W h e n he was
was
not
n
o t sitting in contemplation
c o n t e m p l a t i o n of
o f bright
b r i g h t virtue,
v i r t u e , Bankei
B a n k e i spent
spent his
his
developed
fanatical ascetic,
ascetic, intent
intent uupon
d e v e l o p e d iinto
n t o a fanatical
p o n a life
life ooff hardship
hardship
and
and privation
p r i v a t i o n as
as a means
m e a n s to
t o solving
s o l v i n g his dilemma.
d i l e m m a . In
In his
his own
own
words:
words:
time
at a nearby
t i m e reciting
r e c i t i n g the
the nembutsu
nembutsu at
n e a r b y Shin
Shin Buddhist
B u d d h i s t temple.
temple.
By
B
y the
the time
t i m e he
he was
w a s fifteen,
fifteen, he
h e had
had enrolled
enrolled in
in a Shingon
Shingon
myself without
without mercy,
I pressed
pressed myself
mercy, draining
draining myself
myself mentally
mentally and
and
physically; at
at times
times I practiced
practiced deep
deep in
in the
the mountains,
mountains, in
physically;
in places
places
where
he
esoteric BBuddhism
in the
the hhope
ttemple,
emple, w
here h
e studied
studied esoteric
u d d h i s m in
o p e of
of
completely
completely cut off from all human contact. II fashioned
fashioned primitive
primitive
shelters
out of
shelters out
o f paper, pulled that over
over me,
me, and
and did
did zazen
zazen seated
seated
ffinding
i n d i n g his
his answer.
a n s w e r . Buddhism,
B u d d h i s m , rather
rather than
than Confucianism,
Confucianism,
seemed
the best
to enlightenment,
s e e m e d tto
o offer
offer the
best way
w a y to
e n l i g h t e n m e n t , but
b u t even
even here,
Bankci
an eempty
B a n k e i discovered
d i s c o v e r e d an
m p t y ritual
ritual habit,
habit, a religion
r e l i g i o n given
g i v e n to
to
form
f o r m and
and letter over
o v e r living
l i v i n g spiritual
spiritual experience.
experience.
One
O n e Buddhist
B u d d h i s t priest
priest advised
a d v i s e d the boy
b o y that he might
m i g h t find
find what
what
he
was
looking
for
in
a
Zen
temple
about
h e w a s l o o k i n g for in
Z e n t e m p l e a b o u t ttwenty
w e n t y miles
m i l e s from
from
Hamada
in AAko,
named
Umpo.
H
a m a d a in
k o , with
w i t h aa Rinzai
R i n z a i priest
priest n
amed U
m p o . It
It w
a s in
was
inside; sometimes
sometimes II would
would make
make aa small
small lean-to
lean-to by
by putting
putting up
inside;
two
two walls
walls oof
f thick
thick paper
paper boards,
boards, and
and sit in solitary
solitary darkness
darkness
inside, doing zazen,
lying down to
for a moment.
inside,
zazen, never lying
to rest
rest even for
moment.
Whenever
heard ooff some
some teacher
teacher wwho
Whenever II heard
h o II thought might be
be able
able
to give
give me advice,
advice, I went immediately
immediately to visit him. I lived
lived that
way for
for several
several years.
years. There were
way
were few
few places
places in the country II did
did
foot.
not set foot.
1638,the
the vvery
that the
the shogun
his ppolicy
1638,
e r y yyear
e a r that
s h o g u n instituted
instituted his
o l i c y of
of
seclusion,
that Bankei
seclusion, that
B a n k e i walked
w a l k e d to Zuio
Z u i o -ji
j i and
and m
e t his
his first
first Zen
Zen
met
teacher.
Umpo
teacher. The
T h e seventy-year-old
seventy-year-old U
m p o was
w a s heir
heir to
the same
same
to the
incorruptible
Otokan
lineage
that
the
incorruptible O t o k a n lineage
the young
y o u n g Ikkyu
I k k y u had
h a d found
found
In 1645,
after hhe
had left
left ZZuio-ji,
In
1645, ffour
o u r yyears
e a r s after
e had
u i o - j i , he
he returned
r e t u r n e d to
to
U
m p o , his
his question
q u e s t i o n still
still unresolved.
u n r e s o l v e d . Tearfully,
Tearfully, he
he approached
approached
Umpo,
his
with
his teacher
teacher w
i t h his
his sad
sad report
r e p o r t of
o f failure.
failure. "It's your
y o u r desire
desire to
to
find ssomeone
that kkeeps
find
o m e o n e that
e e p s yyou
o u from
f r o m your
y o u r goal,"
g o a l , " said
said Umpo.
Umpo.
Bankei
B
a n k e i tturned
u r n e d and
and set
set off
o f f once
o n c e again
again on
o n his
his wanderings.
w a n d e r i n g s . In aa
in Kaso's
in
K a s o ' s shabby
s h a b b y Katada
K a t a d a temple
t e m p l e two
t w o centuries
centuries before.
b e f o r e . On
O n first
first
Bankei
his ""bright
iinterview,
nterview, B
a n k e i aasked
s k e d his
b r i g h t virtue"
v i r t u e " question
q u e s t i o n and
and was
was
told to go
told
g o sit
sit zazen
z a z e n and find
find the answer
a n s w e r for himself.
himself. Typically
Typically
go
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
M
Bankei
Bankei
gi
hermitage
in the countryside
llonely
onely h
e r m i t a g e in
c o u n t r y s i d e to
to the
the north
n o r t h of
o f Ako,
A k o , he
he
venerable
o r d s in
o u t h s of
o f unenlightened
u n e n l i g h t e n e d priests.
priests. Soto
Soto
venerable wwords
in the
the m
mouths
to carry
carry oout
rresolved
e s o l v e d to
u t his
his meditation
m e d i t a t i o n to
d e a t h . His
H i s ten-foot
ten-foot
to the death.
practitioners llooked
the wwritings
Dogen,
the thirpractitioners
o o k e d bback
a c k t to
o the
r i t i n g s oof
f D
o g e n , the
thirteenth-century
t e e n t h - c e n t u r y founder
f o u n d e r of
o f their
their sect,
sect, while
w h i l e the
the Rinzai
R i n z a i school
school
followed
strict M
Myoshin
line ooff kkoan
Zen.
f o l l o w e d aa strict
y o s h i n - j ji
i line
oan Z
e n . Zen
Z e n scholarship
scholarship
H
o u r i s h e d — w h i l e Zen
Z e n experience
e x p e r i e n c e languished.
l a n g u i s h e d . Several
Several nonconnonconNourished-while
formist
f o r m i s t monks
m o n k s wandered
w a n d e r e d about
a b o u t in search
search oof
f eenlightenment
n l i g h t e n m e n t for
themselves;
Suzuki
t h e m s e l v e s ; eeccentrics
c c e n t r i c s llike
ike S
u z u k i Shosan,
S h o s a n , an
an ex-samurai
ex-samurai
turned Zen
Z e n priest, Ungo
U n g o Kiyo,
K i y o , and
and Daigu
D a i g u Sochiku
S o c h i k u rejected
rejected the
the
c o n f i r m a t i o n of
o f their
their teachers
teachers as
as lifeless
lifeless transmissions
t r a n s m i s s i o n s from
from
confirmation
cell cconsisted
cell
o n s i s t e d oof
f oonly
n l y oone
n e oopening
p e n i n g llarge
a r g e eenough
n o u g h for aa peasant's
a r m to
t o slip
slip through
t h r o u g h aa bowl
b o w l of
o f food
f o o d twice
t w i c e aa day.
day. A
A second,
second,
arm
smaller
s m a l l e r hhole
o l e pprovided
r o v i d e d hhim
i m with
w i t h a privy,
p r i v y , and
and he
h e shut
shut out
o u t all
all
llight
i g h t and
and noise
noise b
y plastering
plastering the
oor w
i t h mud.
m u d . Sitting
S i t t i n g on
on
by
the ddoor
with
the
c o l d rock
r o c k floor
floor until
until his
his buttocks
b u t t o c k s and
and thighs
t h i g h s bled
b l e d and
and
the cold
festered,
e g l e c t e d the
o o d that
w a s passed
passed in
in to
to him.
him.
festered, hhee often
often nneglected
the ffood
that was
F
i g h t i n g against
h a t he
t h e demon
d e m o n of
o f sleep,"
s l e e p , " he
he
Fighting
against wwhat
he called
called ""the
splashed his
face with
w i t h cold
c o l d water
w a t e r at
at the
the slightest
slightest hint
of
splashed
his face
hint of
o l d men
m e n who
w h o hadn't
h a d n ' tbeen
b e e nenlightened
e n l i g h t e n e d themselves.
t h e m s e l v e s . Suzuki
Suzuki
old
d r o w s i n e s s . Still
Still he
e m a i n e d uunenlightened.
n e n l i g h t e n e d . Finally,
Finally, his
body
drowsiness.
he rremained
his body
h
a
d
b
e
c
o
m
e
s
o
w
e
a
k
e
n
e
d
b
y
his
asceticism
that
h
e
c
o
n
t
r
a
cted
had become so weakened by his asceticism that he contracted
ttuberculosis
u b e r c u l o s i s and
c
o
u
l
d
n
o
t
eat
at
all.
Spitting
u
p
h
u
g
e
g
o
b
s of
of
and could not eat at all. Spitting up huge gobs
b l o o d , Bankei
B a n k e i resigned
r e s i g n e d himself
h i m s e l f to
d y i n g where
w h e r e he
he sat.
sat. SudSudblood,
to dying
d e n l y he
he felt
felt ""a
a strange
strange sensation"
s e n s a t i o n " in
in his
his throat
throat and
and spat
spat a
a huge
huge
denly
ball o
b l o o d y phlegm
p h l e g m against
against the
the wall
w a l l opposite.
o p p o s i t e . Watching
W a t c h i n g it
ball
off bloody
it
Shosan ppreached
r e a c h e d that
o r k in
fields and
i e l d i n g the
sword
Shosan
that w
work
in the
the fields
and wwielding
the sword
in battle
battle were
w e r e sufficient
sufficient practice.
practice. The
T h e other
o t h e r two
t w o wandered
wandered
in
about
teaching
their
own
brand
of
Zen,
confident
a b o u t t e a c h i n g their o w n b r a n d o f Z e n , c o n f i d e n t in
in their
their
enlightenment
e n l i g h t e n m e n t without
w i t h o u t formal
f o r m a l transmission
t r a n s m i s s i o n from
f r o m anyone.
anyone.
A
s a result
result of
o f the
the Buddhist
B u d d h i s t persecutions
p e r s e c u t i o n s oof
f the
the Ming
M i n g dydyAs
nasty,
several C
h i n e s e rrefugee
efugee Z
e n teachers
teachers made
m a d e their way
w a y to
to
nasty, several
Chinese
Zen
slide, Bankei
B a n k e i was
w a s instantly
instantly enlightened
e n l i g h t e n e d with
w i t h the
the realization
realization
slide,
Japan, holding
h o l d i n g sway
s w a y llargely
a r g e l y in
a g a s a k i , the
n l y ccity
i t y permitpermitJapan,
in NNagasaki,
the oonly
ted
f o r e i g n e r s . The
T h e two
t w o most
m o s t famous
f a m o u s Chinese
C h i n e s e Zen
Z e n teachers
teachers
ted to foreigners.
aamong
m o n g them,
t h e m , Dosha
D o s h a Chogen
C h o g e n and
and Ingen
I n g e n Ryuki,
R y u k i , both
b o t h rejected
rejected
by
b
y the Myoshin-ji-dominated
M y o s h i n - j i - d o m i n a t e d Zen
Z e n hierarchy,
h i e r a r c h y , were
w e r e such
s u c h bitter
bitter
rivals tthemselves
that IIngen
tried to have
rivals
h e m s e l v e s that
n g e n tried
have Dosha
D o s h a poisoned
p o i s o n e d and
and
ultimately
in ddriving
him
to China.
u l t i m a t e l y succeeded
s u c c e e d e d in
riving h
i m back
b a c k to
C h i n a . Remaining
Remaining
that
" a l l things
t h i n g s are
are perfectly
p e r f e c t l y rresolved
e s o l v e d in
n b o r n . " Fourteen
Fourteen
that "all
in the
the UUnborn."
years
relentless sstruggle
t r u g g l e were
w e r e rewarded
r e w a r d e d in
split second
second
years ooff relentless
in aa split
w
i t h the
the deep,
d e e p , keen,
k e e n , and
and immediate
i m m e d i a t e resolution
r e s o l u t i o n of
o f his
his question.
question.
with
A
n d with
w i t h it,
it, his
health and
and appetite
appetite were
w e r e immediately
immediately reAnd
his health
re-
stored. G u l p i n g d o w n the h a l f - c o o k e d rice his attendant h a d
stored.
Gulping down the half-cooked rice his attendant had
f i x e d f o r h i m , B a n k e i r e t u r n e d f r o m his G r e a t D e a t h e x p e r i fixed for him, Bankei returned from his Great Death experience a t r a n s f o r m e d m a n . Later, w h i l e w a s h i n g his face in a
ence a transformed man. Later, while washing his face in a
n e a r b y s t r e a m , the scent o f p l u m b l o s s o m s s p u r r e d y e t a n o t h e r
nearby
stream, the scent of plum blossoms spurred yet another
i n s i g h t , further c o n f i r m i n g his c o n f r o n t a t i o n w i t h that w h i c h
insight, further confirming his confrontation with that which
w a s " u n b o r n " and " u n d y i n g . " R e t u r n i n g to U m p o , B a n k e i ' s
was
"unborn" and "undying." Returning to Umpo, Bankei's
Zen
as the sole
sole "legitimate"
" l e g i t i m a t e " Chinese
C h i n e s e Rinzai
Rinzai Z
e n master,
m a s t e r , Ingen
Ingen
as
stayed
in Japan
Japan to
to ffound
line ooff OObaku
Zen
stayed oon
n in
o u n d aa line
baku Z
e n that gathered
gathered
the
arts
of
painting
m
a
n
y
disciples
and
d
e
e
p
l
y
influenced
the
arts
o
f
p
a
i
n
t
i n g and
and
many disciples and deeply influenced
calligraphy.
c a l l i g r a p h y . ZZen
e n "reformers"
" r e f o r m e r s " were
w e r e everywhere,
e v e r y w h e r e , bbut
u t none
none
c o u l d inject life
life into the
the practice.
practice.
could
satori w a s c o n f i r m e d , as the " m a r r o w o f B o d h i d h a r m a ' s
satori
was confirmed, as the "marrow of Bodhidharma's
The
T
h e twenty-six-year-old
t w e n t y - s i x - y e a r - o l d Bankei
B a n k e i ttook
o o k his
his place
place oon
n the road
road
b o n e s . " T h e n U m p o r e c o m m e n d e d that the y o u n g m a n visit
bones." Then Umpo recommended that the young man visit
the g r e a t G u d o T o s h a k u , the m o s t r e n o w n e d Z e n m a s t e r o f
the great Gudo Toshaku, the most renowned Zen master of
the day, for a further c o n f i r m a t i o n o f his e n l i g h t e n m e n t e x p e the day, for a further confirmation of his enlightenment expe-
his ffellow
Disappointed
hear that
aalongside
l o n g s i d e his
e l l o w ZZen
e n ppilgrims.
ilgrims. D
i s a p p o i n t e d tto
o hear
G
u d o was
w a s away
away ffrom
r o m his
e m p l e in
M i n o , Bankei
B a n k e i tried other
other
Gudo
his ttemple
in Mino,
Z
e n teachers
teachers in
the Gifu
G i f u province.
p r o v i n c e . To
To his
his disgust,
d i s g u s t , he
h e found
found
Zen
in the
rience.
rience.
that none
for none
that
n o n e of
o f them
t h e m could
c o u l d confirm
c o n f i r m his
his experience,
e x p e r i e n c e , for
n o n e of
of
Att the
the time
A
t i m e of
o f Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s satori,
satori, Zen
Z e n was
w a s a fossilized
fossilized remnant
remnant
them
t h e m were
w e r e enlightened
e n l i g h t e n e d themselves!
t h e m s e l v e s ! One
O n e kindly
k i n d l y old
o l d priest
priest even
even
had
to aadmit
had the decency
d e c e n c y to
d m i t this, urging
u r g i n g Bankei
B a n k e i to
to accept
a c c e p t his own
own
confirmation
not
c o n f i r m a t i o n and
and n
o t rely
r e l y on
o n the Zen
Z e n writings
w r i t i n g s of
o f others.
others.
off the two
o
t w o preceding
p r e c e d i n g centuries.
centuries. Rinzai
R i n z a i and Soto
S o t o schools
s c h o o l s were
were
in aa constant
constant" "dialogue"-rivalry,
in
d i a l o g u e " — r i v a l r y , really-over
r e a l l y — o v e r the
the best
best w
a y to
to
way
restore aa living
that what
restore
l i v i n g practice.
practice. Both
B o t h were
w e r e clearly
clearly aware
aware that
what
For
For a year,
y e a r , Bankei
B a n k e i lived
lived in
in aa series
series of
o f hermitages
h e r m i t a g e s in
in Gifu
Gifu
province
until, in 165o,
he rreturned
p r o v i n c e until,
1650, he
e t u r n e d to Harima,
H a r i m a , his
his hometown
hometown
passed
for koans
passed for
k o a n s had
had degenerated
d e g e n e r a t e d into the
the mere
m e r e parroting
p a r r o t i n g of
of
92
92
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
I
Bankei
Bankei
93
93
and put
p u t it
it to
to work
w o r k in
in the
the world
w o r l d of
o f ordinary
o r d i n a r y life
life experience
e x p e r i e n c e so
so
and
m i f f e d the
y o u n g man
m a n that
that he
he turned
t u r n e d and
and left
left without
w i t h o u t even
even
miffed
the young
m a k i n g aa bow
b o w of
o f respect.
respect. But
B u t something
s o m e t h i n g in
o l d priest's
priest's
making
in the old
w o r d s must
m u s t have
have struck
struck home,
h o m e , for
for Bankei
B a n k e i remained
r e m a i n e d and
and bebewords
ccame
ame D
o
s
h
a
'
s
student,
t
a
k
i
n
g
his
place
in
the
m
e
d
i
t
a
t
i
o
n
hall
Dosha's student, taking his place in the meditation hall
aalong
long w
i t h the other
o t h e r monks.
m o n k s . Though
T h o u g h he
h e could
c o u l d not
n o t communicommuniwith
cate with
w i t h his
his teacher
teacher in
in conversational
c o n v e r s a t i o n a l Chinese,
C h i n e s e , and
and Dosha
Dosha
cate
u
n d e r s t o o d no
n o Japanese,
Japanese, Bankei
B a n k e i managed
m a n a g e d to
to have
have interviews
interviews
understood
b
y means
m e a n s of
o f written
w r i t t e n notes
n o t e s in
in formal
f o r m a l Chinese.
C h i n e s e . Still
Still the
the rebel,
rebel,
by
B
a
n
k
e
i
refused,
h
o
w
e
v
e
r
,
to
g
o
a
l
o
n
g
w
i
t
h
the
C
h
i
n
e
s
e
-style
Bankei refused, however, to go along with the Chinese-style
m
o
n
a
s
t
i
c
c
h
a
n
t
i
n
g
and
o
t
h
e
r
f
o
r
e
i
g
n
ritual
practices.
W
hen
monastic chanting and other foreign ritual practices. When
were
openly
were o
p e n l y expressing
e x p r e s s i n g their
their resentment
r e s e n t m e n t of
o f his
his special
special status
status
with
w
i t h Dosha.
D o s h a . The
T h e old
o l d teacher
teacher secretly
secretly advised
a d v i s e d Bankei
B a n k e i to
to leave
leave
the
t e m p l e for
for aa while,
w h i l e , which
w h i c h suited
suited the
the nonconformist
n o n c o n f o r m i s t well
well
the temple
eenough.
n o u g h . He
H e returned
r e t u r n e d to the
the Harima
H a r i m a area,
area, then moved
m o v e d on
o n again
again
Yamato p
r o v i n c e near
a r a , a remote
r e m o t e place
place kknown
n o w n for
f o r the
the
to Yamato
province
near NNara,
a b u n d a n c e oof
f hermit
h e r m i t ascetics
ascetics ssprinkled
p r i n k l e d aamong
m o n g its
hills. Here
Here
abundance
its hills.
B a n k e i sat
c r u d e l y fashioned
f a s h i o n e d hut,
h u t , composing
c o m p o s i n g religious
religious
Bankei
sat in aa crudely
r a i n m a k i n g songs
s o n g s for the peasants
peasants in return for
for food.
food.
rainmaking
In 1653
moved
to his
his oown
hermitage
In
1653 hhe
e m
o v e d bback
a c k to
w n ssmall
mall h
e r m i t a g e in Mino
Mino
and continued
pprovince
r o v i n c e and
c o n t i n u e d deepening
d e e p e n i n g his realization
realization in solitude.
solitude.
F r o m early
e a r l y on
o n he
h e had shown
s h o w n signs
s i g n s of
o f psychic
p s y c h i c iintuition,
n t u i t i o n , which,
which,
From
in 1653,
1 6 5 3 , during
d u r i n g aa particularly
p a r t i c u l a r l y hard
h a r d winter,
w i n t e r , disclosed
d i s c l o s e d to him
him
in
that Umpo
U m p o was
w a s ill.
ill. Several
Several m
o n k s hhad
a d ggathered
a t h e r e d tto
o sit
with
monks
sit with
that
B a n k e i ; oone,
n e , a man
m a n named
n a m e d Sen,
S e n , was
w a s especially
especially d
u b i o u s about
about
Bankei;
dubious
B
a
n
k
e
i
'
s
a
n
n
o
u
n
c
e
m
e
n
t
that
h
e
w
o
u
l
d
have
to
travel
to
see
the
Bankei's announcement that he would have to travel to see the
sick U
m p o . "How
" H o w do
d o you
y o u know
k n o w that
thatyour
y o u rteacher
teacherisisill?
ill? He
H e is
is
sick
Umpo.
miles
r o m here,"
h e r e , " Sen
S e n challenged
c h a l l e n g e d him.
h i m . Bankei
B a n k e i confidently
confidently
miles ffrom
reiterated his
his intuition
i n t u i t i o n that
that Umpo
U m p o was
w a s ill.
ill. Sen
S e n accused
a c c u s e d him
h i m of
of
reiterated
b
e
i
n
g
a
c
o
n
m
a
n
and
l
a
u
g
h
i
n
g
l
y
offered
to
a
c
c
o
m
p
a
n
y
h
i
m
to
being a con man and laughingly offered to accompany him to
pprove
r o v e the
fraud.
the fraud.
Bankci
the cchallenge,
and the
the ttwo
monks
B
a n k e i aaccepted
c c e p t e d the
h a l l e n g e , and
wo m
o n k s set out
out
D
o s h a rreprimanded
e p r i m a n d e d hhim
i m ffor
o r this,
B a n k e i said,
" T h e only
only
Dosha
this, Bankei
said, "The
ttoward
oward A
Ako.
k o . Halfway
H a l f w a y there,
there, Bankei
B a n k e i insisted
insisted oon
n a detour,
detour,
reason
o m e here
all is
is because
because II w
a n t to
to clarify
clarify the
the
reason I've
I've ccome
here at
at all
want
cclaiming
l a i m i n g that
i f e oof
f an
an old
o l d friend
friend h
a d jjust
u s t died
Osaka
that the
the wwife
had
died in
in Osaka
a d d i t i o n a l ways
w a y s oof
f cchanting
h a n t i n g ssutras?"
u t r a s ? " Seeing
Seeing w
h a t kkind
i n d ooff monk
monk
additional
what
he was
w a s wanted
w a n t e d there.
there.
and that he
Again
A
g a i n Sen
S e n cried
cried "Fake!"
" F a k e ! " as he
h e hastened
hastened along
a l o n g after
after Bankei
Bankei
area, ppondering
area,
o n d e r i n g how
h o w to teach
teach the
the Buddha
B u d d h a Way
Way tto
o others.
o t h e r s . In
In
at Umpo's
11651,
6 5 1 , at
U m p o ' s suggestion,
s u g g e s t i o n , he
h e traveled
traveled to see
see the
the Chinese
Chinese
priest
priest Dosha
D o s h a Chogen
C h o g e n in
in Nagasaki.
N a g a s a k i . Begging
B e g g i n g his
his way
w a y across
across the
the
Inland
e crossed
crossed oon
n aa trading
t r a d i n g ship
ship and,
and, as
as soon
s o o n as
as he
he
Inland Sea,
Sea, hhe
llanded,
anded, w
a l k e d to
emple, S
o f u k u - j iji,
, w
h e r e the
l d ChiChiwalked
to the
the ttemple,
Sofuku
where
the oold
m a s t e r received
received him.
him.
nese master
"You
have penetrated
penetratedtthrough
to the
the matter
" Y o u have
h r o u g h to
m a t t e r of
o f the self.
self. But
But
have to
to clarify
clarify the
the mmatter
yyou
o u still have
a t t e r bbeyond,
e y o n d , which
w h i c h is
is the essence
essence
of
o f our
o u r school,"
s c h o o l , " said
said Dosha.
D o s h a . This
T h i s qualified
qualified cconfirmation
o n f i r m a t i o n urging
urging
Bankei
B a n k e i to take
take his
his satori
satori oout
u t of
o f the rarified
rarified realm
r e a l m of
o f emptiness
emptiness
great matter.
matter. How
H o w can
can II afford
afford to
to waste
w a s t e valuable
valuable time
t i m e learning
learning
great
he
w o u l d have
u t uup
p w
i t h , Dosha
D o s h a let
a t t e r rest,
and
he would
havetoto pput
with,
let the
the m
matter
rest, and
in the
the direction
d i r e c t i o n of
o f Osaka.
O s a k a . When
W h e n they
t h e y arrived
arrived at the
the friend's
friend's
in
m a d e Bankei
B a n k e i tenzo,
tenzo, m
o n a s t e r y cook,
c o o k , for
for aa year.
year.
made
monastery
On
O n the
the twenty-first
t w e n t y - f i r s t of
o f April
A p r i l in
in the
the year
year 1652,
1652, while
w h i l e sitting
sitting
in the meditation
in
m e d i t a t i o n hall, Bankei
B a n k e i had
h a d another
a n o t h e r profound
p r o f o u n d enlightenlightHe
to DDosha's
eenment
n m e n t eexperience.
xperience. H
e rrushed
u s h e d to
o s h a ' s interview
i n t e r v i e w rroom
o o m and
and
wrote:
w
r o t e : "What
" W h a t is the ultimate
u l t i m a t e matter
m a t t e r of
o f Zen?"
Zen?"
"Whose
" W h o s e matter?"
m a t t e r ? " was
w a s Dosha's
D o s h a ' s written
w r i t t e n response.
response.
Bankei
held oout
B
a n k e i held
u t his
his arms;
a r m s ; Dosha
D o s h a was
w a s about
a b o u t to
t o write
w r i t e again,
again,
h o u s e , they
t h e y were
w e r e greeted
g r e e t e d by
b y Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s friend,
friend, who
w h o was
w a s dressed
dressed
house,
in
m o u r n i n g clothes.
clothes. "My
" M y wife
w i f e died
died three
three days
days ago.
a g o . Strange
Strange
in mourning
yyou
o u should
s h o u l d come
c o m e now.
n o w . She
She called
called your
y o u r name
n a m e during
d u r i n g her
her final
final
i l l n e s s .""
illness.
Bankei
Sen,
B
a n k e i ssquared
q u a r e d ooff
f f wwith
ith S
e n , ssaying,
a y i n g , ""Am
A m I such
s u c h aa con
con
artist, then?"
to Bankei
artist,
t h e n ? " Sen's
S e n ' s response
r e s p o n s e was
w a s to
t o swear
swear allegiance
allegiance to
Bankei
forever.
the bbrush
and, ttossing
it to
to the
bbut
u t this
this time
t i m e Bankei
B a n k e i ggrabbed
r a b b e d the
r u s h and,
o s s i n g it
Such
S u c h yyouthful
o u t h f u l displays
displays ooff ssupernormal
u p e r n o r m a l power
p o w e r were
w e r e tempered
tempered
floor,
floor, stalked
stalked oout
u t of
o f the room.
room.
Bankei's
B
a n k e i ' s aloofness
aloofness ffrom
r o m the ritual
ritual practice
practice and
and his
his cocksure
cocksure
in Bankei's
for his
in
B a n k e i ' s middle
m i d d l e life,
life, however,
h o w e v e r , for
his reputation
r e p u t a t i o n as
as aa seer
seer
attitude
did nnot
him
attitude did
o t endear
endear h
i m to
to the
the other
other monks.
m o n k s . Soon
S o o n they
they
basic
n b o r n nature for themselves.
t h e m s e l v e s . Many
M a n y ignorant
i g n o r a n t and supersuperbasic uunborn
94
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
o
n l y hindered
h i n d e r e d his efforts
efforts to
t o teach
teach people
p e o p l e how
h o w to
to discover
d i s c o v e r their
their
only
I
Bankei
Bankei
95
95
_
<5g
fr
mr
stitious ffolk
appeared atat his
his ssermons
in the
the hhope
stitious
o l k appeared
e r m o n s aanyway
n y w a y in
o p e of
of
of
o f the
the country
c o u n t r y preaching
p r e a c h i n g ""unborn"
u n b o r n " Zen
Z e n in
in his
his populist
p o p u l i s t style.
style.
witnessing
miracle. BBankei's
to turn
w
i t n e s s i n g a miracle.
a n k e i ' s usual
usual rresponse
e s p o n s e was
w a s to
t u r n their
their
T h r e e major
major temples
t e m p l e s ssprang
p r a n g uup
p to accommodate
a c c o m m o d a t e his
his twotwoThree
mind-reading
requests bback
with
m
i n d - r e a d i n g requests
a c k oon
n tthem
hem w
i t h humor.
humor.
m
o n t h retreats:
retreats: R
y u m o n - jji,
i , built by
b y aa loyal
l o y a l childhood
c h i l d h o o d schoolschoolmonth
Ryumon
When
Bankei
arrived atat ZZuio-ji
that trip,
trip, he
W
hen B
a n k e i arrived
u i o - j i oon
n that
he w
a s ttold
o l d that
was
m
ate w
ho h
ad b
e c o m e aa w
e a l t h y sshipowner
h i p o w n e r in
ankei's h
omemate
who
had
become
wealthy
in BBankei's
home-
Umpo
U m p o had
h a d died
died the
the night
n i g h t before,
b e f o r e , leaving
l e a v i n g iinstructions
n s t r u c t i o n s with
w i t h his
his
ttown
o w n oof
f H
amada; N
y o h o - jji,
i , in Ozu
O z u on
o n the
the island
island of
o f Shikoku;
Shikoku;
Hamada;
Nyoho
Sogyu
to encourage
Bankei
to teach.
ssuccessor
u c c e s s o r BBokuo
okuo S
o g y u to
encourage B
a n k e i to
teach. It was
was
and
o r i n - jji
i in
d o . At
A t first,
first, Bankei
B a n k e i tried
s e q u e s t e r i n g himself
himself
and KKorin
in EEdo.
tried sequestering
1654,
a n k e i had
p i c k e d up
u p five
five disciples
disciples in
his wanderwander1654, and
and BBankei
had picked
in his
w
i t h his
m a l l ggroup
r o u p oof
f disciples
y o h o - j i , intent
n contincontinwith
his ssmall
disciplesatatNNyoho-ji,
intent oon
iings.
n g s . All
A l l aaccompanied
c c o m p a n i e d hhim
i m tto
o N
a g a s a k i to
o s h a , who,
who,
Nagasaki
to visit
visit DDosha,
u
i n g to
p o l i s h his
his realization
realization and
u i d e the
t h e r s in
Heartuing
to polish
and gguide
the oothers
in his
his Heart-
m
eanwhile, w
as h
a v i n g his
o w n political
political troubles
t r o u b l e s with
w i t h his
his
meanwhile,
was
having
his own
oof-the-Matter
f-the-Matter h
e r m i t a g e ; bbut
u t popular
p o p u l a r demand
d e m a n d for
for his
his appearappearhermitage;
C
h i n e s e rival
n g e n . Always
A l w a y s rready
e a d y for
for a good
g o o d fight,
fight, Bankei
Bankei
Chinese
rival IIngen.
ance
a r g e ppublic
u b l i c ggatherings
atherings w
a s sso
o great
a s forced
forced
ance in
in llarge
was
great that
that hhee wwas
j o i n e d the
the Dosha
D o s h a faction
faction and
and tried
tried to gain
g a i n the
the ssupport
u p p o r t of
of
joined
oout
u t into
i n t o the
the open.
o p e n . Korin
K o r i n - jji,
i , Bankci's
B a n k e i ' s Edo
E d o temple,
t e m p l e , built
built by
by
iimportant
m p o r t a n t patrons
p a t r o n s for
for his
his beleaguered
b e l e a g u e r e d teacher.
n g e n ' s students
students
teacher. IIngen's
sstopped
t o p p e d at nothing;
n o t h i n g ; they
t h e y even
even burned
b u r n e d Dosha's
D o s h a ' s official
official transtransm
i s s i o n ppapers
a p e r s to
a k e hhim
i m ""unfit"
u n f i t " to
to teach
teach Zen.
Z e n . When
W h e n that
that
mission
to m
make
d
i d n ' t work,
w o r k , they
t h e y resorted
resorted to
to still
still lower
l o w e r methods,
m e t h o d s , which
which
didn't
iincluded
n c l u d e d the
a t t e m p t at
at poisoning
p o i s o n i n g him.
h i m . Bankei
B a n k e i was
w a s off
o f f in
in
the attempt
H
i r a d o in
in search
search of
o f help
help from
f r o m feudal
feudal lord
l o r d Matsura
M a t s u r a Shigenobu,
Shigenobu,
Hirado
aa ppowerful
o w e r f u l disciple
f DDosha's,
osha's, w
h e n the
the situation
situation grew
g r e w so
s o bad
bad
disciple oof
when
that
o s h a had
h a d to
to sail
sail back
b a c k to
C h i n a in
in disgrace.
disgrace.
that D
Dosha
to China
Matsura
M
a t s u r a Shigenobu
S h i g e n o b u hhad
a d become
b e c o m e acquainted
a c q u a i n t e d with
w i t h Bankei
Bankei
when
he
an anonymous
monk
in EEdo.
One
w
hen h
e was
w a s an
anonymous m
o n k bbegging
e g g i n g in
do. O
n e of
of
the lord's
the
l o r d ' s vassals
vassals overheard
o v e r h e a r d .Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s comment
c o m m e n t at
at seeing
seeing aa
masterless
o r s e tear
h r o u g h the
streets o
u t of
o f control:
c o n t r o l : "It
"It is
is
masterless hhorse
tear tthrough
the streets
out
daimyo KKyogoku
y o g o k u TTakatoyo
a k a t o y o at
mother,
daimyo
at the
the specific
specific request
request ooff his
his mother,
aa nnun,
u n , was
w a s populated
p o p u l a t e d largely
largely b
y
p
o
w
e
r
f
u
l
g
o
v
e
r
n
m
e
n
t
bureauby powerful government bureaucrats,
w
e
a
l
t
h
y
and
n
o
t
s
o
w
e
a
l
t
h
y
s
a
m
u
r
a
i
,
retainers,
and
crats, wealthy and not-so-wealthy samurai, retainers, and
llower
o w e r level
a n k e i ' s oother
t h e r ttwo
w o temples
t e m p l e s were
w e r e in
in the
the
levelaristocrats.
aristocrats. BBankei's
ccountry
o u n t r y and
a n d therefore
therefore collected
collected a
am
o
r
e
v
a
r
i
e
d
social
a
s
s
o
r
t
m
e
nt
more varied social assortment
o
f
m
o
n
k
s
,
n
u
n
s
,
lay
p
r
a
c
t
i
t
i
o
n
e
r
s
,
f
i
s
h
e
r
m
e
n
,
f
a
r
m
e
r
s
,
w
e
a
l
t
h
of monks, nuns, lay practitioners, fishermen, farmers, wealthyy
m
e r c h a n t upstarts,
t o w n s m e n , and
and housewives,
housewives, w
h o sat
sat out
out
merchant
upstarts, townsmen,
who
o n the grass rapt at his w o r d s . B y 1 6 7 9 , h e w a s
delivering
on the grass rapt at his words. By 1679, he was delivering
s e r m o n s in o v e r f o r t y t e m p l e s t h r o u g h o u t Japan, maintaining
maintaining
sermons in over forty temples throughout Japan,
a s t e a d y b a n d o f disciples o n the r o a d as he traveled. In B a n k e i ' s
a steady band of disciples on the road as he traveled. In Bankei's
h a n d s , the ailing Z e n sect m i r a c u l o u s l y s p r a n g t o life in an
hands, the ailing Zen sect miraculously sprang to life in an
entirely o r i g i n a l f o r m .
entirely original form.
Bankei's
private retreats
retreats tturned
B
a n k e i ' s ssmall
m a l l private
u r n e d into
i n t o huge
h u g e kessei,
kessei, twotwoand
h r e e - m o n t h intensive
intensive training
training periods
p e r i o d s held
w i n t e r and
and
and tthree-month
held in
in winter
ssummer.
u m m e r . Here,
H e r e , however,
h o w e v e r , traditional
traditional meditation
m e d i t a t i o n and
and personal
personal
because m
a s t e r and
o r s e are
o t one."
o n e . " Sure
Sure that
that this
this
because
master
and hhorse
are separate,
separate, nnot
could o
nly b
e m a r k oof
f an
e n l i g h t e n e d " Zen
Z e n priest,
priest, Lord
Lord
could
only
bee the
the rremark
an ""enlightened"
S h i g e n o b u iinvited
n v i t e d him
h i m to his
his home
h o m e and
and eventually
eventually set
i m up
up
Shigenobu
set hhim
as
a s t e r of
o f the
f a m i l y temple
t e m p l e in Hirado.
Hirado.
as retreat
retreat m
master
the family
k
o a n interviews
i n t e r v i e w s gave
gave w
a y tto
o group
g r o u p practice,
practice, open
o p e n questionquestionkoan
way
In 1658
Bankei
was
heir ooff Umpo
In
1658 B
ankei w
a s aappointed
p p o i n t e d ddharma
h a r m a heir
U m p o by
by
aand-answer
n d - a n s w e r sessions,
o m e t i m e s as
as many
m a n y as three
three public
public
sessions, and
and ssometimes
Bokuo,
primary
Now,
B
o k u o , the old
o l d teacher's
teacher's p
r i m a r y successor.
successor. N
o w , as
official
as an official
talks
day. Unlike
U n l i k e all
all other
o t h e r Zen
Z e n temple
t e m p l e kessei,
kessei, Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s perpertalks a day.
teacher in
in the
the M
Myoshin-ji
line, Bankei
at last
last communiteacher
y o s h i n - j i line,
B a n k e i could
c o u l d at
communi-
m
i t t e d no
n o beating
b e a t i n g or scolding
s c o l d i n g of
o f students,
students, no
n o begging
b e g g i n g by
b y the
the
mitted
cate
e s s a g e aabout
b o u t the
n b o r n in his
his unique
u n i q u e and
and original
original
cate his
his m
message
the U
Unborn
m o n k s in his
his congregation,
c o n g r e g a t i o n , and
and n
o particular
particular set
chedule. O
monks
no
set sschedule.
Off
the traditional
traditional forms,
f o r m s , only
o n l y periods
p e r i o d s for
for daily
daily zazen
z a z e n and
and sutra
sutra
the
chanting w
ere h
e l d for
t h o s e who
w h o wished
w i s h e d to
to participate.
participate. As
A s aa
chanting
were
held
for those
B
u
d
d
h
i
s
t
priest,
B
a
n
k
e
i
h
i
m
s
e
l
f
c
o
n
t
i
n
u
e
d
t
o
offer
traditional
Buddhist priest, Bankei himself continued to offer traditional
c e r e m o n i e s and
r i v a t e iinterviews,
nterviews, w
h e r e , depending
d e p e n d i n g on
o n the
the
ceremonies
and pprivate
where,
fashion.
s ssoon
o o n as
o r d was
w a s out,
o u t , hordes
h o r d e s began
began
fashion. AAs
as the
the w
word
flocking
flocking
to
hear the riveting
r i v e t i n g sermons
s e r m o n s of
o f the
the iconoclastic
i c o n o c l a s t i c rreformer.
e f o r m e r . For
For
to hear
tthirty-six
h i r t y - s i x years
thereafter, Bankei
B a n k e i would
w o u l d teach
teach in
in temples,
temples,
years thereafter,
monasteries, m
e e t i n g ggrounds,
r o u n d s , and
and at
at the
the estates
estates of
o f wealthy
wealthy
monasteries,
meeting
students.
M
o
s
t
often
a
c
c
o
m
p
a
n
i
e
d
o
n
the
r
o
a
d
b
y
his
small
students. Most often accompanied on the road by his small
b
a
n
d
o
f
f
u
l
l
t
i
m
e
disciples,
h
e
r
o
a
m
e
d
the
l
e
n
g
t
h
and
b
r
e
adth
band of full-time disciples, he roamed the length and breadth
96
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
i n d i v i d u a l ffacing
a c i n g hhim,
i m , he
he gave
gave advice
a d v i c e on
o n everything
e v e r y t h i n g from
from
individual
p
e
r
s
o
n
a
l
f
a
m
i
l
y
p
r
o
b
l
e
m
s
to
k
o
a
n
practice.
A
n
d
h
e
officiated
personal family problems to koan practice. And he officiated
Bankei
Bankei
97
at funerals,
funerals, weddings,
w e d d i n g s , and
and Buddhist
B u d d h i s t precept
p r e c e p t rituals
rituals as
as long
l o n g as
as
to see
me,
at m
me
in tterms
""How
H o w do
d o you
y o u expect
e x p e c t to
see m
e , iif
f yyou
o u llook
o o k at
e in
e r m s of
of
people
p
e o p l e asked
a s k e d for
for them.
them.
birth and death?"
birth
d e a t h ? " When
W h e n one
o n e disciple
disciple asked
a s k e d hhim
i m to compose
c o m p o s e aa
Though
T
h o u g h he
he had
had no
n o use
use for
f o r keeping
k e e p i n g formal
f o r m a l records
r e c o r d s of
o f his
his
talks aand
talks
n d forbade
f o r b a d e his
his students
students from
f r o m doing
d o i n g so,
s o , Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s oral
oral
tteachings
eachings w
e r e ttransmitted
r a n s m i t t e d in
f o r m of
o f personal
p e r s o n a l diaries
diaries and
and
were
in the form
jjournals
o u r n a l s written
w r i t t e n by
b y his
his closest
closest disciples.
disciples. One
O n e of
o f these
these was
w a s aa
w
o m a n named
n a m e d Den
D e n Sutejo,
Sutejo, an
an accomplished
a c c o m p l i s h e d seventeenth-censeventeenth-cenwoman
ttury
u r y poet
p o e t who
w h o had
had married
m a r r i e d atatseventeen,
seventeen, had
h a d six
s i x children,
children,
b e c a m e aa w
i d o w at
f o r t y , and,
and, finally,
finally, aa nun.
n u n . From
F r o m 1681
1681 to
to
became
widow
at forty,
1696, w
h e n she
Teikan, as
a n k e i nnamed
a m e d her,
ept a
1696,
when
she died,
died, Teikan,
as BBankei
her, kkept
diary documenting
d o c u m e n t i n g Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s travels,
travels, meetings,
m e e t i n g s , retreats,
retreats, and
and
diary
illnesses,
m
e
t
i
c
u
l
o
u
s
l
y
r
e
c
o
r
d
i
n
g
the
t
y
p
e
s
and
n
u
m
b
e
r
s
of
illnesses, meticulously recording the types and numbers of
p
e o p l e in
attendance at
at every
every occasion.
occasion. A
A famous
f a m o u s entry
e n t r y occurs
occurs
people
in attendance
in
1690, w
h e n oone
n e tthousand
h o u s a n d six
six hhundred
u n d r e d and
and eeighty
i g h t y clergymen
clergymen
in 169o,
when
and
w o m e n — n o t to
tomention
m e n t i o n the
the throngs
t h r o n g s of
o f laypeople
l a y p e o p l e who
who
and --women-not
had
o m e from
f r o m as
as far
far n
o r t h as
as Hokkaido
H o k k a i d o and
and as
as far
far away
the
had ccome
north
away as
as the
R
y u k u IIslands-attended
s l a n d s — a t t e n d e d aa winter
w i n t e r retreat
retreat at
at Ryumon
R y u m o n - jji,
i , BankBankRyuku
ei's
h o m e temple.
t e m p l e . So
S o many
m a n y appeared,
appeared, in
in fact,
fact, writes
w r i t e s Teikan,
Teikan,
ei's home
that
o w n ' s ""barns,
b a r n s , sheds,
s h e d s , and
t o r e r o o m s " had
that the
the ttown's
and sstorerooms"
had to
to serve as
serve as
ssleeping
l e e p i n g quarters
o r the
the participants.
participants. In
In 1691,
1 6 9 1 , she
she r e p o r t s ,
quarters ffor
reports,
B a n k e i led
inety-day w
i n t e r retreat
y o k u r y u - jjii in
in Mino
Mino
Bankei
led aa nninety-day
winter
retreat at
at GGyokuryu
ffor
o r over
o v e r six
six thousand
t h o u s a n d people.
people.
But
practices hhad
taken their toll
B
u t Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s early
early ascetic
ascetic practices
a d taken
toll on
on
his health,
his
health, and
and his
his teaching
t e a c h i n g years
years were
w e r e plagued
p l a g u e d by
b y stomach
stomach
sspasms,
p a s m s , coughs,
c o u g h s , and
and general
g e n e r a l collapses
collapses that
f o r c e d him
h i m to retire
retire
that forced
for
e e k s at
i m e . By
B y 1693
1693 his
a d sso
o deteriorated
that
for w
weeks
at aa ttime.
his health
health hhad
deteriorated that
his disciples
disciples bbegan
e g a n bbuilding
u i l d i n g hhim
i m aa burial
a g o d a at
Ryumonhis
burial ppagoda
at Ryumonjji.
i . With
W i t h their own
o w n funds
funds and
and llabor,
a b o r , laypeople,
laypeople, m
o n k s , samurai,
samurai,
monks,
rich
and
p
o
o
r
,
peasants
and
t
o
w
n
s
f
o
l
k
w
o
r
k
e
d
side
b
y
side day
day
rich and poor, peasants and townsfolk worked side by side
and night
n i g h t to complete
c o m p l e t e the project.
project. It was
w a s on
o n a hot
h o t day
day o
n the
the
and
on
tenth of
o f August
A u g u s t when
w h e n Bankei
B a n k e i was
w a s carried
carried to
to Ryumon
R y u m o n - ji
j i oon
n aa
tenth
litter.
T h e next
n e x t day,
day, he
h e told
t o l d an
an attendant
attendant in
in secret
secret that
that he
he
litter. The
w
o u l d bbe
e dead
i t h i n three
o n t h s . For
For the
the time
t i m e left
left to
to him,
him,
would
dead wwithin
three m
months.
B
a n k e i ccontinued
o n t i n u e d sseeing
e e i n g students
r o m his
his bed.
b e d . Immediately
Immediately
Bankei
students ffrom
bbefore
e f o r e he
N o v e m b e r , as
as he'd
h e ' d predicted,
p r e d i c t e d , he
he stopped
stopped
he died
died in
in November,
ttaking
a k i n g ffood
o o d and
and medicine.
m e d i c i n e . Giving
G i v i n g instructions
instructions to
to his
his m o s t
most
iintimate
n t i m a t e students,
h e admonished
a d m o n i s h e d them
t h e m for
for their
their tears,
tears, saying,
saying,
students, he
98
98
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
traditional Zen
traditional
Z e n death poem,
p o e m , he
h e said:
said:
I've lived
lived for
for seventy-two
years. I've
I've
seventy-two years.
I've been teaching
teaching people
people for
for
forty-five. What
What I've
I've been
been telling
telling yyou
forty-five.
o u and
and others
others every
every day
day
during that
that time
all m
my
death verse.
verse. I'm
I'm not
not going
during
time is
is all
y death
going to make
make
die, just because
another
now, before
before II die,
because everyone
everyone else
else
another one
one now,
does it.
Bankei
died peacefully
at RRyumon-ji,
B
a n k e i died
peacefully at
y u m o n - j i , and
and his ashes
ashes were
were
d i v i d e d between
b e t w e e n that
t e m p l e and
and his
his Heart-of-the-Matter
H e a r t - o f - t h e - M a t t e r herherdivided
that temple
mitage
m i t a g e at
at Nyoho-ji.
N y o h o - j i . Four
F o u r hundred
h u n d r e d priests
priests and
and two
t w o hundred
hundred
seventy
nuns
were
in
attendance
at
his
funeral;
five
thousand
seventy n u n s w e r e in attendance
his funeral; five t h o u s a n d
laypeople
social class
class and
and rrank
to hhonor
l a y p e o p l e ffrom
r o m every
every social
a n k ccame
a m e to
o n o r their
their
teacher. FForty-seven
afterhis
his death,
death, tthough
teacher.
o r t y - s e v e n y years
e a r s after
h o u g h he
he had
had
openly
the ZZen
by
o
p e n l y rejected
rejected the
e n hierarchy
h i e r a r c h y of
o f his day
day b
y instituting his
his
oown
w n populist
p o p u l i s t form
f o r m of
o f practice,
practice, the
the government
g o v e r n m e n t bestowed
b e s t o w e d on
on
him
h
i m the
the greatest
greatest honor
h o n o r a Zen
Z e n priest
priest could
c o u l d attain,
attain, the
the title
title
K
o k u s h i , National
N a t i o n a l Teacher.
Teacher.
Kokushi,
What
JushoZZen,
the Unborn
W
h a t did
d i d Bankei
B a n k e i teach?
teach? His
H i s jusho
e n , tteaching
e a c h i n g the
Unborn
through
t h r o u g h sermons,
s e r m o n s , and
and hogo,
hogo, instruction,
i n s t r u c t i o n , was
w a s anomalous
a n o m a l o u s even
even
during
when
d u r i n g the Tokugawa
T o k u g a w a pperiod
eriod w
h e n all
all sorts
sorts of
o f footloose
f o o t l o o s e Zen
Zen
reforming
and
reviving
men
wandered
about
in
the
hope
of
m e n w a n d e r e d a b o u t in the h o p e o f r e f o r m i n g
r e v i v i n g aa
dying
it was
d y i n g practice.
practice. Moreover,
M o r e o v e r , it
w a s dangerous
d a n g e r o u s during
d u r i n g those
those
antiheretical days
days oof
antiheretical
f ppersecution
e r s e c u t i o n tto
o preach
p r e a c h anything
a n y t h i n g foreign
foreign
that could
as ""Christian."
that
c o u l d be
b e even
even vaguely
v a g u e l y cconstrued
o n s t r u e d as
C h r i s t i a n . " Yet
Yet his
his
w
o r d s cut
t h r o u g h the
the dictatorial
dictatorial Confucian
C o n f u c i a n social
social codes
c o d e s dedewords
cut through
ssigned
i g n e d to
s m o t h e r all
all individual
i n d i v i d u a l thought
t h o u g h t and
and expression,
expression,
to smother
rreaching
e a c h i n g the
ears and
and hearts
hearts of
o f commoners
c o m m o n e r s and
a n d samurai,
samurai,
the ears
masters
servants, lay
lay and
and clergy.
c l e r g y . His
H i s message
m e s s a g e was
w a s so
so
masters and
and servants,
ssimple
i m p l e that
ne d
i d not
n o t have
have tto
o be
b e literate
literate or
B u d d h i s t to
to
that oone
did
or a Buddhist
ccomprehend
o m p r e h e n d it.
B a n k e i ' s teachings
t e a c h i n g s all
all boil
b o i l down
d o w n to
t o letting
l e t t i n g go
go
it. Bankei's
o
all ideas
ideas and
i n d i n g yyour
o u r own
o w n "unborn,
" u n b o r n , original
o r i g i n a l mind"
mind"
off all
and ffinding
r i g h t here
here and
and now
n o w without
w i t h o u t indulging
i n d u l g i n g in
in any
a n y particular
particular relireliright
g i o u s discipline
discipline oor
r belief.
h o u g h he
he remained
r e m a i n e d loyal
l o y a l to
to Umpo
Umpo
gious
belief. TThough
and Dosha,
D o s h a , he
h e was
w a s quite
q u i t e open
o p e n about
a b o u t their
their failings
failings as
as Zen
Zen
and
Bankei
Bankei
99
99
masters,
far as
as ttoo tell his audience,
m a s t e r s , even
even ggoing
o i n g sso
o far
a u d i e n c e , "I
" I can
see
can see
now
...
that
Dosha's
realization
was
less
than
complete.
n o w . . . that D o s h a ' s realization w a s less than c o m p l e t e . If
If
has d o n e this b e f o r e m e .
only
make
him
o
n l y he
h e were
w e r e alive
alive ttoday,
o d a y , I ccould
ould m
ake h
i m into
i n t o a fine
fine teacher.
teacher.
w h e n he
h e died,
d i e d , his marvelous
m a r v e l o u s tteaching
e a c h i n g gift
i t h him.
him.
when
gift died
died wwith
In working
w o r k i n g with
w i t h individual
i n d i v i d u a l students
students on
o n specific
specific questions
q u e s t i o n s of
of
practice, h
m a n a g e d to
t o u c h on
o n universal
universal concerns.
c o n c e r n s . Anger,
Anger,
practice,
hee managed
to touch
f o r example,
e x a m p l e , became
b e c a m e a medium
m e d i u m for
f o r refining
refining spiritual
spiritual vision.
vision.
for
has done this before me. I'm
I ' m the
the first,"
f i r s t , " Bankei
B a n k e i told
t o l d his
his
audiences. HHe
might
that he
he was
audiences.
e m
i g h t have
have aadded
d d e d that
w a s also
also the
the last, for
for
It's a great
It's
g r e a t shame.
s h a m e . He
H e died
died too
t o o soon."
s o o n . " Bankei
B a n k e i even
turned
even turned
h i m s e l f iinto
n t o a figure
figure of
o f derision,
derision, urging
u r g i n g his
his students
s t u d e n t s tto
o avoid
avoid
himself
f o l l o w i n g his own
o w n earlier
earlier m
i s g u i d e d self-punishing
s e l f - p u n i s h i n g example
e x a m p l e of
of
following
misguided
Z
e
n
practice.
T
h
e
U
n
b
o
r
n
,
he
t
o
l
d
t
h
e
m
,
is
n
o
t
s
o
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
to
Zen practice. The Unborn, he told them, is not something to
b
r e a c h e d ffor
o r or
o r attained
attained by
b y discipline;
discipline; it is n
ot a
a condition
c o n d i t i o n of
of
bee reached
not
m i n d or
o r religious
r e l i g i o u s ecstasy;
ecstasy; it
r i g h t where
w h e r e you
y o u stand,
stand, perfect
perfect
mind
it is right
When
describedhis
hist etendency
W h e n aa ffarmer
a r m e r described
n d e n c y totog gi.'
i v e way
w a y tto
o fits
fits of
of
r a g e , Bankei
B a n k e i responded:
responded:
rage,
Youmake
makeyourself
yourselfinwardly
inwardlya afirst-class
first-classanimal.
animal....
You
. . . Therefore,
Therefore,
yyou
o u must
must thoroughly
thoroughly understand
understand about
about not
not transforming
transforming the
the
Buddha-mind
things. .. . . Until
Until you transform
transform it,
it,
Buddha-mind into
into other things.
live just
are in
Buddha-mind; you
y o u aren't
aren't
you live
just as
as you
you are
in the unborn Buddha-mind;
deluded
or unenlightened.
moment you
you do
do turn
turn it into
deluded or
unenlightened. TThe
h e moment
into
something
anger], you
you become
something else
else [like
[like anger],
become an
an ignorant,
ignorant, deluded
deluded
By getting
getting upset and
and favoring
favoring yourself
yourself you
you turn
turn
person. .. . . . . By
spirit-and
fall
into
a
your Buddha-mind into
into aa fighting
fighting spirit—and fall into a deluded
deluded
existence o
making.
existence
off your own making.
jjust
u s t as
as it is. All
A l l one
o n e need
n e e d do
d o to
to realize
realize it
it is
is to
to be
b e oneself,
oneself, exactly
exactly
as
n e is,
o i n g eexactly
x a c t l y wwhat
h a t oone
n e is
oing, w
i t h o u t commencommenas oone
is, ddoing
is ddoing,
without
..
tary,
self-consciousness, o
judgment.
tary, self-consciousness,
orr judgment.
The
T
h e mind
m i n d is a mirror;
m i r r o r ; thoughts
t h o u g h t s rise
rise and
and fall
fall o
n it.
it. There
T h e r e is
is
on
no
n
o need
n e e d to
t o either
either hold
h o l d or
o r reject
reject these
these thoughts,
t h o u g h t s , only
o n l y to
t o let
let
tthem
h e m come
c o m e and
and go.
g o . What
W h a t keeps
k e e p s us
us from
f r o m realizing
realizing this
this plain
plain
and
and essential
essential truth about
a b o u t ourselves
o u r s e l v e s is
is o
u r self-preoccupation
self-preoccupation
our
and
a n d our
o u r acquired
a c q u i r e d habit.
habit. Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s Zen
Z e n is a process
p r o c e s s of
o f decondidecondit i o n i n g impulses
i m p u l s e s and concepts
c o n c e p t s that are
are accumulated
a c c u m u l a t e d ffrom
r o m birth
birth
tioning
and frozen
and
f r o z e n in
in memory.
m e m o r y . These
T h e s e impulses
i m p u l s e s and
and concepts
c o n c e p t s have
have led
led
us
i n t o delusion
d e l u s i o n about
a b o u t the
the real
real nature
nature of
o f ourselves
o u r s e l v e s and
a n d the
the
us into
Thus,
T h u s , in
in Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s Zen
Z e n there
there is
is never
never a moment
m o m e n t when
w h e n we
w e are
are
thoughts
without
substance
n o t enlightened,
e n l i g h t e n e d , only
o n l y deluded
d e l u d e d by
b y thoughts w i t h o u t substance
not
w
o r l d . The
T h e original
o r i g i n a l mind
m i n d from
f r o m which
w h i c h we
w e come
c o m e forth
f o r t h is
is
world.
that appear momentarily
m o m e n t a r i l y and
and disappear
disappear as
as soon
s o o n as
as we
w e disregard
disregard
set aside
aside aa fixed
tthem.
h e m . Consequently,
C o n s e q u e n t l y , Bankei
B a n k e i never
never set
fixed ttime
i m e for
e x c h a n g e d for
for these
these dualistic
dualistic perceptions
p e r c e p t i o n s that
that cause
be
exchanged
cause us
us ttoo be
b o r n into
i n t o various
v a r i o u s states
o n d i t i o n s — h u m a n , beast,
beast, godgod—
born
states and
andcconditions-human,
all
p s y c h o l o g i c a l manifestations
m a n i f e s t a t i o n s oof
f anger,
anger, greed,
g r e e d , and
a n d ignoignoall psychological
rance.
T
h
e
o
n
l
y
w
a
y
o
u
t
o
f
these
perpetual
"
t
r
a
n
s
m
i
g
r
a
t
ions"
rance. The only way out of these perpetual "transmigrations"
is
y constantly
c o n s t a n t l y rreturning
e t u r n i n g to
U n b o r n in
in the
the experiential
experiential
is bby
to the
the Unborn
moment.
moment.
Unlike
other
U
nlike o
t h e r Zen
Z e n teachers
teachers with
w i t h lay
lay disciples,
disciples, Bankei
B a n k e i refused
refused
" p r a c t i c e , " saying:
saying:
"practice,"
When
When you're awake,
awake, you're awake
awake in the
the same
same Buddha-mind
Buddha-mind
Buddha-mind while
you were sleeping
in the Buddha-mind
you
sleeping in. You
You sleep
sleep in
while you
you
sleep and
and are
are up
up and
and about
about in
in the
the Buddha-mind
Buddha-mind while
while you're
you're up
sleep
and
about. That
That way,
way, you
y o u always
always stay
stay in
the Buddha-mindBuddha-mind.
and about.
in the
You'renever
neverapart
apartfrom
fromititfor
forananinstant.
instant....
You're
. . . Now
N o w 1I don't urge
urge
people to
to sleep
around here.
here. But
But once
people
sleep around
once they
they are
are asleep,
asleep, you're
to rely
to
rely on
o n traditional
traditional modes
m o d e s for
for inducing
i n d u c i n g realization
realization oof
f the
the
Unborn,
U
n b o r n , insisting
insisting instead
instead that
that his
his listeners
listeners would
w o u l d ccatch
atch a
a
making
seriousmistake
mistakeif ifyou
you
them....
making aa serious
hithit
them.
. . . There's
There's not a
it merely
gglimpse
l i m p s e oof
f it
m e r e l y upon
u p o n hearing
h e a r i n g his
his words.
words. R
a t h e r than
than
Rather
moment when you're
you're not
not aa Buddha.
Buddha.
offering
offering tthem
h e m meditation
m e d i t a t i o n or
o r koan
k o a n practice,
practice, he used
u s e d dialogue
dialogue
and
and eexhortation,
x h o r t a t i o n , calling
calling attention
attention to
events oof
f the
immedito the events
the immedi-
Nonetheless,
he cconceded
to the
N o n e t h e l e s s , he
o n c e d e d to
the wishes
w i s h e s of
o f his
his students
students and
and
allowed
to sit
when
a l l o w e d tthem
h e m to
sit zazen
zazen w
h e n tthey
h e y wished
w i s h e d tto.
o . His
H i s preferred
preferred
approach,
was
call attention
attention tto
a p p r o a c h , however,
however, w
a s tto
o call
o the
the sounds
s o u n d s of
o f the
the
birds,
birds, dogs,
d o g s , bells,
bells, coughs,
c o u g h s , and
and breezes
breezes rustling
rustling the
the leaves
leaves of
of
the trees
he
the totally
the
trees as
as h
e talked.
talked. He
H e illustrated
illustrated the
totally natural
natural funcfunc-
ate moment
m o m e n t to shock,
s h o c k , prod,
p r o d , and
and drive
drive the
thequestioner
q u e s t i o n e r to
to
ate
eexperience
x p e r i e n c e the
n b o r n . Bankei
B a n k e i himself
himself w
a s the
the vehicle;
vehicle; the
the
the UUnborn.
was
daily
r o b l e m s , and
and situations
situations of
o f his
his students
students w
e r e the
the
daily life,
life, pproblems,
were
fuel.
o o
n e ccould
o u l d say
t h a t they
t h e y have
have heard
f aanyone
n y o n e who
who
fuel. NNo
one
say ""that
heard oof
100
100
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
I
Bankei
Bankei
for
101
pray, trade,
trade, sing,
pray,
s i n g , or
o r keep
k e e p house,
h o u s e , you
y o u are never
n e v e r without
w i t h o u t it.
it.
Nonetheless,
N o n e t h e l e s s , he
h e cautioned
c a u t i o n e d his enlightened
e n l i g h t e n e d students
to continue
continue
students to
penetrating
the
fathomless
wisdom
of
p e n e t r a t i n g the f a t h o m l e s s w i s d o m o f the
n b o r n , for
f o r there
there is
is
the U
Unborn,
no
n o end
e n d to
to it.
it. This
T h i s was
w a s his
his justification
j u s t i f i c a t i o n for
for refusing
r e f u s i n g to
to confirm
confirm
This
was
to heresy
in ConT
his w
a s ttantamount
a n t a m o u n t to
h e r e s y for
f o r a society
s o c i e t y steeped
steeped in
Confucian hhierarchy,
fucian
i e r a r c h y , where
w h e r e women,
w o m e n , like
like vassals
vassals and farm
f a r m animals,
animals,
were
more
than the
the dumb
w
e r e nno
o m
o r e than
d u m b property
p r o p e r t y of
o f their
their lords.
l o r d s . The
The
Unborn
U
n b o r n was
w a s the
the great
great equalizer.
equalizer. Even
E v e n samurai
s a m u r a i could
c o u l d not
n o t avoid
avoid
a "great
" g r e a t satori,"
satori," though
t h o u g h he
he did
did declare
declare Dairyo
D a i r y o Sokyo
S o k y o as
as his
his
successor.
When
Dairyo
successor. W
hen D
a i r y o died
died two
t w o years
y e a r s before
b e f o r e him,
h i m , Bankei
Bankei
said, "I
lost bboth
said,
" I have
have lost
o t h my
m y arms."
a r m s . " Without
W i t h o u t aa formal
f o r m a l successor,
successor,
Bankei's
B
a n k e i ' s ppungent
u n g e n t rremarks.
e m a r k s . IIf
f aanger
n g e r ccould
o u l d tturn
u r n aa farmer
f a r m e r into
into
Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s lineage
l i n e a g e was
w a s doomed
d o o m e d to
t o die
die out.
out.
Contrary
to
his
wishes,
Bankei's
C o n t r a r y to his w i s h e s , B a n k e i ' s eighteenth-century
e i g h t e e n t h - c e n t u r y dharma
dharma
heirs ccomposed
heirs
o m p o s e d complicated
c o m p l i c a t e d classical
classical C
h
i
n
e
s
e
c
o
l
l
e
c
t
i
o
n
o f his
his
Chinese collectionss of
the kkind
tteachings,
e a c h i n g s , aadding
d d i n g eexactly
x a c t l y the
ind o
f
technical
B
u
d
d
h
i
s
t
j
a
r
g
on
of technical Buddhist jargon
he
abhorred
and
he a b h o r r e d and never
s e d . LLike
i k e sso
o m
a n y oother
ther C
r a z y Cloud
Cloud
never uused.
many
Crazy
teachers after
after their
teachers
their deaths,
deaths, Bankei,
B a n k e i , ttoo,
o o , fell
fell prey
p r e y to
t o wellwellmeaning
makers
m
e a n i n g llegend
egend m
a k e r s who
w h o perpetuated
perpetuated a
a fform
o r m of
o f Zen
Z e n in
in his
his
n
a m e that contradicted
c o n t r a d i c t e d what
w h a t he
h e called
called his Clear-Eyed
C l e a r - E y e d School.
School.
name
Since
Since Buddhist
B u d d h i s t teaching
t e a c h i n g at
t i m e claimed
c l a i m e d that
that women
women
at that time
monk,
aabout
b o u t thieves
thieves tturned
urned m
o n k , and
and violent
v i o l e n t monks
m o n k s turned
t u r n e d thief,
thief,
ccould
o u l d not
n o t gain
g a i n enlightenment,
enlightenment,
m
a n y women
w o m e n appeared
appeared at
at
many
Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s sermons
s e r m o n s to
to agonize
a g o n i z e over
o v e r their evil
evil fate.
T o them
them
fate. To
an aanimal,
then a cowardly
or ignoble
warrior
was
no
an
n i m a l , then
c o w a r d l y or
ignoble w
arrior w
as n
o better
better
than a cur
than
c u r as
as well.
w e l l . He
H e fascinated
fascinated his
his audiences
audiences with
w i t h stories
stories
and rrampaging
moment's
realization of
and
a m p a g i n g ssamurai
a m u r a i aappeased
p p e a s e d bby
y aa m
o m e n t ' s realization
of
the Unborn.
the
U n b o r n . He
H e assuaged
a s s u a g e d the
the fears
fears of
o f restless
restless laypeople
l a y p e o p l e and
and
telling tthem
that their
their deluded
effort to
to erase
cclergy,
l e r g y , telling
h e m that
d e l u d e d effort
erase thoughts
thoughts
was
w a s like
like trying
t r y i n g to "wash
" w a s h blood
b l o o d with
w i t h blood."
b l o o d . " To
T o would-be
would-be
ascetics wwho
that itit wwas
to listen
to him
ascetics
h o ddenied
e n i e d that
a s eenough
n o u g h to
listen to
h i m to
to gain
gain
realization, he
he llikened
to aa traveler
traveler wwho,
realization,
i k e n e d hhimself
i m s e l f to
h o , finding
f i n d i n g himhimself and
andhis
histtour
without
water,
hard
self
o u r ggroup
roup w
ithout w
a t e r , made
m a d e a llong,
ong, h
a r d climb
climb
mountain
uup
p aa m
o u n t a i n to fetch
fetch some.
s o m e . Then,
T h e n , bringing
b r i n g i n g it
it back,
b a c k , he
h e gave
gave
his
his thirsty
t h i r s t y companions
c o m p a n i o n s aa drink.
d r i n k . What
W h a t need
need for
f o r them
t h e m now
n o w to
to
make
m a k e the same
s a m e enervating
e n e r v a t i n g climb?
climb?
Bankci
B
a n k e i said:
said:
My
own
M
y o
w n struggle was undertaken
undertaken mistakenly,
mistakenly, because
because I didn't
didn't
Here's something that
that will
will prove
y o u that the Buddha-mind
Buddha-mind
prove to
to you
is
the
same
in
men
is
same
men and
and women.
. . Suppose
. Supposethat
thatoutside
outside the
the
women....
temple walls
walls someone started to beat
beat on
drum or
or strike
strike aa bell.
bell.
on aa drum
When yyou
When
o u heard these
these sounds
sounds would
would the
the women
women here
here mistake
mistake
the drumbeat for
for the
the bell,
bell, or
drumbeat? No.
N o . As
As
or the bell for the drumbeat?
far as hearing
far
hearing those
those sounds
sounds is
is concerned,
no difference
difference exists
exists
concerned, no
between
It's not
only true
true of
o f men
men and
and
between the
the men
men and the women.
women. It's
not only
women,
are people of
o f all
all kinds in this
this hall:
hall: old people
and
women, there are
people and
young, priests
priests and laity,
laity, and so
so on.
on. But
But there
there wouldn't
wouldn't be
any
young,
be any
difference
way that a
a young
y o u n g person,
person, or
a
monk,
or
differenceinin the
the way
or a monk, or aa
layman heard
sounds either.
T h e place
in
no
layman
heard the
the sounds
either. The
place in which
which there's
there's no
difference in
is
the
Unborn
.
.
.
and
difference
in the
the hearing
hearing ooff those sounds
sounds is the Unborn ... and
it's
perfectly equal
equal and
and absolutely
absolutely the
the same in each one o f you.
it's perfectly
same in each one of you.
When
we
say
"
T
h
i
s
is
a
m
a
n
,
"
or
"This
w o m a n , " those
those are
When we say "This a man," or "This isis aa woman,"
are
designations
that
result
from
the
arising
o
f
thought.
T
h
e y come
designations that result from the arising of thought. They
come
afterward. At
At the
the place
place o
arises,
afterward.
off the
the Unborn,
Unborn, before
before the
the thought
thought arises,
attributes
such
as
"
m
a
n
"
or
"
w
o
m
a
n
"
don't
even
exist.
attributes such as "man" or "woman" don't even exist.
104
104
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
happen
to meet
happen to
meet up
up with
with a aclear-eyed
clear-eyed master.
master. Eventually,
though, II discovered
discovered the
the Buddha-mind
Buddha-mind for
for myself.
myself. II have
have been
been
telling
others about
about theirs,
theirs, so
so they'll
telling others
they'll know
know about
about it without
without
going
going through that
that ordeal.
ordeal.
To
philosophers
and scholars
scholars wwho
to argue,
To p
h i l o s o p h e r s and
h o came
c a m e to
a r g u e , Bankei
Bankei
dismissed
the idea
idea that
d
i s m i s s e d the
that reason
r e a s o n or
or the
the discriminating
d i s c r i m i n a t i n g intellect
intellect
bring
for the
ccould
ould b
r i n g enlightenment,
e n l i g h t e n m e n t , for
the very
v e r y notion
n o t i o n of
o f seeking
seeking
Buddhahood
distracted oone
B
u d d h a h o o d distracted
n e ffrom
r o m the
the Buddha-mind
B u d d h a - m i n d to begin
begin
with.
w
i t h . It was
w a s impossible
i m p o s s i b l e to become
b e c o m e something
s o m e t h i n g that one
o n e already
already
was.
w
a s . Similarly,
S i m i l a r l y , he criticized
criticized those
t h o s e who
w h o believed
believed that one
o n e could
could
meditate
that meditation,
m
e d i t a t e oneself
o n e s e l f iinto
n t o satori,
satori, ssaying
a y i n g that
m e d i t a t i o n , or
o r zazen,
zazen,
was
nothing
w
a s itself
itself n
o t h i n g more
m o r e than
than the
the Unborn
Unborn
doing
d o i n g peaceful
peaceful
sitting. Just
Just sitting,
sitting, jjust
sitting.
u s t walking-nothing
w a l k i n g — n o t h i n g extraneous.
e x t r a n e o u s . His
His
poured
sscorn
c o r n ffor
o r rreligious
e l i g i o u s hhocus-pocus
ocus-pocus p
o u r e d out
o u t when
w h e n a practitioner
practitioner
oof
f the
the Shin
Shin (Nembutsu)
( N e m b u t s u ) sect claimed
c l a i m e d that Shinran,
Shinran, its founder,
founder,
had
had pointed
p o i n t e d aa writing
w r i t i n g brush
b r u s h at
at aapiece
piece of
o f paper
p a p e r held
h e l d across
across aa
Bankei
Bankei
Io5
105
river ffrom
river
r o m where
w h e r e he
he stood
s t o o d and
and miraculously
m i r a c u l o u s l y caused
caused the
the six
six
"chuu-chuu"
" c h u u - c h u u " of
o f the
the sparrow
s p a r r o w rang
r a n g out
o u t the
the song
s o n g of
o f the Unborn
Unborn
was
equal to
to BBankci
himself. SSo
the bbenighted
w
a s equal
a n k e i himself.
o ttoo
o o was
w a s the
e n i g h t e d monk
monk
w h o approached
a p p r o a c h e d the master's
master's chair
chair and
and accused
accused him
h i m of
o f being
being
who
"
f
o
o
l
i
s
h
.
"
"foolish."
characters ooff AAmida
Buddha's
name
to appear
appear oon
characters
mida B
uddha's n
a m e to
n it. Laughing,
Laughing,
B
a n k e i replied
even m
e n t i o n i n g ssuch
u c h a person
p e r s o n was
w a s like
like
Bankci
replied that
that even
mentioning
""putting
p u t t i n g dogs
d o g s and men
m e n on
o n an equal
equal ffooting."
o o t i n g . " It was
w a s better,
better, he
aadvised
d v i s e d the
nembutsu f ofollower,
l l o w e r , totoavoid
l u t t e r i n g uup
p the
mind
the nembutsu
avoidccluttering
the mind
"It's
"It's by
b y being
b e i n g `foolish'
' f o o l i s h ' that
that the
theTathagata
Tathagata saves
saves sentient
sentient
w
i t h such
such n
o n s e n s e bby
y lletting
e t t i n g it
f u n c t i o n as
as aa m
i r r o r that only
only
with
nonsense
it function
mirror
beings.
neither ccome
nor
b e i n g s . To
To neither
ome n
o r go,
g o , but
b u t to
to remain
r e m a i n as
as you
y o u innately
innately
reflected
h a t passed
o t h i n g more.
more.
reflected wwhat
passed inin front
front ooff itit and
and nnothing
are, without
w i t h o u t allowing
a l l o w i n g the
i n d to
b e c o m e oobscured-this
b s c u r e d — t h i s is
is
are,
the m
mind
to become
w
h
a
t
'
s
m
e
a
n
t
b
y
Tathagata.
A
n
d
s
u
c
h
w
a
s
the
w
a
y
o
f
all
the
what's meant by Tathagata. And such was the way of all the
Like
many
Zen
L
ike m
any Z
e n teachers,
teachers, Bankei
B a n k e i ffound
o u n d that educated
e d u c a t e d people
people
had aa particularly
hard ttime
the UUnborn
in its
had
p a r t i c u l a r l y hard
i m e ggrasping
r a s p i n g the
n b o r n in
its simsim-
patriarchs of
o f the past,"
p a s t , " Bankei
B a n k e i replied.
replied.
patriarchs
As
hee ccould
not
As h
ould n
o t be
b e insulted or
o r put
p u t off
o f f by
b y human
h u m a n challengers,
challengers,
Bankci
B a n k e i could
c o u l d not
n o t be
b e frightened
f r i g h t e n e d even
even by
b y wild
w i l d animals.
a n i m a l s . Once,
Once,
w
h
e
n
a
w
o
l
f
s
t
o
o
d
in
his
p
a
t
h
,
B
a
n
k
e
i
,
n
o
t
i
c
i
n
g
that
the
a
nimal
when a wolf stood
path, Bankei, noticing that the animal
plicity.
men
and women
p
l i c i t y . Illiterate
Illiterate m
e n and
w o m e n were
w e r e often
often much
m u c h quicker
q u i c k e r at
at
it, going right to the heart of the matter without a lot of
it, g o i n g r i g h t to the heart o f the m a t t e r w i t h o u t a l o t o f
rratiocination
a t i o c i n a t i o n and
u e s t i o n i n g . Seekers
h o llooked
o o k e d for
the
and qquestioning.
Seekerswwho
for the
eexperience
x p e r i e n c e in
o o k s could
c o u l d only
o n l y blind
b l i n d themselves,
t h e m s e l v e s , he
he said.
said.
in bbooks
In one
with
In
o n e dramatic
d r a m a t i c confrontation
confrontation w
i t h a priest
priest who
w h o had
had come
come
had a bone
b o n e caught
c a u g h t in
in its
its throat,
t h r o a t , walked
w a l k e d up
u p and
and dislodged
d i s l o d g e d itit
had
w i t h his
his fingers.
f i n g e r s . The
T h e wolf
w o l f acknowledged
a c k n o w l e d g e d its
its gratitude
g r a t i t u d e by
by
with
w a g g i n g its tail; then it disappeared
disappeared into
into the forest.
forest. But
B u t from
from
wagging
day on,
o n , whenever
w h e n e v e r Bankei
B a n k e i traveled
traveled along
a l o n g that
that particular
particular
that day
rroad,
o a d , the
the wolf
w o l f would
w o u l d come
come b
o
u
n
d
i
n
g
o
u
t
in
front
o
f
h i m and
and
bounding out in front of him
to publicly
debunk
him,
me
to
publicly d
ebunk h
i m , crying,
c r y i n g , "How
" H o w can
can you
y o u save
save m
e when
when
a c c o m p a n y him
h i m for
f o r aa few
f e w miles
m i l e s toward
t o w a r d his
his destination.
destination. To
To his
his
accompany
II don't
d o n ' t accept
accept your
y o u r teaching?"
t e a c h i n g ? " Bankei
B a n k e i only
o n l y lifted
lifted his
his fan
fan and
and
f e l l o w travelers
travelers B
a n k e i hhad
a d illustrated
illustrated his
his own
o w n teaching
t e a c h i n g in
in
fellow
Bankei
action: "Hesitate
" H e s i t a t e and
and it's
it's lost;
lost; waver
waver and
and it
it draws
d r a w s further
further and
and
action:
R
e a d i n g aabout
b o u t it
f t e r w a r d in
r i t i n g s of
o f great
great
Reading
it aafterward
in the
the sutras
sutras and
and wwritings
Z
e n teachers
teachers w
a s interesing
n l y in
onfirmed w
h a t one
one
Zen
was
interesing oonly
in that
that itit cconfirmed
what
had
already found
f o u n d for
for oneself.
oneself.
had already
asked
a n to move
m o v e forward
f o r w a r d aa few
f e w steps.
steps. When
W h e n the
the priest
priest
asked the
the m
man
did
s o , Bankei
B a n k e i asked
asked h
i m to come
c o m e still
still further.
further. The
T h e priest
priest
did so,
him
When
he fit
W
h e n aasked
s k e d hhow
o w he
fit into
i n t o the
the line
line of
o f great
g r e a t Zen
Z e n teachers,
teachers,
Bankei
replied, ""Tokusan
and RRinzai
to use
B a n k e i replied,
T o k u s a n and
i n z a i kknew
n e w hhow
o w to
use the
the
stick
and sshout;
stick and
h o u t ; II know
k n o w how
h o w to
t o use
use the
the three
three inches
inches [of
[ o f my
my
ttongue]."
o n g u e ] . " He
H e likened
l i k e n e d his
his golden-tongued
g o l d e n - t o n g u e d teaching
t e a c h i n g to aa ball
ball
that
b e e n smashed
s m a s h e d to bits
bits and
and scattered
scattered among
a m o n g his
his listenlistenthat had been
further away."
away."
further
Though
T
h o u g h he
he refused
refused to
t o write
w r i t e an
an official
official death
death poem
p o e m and
and was
was
o n l y privately
p r i v a t e l y aa fine
fine poet
p o e t and
and talented
talented painter
painter and
and calligrapher,
calligrapher,
only
Bankei d
i d leave
leave his
ords b
e h i n d in
s e r m o n s that
that were
were
Bankei
did
his wwords
behind
in the sermons
secretly
r
e
c
o
r
d
e
d
b
y
his
disciples
and
in
the
folk
p
o
e
t
r
y
he
had
secretly recorded by his disciples
folk poetry he had
w r i t t e n for
f o r the
the mountain
m o u n t a i n farmers
f a r m e r s who
w h o kept
k e p t him
h i m alive
alive during
during
written
his pilgrimage
p i l g r i m a g e years.
y e a r s . One
O n e such
s u c h poem
p o e m celebrating
celebrating the
the New
N e w Year
Year
his
encompasses B
a n k e i ' s entire teaching
t e a c h i n g in
in his
his own
o w n unmistakable
unmistakable
encompasses
Bankci's
ers,
each gaining
g a i n i n g a piece
piece as
a r g e as
c a p a c i t y tto
o hold
hold
ers, each
as llarge
as his
his or
or her
her capacity
voice.
voice.
aadvanced,
d v a n c e d , and
a n k e i said,
L o o k how
h o w well
w e l l you
y o u accept
accept it!"
it!"
and BBankei
said, ""Look
V
a n q u i s h e d , the
e b u n k e r made
m a d e a quick
q u i c k exit.
exit.
Vanquished,
the ddebunker
it. In
s a m e vein,
vein, he
h e condemned
c o n d e m n e d his
his contemporaries
c o n t e m p o r a r i e s for
for
In the same
What does
does itit matter,
matter, the new year, the
What
the old
old year?
year?
I stretch out my
m y legs
legs and
andall
allalone
alonehave
have aa quiet
quiet sleep
sleep
Don't
D
o n ' t tell
tell me the monks aren't
aren't getting
getting their
their instruction
instruction
Here
Here and
and there the nightingale is singing; the highest Zen.
m
a k i n g prisons
prisons of
o f their
their monasteries,
m o n a s t e r i e s , where
w h e r e even
even the
the smallest
smallest
making
infraction
orporal p
u n i s h m e n t and
and public
p u b l i c humilihumiliinfraction resulted
resulted in
in ccorporal
punishment
ation.
B a n k e i ' s simple,
s i m p l e , individually
i n d i v i d u a l l y oriented
oriented Zen,
Z e n , his
his respect
respect
ation. Bankei's
f o r the
the Unborn
U n b o r n residing
r e s i d i n g in
in all
all forms
f o r m s of
o f life,
life, had
h a d no
n o place
place for
for
for
the
k
i
n
d
o
f
"
p
r
y
i
n
g
o
r
b
u
l
l
y
i
n
g
"
that
m
a
d
e
students
sick
or
the kind of "prying or bullying" that made students sick or
resentful
o
f
the
practice,
o
r
caused
t
h
e
m
to
g
o
m
a
d
.
resentful of the practice, or caused them to go mad.
The
whom
T
h e ffarmer
a r m e r ffor
or w
h o m the
the "kaa
" k a a kaa"
k a a " of
o f the
the crow
c r o w and
and the
the
io6
106
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
I
Bankei
Bankei
107
66
Hakuin:
Hakuin:
The Old
Old Heretic
The
Heretic
under the
the Sala
Sola Tree
Tree
The
who,
later, under
T
h e child
child Iwajiro
Iwajiro Nagasawa,
Nagasawa, w
h o , later,
u n d e r his
his Buddhist
Buddhist
name
Hakuin
Ekaku
would
the ggreat
n
ame H
akuin E
kaku w
o u l d bbecome
e c o m e the
r e a t reformer
r e f o r m e r of
of
Japanese R
i n z a i ZZen,
en, w
a s bborn
o r n oon
n Christmas
C h r i s t m a s Day,
D a y , 1685,
1685, in
the
Japanese
Rinzai
was
in the
little
o w n of
o f Hara
H a r a in
in the
the Japanese
Japanese prefecture
prefecture of
o f Shizuoka.
S h i z u o k a . It
little ttown
w
a s eeight
i g h t years
years b
efore B
a n k e i ' s death,
t i m e that
that witnessed
witnessed
was
before
Bankei's
death, a time
the
v e r s h a d o w i n g oof
f ZZen
en B
u d d h i s m bby
y m
ore p
o p u l a r forms
forms
the oovershadowing
Buddhism
more
popular
like
N
i
c
h
i
r
e
n
and
Shin.
B
u
d
d
h
i
s
m
itself
had
lost
its
p
r
i
mary
like Nichiren and Shin. Buddhism itself had lost its primary
pposition
osition w
i t h i n Japanese
e l i g i o n to
eo-Confucianism o
within
Japaneserreligion
to the
the NNeo-Confucianism
off
scholars
ayashi R
azan, K
aibara E
k i k e n , and
and Tani
Tani Jichu,
Jichu,
scholars like
like HHayashi
Razan,
Kaibara
Ekiken,
w
h o excoriated
e x c o r i a t e d the
the Buddhist
B u d d h i s t doctrines
d o c t r i n e s of
o f celibacy
celibacy and
retirewho
and retirem e n t from
f r o m the
the world
w o r l d as
as antisocial
antisocial forces
forces destructive
d e s t r u c t i v e oof
f the
the
ment
ccosmic
o s m i c order.
order.
The
T
h e glitter and glory
g l o r y of
o f the
the reign
r e i g n of
o f the
the first
first four
f o u r Tokugawa
Tokugawa
s h o g u n s , Ieyasu
I e y a s u (1603-1616),
( 1 6 0 3 - 1 6 1 6 ) , Hidetada
H i d e t a d a (1616-1622),
( 1 6 1 6 - 1 6 2 2 ) , Iernitsu
Iernitsu
shoguns,
((1622-1651),
1622-1651),
d Ietsuna
1 6 5 1 - 1 6 8 0 ) , had
o r n off.
The
and
letsuna ((1651-168o),
hadwworn
off. The
a n
p o w e r and
i n t e l l i g e n c e oof
f these
h o had
had been
b e e n sursurpower
and intelligence
these rulers,
rulers, wwho
r o u n d e d by
b y traditional,
traditional, well-educated
w e l l - e d u c a t e d ministers
ministers and
and advisers,
advisers,
rounded
gave w
a y tto
o a short
s h o r t period
p e r i o d of
o f unrestrained
unrestrained fugitive
f u g i t i v e pleasures
pleasures
gave
way
and amusements.
a m u s e m e n t s . Theaters
T h e a t e r s and
and restaurants,
restaurants, wrestling
w r e s t l i n g booths
booths
and
and
"
h
o
u
s
e
s
o
f
j
o
y
,
"
d
w
e
l
l
i
n
g
s
for
countless
a
c
t
o
r
s
,
dancers,
and "houses of joy," dwellings for countless actors, dancers,
storytellers, jjesters,
e s t e r s , courtesans,
c o u r t e s a n s , bathgirls,
b a t h g i r l s , and
and dissolute
dissolute samusamustorytellers,
rai were
w e r e ccentered
entered m
a i n l y iin
n the
B a k u f u capital
f EEdo.
d o . The
The
rai
mainly
the Bakufu
capital oof
n
e w shogun
s h o g u n Tsunayoshi,
T s u n a y o s h i , wwho
h o ttriggered
r i g g e r e d this
h o r t era
of
new
this sshort
era of
e
bourgeois
b
o u r g e o i s frivolity
frivolity and
and extravagance
e x t r a v a g a n c e known
k n o w n as
as the Genroku
Genroku
into apathy
yyet
e t degenerated
d e g e n e r a t e d into
a p a t h y aand
n d when
w h e n heroes
h e r o e s could
c o u l d not
n o t be
be
was
superstitious and
and spendthrift
spendthrift ppedant.
((1688-1711),
1688-1711), w
a s aa superstitious
e d a n t . DeDe-
bought
b
o u g h t by
b y the
the highest
h i g h e s t bidder.
b i d d e r . The
T h e spirit
spirit of
o fbushido
bushido is
is best
best
fying
f y i n g his Confucian
C o n f u c i a n advisers,
advisers, and
a n d neglecting
n e g l e c t i n g their sound
s o u n d and
and
s o b e r politics,
p o l i t i c s , Tsunayoshi
T s u n a y o s h i embarked
e m b a r k e d on
o n aa campaign
c a m p a i g n to
to renew
renew
sober
and education,
e d u c a t i o n , and
and started
started an
an extensive
e x t e n s i v e building
b u i l d i n g proprothe arts and
g
r
a
m
in
the
capital.
T
h
e
e
x
o
r
b
i
t
a
n
t
f
u
n
d
i
n
g
o
f
these
social
and
gram in the capital. The exorbitant funding of these social and
aesthetic reforms
r e f o r m s succeeded
s u c c e e d e d in devastating
devastating state finances,
finances, and
and
aesthetic
reflected in
b o o k Hagakure,
Hagakure, ppublished
u b l i s h e d aaround
r o u n d 1720,
1720, which
which
reflected
in the
the book
c o n t a i n s the
t e a c h i n g s oof
f ttwo
w o elderly
elderly m
e m b e r s of
o f the samurai
samurai
contains
the teachings
members
class, Y
a m a m o t o TTsunetomo
s u n e t o m o and
and Tashiro
Tashiro T
s u r a m o t o . These
These
class,
Yamamoto
Tsuramoto.
the shogun's
s h o g u n ' s clumsy
c l u m s y attempts
a t t e m p t s to
r e m e d y the
the situation
situation by
by
the
to remedy
eenhancing
n h a n c i n g the
f m
e t a l ccoinage
o i n a g e in
the
the circulation
circulationoof
metal
in place
place ooff the
m e n tried
tried to
to convey
c o n v e y the
the truest
truest spirit
spirit of
o f the
theold-fashioned
old-fashioned
men
s a m u r a i bby
y stressing
stressing the
m p o r t a n c e oof
f the
a r t of
o f dying."
dying."
samurai
the iimportance
the ""art
A b s o l u t e llove
o v e and
l o y a l t y to
o n e ' s deceased
deceased lord
l o r d found
f o u n d its
its
Absolute
and loyalty
to one's
traditional
r i c e currency,"
c u r r e n c y , " paired
paired with
w i t h draconian
d r a c o n i a n cuts
the
traditional ""rice
cuts in
in the
e x p r e s s i o n in
in the
the practice
practice ot~
oibara, jjoining
o i n i n g hhim
im b
committing
expression
of oibara,
byy committing
ritual
s
u
i
c
i
d
e
,
o
r
seppuku.
For
Y
o
s
h
i
m
u
n
e
w
a
r
r
i
o
r
s
this
a s the
the
ritual suicide, or seppuku. For Yoshimune warriors this w
was
salaries
f retainers
in the
the annual
annual allowance
a l l o w a n c e for
the
salaries oof
retainers and
and aa cut
cut in
for the
r o m a n t i c equivalent
e q u i v a l e n t oof
f ddying
y i n g ttogether
ogether w
i t h oone's
n e ' s llord
o r d on
o n the
the
romantic
with
i m p e r i a l court
c o u r t in
in Kyoto,
K y o t o , only
o n l y led
led to
to an
an intolerable
i n t o l e r a b l e increase
increase in
in
imperial
f o o d prices.
prices.
food
Oblivious
to popular
O
b l i v i o u s to
p o p u l a r resentment
r e s e n t m e n t and
and surrounding
s u r r o u n d i n g himself
himself
with
w i t h small-minded
s m a l l - m i n d e d advisers,
a d v i s e r s , Tsunayoshi
T s u n a y o s h i extended
e x t e n d e d his
his private
private
sensibilities
evenfurther
furtheriinto
the ppublic
domain
sensibilities even
n t o the
ublic d
o m a i n by
b y declaring
declaring
the
k i l l i n g of
o f animals
animals aa capital
capital offense.
offense. This
T h i s necessitated
necessitated the
the
the killing
creation
o
f
an
e
n
o
r
m
o
u
s
b
u
r
e
a
u
c
r
a
c
y
c
o
n
s
i
s
t
i
n
g
o
f
p
o
l
i
c
e
and
creation of an enormous bureaucracy consisting of police and
battlefields of
o f the
the past.
past.
battlefields
Bushido
misguided
Bushido wwas
a s nnurtured
u r t u r e d bby
y aa m
i s g u i d e d iinterpretation
n t e r p r e t a t i o n oof
f Zen
Zen
iinspectors
n s p e c t o r s to
e e p track
all newborn
n e w b o r n litters
litters and
and to
t o make
make
to kkeep
track ooff all
Y
amamoto T
s u n e t o m o himself
h i m s e l f became
became a Z
e n priest in his
his old
old
Yamamoto
Tsunetomo
Zen
accurate
a r k i n g s oof
f the
a n i m a l s . Samurai
Samurai
accurate lists
lists ooff the
the sex
sex and
and m
markings
the animals.
aage,
g e , preaching
p r e a c h i n g the
perverse nnotion
o t i o n that
that humans
h u m a n s are
are "like
"like
the perverse
w
h o defied
defied this
this decree
d e c r e e were
w e r e mercilessly
m e r c i l e s s l y pput
u t to
death at
the
who
to death
at the
ssuperbly
u p e r b l y ccontrived
ontrived m
arionettes, w
h o without
w i t h o u t strings
s t r i n g s attached,
attached,
marionettes,
who
s h o g u n ' s personal
p e r s o n a l orders.
o r d e r s . Nicknaming
N i c k n a m i n g him
h i m Inu-Kobo,
I n u - K o b o , or
or
shogun's
can strut,
strut, jjump,
u m p , and
and utter
utter words
w o r d s on
o n the
the stage
s t a g e of
o f empty
empty
can
D
o g - S h o g u n , the
the citizens
citizens oof
f E
d o did
did not
n o t grieve
grieve w
h e n TsunaTsunaDog-Shogun,
Edo
when
d r e a m s . ""
dreams.
yyoshi
o s h i was
w a s murdered
m u r d e r e d by
b y his
his wife
w i f e in
in 1709.
1709.
u
i n ' s life
life and
and teaching.
t e a c h i n g . Symbolizing
S y m b o l i z i n g samurai
s a m u r a i rejection
uin's
rejection ooff the
Dovetailing
with
this warrior
D
ovetailing w
i t h this
w a r r i o r code,
c o d e , shogun
s h o g u n Yoshimune
Y o s h i m u n e inina u g u r a t e d aa powerful
p o w e r f u l rreaction
e a c t i o n against
u n l o v i n g spirit
of
augurated
against the
the ffunloving
spirit of
G e n r o k u , which
w h i c h had
h a d undermined
u n d e r m i n e d the
the samurai
s a m u r a i class
class and, by
by
the Genroku,
e x t e n s i o n , the
the Bakufu
B a k u f u government.
g o v e r n m e n t . In keeping
k e e p i n g with
w i t h the
the sparsparextension,
tan code
c o d e of
o f the
the samurai,
s a m u r a i , he
he cut
cut down
d o w n on
o n all
all state
state expenses,
expenses,
tan
first and
and foremost
f o r e m o s t on
o n his
his own
o w n shogunal
s h o g u n a l household
h o u s e h o l d expendiexpendifirst
tures,
m
a
k
i
n
g
it
a
p
o
i
n
t
to
dress
in
s
i
m
p
l
e
c
o
t
t
o
n
g
a
r
m
e n t s and
and
tures, making it a point to dress in simple cotton garments
eat
s
i
m
p
l
e
f
o
o
d
.
H
i
s
policies
w
e
r
e
deliberately
c
o
n
s
t
r
u
e
d
to
eat simple food. His policies were deliberately construed to hit
hit
the
m e r c h a n t class,
class, especially
d o , hhome
o m e to
to
the merchant
especiallyinin the
the capital
capitalatat EEdo,
large
u m b e r s oof
f government
g o v e r n m e n t contractors
c o n t r a c t o r s and
u r v e y o r s oof
f
large nnumbers
and ppurveyors
n
e w industrial
c o m m e r c i a l wealth
w e a l t h of
o f the
the chonin
chonin (townspeo(townspeonew
industrial and commercial
lluxury.
u x u r y . Yoshimune
Y o s h i m u n e passed
a w s pprohibiting
r o h i b i t i n g suits
e t w e e n ssamampassed llaws
suits bbetween
ple),
bushido r revived
e v i v e d the
e e w h e e l i n g wwarrior
a r r i o r spirit
late
ple), bushido
thef rfreewheeling
spirit ooff the
the late
urai
n d merchants
m e r c h a n t s over
o v e r loans,
l o a n s , and
and townspeople
t o w n s p e o p l e were
w e r e forbidforbidurai aand
s i x t e e n t h ccentury,
e n t u r y , rrepresenting
e p r e s e n t i n g ""the
t h e ggood
o o d oold
l d days,"
d a y s , " when
when
sixteenth
den
to assemble
assemble o
u t s i d e samurai
samurai h
o u s e s tto
o collect
collect ddebts.
e b t s . But
But
den to
outside
houses
Tsunayoshi's
T
s u n a y o s h i ' s cultural
cultural bbloom,
l o o m , with
w i t h all
all its corrupt
c o r r u p t deviations,
deviations,
had ccome
to an
rule by
had
o m e to
an end.
e n d . After
A f t e r six
six years
years of
o f rule
b y his
his successors,
successors,
ttwo
w o weak
w e a k Tokugawa
T o k u g a w a sshoguns,
h o g u n s , aa new
n e w strongman,
s t r o n g m a n , Tokugawa
Tokugawa
Y
o s h i m u n e ((r716-1745),
1 7 1 6 - 1 7 4 5 ) , ttook
o o k ppower
o w e r and
e i n f o r c e d the
Yoshimune
and rreinforced
the traditional samurai
s a m u r a i values
f frugality,
frugality, h
o n o r , and
and loyalty.
l o y a l t y . As
As
tional
values oof
honor,
cultivated bby
y the
the Yoshimune
Y o s h i m u n e regime,
r e g i m e , this
this revival
revival of
o f earlier
earlier
cultivated
T
o k u g a w a attitudes
a l u e s — p a r t i c u l a r l y bushido,
bushido, the
the "Way
"Way
Tokugawa
attitudes and
and vvalues-particularly
o
the Warrior"-pervaded
W a r r i o r " — p e r v a d e d every
every aspect
aspect of
o f Zen
Zen m
a s t e r HakHakoff the
master
p o w e r , lloyalty,
o y a l t y , and
the bravery
bravery of
o f fighting
f i g h t i n g warriors
w a r r i o r s had
h a d not
not
power,
and the
no
110
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
B
u d d h i s m that
l i k e n e d the
f o r t i t u d e and
and discipline
discipline oof
f the
the
Buddhism
that likened
the fortitude
w
a r r i o r in
battle to the
the Zen
Z e n monk's
m o n k ' s singleminded
s i n g l e m i n d e d concentraconcentrawarrior
in battle
ttion.
i o n . Both
B o t h disciplines
d i s c i p l i n e s focused
f o c u s e d on
o n eliminating
e l i m i n a t i n g "worldly"
"worldly"
tthoughts
h o u g h t s and
a n d attaining
attaining aa state
state of
o f perfect
perfect serenity
serenity in the
the realizarealization
o f the
the emptiness
e m p t i n e s s of
o f all
all appearances.
appearances. Hagakure
Hagakure author
author
tion of
even
e a s u r e s ccould
o u l d nnot
o t prevent
prevent the
impoverisheven these
these strict
strict m
measures
the impoverish-
Hakuin
Hakuin
in
111
nient
m
e n t of
o f the
t h e warrior
w a r r i o r elite
elite and
and a slow
s l o w dissolution
d i s s o l u t i o n of
o f the
the old
o l d class
class
structure.
s t r u c t u r e . By
B y the
the time
t i m e Yoshimune
Y o s h i m u n e died,
died, social
social dividing
d i v i d i n g lines
lines
ggovernment
o v e r n m e n t ttroops,
r o o p s , killing
k i l l i n g thousands
t h o u s a n d s of
o f male
m a l e hhouseholders
o u s e h o l d e r s in
the
r o c e s s and leaving
l e a v i n g many
m a n y families
families to starve.
starve.
the pprocess
were
so blurred
w e r e so
b l u r r e d that
that merchants
m e r c h a n t s ccould
o u l d bbuy
u y entry
e n t r y into
i n t o the
the
All
efforts ooff the
A
l l efforts
the Bakufu
B a k u f u government
g o v e r n m e n t to regulate
r e g u l a t e the
the price
price
ssamurai
a m u r a i class.
class. Even
E v e n the spirit of
of bushido
bushido hhad
a d bbeen
e e n appropriated
appropriated
oof
f rice,
rice, to fix
fix rates
rates of
o f interest,
interest, and
and to
to annihilate
annihilate outstanding
outstanding
bby
y the chonin,
chonin, w
ho m
e r g e d the
values o
h e warrior
warrior
who
merged
the traditional values
off tthe
debts
ssamurai
amurai d
e b t s remained
r e m a i n e d unsuccessful.
unsuccessful. In addition,
a d d i t i o n , aa succession
succession
class
i t h bbourgeois
ourgeois n
o t i o n s of
o f self-importance.
self-importance.
class wwith
notions
off iincapable
further wweakened
the ggovernment's
o
n c a p a b l e sshoguns
h o g u n s further
e a k e n e d the
o v e r n m e n t ' s hold
hold
Paradoxically,
Yoshimune
also rreopened
P
a r a d o x i c a l l y , however,
however, Y
o s h i m u n e also
e o p e n e d the door
door
to
the Exclusion
Edicts
t o Western
W e s t e r n llearning.
e a r n i n g . Since
S i n c e the
Exclusion E
d i c t s of
o f 1637,
1637, the
the
only
o n l y channel
c h a n n e l of
o f communication
c o m m u n i c a t i o n with
w i t h the
the West
West had
had been
b e e n the
the
little Dutch
little
D u t c h settlement
s e t t l e m e n t at
at Nagasaki,
N a g a s a k i , and
and Japanese
Japanese could
c o u l d learn
learn
the ooutside
world
oof
f the
utside w
o r l d oonly
n l y tthrough
h r o u g h merchants
m e r c h a n t s and
a n d shipmasters.
shipmasters.
oon
n the
the country.
c o u n t r y . The
T h e destruction
d e s t r u c t i o n oof
f the old
o l d lifelong
l i f e l o n g feudal
feudal
W
i t h the
x c e p t i o n of
of C
h r i s t i a n religious
r e l i g i o u s literature, Yoshimune
Yoshimune
With
the eexception
Christian
lifted the
a n oon
n the
m p o r t a t i o n of
o f foreign
f o r e i g n books,
b o o k s , and
and Western
Western
lifted
the bban
the iimportation
sciences
ike m
e d i c i n e and
a s t r o n o m y immediately
immediately b
e
g a n to
to
sciences llike
medicine
and astronomy
began
penetrate
l t h o u g h Yoshimune
Y o s h i m u n e appears
appears to
to have
have
penetrate Japanese
Japanese life.
life. AAlthough
the societal
so tthoroughly
that, within
the
societal sstructure
t r u c t u r e so
h o r o u g h l y that,
w i t h i n a hundred
hundred
b
e e n a man
m a n of
o f considerable
c o n s i d e r a b l e talents
talents and
and ssome
o m e originality
o r i g i n a l i t y of
of
been
m
i n d , it
it is
is hard
h a r d to
t o understand
u n d e r s t a n d why
w h y he
he undermined
u n d e r m i n e d his
his own
own
mind,
relationship
relationship bbetween
e t w e e n llord
o r d and
and retainer,
retainer, which
w h i c h had
had been
b e e n based
based
had
o
n loyalty
l o y a l t y rather
rather than on
o n cash,
cash, h
a d progressed
p r o g r e s s e d ttoo
o o far.
far. The
The
on
the moneylenders
n e w wealthy
w e a l t h y merchant
m e r c h a n t class
class and
and the
m o n e y l e n d e r s now
n o w conconnew
trolled
Japan. Slowly
trolled the
t h e economy
e c o n o m y of
o f Japan.
S l o w l y bbut
u t ssurely,
u r e l y , they
t h e y changed
changed
years,
T o k u g a w a sshogunate
h o g u n a t e disappeared,
d i s a p p e a r e d , giving
g i v i n g way
w a y to the
the
years, the Tokugawa
commercialization
c o m m e r c i a l i z a t i o n of
o f power
p o w e r and the restoration
r e s t o r a t i o n of
o f the
the imperial
imperial
It was
h
o u s e of
o f Meiji.
M e i j i . It
w a s against
against this
this transitional
transitional turn-of-theturn-of-thehouse
ccentury
e n t u r y Japanese
a c k d r o p that Hakuin
H a k u i n lived.
lived.
Japanese bbackdrop
Iwajiro
was
the yyoungest
Iwajiro Nagasawa
Nagasawa w
a s the
o u n g e s t sson
o n in
in a family
f a m i l y of
o f five
five
efforts to
to revive
revive traditional
traditional samurai
s a m u r a i values
values by
b y passing
p a s s i n g laws
l a w s that
that
efforts
His
cchildren.
hildren. H
i s father
father and
a n d grandfather,
g r a n d f a t h e r , though
t h o u g h of
o f high-class
high-class
iindirectly
n d i r e c t l y benefited
benefited the
the merchant
m e r c h a n t class.
class. Perhaps
Perhaps as
as a
a follower
follower
samurai
birth, worked
as postmasters
in the
the little
s a m u r a i birth,
w o r k e d as
p o s t m a s t e r s in
little town
t o w n of
of
o
o r t h o d o x Confucianism,
C o n f u c i a n i s m , he
he was
w a s not
n o t willing
w i l l i n g to
deprive
off orthodox
to deprive
h
i m s e l f oof
f kknowledge
n o w l e d g e ffrom
r o m other
o t h e r cultural
cultural ssources.
o u r c e s . By
B y bestowbestowhimself
i n g his
his patronage
p a t r o n a g e upon
u p o n Confucianists
C o n f u c i a n i s t s of
o f various
v a r i o u s schools,
s c h o o l s , he
ing
he
further weakened
w e a k e n e d the
the influence
influence of
o f Buddhism,
B u d d h i s m , leaving
l e a v i n g the costs
further
the costs
ffor
o r the
t h e maintenance
m a i n t e n a n c e of
o f temples
t e m p l e s and
a n d the
the priesthood
priesthood to the
iindividual
n d i v i d u a l daimyos,
daimyos, oor
r feudal
lords.
feudal lords.
to the
From
F r o m the time
t i m e of
o f Yoshimune's
Y o s h i m u n e ' s death
death in
in 1745
Hakuin's
1745 to
to Hakuin's
death in
in 1768,
death
1768, the
the country
country w
a s frequently
f r e q u e n t l y sstruck
t r u c k by
b y plague
plague
was
and
and famine,
f a m i n e , the result
result of
o f unbearable
u n b e a r a b l e tax
tax burdens
b u r d e n s and
and living
living
conditions
c o n d i t i o n s bborne
o r n e bby
y the
the rural
rural population.
p o p u l a t i o n . The
T h e life
life o
the
off the
peasant hhad
peasant
a d been
b e e n constricted
c o n s t r i c t e d by
b y fluctuating
fluctuating rice
rice prices
prices and
a n d aa
widening
in the
the lliving
standard. Farmers,
w
i d e n i n g gap
g a p in
i v i n g standard.
F a r m e r s , who
who w
e r e forced
forced
were
to borrow
to
b o r r o w from
f r o m moneylenders
m o n e y l e n d e r s charging
c h a r g i n g exorbitant
e x o r b i t a n t interest
interest
rates, resorted
resorted tto
in oorder
rates,
o abortion
a b o r t i o n and
a n d infanticide
infanticide in
r d e r to
t o keep
keep
families
small eenough
to sustain
families small
n o u g h to
sustain what
w h a t little was
w a s left after debts
debts
and
and taxes.
taxes. This
T h i s unbearable
u n b e a r a b l e situation
situation drove
drove m
a n y farmers
f a r m e r s to
many
desperate
measures,
desperate m
e a s u r e s , aand
n d soon
s o o n the
the countryside
c o u n t r y s i d e erupted
e r u p t e d in
orin organized
mass
uprisings.
Such
riots
g a n i z e d mass u p r i s i n g s . S u c h riots were
w e r e brutally
b r u t a l l y quelled
q u e l l e d by
by
112
112
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
Hara,
H
a r a , which,
w h i c h , located
l o c a t e d in the
the immediate
i m m e d i a t e vicinity
v i c i n i t y of
o f Mount
M o u n t Fuji,
Fuji,
served
as aa resting
resting place
for tired
their way
served as
place for
tired travelers
travelers oon
n their
w a y from
from
the iimperial
capital, KKyoto,
to the
Edo,
the
m p e r i a l capital,
y o t o , to
the Bakufu
B a k u f u capital,
capital, E
d o , and
and
hack.
His
mother's
family
were
devout
followers
of
the
Lotus
b a c k . H i s m o t h e r ' s f a m i l y w e r e d e v o u t f o l l o w e r s o f the Lotus
Sutra sect
sect ((Nichiren),
Sutra
N i c h i r e n ) , aa fform
o r m of
o f Buddhism
B u d d h i s m that
that Iwajiro
I w a j i r o would
would
ttry
r y to reform
r e f o r m later
later on
o n in
in his
his life.
life.
Under
the influence
his ppious
mother,
U
n d e r the
influence oof
f his
ious m
o t h e r , Iwajiro
Iwajiro soon
s o o n began
began
life.
When
still
to show
to
s h o w extraordinary
e x t r a o r d i n a r y talent for
f o r aa religious
r e l i g i o u s life. W h e n still a
yyoung
o u n g boy,
b o y , he
h e expounded
e x p o u n d e d long
l o n g sutra
sutra passages
passages ffrom
r o m memory,
memory,
and m
meditated
he
and
e d i t a t e d on
o n the transitoriness
transitoriness of
o f all
all tthings
h i n g s as
as h
e watched
watched
the passing
which
means
the
p a s s i n g cclouds.
l o u d s . IIwajiro,
wajiro, w
hich m
e a n s ""boy
b o y oof
f rock,"
rock,"
quickly
body
q u i c k l y developed
d e v e l o p e d aa sstrong
trong b
o d y and
and an iron
i r o n will.
w i l l . Biographical
Biographical
man
rrecords
e c o r d s ddescribe
e s c r i b e aa yyoung
oung m
a n with
w i t h aa determined
d e t e r m i n e d face
face and big,
big,
rround,
o u n d , shining
s h i n i n g eyes.
e y e s . Hakuin
H a k u i n later
later recalled
recalled himself
h i m s e l f as
as aa fearless,
fearless,
who
iimpulsive
m p u l s i v e ffellow
ellow w
h o delighted
d e l i g h t e d in catching
c a t c h i n g and killing
k i l l i n g insects
insects
and
s
m
a
l
l
b
i
r
d
s
.
and small birds.
One
O
n e day,
day, his
his mother
m o t h e r took
t o o k him
h i m to
to aa Nichiren
N i c h i r e n sermon
s e r m o n elucielucidating
the agony
d
a t i n g the
a g o n y of
o f the
the eight
e i g h t burning
b u r n i n g hells.
hells. Iwajiro,
I w a j i r o , close
close to
to
Hakuin
Hakuin
113
113
physical
ran oout
the temple,
p
h y s i c a l bbreakdown,
r e a k d o w n , ran
u t oof
f the
t e m p l e , his
his body
b o d y shaking
shaking
ples, wwas
the art
pies,
a s tteaching
e a c h i n g the
art of
o f composing
c o m p o s i n g linked
l i n k e d Zen
Z e n verses
verses in
in
Chinese.
C h i n e s e . For
F o r a time,
t i m e , Ekaku's
E k a k u ' s inherent
i n h e r e n t artistic
artistic talent overpowoverpowered the
spiritual seeker
seeker in
i m , and
e c i d e d tto
o rremain
e m a i n with
with
ered
the spiritual
in hhim,
and he
he ddecided
Bao. B
u t it was
w a s not
n o t long
l o n g before
b e f o r e his
his old
o l d fear
fear of
o f hell
hell returned
returned
Bao.
But
and drove
drove h
i m back
b a c k to Zen.
Zen.
and
him
One
the aid
O
n e day,
day, closing
c l o s i n g his
his eyes
e y e s and
and invoking
i n v o k i n g the
aid of
o f all
all the
the
with
and terror
w
i t h fear
fear and
terror for his sins.
sins. From
F r o m that
that day
day on,
o n , the
the mere
mere
sight ooff a fire
sight
fire prompted
p r o m p t e d long,
l o n g , uninterrupted
u n i n t e r r u p t e d musings
m u s i n g s about
about
hell
a l m hhim,
i m , his
o t h e r ttaught
a u g h t him
h i m to
to
hell and
and its
its avoidance.
avoidance. To
Toccalm
his mmother
recite
r o m vvarious
a r i o u s BBuddhist
u d d h i s t sutras
recite certain
certain passages
passagesffrom
sutras and
and to
iinvoke
n v o k e the
ame o
Shinto ggod
o d Temman
T e m m a n Tenjin.
Impressed
the nname
off the
the Shinto
Tcnjin. Impressed
bby
y the
the Buddhist
B u d d h i s t sutras,
sutras, Iwajiro
I w a j i r o ssoon
o o n started
started tto
o test
test their
their
Buddhas
and ancestral
teachers tto
B u d d h a s and
ancestral teachers
o guide
g u i d e his
his hands,
h a n d s , Ekaku
Ekaku
effectiveness eempirically.
m p i r i c a l l y . For
sutra
effectiveness
For several
severaldays
dayshe
he recited
recited aa sutra
that
w
a
s
said
to
prevent
the
z
e
a
l
o
u
s
f
o
l
l
o
w
e
r
f
r
o
m
the
h
a
r
mful
that was said to prevent the zealous follower from the harmful
p i c k e d aa b
o o k from
f r o m Bao's
B a o ' s library.
l i b r a r y . To
To his
his delight
d e l i g h t he
h e discovered
discovered
picked
book
he had
had selected
selected Urging
Urging through
through the
the Zen
Zen Barriers,
Barriers, aa sevenseventhat he
t e e n t h - c e n t u r y collection
c o l l e c t i o n of
o f lectures
lectures and stories describing
d e s c r i b i n g the
the
teenth-century
rrigorous
i g o r o u s practice
practice o
f
C
h
i
n
e
s
e
Z
e
n
masters.
H
e
o
p
e
n
e
d
the
b
o
ok
of Chinese Zen masters. He opened the book
effects oof
f fire
ater. T
a k i n g aa gglowing
l o w i n g iiron
r o n ffrom
r o m the
the hearth
hearth
effects
fire and
and wwater.
Taking
w
i t h his
his bare
bare hand,
h a n d , Iwajiro
Iwajiro painfully
painfully realized
realized that
that he
he had
had made
made
with
n
o progress
p r o g r e s s on
o n the
the path
path to
t o purification.
purification. This
T h i s experience
e x p e r i e n c e conconno
at random
r a n d o m and
and read
read about
a b o u t the
the famous
f a m o u s Rinzai
R i n z a i master
m a s t e r Sekiso
Sekiso
at
K e i s h o ((Shih-shuang
S h i h - s h u a n g CCh'ing-shu),
h'ing-shu), w
h o , meditating
m e d i t a t i n g day
day and
and
Keisho
who,
n
i g h t without
w i t h o u t interruption,
i n t e r r u p t i o n , had
h a d pierced
p i e r c e d his
his legs
legs w
i t h a sharp
sharp
night
with
w o o d e n stick
stick at the slightest
slightest hint of
o f drowsiness.
d r o w s i n e s s . Ekaku's
E k a k u ' s zeal
zeal
wooden
vvinced
i n c e d hhim
i m that
the only
o n l y thing
t h i n g left
left to
to do
d o was
w a s to
to become
b e c o m e aa
that the
m
o n k , and
and he
h e asked
asked his
his parents
parents for
e r m i s s i o n tto
o enter
Zen
monk,
for ppermission
enter aa Zen
m
onastery. A
fter m
uch p
l e a d i n g oon
n his
part and
and denial
denial on
on
monastery.
After
much
pleading
his part
theirs,
I w a j i r o finally
finally ggot
o t his
his way
w a y and
and was
w a s formally
f o r m a l l y ordained
ordained
theirs, Iwajiro
w a s so
r o u s e d bby
y S
e k i s o KKcisho's
e i s h o ' s eexample
x a m p l e that,
n hhearing
e a r i n g of
of
was
so aaroused
Sekiso
that, oon
his
m
o
t
h
e
r
'
s
death,
h
e
r
e
s
o
l
v
e
d
t
o
dedicate
h
i
m
s
e
l
f
entirely
t
his mother's death, he resolved to dedicate himself entirely too
the realization
realization oof
f his
his Buddha
B u d d h a nature
nature regardless
regardless of
o f the
the conseconsethe
q u e n c e s . Dispensing
D i s p e n s i n g even
even w
i t h the
o b l i g a t o r y funeral
funeral ceremoceremoquences.
with
the obligatory
nies
m o t h e r , Ekaku
E k a k u left
left Bao's
B a o ' s temple
t e m p l e and
and resumed
r e s u m e d his
his
nies for
for his
his mother,
at
the age
a g e of
o f fifteen.
fifteen. The
T h e abbot
a b b o t Tanrci
Tanrei Soden
S o d e n of
o f Shoin-ji
Shoin-ji in
in his
his
at the
native
a r a gave
i m the
u d d h i s t nname,
ame, E
kaku, C
r a n e of
of
native HHara
gave hhim
the BBuddhist
Ekaku,
Crane
W
i s d o m . Soon
S o o n after
after the
the ordination
o r d i n a t i o n ceremony,
c e r e m o n y , Abbot
A b b o t Tanrei
Tanrei
Wisdom.
fell
E k a k u was
w a s sent
sent off
o f f to
to continue
c o n t i n u e his
his Zen
Z e n training
training
fell ill,
ill, and
and Ekaku
w i t h A b b o t S o k u d o o f D a i s h o - j i in the n e a r b y t o w n o f N u -
spiritual
o k o monastery
m o n a s t e r y in
in Wakasa
Wakasa province,
province, a
a
spiritual search.
search. AAtt JJoko
with Abbot Sokudo of Daisho ji in the nearby town of Nu-
mazu.
lecture
n the
the jjoy
o y oof
f realization
o m
o v e d hhim
i m that,
w i t h tears
tears
lecture oon
realization sso
moved
that, with
mazu.
in
his eyes,
eyes, h
e decided
d e c i d e d tto
o bburn
u r n all
work—including
in his
he
all his
his art
art work-including
Disappointed
the stylistic
to sutra
D
i s a p p o i n t e d bby
y the
stylistic aapproach
p p r o a c h to
sutra study
s t u d y he
he
found
at
the
temple,
Ekaku
soon
lost
interest
in
his
new
f o u n d at the t e m p l e , E k a k u s o o n lost interest in his n e w
p
o e m s , calligraphies,
a i n t i n g s — i n the
the ultimate
u l t i m a t e effort
to
poems,
calligraphies,and
andppaintings-in
effort to
d
e v o t e his
x c l u s i v e l y to
Unborn.
devote
his life
life eexclusively
to realizing
realizing the
the Unborn.
s u r r o u n d i n g s and
u t on
o n aa jjourney
o u r n e y to find
find aa "true
" t r u e teacher
teacher
surroundings
and set
set oout
o
Z e n " who
w h o would
w o u l d bring
b r i n g him
h i m to
tosatori.
satori. Now
N o w nineteen
nineteen years
years
off Zen"
o
l d and physically
p h y s i c a l l y very
v e r y strong,
s t r o n g , Ekaku
E k a k u visited
visited several
several temples,
temples,
old
b
u t found
f o u n d none
n o n e of
o f them
t h e m satisfactory.
satisfactory. During
D u r i n g his
his travels
travels he
he
but
ccame
a m e across
a
b
i
o
g
r
a
p
h
y
o
f
the
C
h
i
n
e
s
e
T
'
a
n
g
p
e
r
i
o
d
Z
e
across a biography of the Chinese T'ang period Zenn
m
a s t e r Ganto
G a n t o (Yen
(Yen TT'ou),
' o u ) , famous
f a m o u s for
for shouting
s h o u t i n g so
s o loudly
l o u d l y at
at his
his
master
During
Ekaku
D u r i n g his
his travels,
travels, E
k a k u hhad
a d begun
b e g u n to
t o sit
sit with
w i t h Joshu's
Joshu's
""Mu,"
M u , " the
the famous
f a m o u s first
first koan
k o a n of
o f the thirteenth-century
t h i r t e e n t h - c e n t u r y Chinese
Chinese
classic
o a n collection,
c o l l e c t i o n , The
The Gateless
Gateless Gate.
Gate.
classic kkoan
Am
monk
Joshu, ""Does
Buddha
nature or
A
o n k asked
a s k e d Joshu,
D o e s the dog
d o g have
have B
u d d h a nature
or
nnot?"
ot?"
assassination
y bandits
e had
b e e n heard
h e a r d for
f o r miles
miles
assassinationb by
banditsthat
that hhe
had been
Joshu
said, "Mu."
Joshu said,
"Mu."
Mu
literally
means
Mu literally m e a n s ""nothing"
n o t h i n g " or "no,"
" n o , " but
b u t Joshu's
Joshu's answer
a n s w e r is
is
not
n o t aa negation
n e g a t i o n of
o f the
the monk's
m o n k ' s question;
q u e s t i o n ; instead,
instead, ititreveals
reveals the
the
qquality
u a l i t y oof
f B
u d d h a nature
s p o n t a n e i t y of
o f the
the interaction.
interaction.
Buddha
nature in the spontaneity
C
ombined w
i t h attention
attention to
to the
the breath,
breath, mu
mu is
is the
the meditation
meditation
Combined
with
device
t u d e n t to kensho,
kensho, aa gglimpse
l i m p s e iinto
n t o his
or
device that
that leads
leads the
the sstudent
his or
her
o
w
n
B
u
d
d
h
a
nature.
her own Buddha nature.
aaround.
r o u n d . Dismayed
D i s m a y e d that
that such
s u c h aa distinguished
d i s t i n g u i s h e d Zen
Z e n adept
a d e p t could
could
still
e ttouched
o u c h e d by
b y fear
fear of
o f death
death after
after devoting
d e v o t i n g his
his life
life to
the
still bbe
to the
d
e v e l o p m e n t oof
f aa ppure
u r e and
and detached
detached m
i n d , Ekaku
E k a k u fell
fell into
into
development
mind,
d o u b t about
a b o u t the
the validity
v a l i d i t y of
o f his
his own
o w n quest.
quest. In
In this
this condition,
condition,
doubt
he
little ttemple
e m p l e in
the province
p r o v i n c e oof
f Mino,
M i n o , where
where
he arrived
arrived atat aa little
in the
B
ao, a
a poor
p o o r poet-monk
p o e t - m o n k who
w h o had
had collected
collected aa handful
h a n d f u l of
o f discidisciBao,
114
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
I
Hakuin
Hakuin
115
115
To
this uultimate
Ekaku
To rresolve
e s o l v e this
l t i m a t e qquestion,
uestion, E
k a k u worked
w o r k e d on
o n mu
mu with
with
in aa state
state ooff single-minded
in
s i n g l e - m i n d e d ffocus
o c u s oon
n one's
o n e ' s koan;
k o a n ; 2)
2) daishi,
daishi, the
characteristic
etermination. W
h e n in
o m p a n y of
o f other
other
characteristic ddetermination.
When
in the
the ccompany
Great
G r e a t Death,
D e a t h , aa sudden
s u d d e n expansion
e x p a n s i o n of
o f one's
o n e ' s consciousness
c o n s c i o u s n e s s that
that
includes the
the wwhole
universeinin the
the experience
includes
h o l e universe
e x p e r i e n c e oof
f bbody
o d y and
and
mind
the GGreat
joy, reemerm
i n d dropping
d r o p p i n g away;
away; and
and 3)
3) daikangi,
daikangi, the
r e a t Joy,
reemergcnce
the wworld
with
g e n c e iinto
n t o the
o r l d oof
f tthings
hings w
i t h a ffundamental
u n d a m e n t a l understandunderstandiing
n g of
o f nonseparateness
nonseparateness accompanied
a c c o m p a n i e d by
b y overwhelming
o v e r w h e l m i n g love
love
traveling
o n k s wwho
h o hhad
a d sstopped
t o p p e d tto
o rest
rest and
a n d admire
a d m i r e the
the
travelingmmonks
beautiful
e w
o u l d rremain
e m a i n seated
seated in
z a z e n , murmurbeautiful landscape,
landscape, hhe
would
in zazen,
m
u r i n g , "What
" W h a t good
g o o d is
is it
it to
to indulge
i n d u l g e in
in sensual
sensual pleasure
pleasure when
when
muring,
o n e ' s ultimate
u l t i m a t e question
q u e s t i o n is
n o t yet
y e t resolved?"
r e s o l v e d ? " Once,
O n c e , when
when
one's
is not
sitting in
in aa temple
t e m p l e shaken
s h a k e n by
b y earthquake
e a r t h q u a k e during
d u r i n g the
the 1707
1707
sitting
aand
n d jjoy.
oy.
Ekaku
had
reached his
his ggoal.
Now
E
kaku h
a d finally
finally reached
oal. N
o w eeager
a g e r tto
o confirm
confirm
e r u p t i o n of
o f Mount
M o u n t Fuji,
Fuji, Ekaku
E k a k u remained
r e m a i n e d fixed
f i x e d on
o n his cushion
cushion
eruption
w
h
i
l
e
all
the
o
t
h
e
r
m
o
n
k
s
fled
the
m
e
d
i
t
a
t
i
o
n
hall
in
a
panic.
while all the other monks fled the meditation hall in a panic.
A
e a r later,
E i g a n - j i in
r o v i n c e oof
f E
c h i g o , the twentytwentyA yyear
later, at Eigan-ji
in the
the pprovince
Echigo,
his ""huge"
he ddecided
to get
get fformal
his
h u g e " satori,
satori, he
e c i d e d to
o r m a l aapproval
p p r o v a l ffrom
r o m the
ffour-year-old
our-year-old E
k a k u was
w a s meditating
m e d i t a t i n g assiduously
a s s i d u o u s l y day
day and
and
Ekaku
as aanything
more
ddidn't
i d n ' t regard
r e g a r d his
his experience
e x p e r i e n c e as
nything m
o r e than
than a "small"
"small"
n
i g h t , sleeping
sleeping o
n l y for
for minutes
m i n u t e s at
at aa time.
t i m e . Suddenly,
S u d d e n l y , he
he was
was
night,
only
kensho,refused
refusedtoto ggive
their seal
off approval.
kensho,
i v e hhim
i m their
seal o
a p p r o v a l . Somewhat
Somewhat
oovercome
v e r c o m e bby
y enormous
e n o r m o u s tension
tension manifesting
m a n i f e s t i n g itself
form
itself in
in the
the form
but
hhumbled,
umbled, b
u t still
still convinced
c o n v i n c e d of
o f his
his enlightenment,
enlightenment,
oof
f a
a Great
G r e a t Doubt.
D o u b t . This
T h i s was
w a s followed
f o l l o w e d by
b y his
his first
first
turned uup
hermitage
Dokyo
Etan,
the OOld
turned
p at
at the
the little
little h
e r m i t a g e oof
f D
okyo E
t a n , the
l d Man
Man
Zen
his great
great disappointment,
the teachers,
Z
e n masters.
m a s t e r s . To
To his
d i s a p p o i n t m e n t , the
teachers, who
who
spiritual
spiritual
bbreakthrough,
r e a k t h r o u g h , described
described later
later in
ld Z
e n nun.
nun.
in aa letter
letter to
to an
an oold
Zen
Shoju, aa ZZen
master
who
oof
f Shoju,
en m
a s t e r in his sixties
sixties w
h o was
w a s as renowned
r e n o w n e d for
for
the ddepth
the
e p t h of
o f his
his Zen
Z e n understanding
u n d e r s t a n d i n g as
as for his eccentricity.
eccentricity.
Suddenly
great doubt
itself before
before me.
me. It was
Suddenly aa great
doubt manifested
manifested itself
was as
Born
B
o r n into
i n t o aa samurai
s a m u r a i family,
f a m i l y , Dokyo
D o k y o had
had early
early developed
developed a
though II were frozen solid in the midst of
o f an
an ice
ice sheet extending
extending
tens
A purity filled
filled m
y breast and I could
tens ooff thousands
thousands ooff miles.
miles. A
my
g o forward
forward nor
nor retreat.
retreat. To
To all
all intents
intents and
and purposes
purposes II was
was
neither go
out of
of m
y mind
M u " alone
. . . This
This state
state
out
my
mind and
and the
the ""Mu"
aloneremained.
remained....
lasted for
several days.
o f the
the
lasted
for several
days. Then
Then I chanced
chanced to
to hear
hear the sound of
was suddenly
suddenly transformed.
transformed. It
It was
was as
as if a sheet
sheet
temple bell and I was
o f ice
ice had
. andI Ireturned
returnedto
tomy
mysenses.
senses. II felt
felt
of
had been smashed ..... and
achieved the
h o , through the
the three
three
that I had achieved
the status
status ooff Ganto,
Ganto, w
who,
periods
encountered not
not the
the slightest
slightest loss
loss [although
[although he
he
periods ooff time,
time, encountered
had
been
murdered
by
bandits].
All
my
former
doubts
vanished
had been murdered by bandits]. All my former doubts vanished
. . and
. andinina loud
a loudvoice
voiceI Icalled:
called:"Wonderful,
"Wonderful, wonderful.
wonderful. There
There
...
is
no
cycle
o
f
birth
and
death
through
which
one
must
pass.
is no cycle of birth and death through which one must pass.
There
is
no
enlightenment
one
must
seek.
.
.
.
"
Smugly
There is no enlightenment one must seek.
." Smugly II
thought
to
myself,
"In
the
past
two
or
three
hundred
years no
no
thought to myself, "In the past two or three hundred years
one
could
have
accomplished
such
a
marvelous
breakthrough
as
one could have accomplished such a marvelous breakthrough as
this."
this. "
.
Ekaku
Ekaku
desire to
to bbecome
monk.
desire
e c o m e aa m
o n k . After
A f t e r aa year
y e a r of
o f severe
severe training
training with
with
the famous
the
f a m o u s Shido
S h i d o Bu'nan
B u ' n a n Zenji
Z e n j i at
at his
his mountain
m o u n t a i n hermitage,
hermitage,
Dokyo
profound
and received
the seal
D
o k y o experienced
experienced p
r o f o u n d satori
satori and
received the
seal of
of
aapproval
p p r o v a l ffrom
r o m his teacher.
teacher. Still
Still in his twenties,
t w e n t i e s , he
h e resolved
r e s o l v e d to
to
ffollow
o l l o w the
e x a m p l e oof
f the eccentric
eccentric Chinese
Chinese T
' a n g dynasty
dynasty
the example
T'ang
m
o n k Bokushu,
B o k u s h u , and cut himself
himself o
f f ffrom
r o m the
the world,
w o r l d , sitting
sitting in
monk
off
deserted
r a v e y a r d s wwith
i t h wwolves
o l v e s hhowling
o w l i n g atat his
a c k , and
and
deserted ggraveyards
his bback,
finally
h o j u - a n hhermitage
e r m i t a g e as
ld M
an o
finally retiring
retiring atat the
the SShoju-an
asthe
theOOld
Man
off
Shoju.
Shoju.
In his
his first
first iinterview
with
the oold
hermit,
In
nterview w
i t h the
ld h
e r m i t , Ekaku
E k a k u boasted
b o a s t e d of
of
the
d e p t h " and
and "clarity"
" c l a r i t y " of
o f his
his own
o w n Zen
Z e n understanding
u n d e r s t a n d i n g in
the ""depth"
in the
fform
o r m of
o f an
an eelegant
l e g a n t verse
u t ddown
o w n oon
n aa sheet
Dokyo,
verse pput
sheet ooff paper.
paper. Dokyo,
.
ccrushing
r u s h i n g the
aper w
i t h his
his left
left hand,
h a n d , held
held out
o u t his
his right
r i g h t hand
hand
the ppaper
with
and
P u t t i n g learning
l e a r n i n g aside,
aside, what
w h a t have
have you
y o u seen?"
seen?"
and said,
said, ""Putting
satori: 1)
daigi, the
the GGreat
1) daigi,
r e a t Doubt,
D o u b t , aa heightened
h e i g h t e n e d tension
t e n s i o n concon-
"If
to you,
" I f I'd seen
seen something
s o m e t h i n g I could
c o u l d present
present to
y o u , I'd
I'd vomit
v o m i t it
it
o
u t , " replied
replied Ekaku,
E k a k u , and,
and, making
m a k i n g aa gagging
g a g g i n g sound,
s o u n d , he
he prepreout,"
tended
omit o
n D
o k y o ' s hand.
hand.
tended to
to vvomit
on
Dokyo's
The
T
h e old
o l d man
m a n came
c a m e closer.
closer. "How
" H o w do
d o you
y o u understand
u n d e r s t a n d Joshu's
Joshu's
nected
with
n
ected w
i t h the strenuous
s t r e n u o u s effort
effort of
o f uninterrupted
u n i n t e r r u p t e d absorption
absorption
MJM?"
o u n g monk.
monk.
mu?" he
he tested
tested the
the yyoung
The
T h e three
three crucial
crucial elements
e l e m e n t s of
o f the
the mystical
m y s t i c a l experience
e x p e r i e n c e are
are
clearly discernible
discernible inin this
this rremarkable
clearly
e m a r k a b l e aaccount
c c o u n t oof
f EEkaku's
k a k u ' s first
first
116
116
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
I
Hakuin
Hakuin
117
117
"In
there is
is nno
place
" I n JJoshu's
o s h u ' s mu
mu there
o p
l a c e tto
o put
p u t hands
h a n d s oor
r feet,
f e e t , "" Ekaku
Ekaku
replied, iimplicitly
the oold
man's
replied,
m p l i c i t l y rridiculing
i d i c u l i n g the
ld m
a n ' s ooutstretched
u t s t r e t c h e d hand.
extraordinary
and village
tales ooff a "two-hundrede x t r a o r d i n a r y rrumors
u m o r s and
v i l l a g e tales
"two-hundred-
Dokyo
D
o k y o immediately
i m m e d i a t e l y grabbed
g r a b b e d Ekaku's
Ekaku's n
o s e , gave
gave it
good
nose,
it aa good
E
k a k u , a true believer
believer in
v i l l a g e ffolklore,
o l k l o r e , set
set out
o u t immediately
immediately
Ekaku,
in village
yyear-old
ear-old m
o u n t a i n deity"
d e i t y " equipped
e q u i p p e d with
w i t h supernatural
supernatural powers.
powers.
mountain
ttwist,
w i s t , and
and laughed.
l a u g h e d . "I
" I found
f o u n d some
s o m e place
place to
p u t hands
hands and
and
to put
to
find the miracle
m i r a c l e worker.
w o r k e r . In
his most
m o s t ffamous
a m o u s book
b o o k Yasen
Yasen
to find
In his
ffeet!"
eet!"
kanna
Boat in
in the
the Evening),
Evening), H
a k u i n later
gave a
a
kanna (Chat
(Chat on
on aa Boat
Hakuin
later gave
Nonplussed,
and aasked
the hhermit
N
o n p l u s s e d , Ekaku
E k a k u conceded
c o n c e d e d defeat
defeat and
s k e d the
e r m i t to
detailed
e s c r i p t i o n oof
f his
n c o u n t e r wwith
i t h the
h e r m i t who
who
detailed ddescription
his eencounter
the hermit
tell hhim
tell
i m what
w h a t was
w a s missing
m i s s i n g in his
his realization.
realization.
eventually
u r e d hhim
i m oof
f his
Z e n sickness."
sickness."
eventually ccured
his ""Zen
Dokyo
new
D
o k y o assigned
a s s i g n e d hhim
i m aa n
e w kkoan.
o a n . From
F r o m that day
day on,
o n , at
at any
any
Diagnosing
the m
monk's
the result
result of
D
i a g n o s i n g the
o n k ' s pitiable
pitiable ccondition
o n d i t i o n tto
o bbe
e the
of
sign
Ekaku's
s i g n of
of E
k a k u ' s returning
r e t u r n i n g arrogance,
a r r o g a n c e , the old
old m
a n would
w o u l d reject
reject
man
his
him
his presentation
p r e s e n t a t i o n by
b y calling
calling h
i m a "poor
" p o o r hole-dwelling
h o l e - d w e l l i n g devil"
devil"
to prod
p r o d him
h i m out
o u t of
o f his
his "emptiness
" e m p t i n e s s addiction."
addiction."
him
sstrenuous
trenuous m
e d i t a t i o n practice,
a k u y u iintroduced
ntroduced h
i m tto
o the
the
meditation
practice, H
Hakuyu
practice
naikan, aa mental
m e n t a l imagery
i m a g e r y technique
t e c h n i q u e designed
d e s i g n e d to
to
practice ooff naikan,
iinduce
n d u c e hhealing.
e a l i n g . First
h a d Ekaku
E k a k u concentrate
c o n c e n t r a t e his
his breath
breath
First he
he had
Taking
up
at the
Taking u
p permanent
p e r m a n e n t residence
residence at
the hermitage,
h e r m i t a g e , Ekaku
Ekaku
mercilessly
periods
m
e r c i l e s s l y tthrew
h r e w hhimself
i m s e l f iinto
n t o llong
ong p
e r i o d s oof
f uninterrupted
uninterrupted
meditation,
m
e d i t a t i o n , only
o n l y to be
b e rejected
rejected and
and ridiculed
ridiculed bby
y Dokyo
D o k y o time
time
eenergy
n e r g y oon
n the tiara,
hara, aa p
o i n t two
t w o inches
inches b
e l o w the navel.
navel. Soon
Soon
below
point
E
k a k u experienced
e x p e r i e n c e d aa feeling
a r m t h that
that enshrouded
e n s h r o u d e d his
his
Ekaku
feeling ooff wwarmth
entire
o d y and
inured h
i m to
t o the
the biting
b i t i n g January
J a n u a r y cold.
c o l d . He
He
entire bbody
and inured
him
and
and again.
a g a i n . Long
L o n g painful
painful weeks
w e e k s passed
passed and
and nothing
n o t h i n g happened.
happened.
T h e young
y o u n g monk
m o n k felt
felt he
he would
w o u l d rather
rather die
diethan
thanleave
leave the
the place
place
The
w i t h o u t Dokyo's
D o k y o ' s approval.
a p p r o v a l . His
H i s physical
p h y s i c a l strength
s t r e n g t h diminished,
diminished,
without
sscrupulously
c r u p u l o u s l y ffollowed
ollowed H
akuyu's w
h o l e s o m e diet
diet and
and regimen
regimen
Hakuyu's
wholesome
o
p h y s i c a l and
and mental
m e n t a l exercises,
exercises, which
w h i c h included
i n c l u d e d visualizing
visualizing
off physical
an exquisitely
e x q u i s i t e l y colored,
c o l o r e d , fragrant
fragrant llump
u m p of
o f cream
c r e a m on
o n his
his head
head
an
sslowly
lowly m
e
l
t
i
n
g
and
g
r
a
d
u
a
l
l
y
filtering
d
o
w
n
t
h
r
o
u
g
h
o
u
t
his
melting and gradually filtering down throughout his
entire
b
o
d
y
.
T
h
e
delicious
f
r
a
g
r
a
n
c
e
,
c
o
m
b
i
n
e
d
w
i
t
h
a
feeling
entire body. The delicious fragrance, combined with a feeling
o f gentle
gentle p
r i c k l i n g and
a r m t h , would,
w o u l d , according
a c c o r d i n g to
to Hakuyu,
Hakuyu,
of
prickling
and wwarmth,
clear
d h e s i o n s and
b s t r u c t i o n s , tranquilize
tranquilize the
the organs,
organs,
clear away
away aadhesions
and oobstructions,
and
restore
a
d
e
g
r
e
e
o
f
health
"
f
a
r
surpassing
o
n
e
'
s
c
o
ndition
and restore a degree of health "far surpassing one's condition
at the p e a k o f y o u t h . "
at the peak of youth."
Ekaku
every day
day for
for three
E
k a k u practiced
p r a c t i c e d naikan
naikan every
three years,
y e a r s , during
during
and,
f o r c i n g himself
h i m s e l f beyond
b e y o n d even
even his
his powerful
powerful
and, forcing
endurance,
endurance,
E
k
a
k
u
v
i
r
t
u
a
l
l
y
s
t
o
p
p
e
d
eating
and
s
l
e
e
p
i
n
g
.
O
n
e
day, oon
n a
a
Ekaku virtually stopped eating and sleeping. One day,
trip
e a r b y village
village w
h i l e bbegging
e g g i n g for
ood, E
k a k u encounencountrip to a nnearby
while
for ffood,
Ekaku
tered
m a n who
w h o fiercely
fiercely despised
despised begging
b e g g i n g monks.
m o n k s . Chasing
Chasing
tered aa man
E
k a k u ooff
f f and
calling hhim
i m a public
p u b l i c nuisance,
nuisance, the
m a n hit
hit him
him
Ekaku
and calling
the man
o
n the head
h e a d several
several ttimes
i m e s wwith
i t h aa bbroom
r o o m and
n o c k e d hhim
i m out.
out.
on
and kknocked
A
m o m e n t he
h e regained
r e g a i n e d consciousness,
c o n s c i o u s n e s s , Ekaku
E k a k u suddenly
suddenly
Att the moment
penetrated
o a n to
the depths.
d e p t h s . Laughing
L a u g h i n g aloud
a l o u d and
and clapclappenetrated his
his kkoan
to the
w
h i c h all his
h y s i c a l and
e n t a l maladies
maladies disappeared. Naikan
Naikan
which
his pphysical
and m
mental
pping
i n g and
and dancing
d a n c i n g with
w i t h joy
j o y along
a l o n g the
the dusty
d u s t y village
v i l l a g e streets,
streets, he
he
Zen
cchanged
h a n g e d EEkaku's
kaku's Z
e n practice,
practice, too;
t o o ; he
he became
b e c a m e less
less extreme
extreme
s o o n attracted
attracted the
the attention
attention of
o f onlookers.
o n l o o k e r s . Convinced
C o n v i n c e d that
that the
the
soon
p
o
o
r
m
o
n
k
h
a
d
been
k
n
o
c
k
e
d
silly,
t
h
e
y
m
a
d
e
a
l
a
r
g
e
berth
poor monk had been knocked silly, they made a large berth
aaround
round h
i m , yelling,
y e l l i n g , "A
" A madman,
m a d m a n , aa m
adman! G
et o
u t of
o f his
his
him,
madman!
Get
out
and m
o r e balanced.
b a l a n c e d . Working
W o r k i n g alone
alone on
o n various
v a r i o u s koans,
k o a n s , especially
especially
and
more
o n the
the difficult
difficult "Five
" F i v e Ranks
R a n k s of
o f Master
M a s t e r Tozan
T o z a n Ryokai"
R y o k a i " he
he
on
e x p e r i e n c e d several
i t h i n oonly
n l y aa ffew
ew m
o n t h s , somesomeexperienced
several kensho
kenshowwithin
months,
ttimes
imes b
r
e
a
k
i
n
g
i
n
t
o
l
o
u
d
,
j
o
y
o
u
s
l
a
u
g
h
t
e
r
and
r
o
l
l
i
n
g
o
the
breaking into loud, joyous laughter and rolling onn the
gground
r o u n d in
r
a
p
t
u
r
e
.
A
g
a
i
n
p
a
s
s
e
r
s
b
y
t
o
o
k
h
i
m
for
a
m
a
d
m
a
n,
in rapture. Again passersby took him for a madman,
and
o o n stories
b o u t the
" c r a z y itinerant
itinerant m
o n k " began
b e g a n to
to
and ssoon
stories aabout
the "crazy
monk"
w
ay!"
way!"
When
Ekaku
W
hen E
k a k u returned
r e t u r n e d to
t o the
the hermitage,
h e r m i t a g e , Dokyo
D o k y o immediimmediately
ately recognized
r e c o g n i z e d the
the change
c h a n g e in his disciple.
disciple. After
A f t e r a few
f e w testing
testing
questions,
he
gave
him
his
approval
questions,
gave h i m his a p p r o v a l and
and aa h
e a r t y pat
n the
the
hearty
pat oon
back.
b a c k . Then,
T h e n , admonishing
a d m o n i s h i n g him
h i m to
to give
g i v e up
u p his austere
austere practices
practices
and to
to restore
to health,
and
restore himself
h i m s e l f to
health, Dokyo
D o k y o recommended
r e c o m m e n d e d he see
see
the famed
healer HHakuyu
the
f a m e d Taoist
Taoist healer
a k u y u in
in his
his mountain
m o u n t a i n cave
cave oon
n the
the
ooutskirts
u t s k i r t s of
o f Kyoto.
Kyoto.
spread.
k a k u enjoyed
o a m i n g aabout
b o u t in
o u n t r y as
spread. EEkaku
enjoyedrroaming
in the
the ccountry
as aa
""madman,"
m a d m a n , " but
b u t that
that did
did not
n o t keep
k e e p him
h i m from
f r o m interrupting
i n t e r r u p t i n g his
his
travels
o r several
o n t h s to
d e e p e n his
practice aand
n d test
test his
his
travels ffor
severalmmonths
to deepen
his practice
u
nderstanding w
i t h the
the various
v a r i o u s Zen
Z e n masters
masters o
t e m p l e s he
he
understanding
with
off the
the temples
visited
o u t e . Finally,
Finally, in
in the
the winter
w i n t e r of
o f 1715,
1 7 1 5 , he
h e built
built himself
himself
visited en
en rroute.
Part sage
Part
sage and
and part madman,
m a d m a n , Hakuyu
Hakuyu w
a s the
subject of
of
was
the subject
rib
118
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
11
Hakuin
Hakuin
119
rrg
a little
little hermitage
h e r m i t a g e close
close to the
the village
v i l l a g e of
o f Yamanoue,
Y a m a n o u e , where
where
as the
the tthree-month
rreturned
e t u r n e d to
t o Shoin-ji
Shoin-ji as
as ssoon
o o n as
h r e e - m o n t h period
p e r i o d ended,
ended,
Kanzan
Zenji,
monastery
Kanzan Z
e n j i , the founder
f o u n d e r of
o f the
the ffamous
amous m
o n a s t e r y MyoshinMyoshinji
j i in
in Kyoto,
K y o t o , had
h a d spent
spentseveral
several years
y e a r s in
in seclusion.
seclusion.
Two
later EEkaku's
life ccame
to an
T
w o yyears
e a r s later
k a k u ' s iidyllic
d y l l i c life
a m e to
an abrupt
a b r u p t end
end
when
w h e n a servant
servant from
f r o m his
his home
h o m e village
v i l l a g e of
o f Hara
H a r a arrived
arrived at
at his
his
h u t and
and reported
r e p o r t e d that
that Ekaku's
E k a k u ' s father
father was
w a s gravely
gravely ill.
ill. To
To fulfill
fulfill
hut
rejecting
an offer
offer to
to stay
stay oon
and bbecome
rejecting an
n and
e c o m e a training master.
master.
Hakuin
H
a k u i n was
w a s soon
s o o n joined
j o i n e d by
b y aa young
y o u n g disaffected
disaffected Myoshin-ji
Myoshin-ji
novice.
Others
andwwithin
shortt time-to
n
ovice. O
t h e r s ffollowed,
o l l o w e d , and
i t h i n a ashort
i m e — t o the
the
o
utrage o
the religious
r e l i g i o u s eestablishment-Hakuin
s t a b l i s h m e n t — H a k u i n had
h a d collected
collected
outrage
off the
as disciples
i x e d bbag
a g oof
f m
o n k s and
and nuns,
n u n s , and
and laymen
l a y m e n and
and
as
disciples aa mmixed
monks
his father's
i s h to
i m , EEkaku
k a k u r ereturned
t u r n e d totoHHaraara—
his
father's last
last wwish
to see
seehhim,
o n l y to
to find
find that
that his
his father
father had
had died.
died. Hoping
H o p i n g to
to visit
visit his
his
only
o r d i n a t i o n temple,
t e m p l e , Shoin
Shoin-ji,
E k a k u was
w a s further
further dismayed
d i s m a y e d to
to
ordination
ji, Ekaku
llaywomen.
aywomen. A
spiritually gifted
gifted sixteen-year-old
s i x t e e n - y e a r - o l d girl named
named
A spiritually
find it without
w i t h o u t an
an abbot
a b b o t and
and in
in aa state
state of
o f near
near collapse.
collapse. Once
O n c e aa
find
b
e
a
u
t
i
f
u
l
little
t
e
m
p
l
e
,
Shoin-ji
w
a
s
n
o
w
n
o
t
h
i
n
g
m
o
r
e
than a
a
beautiful little temple, Shoin ji was now nothing more than
roofless, floorless
floorless ruin.
k a k u had
w e a r aa rain
n d highhighroofless,
ruin. EEkaku
had to
to wear
rain hat
hat aand
h
eeled w
o o d e n sandals
sandals to
avoid b
e i n g soaked
s o a k e d by
b y rainfall
rainfall and
and
heeled
wooden
to avoid
being
eenormous
n o r m o u s puddles
p u d d l e s in
w h a t had
had once
o n c e been
b e e n the
the main
m a i n hall.
hall. All
All
in what
sations that
he was
w a s "entangling
" e n t a n g l i n g people
p e o p l e in
in delusion."
d e l u s i o n . " Hakuin
Hakuin
sations
that he
the
t e m p l e property
p r o p e r t y was
w a s in
the hands
hands of
o f creditors,
c r e d i t o r s , and
and its
its
the temple
in the
priestly
elongings w
ere m
o r t g a g e d to
e r c h a n t s . Undaunted,
Undaunted,
priestly bbelongings
were
mortgaged
to m
merchants.
E
kaku d
e c i d e d then
he would
w o u l d move
m o v e in
in and
and
Ekaku
decided
then and
and there
there that
that he
b
e c o m e the
m a s t e r of
o f Shoin
Shoin-ji.
Filled w
i t h optimism,
o p t i m i s m , he
he
become
the master
ji. Filled
with
p
e r f o r m e d the
the "ceremony
" c e r e m o n y of
o f entering
e n t e r i n g the
the monastery"
m o n a s t e r y " alone
alone in
in
performed
the
m p t y ruin
ruin and
and installed
installed himself
h i m s e l f as
as aabbot
b b o t on
o n the
the spot.
s p o t . Here
Here
the eempty
Satsu w
a s aamong
m o n g the
first to join
j o i n what
w h a t Hakuin
H a k u i n called
called his
his
Satsu
was
the first
T
h o r n b u s h Thicket
T h i c k e t Community,
C o m m u n i t y , an
an ironic
i r o n i c response
r e s p o n s e to
t o accuaccuThornbush
w
a s aa d
e d i c a t e d teacher,
available to
o m m u n i t y daily
daily
was
dedicated
teacher, available
to his
his little
little ccommunity
for
a l m o s t twenty
t w e n t y years,
y e a r s , though
t h o u g h Shoin
Shoin-ji
b o a s t e d only
o n l y eight
eight
for almost
ji boasted
resident
o n k s and
and a
a ffew
e w ttemporary
e m p o r a r y lay
lay ppersons.
e r s o n s . Throughout
Throughout
resident m
monks
his
t e n u r e , Hakuin
H a k u i n himself
h i m s e l f continued
c o n t i n u e d to
to have
have major
m a j o r experiexperihis tenure,
ences oof
f iinsight.
n s i g h t . Like
L i k e one
the Chinese
C h i n e s e Sung
Sung
ences
one ooff his
his great
great idols,
idols, the
d y n a s t y Zen
Z e n master
m a s t e r Dale
D a i e Soko
S o k o (Ta-hui
( T a - h u i Tsung-Kao),
T s u n g - K a o ) , he
he
dynasty
c l a i m e d to
to have
have experienced
e x p e r i e n c e d eighteen
e i g h t e e n great
great satori
satori and
and countless
countless
claimed
""small"
s m a l l " openings
o p e n i n g s (kensho)
(kensho) tthroughout
h r o u g h o u t his
his lifetime.
lifetime.
By
B y 1740,
1740, with
w i t h Hakuin
H a k u i n now
n o w middle-aged
m i d d l e - a g e d and
and gaining
g a i n i n g aa
reputation
beyond
reputation b
e y o n d Hara,
H a r a , the
the community
c o m m u n i t y expanded,
e x p a n d e d , adding
adding
he
o u l d spend
s p e n d the
the rest
rest of
o f his
his life.
life. In
In celebration
celebration of
o f this
this event,
event,
he w
would
new
n
e w buildings
b u i l d i n g s for practice
practice and residence.
residence. Hakuin
H a k u i n still
still insisted
insisted
the
W h i t e n e s s . In
In Buddhism,
B u d d h i s m , whiteness
w h i t e n e s s symbolizes
s y m b o l i z e s essential
essential
the Whiteness.
on
o n teaching
t e a c h i n g lay
lay students,
students, bbut
u t now
n o w only
o n l y monks
m o n k s were
w e r e allowed
a l l o w e d to
to
take u
p residence
residence in
o n a s t e r y . Here,
H e r e , his
his colorful
c o l o r f u l diatribes
diatribes
take
up
in the
the m
monastery.
E
k a k u gave
i m s e l f a an enew
w d hdharma
a r m a n aname-Hakuin-Hidden
m e — H a k u i n — H i d d e n in
in
Ekaku
gavehhimself
nature, the place b e y o n d life and death w h e r e all suffering has
nature, the place beyond life and death where all suffering has
ceased. It is said that w h e n S h a k y a m u n i B u d d h a died,
two
ceased. It is said that when Shakyamuni Buddha died, two
b l o o m i n g sala trees grieved so d e e p l y that t h e y w i t h e r e d and
blooming sala trees grieved so deeply that they withered and
turned white. Alluding to this "white" place of original innocence and p u r i t y , the n e w a b b o t o f Shoin-ji w o u l d s i g n all his
cence and purity, the new abbot of Shoin-ji would sign all his
letters and d o c u m e n t s , " H a k u i n , the o l d heretic w h o sits u n d e r
letters
and documents, "Hakuin, the old heretic who sits under
the sala t r e e . "
the
sala tree."
Not
ji, he
N
o t long
l o n g after
after Hakuin
H a k u i n arrived
arrived at
at Shoin
Shoin-ji,
he was
w a s honored
honored
with
w
i t h an invitation
i n v i t a t i o n to
to become
b e c o m e shuso,
shuso, the
the head
head monk
m o n k of
o faakessei
kessei
turned w h i t e . A l l u d i n g t o this " w h i t e " place o f o r i g i n a l i n n o -
at Myoshin-ji
M y o s h i n - j i in
in Kyoto.
K y o t o . Most
M o s t Japanese
Japanese monks
m o n k s would
w o u l d have
have used
used
this
x c e l l e n t oopportunity
p p o r t u n i t y to
to establish
establish themselves
t h e m s e l v e s at MyoshinMyoshinthis eexcellent
jji,
i , the
the country's
c o u n t r y ' s most
m o s t famous
f a m o u s Rinzai
R i n z a i monastery;
m o n a s t e r y ; it
it represented
represented
the almost
a l m o s t sure
sure path
p a t h to
to becoming
b e c o m i n g an
an "old
" o l d teacher,"
t e a c h e r , "a aroshi.
roshi.
the
N o t Hakuin.
H a k u i n . He
H e reluctantly
r e l u c t a n t l y accepted
accepted the
e m p o r a r y post
p o s t and
and
Not
the ttemporary
120
120
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
against
P u r e Land
L a n d School
S c h o o l of
o f Buddhism
B u d d h i s m and
and the
the "silent
"silent
against the
the Pure
iillumination
l l u m i n a t i o n ZZen"
e n " of
o f various
v a r i o u s Soto
S o t o and
and Rinzai
R i n z a i teachers
teachers espeespecially attracted
a g e r yyoung
o u n g monks.
m o n k s . These
T h e s e inexperienced
i n e x p e r i e n c e d novnovcially
attracted eeager
ices
e r e greatly
g r e a t l y moved
m o v e d by
b y Hakuin's
H a k u i n ' s insistence
insistence that
that they
they
ices wwere
cultivate
h e r o i c ddetermination"
e t e r m i n a t i o n " on
o n the path to enlightenment.
enlightenment.
cultivate ""heroic
H
a r k e n i n g to
his example,
e x a m p l e , they,
t h e y , too,
t o o , were
w e r e willing
w i l l i n g to
t o face
face
Harkening
to his
painful
as they
t h e y fashioned
f a s h i o n e d themselves
t h e m s e l v e s iinto
nto a
a new
n e w generagenerapainful trials
trials as
ttion
i o n of
o f Japanese
i n z a i ZZen
e n monks.
monks.
Japanese RRinzai
The
Hakuin's
resulted in
in m
many
T h e success
success oof
f H
a k u i n ' s lectures
lectures resulted
a n y invitations
invitations
to give
dharma
to
give d
h a r m a talks
talks at various
v a r i o u s other
o t h e r Zen
Z e n temples,
t e m p l e s , and
and even
even at
at
feudal
castles. This
T h i s boosted
b o o s t e d his
his innate
innateself-confidence
self-confidence
feudal castles.
even
even
further, as
as reflected
reflected in
o n t e m p o r a r y writings
w r i t i n g s describing
d e s c r i b i n g HakHakfurther,
in ccontemporary
uin as
as an
an "extraordinary
" e x t r a o r d i n a r y figure,"
f i g u r e , " "glaring
" g l a r i n g at
at people
p e o p l e like
like aa
uin
t i g e r , " and
and "walking
" w a l k i n g like
like a bull."
b u l l . " During
D u r i n g this
this period,
p e r i o d , he
he
tiger,"
Hakuin
Hakuin
121
121
ar
^r—
<T&
rediscovered
r e d i s c o v e r e d the
the artistic
artistic talents
talents ooff his
his yyouth
o u t h and
and again
a g a i n started
started
to
paint
and
write,
leaving
several
important
literary
works
to
and w r i t e , l e a v i n g several i m p o r t a n t literary w o r k s to
to
b
e published
p u b l i s h e d by
b y his
his students
students after
after his
his death.
death. The
T h eOrategama
Orategama
be
(Kettle of
l l e c t i o n oof
f letters
o vvarious
a r i o u s Zen
Zen
(Kettle
of No
No Presence)
Presence)is isa ac ocollection
letters tto
p
r
a
c
t
i
t
i
o
n
e
r
s
;
the
Yabukoji
(Evergreen
Shrub)
is
a
letter
to
the
practitioners; the Yabukoji (Evergreen Shrub) is a letter to the
llord
o r d of
o f Okayama
O k a y a m a castle
castle on
o n the
the practice
practice of
o f Zen;
Z e n ; and
a n d the
the HebiHebiichigo
o r d laying
l a y i n g out
out
ichigo (Snake-Strawberry)
(Snake-Strawberry)is isa aletter
lettertotoaa feudal
feudal llord
rules for
f o r the
the virtuous
v i r t u o u s ruler,
ruler, including
i n c l u d i n g cautions
c a u t i o n s directed
directed at
at
the rules
ttyrannical
y r a n n i c a l officials.
officials. H
a
k
u
i
n
d
e
l
i
g
h
t
e
d
in
p
a
i
n
t
i
n
g
his
favorite
Hakuin delighted in painting his favorite
Z e n masters,
m a s t e r s , eccentric
eccentric wanderers
w a n d e r e r s like
like Ikkyu
I k k y u and
and Daito;
D a i t o ; his
his
Zen
Rumors
this nnew
R u m o r s of
o f the success
success oof
f this
e w kkoan
o a n soon
s o o n began
b e g a n to
to spread;
spread;
attracted bby
hundreds
attracted
y the
the master's
master's fame,
fame, h
u n d r e d s oof
f monks
m o n k s from
f r o m all
all
over
Japan flocked
o
v e r Japan
flocked totoHHakuin's
a k u i n ' s t temple.
e m p l e . TThe
h e tthree-month
h r e e - m o n t h trainiing
n g periods
p e r i o d s at Shoin-ji
Shoin-ji now
n o w resembled
r e s e m b l e d the famous
f a m o u s mass
m a s s audiaudience preachings
p r e a c h i n g s oof
f Bankei.
B a n k e i . Lecture
L e c t u r e demands
d e m a n d s became
b e c a m e more
more
ence
frequent,
and H
Hakuin
to travel
for months
f r e q u e n t , and
a k u i n hhad
a d to
travel for
m o n t h s in
in order
o r d e r to
to
fulfill
his tteaching
More
and m
more
fulfill his
e a c h i n g oobligations.
bligations. M
o r e and
o r e he
he began
b e g a n to
to
stress
the iimportance
the ddharma"
stress the
m p o r t a n c e oof
f ""passing
p a s s i n g oon
n the
h a r m a " to
t o an
an able
able
successor
who
successor w
h o would
w o u l d maintain
m a i n t a i n the teaching
t e a c h i n g and attract
attract many
many
self-portraits and
s k e t c h e s oof
f animals
animals and
and folk
f o l k deities
deities are
are
self-portraits
and sketches
students.
In 1749
person
in Torei
Torei Enji,
Enji, aa twenty-nine1 7 4 9 hhe
e ffound
o u n d such
s u c h aa p
e r s o n in
twenty-nine-
h i l a r i o u s l y ffunny
u n n y and
and show
s h o w the
the comic
c o m i c side
f i e r c e bull."
bull."
hilariously
side ooff the
the ""fierce
year-old
y e a r - o l d monk
m o n k with
w i t h extraordinary
e x t r a o r d i n a r y teaching
t e a c h i n g ability.
ability. Making
Making
H
a k u i n often
often added
a d d e d verses
verses to
to his
his various
v a r i o u s self-portraits
self-portraits that
that
Hakuin
him
h i m his first
first dharma
d h a r m a successor
successor in
in 176o,
1760, Hakuin
H a k u i n installed
installed Torei
Torei
reflect
o y in
i o l e n t language.
language.
reflect his
his jjoy
in vviolent
as
as abbot
a b b o t of
o f the
the newly
n e w l y renovated
r e n o v a t e d Ryutaku-ji
R y u t a k u - j i temple
t e m p l e near
near the
the
little
little town
t o w n of
o f Mishima.
M i s h i m a . Two
T w o hundred
h u n d r e d years
y e a r s later, this
this monasmonastery, under
tery,
u n d e r its
its famous
f a m o u s abbot
a b b o t Nakagawa
N a k a g a w a Socn
S o e n Roshi,
R o s h i , would
would
become
b e c o m e the
the training
training ground
g r o u n d for
for contemporary
c o n t e m p o r a r y Western
W e s t e r n Zen
Zen
masters
like
Robert
Aitken
and
Philip
Kapleau.
Though
masters like R o b e r t A i t k e n and P h i l i p K a p l e a u . T h o u g h his
his
In the realm of
o f the thousand Buddhas
Buddhas
He is
is hated
hated by
by the thousand Buddhas
He
Buddhas
Among
A
m o n g the crowd of
o f demons
demons
He is
is detested
detested by
by the
the crowd
crowd of
He
o f demons.
influence wwas
to spread
spread far
far bbeyond
Japan,HHakuin
influence
a s to
e y o n d Japan,
a k u i n ddid
i d nnot
o t meet
meet
He crushes
crushes the
the silent-illumination heretics of
He
o f today,
today,
And
the heterodox
heterodox blind monks of
A
n d massacres
massacres the
o f this
this generation.
generation.
the sstudent
until three
the
t u d e n t who
w h o was
w a s to directly
d i r e c t l y carry
carry on
o n his
his lineage
l i n e a g e until
This filthy
filthy blind
blind old bald-headed
This
bald-headed heretic
years bbefore
hisdeath.
death. GGasanjito,
brilliant yyoung
monk
years
e f o r e his
a s a n J i t o , aa brilliant
oung m
o n k who
who
Adds more foulness
foulness still
still to
tofoulness_
foulness.
had received
had
received ttransmission
r a n s m i s s i o n ffrom
r o m Rinzai
R i n z a i master
m a s t e r Gessen
G e s s e n Zen'e,
Zen'e,
Att the age
A
a g e of
o f sixty,
s i x t y , Hakuin's
H a k u i n ' s creative
creative output
o u t p u t reached
reached its
its
E
k a k u , Gasan
Gasan w
a s ssupremely
u p r e m e l y confident
o l d monk"
monk"
Ekaku,
was
confident that
that the
the ""old
spiritual aapex
in his
his iinvention
the kkoan,
spiritual
p e x in
n v e n t i o n oof
f the
o a n , ""The
T h e Sound
S o u n d of
o f the
had
o t h i n g to
teach h
i m that
that he
he didn't
d i d n ' t already
already k
n o w . Three
Three
had nnothing
to teach
him
know.
Single
Hand."
S
ingle H
a n d . " This
T h i s act
act alone
a l o n e has
has given
g i v e n him
h i m aa place
place aamong
m o n g the
the
ttimes
i m e s he
entered Hakuin's
H a k u i n ' s chamber
c h a m b e r to
to show
s h o w his
his realization,
realization,
he entered
ggreat
reat m
a s t e r s oof
f Z
en B
u d d h i s m . In a letter
letter to a feudal
feudal lord
l o r d he
he
masters
Zen
Buddhism.
and
i m e s he
a s ddriven
r i v e n oout
u t bby
y the
ld m
a s t e r . ConcedConcedand three
three ttimes
he wwas
the oold
master.
describes the
effects oof
f the
use of
o f this koan.
koan.
describes
the effects
the use
iing
n g his
a s a n later
e m a r k e d , ""This
T h i s great
great priest
priest of
o f the
the
his defeat,
defeat, GGasan
later rremarked,
d
e c i d e d to
investigate H
a k u i n ' s tteaching.
e a c h i n g . LLike
i k e the
young
decided
to investigate
Hakuin's
the young
n
a t i o n struck
s t r u c k me
m e three
three times
t i m e s with
w i t h his
his fierce
fierce hands
hands and
and legs
l e g s and
and
nation
I made
made tip
up my
m y mind
mind to
to instruct
instruct everyone
everyone by saying,
saying, "Listen
"Listen to
the Sound of
o f the
the Single
Single Hand."
H a n d . " IIhave
have come
come to
to realize
realize that this
this
koan is infinitely
in instructing
koan
infinitely more effective
effective in
instructing people
people than any
any
o
methods I had
had used
used before.
before. It
It seems
seems to raise
raise the ball
ball of
of
off the methods
doubt in people much more
more easily
easily and
and the
the readiness
readiness with which
which
progress
progress is made
made has been as
as different
different as
as the
the clouds
clouds are
are from
from the
earth.
Thus
I
have
come
to
encourage
the
meditation
the
earth. Thus I have come to encourage the meditation on
on the
put me
m e on
o n the
the spot."
s p o t . " After
A f t e r Hakuin's
H a k u i n ' s death,
death, having
h a v i n g finally
finally
put
received
f
o
r
m
a
l
t
r
a
n
s
m
i
s
s
i
o
n
f
r
o
m
the
o
l
d
m
a
s
t
e
r
,
Gasan
received formal transmission from the old master, Gasan
m o v e d to
i n s h o - i n , aa temple
t e m p l e in
d o , where
w h e r e he
h e attracted
attracted more
more
moved
to RRinsho-in,
in EEdo,
than
five
h
u
n
d
r
e
d
disciples.
H
e
,
in
t
u
r
n
,
p
r
o
d
u
c
e
d
t
w
o
i
nnothan five hundred disciples. He, in turn, produced two innovative
s
u
c
c
e
s
s
o
r
s
,
Inzan
Ien
a
n
d
Takuju
K
o
s
e
n
,
w
h
o
t
o
g
e
ther
vative successors, Inzan len and Takuju Kosen, who together
would p
u t the
the raw
raw koan
k o a n system
s y s t e m that
that they
t h e y inherited
inherited from
from
would
put
H a k u i n and
and Gasan
G a s a n iinto
n t o its
its final
final form,
f o r m , creating
creating an
an ingeniously
ingeniously
Hakuin
Single
exclusively.
Single Hand exclusively.
122
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
I
Hakuin
Hakuin
123
123
wrought
Zen
w
r o u g h t device
d e v i c e for
for deepening
deepening Z
e n insight
i n s i g h t after
after the
the initial
initial
the
it is important
the body
b o d y is
is the
the vehicle
vehicle for
for enlightenment,
e n l i g h t e n m e n t , it
i m p o r t a n t to
to
preserve
it carefully.
preserve it
carefully. Hakuin
H a k u i n painfully
p a i n f u l l y realized
realized that merciless
merciless
treatment
t r e a t m e n t oof
f the
the body
b o d y in
in order
o r d e r to
t o achieve
achieve aa mystic
m y s t i c breakbreak-
realization experience.
realization
experience.
Hakuin,
who
H
akuin, w
h o kept
k e p t up
u p his
his remarkably
r e m a r k a b l y good
g o o d health
health into
i n t o his
his
late seventies,
spent his
his last
last three
three years
years often
often ill
late
seventies, spent
ill and
and unable
u n a b l e to
to
t h r o u g h could
c o u l d end
e n d in
in premature
p r e m a t u r e death
death and
and thereby
t h e r e b y accomplish
accomplish
through
nothing.
nothing.
teach.
B u t his
his iron
i r o n will
w i l l kept
k e p t him
h i m going,
g o i n g , nourishing
n o u r i s h i n g his
his calligcalligteach. But
rraphy
a p h y and painting,
p a i n t i n g , whose
w h o s e simplified,
s i m p l i f i e d , flat,
flat, and liberated brush
brush
It
It is
is important
i m p o r t a n t to examine
e x a m i n e in
in detail
detail these
these two
t w o pillars
pillars of
of
sstrokes
t r o k e s came
c a m e to represent
represent the
the acme
a c m e of
o f Zen
Z e n art.
art. Feeling
Feeling his
his life
life
Hakuin's
H a k u i n ' s teaching
t e a c h i n g in
in oorder
r d e r to
to find
find oout
u t how
h o w they
t h e y connect
c o n n e c t with
with
eebbing,
b b i n g , he
he tried
tried to spend
s p e n d as
as much
m u c h time
t i m e as
as possible
p o s s i b l e with
w i t h his
his
daily life.
life.
sstudents,
t u d e n t s , still holding
h o l d i n g to the
the passionate
passionate teaching
t e a c h i n g style
had
style that
that had
Hakuin
that the
the pattern
pattern ooff GGreat
Doubt,
H a k u i n recognized
r e c o g n i z e d that
reat D
o u b t , Great
Great
characterized
h r e e days
days bbefore
e f o r e his
he
characterized his
his entire
entire career.
career. TThree
his death,
death, he
Death,
D e a t h , and
and Great
G r e a t Joy was
w a s the fundamental
f u n d a m e n t a l process
p r o c e s s of
o f any
a n y valid
valid
r e l i g i o u s eexperience.
x p e r i e n c e . In
r d e r to get
get this
this process
p r o c e s s started,
started, it
it was
was
religious
In oorder
first n
e c e s s a r y to
v o k e the
r e a t DDoubt.
oubt. A
c c o r d i n g to
i m , it
first
necessary
to eevoke
the GGreat
According
to hhim,
w a s the
e n u i n e teacher
o that
i t h the help
h e l p of
of a
was
the task
task ooff aa ggenuine
teacher to
to ddo
that wwith
b
e
g
i
n
n
e
r
k
o
a
n
,
p
r
e
f
e
r
a
b
l
y
"Joshu's
M
u
"
or
"
T
h
e
S
o
u
n
d
o
f
the
beginner koan, preferably "Joshu's Mu" or "The Sound of the
S
i
n
g
l
e
H
a
n
d
.
"
T
h
e
s
e
k
o
a
n
s
served
as
m
e
n
t
a
l
d
e
v
i
c
e
s
d
e
s
i
g
n
ed
Single Hand." These koans served as mental devices designed
p
u t one
o n e of
o f his
his eleven
eleven main
m a i n dharma
d h a r m a successors
successors in
in charge
c h a r g e of
o f all
all
put
m
o n a s t e r y affairs
n io
10 December
D e c e m b e r 1768,
1768, at
the age
a g e of
of
monastery
affairsand,
and, oon
at the
e i g h t y - t h r e e , died
died peacefully
p e a c e f u l l y in
in his
his sleep.
sleep. Hakuin
H a k u i n did
d i d not
n o tleave
leave
eighty-three,
aa traditional
traditional death
death poem,
p o e m , but
b u t he
he left
left Japanese
Japanese Rinzai
R i n z a i Zen
Zen
iinvigorated
n v i g o r a t e d and
e f o r m e d , ready
r e a d y to
to continue
c o n t i n u e for
for generations
generations
and rreformed,
tto
o come.
come.
to break
b r e a k the
the habitual
habitual pattern
pattern of
o f sequential
sequential thought
t h o u g h t with
w i t h its
its
to
n
e v e r - e n d i n g ccycle
y c l e oof
f cconcepts
o n c e p t s and
e n t a l iimages.
mages. U
s i n g parts
parts
never-ending
and m
mental
Using
Hakuin's
can bbe
divided
into ttwo
H
a k u i n ' s teaching
t e a c h i n g can
e d
i v i d e d into
w o major
major parts
parts that
that
o
H a k u y u ' s naikan
naikan practice,
a k u i n aadvised
d v i s e d his
to
off Hakuyu's
practice, HHakuin
his students
students to
to this
this very
v e r y day
day form
f o r m the
the core
c o r e of
o fJapanese
Japanese Rinzai
R i n z a i Zen.
Zen.
c o n n e c t their
their koan-focused
k o a n - f o c u s e d consciousness
consciousness w
i t h the
the area
area below
below
connect
with
i) Zen
1)
Z e n students
students must
m u s t develop
d e v e l o p the
the Great
G r e a t Doubt
D o u b t through
through
the
navel. ""If
I f this
this settled
settled concentration
c o n c e n t r a t i o n power
p o w e r can
can be
b e mainmainthe navel.
uninterrupted
on
u n i n t e r r u p t e d meditation
m e d i t a t i o n practice
practice o
n an
an ultimate
u l t i m a t e question
question
tained
several hhours,"
o u r s , " he
he counseled,
c o u n s e l e d , "the
" t h e student
s t u d e n t will
will
tained for
for several
(koan).
(koan). After
A f t e r a certain
certain period
p e r i o d of
o f time
t i m e this Great
G r e a t Doubt
D o u b t will
w i l l be
be
a d v a n c e ddeterminedly
e t e r m i n e d l y and
reat D
o u b t will
w i l l appear."
a p p e a r . " The
The
advance
and the
the GGreat
Doubt
split
off Great
split open
o p e n by
b y an
an experience
experience o
G r e a t Death,
D e a t h , in
in which
w h i c h the
the
i m p o r t a n t thing
t h i n g was
w a s to
to discard
discard all
all emotions,
e m o t i o n s , concepts,
c o n c e p t s , and
and
important
tthoughts
h o u g h t s by
b y maintaining
m a i n t a i n i n g single-minded
s i n g l e - m i n d e d concentration
concentration o
n
one
on one
k
o
a
n
t
h
o
u
g
h
t
.
H
a
k
u
i
n
m
a
i
n
t
a
i
n
e
d
that
it
w
a
s
n
o
t
a
l
w
a
y
s
abkoan-thought. Hakuin maintained that it was not always ab-
essential nnature
essential
a t u r e oof
f all
all things
t h i n g s is realized.
realized. The
T h e ensuing
e n s u i n g intense
intense
feeling ooff GGreat
joy opens
feeling
r e a t Joy
o p e n s up
u p aa well
w e l l of
o f love
l o v e and
and compassion
compassion
and
and provides
p r o v i d e s the
the necessary
necessary incentive
incentive to continuously
c o n t i n u o u s l y deepen
deepen
one's
o
n e ' s Zen
Z e n practice.
practice.
2)
Having
achieved aa gglimpse
the uundivided
2) H
a v i n g achieved
l i m p s e oof
f the
n d i v i d e d fundamental
fundamental
reality, itit becomes
the task
task ooff the
reality,
b e c o m e s the
the Zen
Z e n student
student to apply
a p p l y this
this
in the
the differentiated
world
off the myriad
eexperience
x p e r i e n c e in
differentiated w
orld o
m y r i a d things;
things;
solutely n
e c e s s a r y to
e d i t a t i o n in
u t that
that
solutely
necessary
to sit
sit in
in m
meditation
in aa quiet
quiet place,
place, bbut
it w a s essential to carry the k o a n a b o u t in o n e ' s c o n s c i o u s n e s s
it
was essential to carry the koan about in one's consciousness
in all
all ssituations-active
i t u a t i o n s — a c t i v e or
o r static,
static, noisy
n o i s y or
o r quiet.
quiet. This
T h i s state
state of
of
in
n o n c o n c e p t u a l awareness, often c o m p a r e d to a " f i e l d o f i c e "
nonconceptual awareness, often compared to a "field of ice"
o r a " d r y desert w h e r e n o t h i n g g r o w s , " is w h a t he referred to
or
a "dry desert where nothing grows," is what he referred to
as the G r e a t D o u b t . A n d h e u s e d all k i n d s o f devices to p r o d
as the Great Doubt. And he used all kinds of devices to prod
his students i n t o this p r o m i s i n g c o n d i t i o n . S o m e t i m e s he
his
students into this promising condition. Sometimes he
w o u l d inspire t h e m w i t h fantastic stories a b o u t Z e n students
would
inspire them with fantastic stories about Zen students
o f earlier t i m e s w h o h a d sat c o m p l e t e l y m o t i o n l e s s in the
of
earlier times who had sat completely motionless in the
middle o f a s w a m p surrounded b y millions o f bloodthirsty
middle
of a swamp surrounded by millions of bloodthirsty
m o s q u i t o e s ; o r he w o u l d repeat his teacher D o k y o ' s s t o r y
mosquitoes; or he would repeat his teacher Dokyo's story
morality
and practice
practice bblend
in ssuch
m
o r a l i t y and
l e n d in
u c h aa way
w a y that
that the
the direct
direct
application ooff oone's
is the
the action
action ooff llove
and comapplication
n e ' s experience
e x p e r i e n c e is
o v e and
com-
passion
allbbeings.
and ""others,"
p
a s s i o n ttoward
o w a r d all
e i n g s . " "I"
I " and
o t h e r s , " though
t h o u g h on
o n the
the
phenomenal
clearlydistinct,
distinct, are
are uunderstood
as fundamenp
h e n o m e n a l level
level clearly
n d e r s t o o d as
fundamen-
tally identical.
identical. W
Without
tally
i t h o u t morality
m o r a l i t y there
there can
can be
b e no
n o true
true practice.
practice.
Thus,
T h u s , the
the myth
m y t h of
o f the
the "enlightened"
" e n l i g h t e n e d " Zen
Z e n master
m a s t e r whose
w h o s e acac-
a b o u t sitting all n i g h t in an a b a n d o n e d g r a v e y a r d , o b l i v i o u s to
tions are
beyond
tions
are b
e y o n d the
the level
level of
o f good
g o o d and
and evil
evil is destroyed.
d e s t r o y e d . Since
Since
124
124
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
about sitting all night in an abandoned graveyard, oblivious to
I
Hakuin
Hakuin
125
cient,
even in
in a dream
the state
cient, but have
have never
never even
dream achieved
achieved the
state of
of
a pack
p a c k of
o f hungry,
h u n g r y , circling
c i r c l i n g wolves.
w o l v e s . Although
A l t h o u g h intended
i n t e n d e d to
to free
free
the
student's
latent
joriki,
or
concentration
power,
Hakuin's
the s t u d e n t ' s latent joriki, o r c o n c e n t r a t i o n p o w e r , H a k u i n ' s
stories
quite free
stories were
w e r e never
never quite
free of
o f exaggeration
e x a g g e r a t i o n borne
b o r n e of
o f his
his own
own
fascination
with
the "determined
warrior."
fascination w
i t h the
"determined w
a r r i o r . " Aroused
A r o u s e d by
b y such
such
stories,
stories, and often
often moved
m o v e d to
t o tears,
tears, several
several of
o f his
his disciples
disciples took
took
his
advice
too
literally.
The
graves
of
these
young
Zen
monks
his a d v i c e t o o literally. T h e graves o f these y o u n g Z e n m o n k s
at
ji cemetery
at Shoin
Shoin-ji
c e m e t e r y bear
bear witness
w i t n e s s to this
this major
major weakness
w e a k n e s s in
in
Hakuin's
H a k u i n ' s personality.
personality.
The
T h e transition
transition from
f r o m the Great
G r e a t Doubt
D o u b t to the
the Great
G r e a t Death
D e a t h is
is
L
a n d School
S c h o o l of
o f Buddhism
B u d d h i s m who
w h o believed
believed in aa paradise
paradise distinct
distinct
Land
b
eyond d
e s c r i p t i o n , and,
c c o r d i n g toto H
a k u i n , aa m
a t t e r of
of
beyond
description,
and, aaccording
Hakuin,
matter
ffrom
r o m this world,
w o r l d , and
and aa mythical
m y t h i c a l intermediary
i n t e r m e d i a r y called
called Amida
Amida
" s u d d e n transformation
t r a n s f o r m a t i o n bbeyond
e y o n d oone's
ne's w
i l l . " Often
O f t e n aa small
small
"sudden
will."
B
uddha, w
i t h o u t whose
w h o s e help no
n o salvation
salvation w
a s ppossible.
o s s i b l e . "Out"OutBuddha,
without
was
p
e r c e p t i o n , like
like the sound
s o u n d of
o f aa bell,
bell, the
the smell
s m e l l of
o f incense,
i n c e n s e , or
o r aa
perception,
side
our o
w n mind
m i n d there
there is
is no
n o Pure
P u r e Land;
L a n d ; outside
o u t s i d e yyour
o u r own
own
side yyour
own
feeling
p h y s i c a l pain
pain could
c o u l d trigger
t r i g g e r this
this experience
e x p e r i e n c e of
o f seeing
seeing
feeling ooff physical
b
o d y , there
there is
is no
n o Buddha,"
B u d d h a , " Hakuin
H a k u i n preached,
p r e a c h e d , adding
a d d i n g that
that all
all
body,
People o
spend all
all day
day practicing
enlightenment. People
off this sort spend
practicing nonaction
the while;
action and end up by
by having
having practiced action
action all
all the
while; they
spend
non-creating and
and end
end up
up by
spend all
all day
day practicing
practicing non-creating
by having
having
practiced
creating all
all the
the while.
while. W
Why
practiced creating
h y is this
this so?
so? It
It is
is because
because
their insight into the
is not
not clear,
they can't arrive
the Way
Way is
clear, because
because they
arrive
at the
the truth of
o f the Dharma-nature.
Dharma-nature.
He
for practitioners
H
e had
had equally
e q u a l l y harsh
harsh words
w o r d s for
practitioners oof
f the
the Pure
Pure
iinto
n t o one's
o n e ' s own
o w n nature.
nature. In this context,
c o n t e x t , he described
d e s c r i b e d the
"abthe "ab-
" t r u e ancestors"
a n c e s t o r s " of
o f the
the Zen
Z e n tradition
tradition "never
" n e v e r once,
o n c e , even
even inadinad"true
solute
n o w l e d g e oof
f TTruth"
r u t h " that
o c c u r s at
that
solute certainty
certainty ooff aa kknowledge
that occurs
at that
vvertently,
e r t e n t l y , spoke
s p o k e of
o f a rebirth in the Pure
P u r e Land.
L a n d . "" He
H e ttaught
a u g h t that
that
m
o m e n t . Later
Later reflections
reflections or rational
rational explanations
e x p l a n a t i o n s of
o f the
the exexmoment.
o
nly w
i t h the
the experience
e x p e r i e n c e oof
f seeing
t o oone's
n e ' s oown
w n nnatureature—
only
with
seeingi ninto
p
e r i e n c e ccould
o u l d oonly
n l y eend
n d in
e r r o r and
and the
the stale
stale feeling
feeling of
of
perience
in error
effected
y ggenuine
e n u i n e kkoan
o a n ppractice-could
r a c t i c e — c o u l d one
o n e see
see that
that "this
"this
effectedbby
" t a l k i n g about
a b o u t something."
s o m e t h i n g . " But
B u t out
o u t of
o f the
the immediacy
i m m e d i a c y of
o f being
being
"talking
cconfirmed
o n f i r m e d by
b y the
the temple
t e m p l e bell
bell or
o r the
the fragrance
f r a g r a n c e of
o f incense
incense arises
arises
the
w
a
v
e
o
f
G
r
e
a
t
Joy,
the
feeling
that
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
n
g
is
all
right
the wave of Great joy, the feeling that everything is all right
ffrom
r o m the
the very
v e r y bbeginning,
e g i n n i n g , oor,
r , to
to put
p u t it
it in
in Hakuin's
H a k u i n ' s own
o w n words:
words:
""There
T h e r e is
is no
n o enlightenment
e n l i g h t e n m e n t one
o n e must
m u s t seek.
s e e k .""
For
Hakuin,
koan
practice
was
the
For H a k u i n , k o a n practice w a s the aabsolute
b s o l u t e ffocal
o c a l ppoint
o i n t of
of
Z e n training. He
H e saw
saw it as the
o n l y method
m e t h o d by
b y which
w h i c h aa student
student
Zen
the only
b
o d y is
is the
the Buddha
B u d d h a from
f r o m the
the very
v e r y beginning."
b e g i n n i n g . " He
H e deplored
deplored
body
Z
e n masters
m a s t e r s who
w h o tried
tried to
to incorporate
i n c o r p o r a t e Pure
P u r e Land
L a n d elements
e l e m e n t s into
into
Zen
the ttechnique
echnique o
m e d i t a t i o n , and
and warned:
warned:
the
off sitting
sitting meditation,
Some
Some two
two hundred
hundred years
years ago
ago evil
evil and
and careless
careless Zen
Zen followers
followers
decimated
e n monasteries
style of
of
decimated the
the ZZen
monasteries and
and corrupted
corrupted the
the true
true style
Zen,
spreading the
the vulgar
vulgar and
and debased
debased heretical
heretical understanding
understanding
Zen, spreading
o
Pure Land
Land School.
School. .. . . If
e n is combined
combined with
with Pure
Pure
If ZZen
off the Pure
Land,
and will
will surely
surely he
be destroyed.
destroyed.
Land, it cannot last for long and
.
could b
e brought
b r o u g h t to genuine
g e n u i n e insight,
i n s i g h t , and
and he
he never
never tired
of
could
be
tired of
railing against
against the
" s i l e n t illumination"
i l l u m i n a t i o n " practice
practice of
o f other
o t h e r Zen
Zen
railing
the "silent
m
a
s
t
e
r
s
,
p
a
r
t
i
c
u
l
a
r
l
y
t
h
o
s
e
o
f
the
S
o
t
o
sect.
Z
e
n
w
i
t
h
o
u
t
strict
masters, particularly those of the Soto sect. Zen without strict
k o a n practice
practice w
a s aa p
e r v e r s i o n oof
f the
" t r u e teachings
teachings o
the
koan
was
perversion
the "true
off the
a n c i e n t s , " and much
m u c h worse,
w o r s e , the
the waste
w a s t e of
o f aa human
h u m a n being's
b e i n g ' s life,
life,
ancients,"
birth "so
" s o difficult
difficult to
to attain."
a t t a i n . " Pulling
P u l l i n g out
o u t all
all the
the oratorical
oratorical
aa birth
sstops,
t o p s , Hakuin
H a k u i n admonished
a d m o n i s h e d his
his students
students against
against even
even thinking
thinking
To tthose
Pure
who
listen, he
To
hose P
u r e Land
L a n d ffollowers
ollowers w
h o would
w o u l d listen,
h e suggested
suggested
altering their
their practice
in such
altering
practice in
s u c h a way
w a y that calling
calling the Buddha's
Buddha's
name
n
a m e or reciting
r e c i t i n g the
the first
first line
line of
o f the
the Lotus
Lotus Sutra
Sutra would
w o u l d become
become
more
like cconcentrating
without
m o r e like
o n c e n t r a t i n g oon
n aa kkoan
oan w
i t h o u t aany
n y eexpectation
x p e c t a t i o n of
of
being
mother's
b e i n g ""saved
s a v e d ffrom
r o m ooutside."
u t s i d e . " Remembering
R e m e m b e r i n g his
his m
o t h e r ' s devodevotion
tion to the Nichiren
N i c h i r e n school,
s c h o o l , Hakuin
H a k u i n set
set up
u p aa detailed
detailed ccourse
o u r s e of
of
meditation
which
m e d i t a t i o n ffor
o r Nichiren
N i c h i r e n followers,
followers, w
h i c h oof
f ccourse
o u r s e tturned
u r n e d out
out
be n
o t h i n g but
b u t aa variation
v a r i a t i o n on
o n the
the theme
t h e m e of
o f koan
k o a n practice.
practice.
to be
nothing
a b o u t such
s u c h practices.
practices.
about
There
There are
are some
some blind,
blind, bald idiots
idiots who
w h o stand in aa calm,
calm, unperunperturbed,
and consider
that the
the state
turbed, untouchable
untouchable place
place and
consider that
state of
o f mind
mind
produced
into their
produced in this
this atmosphere
atmosphere comprises
comprises seeing
seeing into
their own
own
natures.
They
natures. T
h e y think
think that
that to
to polish
polish and
and perfect
perfect purity
purity is
is suffisuffi126
126
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
.
The practice
the Lotus
Lotus sutra
sutra is
is from
from today
on to determine,
The
practice oof
f the
today on
determine,
despite
sadness and
and joy,
asleep or
or
despite happiness
happiness and
and pain,
pain, sadness
joy, whether asleep
I
Hakuin
Hakuin
127
awake, standing
the
awake,
standing or
or reclining,
reclining, to
to intone
intone without
without interruption the
o f the
the sutra
sutraalone:
alone:Namu
Namu Myoho
My oho renge
renge kyo.
y o u use
use
title of
kyo. Whether
Whether you
this
or as
strength, you
this title as a staff
staff or
as aa source
source oof
f strength,
y o u must
must recite
recite itit
with
the fervent
fervent desire
desire to see
see without fail
fail the True
True Face
Face o
with the
off the
Lotus.
Make each
each inhalation
breath the
the
Lotus. Make
inhalation and
and exhalation
exhalation ooff your
your breath
title
o
f
the
sutra.
.
.
.
Then
y
o
u
will
awaken
to
the
Great
Matter
title of the sutra.... Then you will awaken to the Great Matter
o
true meditation.
meditation. . . . You
o u , in
the
off true
You will
will see
see right
right before
before yyou,
in the
place
where
you
stand,
the
True
Face
o
f
the
Lotus,
and
at
once
place where you stand, the True Face of the Lotus, and at once
your
body and
and mind
mind will
will drop
drop off.
off.
your body
.
.
With hands of
With
o f emptiness II take
take hold of
o f the
the plow;
plow;
While
walking, II ride the water
While walking,
water buffalo.
buffalo.
Kikan
lead the
the ZZen
student to a better understanding
Kikan kkoans
o a n s lead
e n student
understanding
of
phenomenal
as seen
seen wwith
o f the
the differentiated,
differentiated, p
h e n o m e n a l wworld
o r l d as
i t h the
the
These
are extremely
""enlightened
e n l i g h t e n e d eeye."
ye." T
h e s e kkoans
o a n s are
e x t r e m e l y iimportant
m p o r t a n t in
.
h e l p i n g the
to avoid
avoid ""Zen
Z e n sickness,"
s i c k n e s s , " or
o r getting
g e t t i n g stuck
stuck
helping
the student
student to
in
and bbeing
off the
in the
the realm
r e a l m of
o f emptiness
e m p t i n e s s and
e i n g rrobbed
obbed o
the energy
e n e r g y to
to
deal w
i t h the
the distinctly
distinctly differentiated
differentiated level
level oof
f reality.
reality. Case
C a s e 37
37
deal
with
Hakuin
at cconverting
Pure
H
a k u i n was
w a s unsuccessful
u n s u c c e s s f u l at
onverting P
u r e Land
L a n d and
and NiNi-
in The
The Gateless
Gateless Gate
Gate isis ssuch
u c h aa koan.
koan.
chiren
Buddhism
into ZZen.
that did
did nnot
chiren B
u d d h i s m into
e n . BBut
u t that
o t stop
s t o p him
h i m from
from
preaching
p
r e a c h i n g his views
v i e w s widely
w i d e l y and forcefully.
forcefully. To
To the last, he
h e never
never
A monk
Joshu, "What
A
monk asked
asked Joshu,
"What is
is the
the meaning
meaning of
o f Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma
changed
c h a n g e d his
his mind
m i n d on
o n this
this subject.
subject.
coming
the West?"
West?"
coming from the
Although
he
passed oonly
Although h
e himself
h i m s e l f passed
n l y aa few
f e w koans
k o a n s with
w i t h his
his
teacher
o k y o Etan
Etan and
and never
never bothered
b o t h e r e d to
to finish
finish his
his koan
koan
teacher DDokyo
Joshu
Joshu said,
said, "Oaktree
"Oaktree in
in the
the garden."
practice
ith h
i m , Hakuin
H a k u i n went
w e n t on
o n to
to create
create a k
o a n curriculum
curriculum
practice wwith
him,
koan
Another
is the
the ""Three
A
n o t h e r eexample
x a m p l e is
T h r e e Barriers"
B a r r i e r s " koan
k o a n of
o f the
the Sung
Sung
that
e v e n t u a l l y replaced
revious m
e t h o d s oof
f ZZen
e n instrucinstructhat eventually
replaced all
all pprevious
methods
dynasty
Juetsu (Tou-shuai
d
y n a s t y master
m a s t e r Tosotsu
T o s o t s u Juetsu
(Tou-shuai TTs'ung-yueh),
s ' u n g - y u e h ) , dede-
tion.
W h a t has
has come
c o m e to be
be known
k n o w n as
as Hakuin
H a k u i n Zen
Z e n is
is the
the final
final
tion. What
vvised
i s e d tto
o test
Z e n understanding
u n d e r s t a n d i n g of
o f his
his students.
students.
test the
the Zen
p
roduct o
his work,
w o r k , refined
refined by
b y Gasan
G a s a n JJito,
i t o , lnzan
Inzan Ien,
Ien, and
and
product
off his
The
purpose of
o f going
going to
to abandoned,
abandoned, grassy
grassy places
places and
and doing
doing
The purpose
Takuju
osen. H
a k u i n ' s kkoan
o a n ssystem
ystem d
e m a n d s that
after aa
Takuju KKosen.
Hakuin's
demands
that after
zazen isis to
to search
for our
Now,
zazen
search for
our self-nature.
self-nature. N
o w , at this
this moment,
moment,
kensho
x p e r i e n c e w with
i t h the
o a n " "Mu"
M u " or
T h e Sound
Sound
kenshoe experience
theinitial
initialk koan
or ""The
where is your self-nature?
self-nature?
oof
f the
the Single
Single H
a n d , " the
the student
s t u d e n t must
m u s t progress
p r o g r e s s through
through a
a
Hand,"
When yyou
attained your
your self-nature,
self-nature, yyou
free yourWhen
o u have
have attained
o u can
can free
self
from birth
birth and death.
self from
death. How
How would
would you
y o u free
free yourself
yourself when
when
are about to die?
yyou
o u are
die?
When
freed yourself
yourself from
from birth
birth and death, you
When you
y o u have
have freed
y o u will
will
know where
where to go. After
know
After your death,
death, where
where do
do you
y o u go?
go?
specified
f kkoans
o a n s ccompiled
o m p i l e d in
in old
o l d Chinese
C h i n e s e collections
collections
specified series
series oof
like
The Blue
Blue Cliff
Cliff Record,
Record, The
r The
The Record
Record of
like The
The Gateless
Gateless Gate,
Gate, oor
of
Rinzai.
h e kkoans
o a n s vvary
a r y in
r d e r and
t y p e , and
a n d the
the student
student
Rinzai. TThe
in oorder
and type,
eengages
n g a g e s in
in aa long
l o n g and
and intensive
intensive process
process of
o f clarifying
c l a r i f y i n g the
the
essential
o i n t s oof
f uup
p to
five hhundred
undred o
h e m . Using
U s i n g aa fivefold
fivefold
essential ppoints
to five
off tthem.
classification
ystem, H
a k u i n and
d h a r m a heirs
heirs systemasystemaclassificationssystem,
Hakuin
and his
his dharma
Of
O f course,
c o u r s e , these
these barriers
barriers correspond
c o r r e s p o n d to
to the
the perennial
perennial quesques-
tized
a t e g o r i z e d the
o s t iimportant
m p o r t a n t koans.
koans.
tized and
and ccategorized
the m
most
tions ooff humankind:
do
tions
h u m a n k i n d : ""Who
W h o am
a m I?
I? Where
Where d
o I come
c o m e from?
from?
Hosshinkkoans*
arei nintended
to ddeepen
initial iinsight
Hosshin
o a n s * are
t e n d e d to
e e p e n initial
n s i g h t iinto
n t o the
W
here w
i l l II ggo?"
o ? " Generally,
G e n e r a l l y , these
these q
u e s t i o n s are
o n s i d e r e d to
Where
will
questions
are cconsidered
to
undifferentiated rrealm
undifferentiated
e a l m of
o f shunyata
shunyata (emptiness,
(emptiness, or
or suchness).
suchness).
be
unanswerable,
for the
the ZZen
b
e u
n a n s w e r a b l e , bbut
u t for
e n student
student who
w h o has
has had
h a d a true
true
O
n e of
o f the
the most
m o s t famous
f a m o u s of
o f these
these is
is the
the verse
verse of
o f the
the sixthsixthOne
realization eexperience,
on
realization
x p e r i e n c e , tthey
h e y can be
b e answered
answered o
n the spot.
spot.
ccentury
e n t u r y Chinese
C h i n e s e Zen
Z e n master
m a s t e r Fu
Fu Daishi
D a i s h i (Shan
(Shan Hui).
Hui).
Gonsenkkoans
help the
the sstudent
Gonsen
o a n s help
t u d e n t tto
o clarify
clarify the difficult
difficult words
words
and phrases
and
phrases of
o f Zen
Z e n ancestors.
ancestors. These
T h e s e exchanges
e x c h a n g e s oopen
p e n up
u p aa
indebted to Isshu Miura and
** We
We are indebted
and Ruth
Ruth Fuller
Fuller Sasaki
Sasaki for their explanation
explanation
off Hakuin's
o
Hakuin's koan
koan system
system in
in Zen
Zen Dust
Dust (New
(New York:
York: Harcourt,
Harcourt, Brace,
Brace, and
and
hidden
h
i d d e n world
w o r l d of
o f beauty
b e a u t y and
a n d wisdom,
w i s d o m , which,
w h i c h , once
o n c e penetrated,
penetrated,
World, 1c966).
World,
1966).
is
o n g oof
f the
thrush.
is as
as clear
clear as
as the
the ssong
the thrush.
128
128
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
(
Hakuin
Hakuin
129
129
A monk
A
m o n k asked
asked the
thepriest
priestFuketsu
Fuketsu(Feng-hsueh
(Feng-hsueh Yen-chao)
Yen-chao)
"Speech
are concerned
concerned with subject
"Speech and silence
silence are
subject and object.
object. How
How
can I transcend
transcend both subject
can
subject and object?"
object?"
ccompletion
o m p l e t i o n of
o f the goi
o a n s that
o r m a l l y eended
n d e d his
program.
goi kkoans
that fformally
his program.
Espousing
E s p o u s i n g moral
m o r a l conduct
c o n d u c t in daily
daily life
life as the practical
practical cornercornersstone
t o n e of
o f his
his teaching,
t e a c h i n g , Hakuin
H a k u i n had his students go
g o over
o v e r the
the Ten
Ten
B
u d d h i s t Precepts.
P r e c e p t s . He
He u
r g e d them
t h e m to be
b e guided
g u i d e d by
b y their ethical
ethical
Buddhist
urged
Fuketsu said,
said, "I always
think of
province in China]
Fuketsu
always think
o f Konan
Konan [a province
China]
in March.
March. Partridges
chirp among
among the
the many
many fragrant
fragrant blossoms."
Partridges chirp
spirit in
in applying
a p p l y i n g Zen
Z e n to
to their
their lives,
lives, for
for the
the precepts
p r e c e p t s were
were
spirit
iindeed
n d e e d the
u
l
t
i
m
a
t
e
a
i
m
o
f
Z
e
n
practice.
A
n
d
h
e
further
the ultimate aim of Zen practice. And he further
Another
is the
A n o t h e r famous
f a m o u s eexample
x a m p l e oof
f a
a gonsen
gonsen kkoan
o a n is
the "Three
"Three
T
urning W
o r d s " oof
f the
early Sung
S u n g Zen
Z e n master
m a s t e r Haryo
H a r y o Kokan
Kokan
Turning
Words"
the early
(Pa
(Pa Ling).
Ling).
insisted
never really
n d , bbut
u t rather
rather
insisted that
that the practice never
really reached
reached an
an eend,
p r o g r e s s e d and
and deepened
d e e p e n e d tthroughout
h r o u g h o u t one's
o n e ' s life.
life. The
T h e Ten
Ten BudBudprogressed
dhist Precepts,
P r e c e p t s , which
w h i c h are
are n
o t killing,
k i l l i n g , not
n o t stealing,
stealing, not
n o t misusmisusdhist
not
i n g sex,
s e x , not
n o t lying,
l y i n g , not
n o t giving
g i v i n g or
o r taking
t a k i n g drugs,
d r u g s , not
n o t discussing
discussing
ing
faults
o
f
o
t
h
e
r
s
,
n
o
t
p
r
a
i
s
i
n
g
y
o
u
r
s
e
l
f
w
h
i
l
e
a
b
u
s
i
n
others,
faults of others, not praising yourself while abusingg others,
A
A monk asked
asked Haryo, "What
"What is
is the
the Deva
Deva sect?"
sect?"
Haryo said, "Snow
"Snow in a silver
silver bowl."
bowl."
"What isis the
the Tao?"
Tao?"
"The
" T h e clearly
clearly enlightened man falls
falls into a well."
well."
"What is the
the sharpest
sharpest sword?"
sword?"
"The
" T h e dew
dew on
on the
the top
top of
o feach
each branch
branch of
o f coral
coral reflects
reflects the light
light
of
the moon."
o f the
moon."
n o t sparing
s p a r i n g the
the Dharma
D h a r m a assets,
assets, not
n o t indulging
i n d u l g i n g in
a n g e r , and
and
not
in anger,
n o t defaming
d e f a m i n g the
the Buddha,
B u d d h a , Dharma,
D h a r m a , and
and Sangha,
S a n g h a , are
are guidelines
guidelines
not
rather than
than commandments
c o m m a n d m e n t s etched
e t c h e d in
in stone.
s t o n e . Following
F o l l o w i n g the
the
rather
w
a
y
o
f
the
B
o
d
h
i
s
a
t
t
v
a
ideal,
t
h
e
y
p
o
i
n
t
the
ethically
m
o
tiway of the Bodhisattva ideal, they point the ethically motiv a t e d Buddhist
B u d d h i s t toward
t o w a r d the
the ultimate
u l t i m a t e goal
g o a l of
o f saving
saving all
all beings.
beings.
vated
T
h o u g h renowned
r e n o w n e d for his
his rough
r o u g h manners
m a n n e r s and
and crude
c r u d e speech,
speech,
Though
Alantokkoans
aredifficult
difficulttotopass
passtthrough,
since tthey
Nanto
o a n s are
h r o u g h , since
h e y point
p o i n t to
H a k u i n was
w a s motivated
m o t i v a t e d by
b y aa strong
s t r o n g ethical
ethical sense
sense throughout
throughout
Hakuin
a subtle
and wwrong,
where,
in the
the m
midst
subtle pplace
l a c e bbeyond
e y o n d rright
i g h t and
rong, w
h e r e , in
i d s t of
of
daily
daily activity,
a c t i v i t y , the
the Zen
Z e n student
s t u d e n t can
can develop
d e v e l o p ccomposure
o m p o s u r e and
and
p
e a c e oof
f m
i n d . Hakuin
H a k u i n advised
a d v i s e d his
his students
students to "quickly
" q u i c k l y settle
settle
peace
mind.
these nanto
o a n s oonce
n c e and
o r aall,"
l l , " since
r a n q u i l l i t y of
of
these
nantokkoans
and ffor
since the
the ttranquillity
m
i
n
d
that
f
o
l
l
o
w
e
d
w
a
s
,
f
o
r
h
i
m
,
the
sure
s
i
g
n
o
f
the
c
o
n
f
i
d
e
n
mind
followed was, for him, the sure sign of the confidentt
Z e n person.
p e r s o n . He
H e felt
felt that
that Case
C a s e 38
38in
inThe
The Gateless
Gateless Gate
Gate w
a s an
an
Zen
was
e w
a s ccommitted
o m m i t t e d tto
o the
o m m o n f o l k , often
o f t e n intercedintercedhis life.
life. HHe
was
the ccommonfolk,
i n g on
o n their
their behalf
b e h a l f with
w i t h their
their samurai
s a m u r a i overlords
o v e r l o r d s in
in aa plea
plea for
for
ing
ccompassion
o m p a s s i o n and social
social jjustice.
u s t i c e . He
H e openly
o p e n l y enjoined
enjoined feudal
feudal lords
lords
p r o v e their
their spiritual
spiritual attainment
attainment b
y proving
p r o v i n g in word
w o r d and
and
to prove
by
deed
that
as
"
e
n
l
i
g
h
t
e
n
e
d
r
u
l
e
r
s
"
t
h
e
y
had
the
w
e
l
l
b
e
i
n
g
of
deed that as "enlightened rulers" they had the well-being of
e x c e l l e n t example
e x a m p l e of
o f an
an especially
especially difficult
difficult nanto
nanto koan.
koan.
excellent
The priest
priest Goso
water buffalo
The
Goso (Wu-tsu Fa-yen)
Fa-yen) said,
said, "It is like
like a water
buffalo
passing
through aa window.
passing through
window. Its head,
head, horns,
horns, and
and four
four legs
legs all
all
pass through.
through. Why
pass through
through too?"
pass
W h y can't its tail pass
The
T
h e last group,
g r o u p , the
the highly
h i g h l y valued
v a l u e d goi
goi koans,
koans, w
e r e , according
according
were,
to Hakuin,
H a k u i n , "spiritual
" s p i r i t u a l jewels,"
j e w e l s , " for
f o r they
t h e y had
h a d triggered
t r i g g e r e d several
several
enlightenment
in the
the great
e n l i g h t e n m e n t experiences
e x p e r i e n c e s in
great master
m a s t e r himself.
himself. These
These
koans
with
k o a n s are
are associated
associated w
i t h the "Five
" F i v e Ranks
R a n k s of
o f Master
M a s t e r Tozan
Tozan
Ryokai,"
Ryokai," a
a T'ang
T ' a n g Zen
Z e n master
m a s t e r who
w h o had
had composed
c o m p o s e d verses
verses on
on
the "five
modes
off the
the apparent
the
"five m
odes o
a p p a r e n t and
and the
the real."
r e a l . " Hakuin
Hakuin w
rote a
wrote
llengthy
e n g t h y commentary
c o m m e n t a r y on
o n these
these verses,
verses, lauding
l a u d i n g them
t h e m as
"the
as "the
ship that
that carries
the ZZen
the poisonous
ship
carries the
e n student
s t u d e n t across
across the
p o i s o n o u s sea."
sea."
Still
he felt
Still he
felt it necessary
n e c e s s a r y tto
o add
a d d one
o n e more
m o r e step
step after
after the
the
i;o
130
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
Crazy
,
their subjects
subjects in
i n d . On
O n his
his various
v a r i o u s lecture
lecture tours,
t o u r s , he
h e would
would
their
in m
mind.
often stop
stop in
in small
s m a l l villages
v i l l a g e s and
and deliver
deliver free
free talks
talks to
to laypeople,
laypeople,
often
a l w a y s ffinding
i n d i n g simple
simple w
o r d s to
t o convey
c o n v e y his
his teaching.
t e a c h i n g . Hakuin
Hakuin
always
words
had
the
r
e
m
a
r
k
a
b
l
e
gift
o
f
a
d
a
p
t
i
n
g
his
style
and
l
a
n
g
u
a g e to
to
had the remarkable gift of adapting his style and language
his
audience.
H
e
a
l
w
a
y
s
s
p
o
k
e
e
x
t
e
m
p
o
r
a
n
e
o
u
s
l
y
,
u
s
i
n
g
the
his audience. He always spoke extemporaneously, using the
p
o w e r and
pontaneity o
m o m e n t to
to get
g e t his
his point
p o i n t across.
across.
power
and sspontaneity
off the
the moment
But
B u t Hakuin
H a k u i n could
c o u l d never
never escape
escape his
his samurai
s a m u r a i heritage;
h e r i t a g e ; his
his
fascinationwwith
the ""strong
fascination
i t h the
s t r o n g warrior"
w a r r i o r " led
led him
h i m to
to elevate
elevate the
ssamurai
a m u r a i class,
x t e n t of
o f praising
praising the strength
s t r e n g t h and
and
class, even
even to
to the
the eextent
" w i s d o m " of
o f the
the cruel
cruel shogun
s h o g u n Icyasu,
Ieyasu, founder
f o u n d e r of
o f the
the TokuToku"wisdom"
g a w a clan.
s i n g the samurai
s a m u r a i preoccupation
p r e o c c u p a t i o n with
w i t h death
death as
as aa
gawa
clan. UUsing
t e a c h i n g ttool,
o o l , he
he advised
a d v i s e d feudal
feudal lords
l o r d s and
and high-status
h i g h - s t a t u s retainers
retainers
teaching
to investigate
investigate the
o r d shi,
d e a t h , " in
in the
the same
s a m e way
w a y that
that he
he
to
the wword
shi, ""death,"
assigned tto
o his
o n k s the
o a n ""Mu."
M u . " Once
O n c e the warrior
w a r r i o r had
had
assigned
his mmonks
the kkoan
Hakuin
Hakuin
131
e
the realm
eescaped
s c a p e d the
r e a l m of
o f life
life and death
death in
in the
the experience
e x p e r i e n c e of
o f satori,
satori,
aabsolute
b s o l u t e eequality.
q u a l i t y . One
O n e famous
f a m o u s anecdote
a n e c d o t e involves
i n v o l v e s an elderly
elderly
he could
and moral
he
c o u l d reemerge
r e e m e r g e as
as a brave
brave and
m o r a l fighter,
f i g h t e r , loyal
l o y a l to his
his
Hara
woman
who
Hakuin
in aa lecture,
lecture, ""Mind
H
ara w
oman w
h o had
had heard
heard H
a k u i n say
say in
M i n d is
the common
llord
o r d and
and compassionate
c o m p a s s i o n a t e ttoward
o w a r d the
c o m m o n people.
p e o p l e . Such
Such
the PPure
the
u r e Land,
L a n d , the
the body
b o d y itself
itself is
is Amida
A m i d a Buddha."
B u d d h a . " Pondering
Pondering
rreasoning
e a s o n i n g led Hakuin
H a k u i n to
to exalt
exalt the
the contemporary
c o n t e m p o r a r yhushido
bushido code.
code.
this for
this
for days,
d a y s , the
the old
o l d woman
w o m a n had
had aakensho
kensho experience
e x p e r i e n c e one
one
m
o r n i n g while
w h i l e washing
washing a p
o t . She
She iimmediately
m m e d i a t e l y rrushed
u s h e d over
o v e r to
morning
pot.
A warrior
warrior must
A
must from
from the
the beginning
beginning to
to the
the end
end be
be physically
physically
strong.
strong. In
In his
his attendance
attendance on
on his
his duties
duties and
and in
in his
his relationships
relationships
with
with others
others the
the most
most rigid
rigid punctiliousness
punctiliousness and
and propriety
propriety are
are
required.
required. His
His hair
hair must
must be
be properly
properly dressed,
dressed, his
his garments
garments in
in the
the
and his
his swords must be
be fastened
fastened at his side.
strictest order, and
side. With
this exact
exact and
and proper
proper deportment,
deportment, the
the true
true meditation
meditation stands
stands
this
an overflowing
overflowing splendor.
horse,
forth with an
splendor. Mounted on a sturdy horse,
the warrior
warrior can
can ride
ride forth
forth to
to face
face an
an uncountable
uncountable horde
horde of
of
the
enemies as
were riding into aa place
place empty of
o f people.
people.
enemies
as though
though he were
valiant undaunted
undaunted expression
expression on
on his
his face
face reflects
reflects his practice
practice
The valiant
o f the peerless,
peerless, true,
meditation sitting.
sitting. MeditatMeditatof
true, uninterrupted meditation
ing
in this
this way,
way, the
the warrior
warrior can
can accomplish
accomplish in
what
ing in
in one
one month
month what
it
takes
the
monk
a
year
to
do;
in
three
days
he
can
open
up
for
it takes the monk a year to do; in three days he can open up for
himself
benefits
that
would
take
the
monk
a
hundred
days.
himself benefits that would take the monk a hundred days.
Shoin-ji
efore H
a k u i n , ccrying
r y i n g "Amida
" A m i d a Buddha
Buddha
Shoin-ji and
and appeared
appeared bbefore
Hakuin,
has crashed
nto m
y b
o d y . Mountains
M o u n t a i n s and
and rivers
rivers shine
shine wonderwonderhas
crashed iinto
my
body.
fully. How
H o w marvelous!"
marvelous!"
fully.
"What's
" W h a t ' s that?"
t h a t ? " Hakuin
H a k u i n snorted.
s n o r t e d . "Nothing
" N o t h i n g can
can shine
shine in
in your
your
asshole!"
asshole!"
Pushing
and jjumping
with
P u s h i n g him
h i m aside
aside and
umping w
i t h jjoy,
o y , the
the old
o l d woman
woman
cried oout,
u t , "Hakuin
" H a k u i n is
is not
n o t enlightened
e n l i g h t e n e d yet!"
yet!"
cried
Hearing
this, Hakuin
her oon
H e a r i n g this,
H a k u i n clapped
c l a p p e d her
n the
the back
b a c k and
and roared
roared
with
w
i t h laughter.
laughter.
The
T h e sixteen-year-old
s i x t e e n - y e a r - o l d Satsu,
Satsu, who
w h o frequently
f r e q u e n t l y saw
saw Hakuin
H a k u i n in
in
p
r i v a t e interviews
i n t e r v i e w s (dokusan),
(dokusan), lloved
o v e d to
ld m
a s t e r . One
One
private
to tease
teasethe
the oold
master.
day
e eexplained
x p l a i n e d to
difficult passage
passage in
and asked,
asked,
day hhe
to her aa difficult
in a sutra and
" D o you
y o u understand?"
understand?"
"Do
She
She rresponded,
e s p o n d e d , "Please,
" P l e a s e , could
c o u l d you
y o u explain
e x p l a i n it again?"
a g a i n ? " Then,
Then,
to open
jjust
u s t as he
h e was
w a s aabout
b o u t to
o p e n his
his mouth,
m o u t h , she
she got
g o t up
u p and
and left
left the
the
r o o m , leaving
l e a v i n g behind
b e h i n d aa laughing
l a u g h i n g Hakuin.
Hakuin.
room,
"I've
" I ' v e been
b e e n made
m a d e a fool
f o o l by
b y this girl!"
g i r l ! " he
he shouted
s h o u t e d after
after her.
her.
Hakuin's
H
a k u i n ' s humor
h u m o r is
is especially
especially evident
evident in the many
m a n y paintings
paintings
h e left
left behind.
b e h i n d . Always
Always p
o k i n g fun
o f people,
p e o p l e , he
h e indulged
i n d u l g e d in
in
he
poking
fun of
caricatures and
c c o m p a n i e d tthem
h e m with
w i t h funny
f u n n y verses.
verses. He
He
caricatures
and often
often aaccompanied
also lloved
o v e d to
a k e fun
e l i g h t e d in
comparing
also
to m
make
fun ooff himself,
himself, and
and ddelighted
in comparing
On
he could
O
n another
a n o t h e r occasion,
o c c a s i o n , however,
h o w e v e r , he
c o u l d just
j u s t as
as fervently
fervently
feudal llord,
him
aadmonish
d m o n i s h aa feudal
o r d , uurging
rging h
i m to
to give
g i v e up
u p his
his riches,
riches,
"clean
up
water
in the
the basins,
basins, and
and with
"clean u
p the
the garden,
g a r d e n , change
c h a n g e the
the w
a t e r in
with
wash
the feet
feet ooff aa retainer's
retainer's hhorse."
aa laughing
l a u g h i n g face
face w
a s h the
o r s e . " He
H e could
could
also vent
also
vent his
his public
p u b l i c contempt
c o n t e m p t for
for power-hungry
p o w e r - h u n g r y "idiotic"
"idiotic"
generals wwho
generals
h o ddidn't
i d n ' t care
care about
a b o u t the
the welfare
welfare of
o f the common
common
people.
Cautioning
who
p
eople. C
a u t i o n i n g "tyrannical
" t y r a n n i c a l officials"
officials" w
h o plundered
p l u n d e r e d the
the
citizenry and
and m
made
wrote:
citizenry
a d e tthem
h e m suffer,
suffer, Hakuin
Hakuin w
r o t e : "When
" W h e n the
the
his
o w n tumbledown
t u m b l e d o w n Shoin-ji
Shoin-ji to
rich Kyoto
K y o t o temples
t e m p l e s like
like
his own
to rich
the nnation
will
surely pperish."
ccommon
o m m o n people
p e o p l e decline,
decline, the
ation w
i l l surely
e r i s h . " Only
Only
D
a i t o k u - j i and Myoshin-ji.
M y o s h i n - j i . Like
L i k e his
d o l , the
Muromachi
Daitoku-ji
his great
great iidol,
the Muromachi
the benevolent
the
b e n e v o l e n t llord
o r d ""whose
w h o s e heart
heart is deeply
d e e p l y motivated
m o t i v a t e d by
by
m a s t e r Ikkyu,
I k k y u , he
he railed
railed against
against the
the "establishment
" e s t a b l i s h m e n t priests"
priests"
master
natural rright
ccompassion"
o m p a s s i o n " had
had aa natural
i g h t to rule.
rule.
w
h o had lost touch
t o u c h with
w i t h the
the true
true way
w a y of
o f the unsui,
unsui, the
"drifting
who
the "drifting
In
than that
In a nation
n a t i o n where
w h e r e a woman's
w o m a n ' s status
status was
w a s often
often less
less than
ccloud."
loud."
off aa hhorse
with
to alter
o
o r s e oor
r a cow,
c o w , Hakuin
H a k u i n pleaded
pleaded w
i t h feudal
feudal llords
o r d s to
alter
are human
the situation,
the
situation, claiming
c l a i m i n g that
that "women,
" w o m e n , after
after all,
all, are
human
Often
Often Zen
Z e n masters,
masters, and
and their
their students
students as
as well,
well, make
make constant
constant
beings"
the "greatest
and ddignity."
b
e i n g s " deserving
d e s e r v i n g oof
f the
" g r e a t e s t respect
respect and
i g n i t y . " His
His
abundance into
the prosperity
prosperity of
o f the
the
abundance
into luxurious
luxurious living,
living, and
and the
own
o
w n conduct
c o n d u c t toward
t o w a r d women
w o m e n was
w a s quite
quite in
in advance
a d v a n c e of
o f his time.
time.
temple gives
the style
style to
to the
the teaching.
teaching. They think that
gives the
that eloquence
eloquence
Among
with
A
m o n g his
his lay
lay students
students there
there were
w e r e several
several w
i t h whom
w h o m he
he
and
clever tongue
make for
for wisdom,
wisdom, equate
equate fine
fine food
food and
and
and a clever
tongue make
enjoyed lively
lively ZZen
characterizedbby
standard of
enjoyed
e n eexchanges
x c h a n g e s characterized
y aa standard
of
clothing with the
the Buddha
Buddha Way,
Way, make
make haughtiness
haughtiness and
and beauty
beauty
clothing
132
132
Crazy Clouds
Crazy
Clouds
E
Hakuin
Hakuin
133
?33
into moral qualities,
by others as an
into
qualities, and take the faith exhibited
exhibited by
indication that
that they themselves
have attained
attainedthe
the Dharma.
Dharma_. ... .
indication
themselves have
They
in silken
T h e y adorn
adorn themselves
themselves lavishly
lavishly in
silken gowns
gowns and
and preach
preach
deftly acquiring
acquiring offerings
money that
that
recklessly. .. . . . In
In deftly
offerings ooff money
represent much
backbreaking toil
o f the
the populace,
populace,
represent
much backbreaking
toil on
on the
the part of
they
would appear
. . . But
But
they would
appear to
to have
havegained
gainedmiraculous
miraculouspowers.
powers....
when
the
time
to
die
arrives
and
the
solitary
lamp
flickers
as
when
time to die arrives and the solitary lamp flickers as
they
lie
halfway
between
life
and
death,
they
cry
and
moan.
they lie halfway between life and death, they cry and moan.
Driven
with no
no place
place to
to put
put their
their hands
hands and
and feet,
feet, they
they die
die
Driven mad,
mad, with
so
agonizing
a
death
that
their
disciples
and
followers
cannot
so agonizing a death that their disciples and followers cannot
bear
at them.
them.
bear to
to look
look at
(1089-1163),
who
had
the importance
(1089—1163), w
ho h
a d emphasized
e m p h a s i z e d the
i m p o r t a n c e of
o f contincontin-
Hakuin
in humorous
H
a k u i n enjoyed
enjoyed iindulging
n d u l g i n g in
h u m o r o u s folktales
folktales and
and often
often
used
u s e d them
t h e m to
to teach
teach common
c o m m o n people
p e o p l e the
the importance
i m p o r t a n c e of
o f basic
basic
ethics.
in the supernatural
ethics. His
H i s superstitious
superstitious belief
b e l i e f in
supernatural powers
p o w e r s of
of
certain BBuddhist
u d d h i s t sutras stands in contrast to his strict adherence
adherence
to koan
k o a n practice
practice and
and his
his tirades
tirades against
against the
the dualism
d u a l i s m of
o f Pure
Pure
L a n d followers.
followers. B
u t his
n t e r a c t i o n with
w i t h the
the Taoist
Taoist hermit
h e r m i t and
and
Land
But
his iinteraction
healer H
a k u y u , and
and the
the success
success of
o f the
the latter's
latter's naikan
naikan therapy,
therapy,
healer
Hakuyu,
had convinced
c o n v i n c e d him
h i m of
o f the
the existence
e x i s t e n c e of
o f certain
certain "inexplicable
"inexplicable
had
p o w e r s , " which,
w h i c h , as
as long
l o n g as
as they
t h e y did not
n o t conflict
conflict w
i t h his
his Zen
Zen
powers,"
with
practice,
s h o u l d be
b e taken
t a k e n seriously.
seriously.
practice, should
Hakuin
H
a k u i n was
w a s a gifted
gifted artist; his paintings
p a i n t i n g s and
and calligraphy,
c a l l i g r a p h y , as
as
well
as his
his voluminous
w
e l l as
v o l u m i n o u s writings,
w r i t i n g s , reflect
reflect aa universally
u n i v e r s a l l y talented
talented
personality.
the tradition
p
e r s o n a l i t y . Following
F o l l o w i n g the
tradition of
o f Japanese
Japanese ink
i n k painting
painting
kknown
n o w n as
as suiboku-ga,
suiboku-ga, he
e v e l o p e d his
w n ddynamic
ynamic Z
e n style
style
he ddeveloped
hisoown
Zen
and
carried it
b e y o n d the traditional
traditional boundaries.
b o u n d a r i e s . In his
his inimiinimiand carried
it beyond
table,
eccentric way,
w a y , he depicted
d e p i c t e d humane
h u m a n e and
and earthy
e a r t h y subjects,
subjects,
table, eccentric
The
T
h e last
last six
s i x lines
lines of
o f his
his "Zazen
" Z a z e n Wasan"
W a s a n " ("A
( " A Song
S o n g in
in Praise
Praise
of
o f Sitting
S i t t i n g Meditation"),
M e d i t a t i o n " ) , aa short
s h o r t religious
r e l i g i o u s poem
p o e m that
that is
is recited
recited
u e d practice
p r a c t i c e after
after the
t h e initial
i n i t i a l awakening.
a w a k e n i n g . Hakuin
H a k u i n singlesingleued
.
h a n d e d l y created
created aa kkoan
o a n ssystem
y s t e m that
has h
e l p e d ggenerations
e n e r a t i o n s of
of
handedly
that has
helped
Z e n practitioners
practitioners to realize
realize their
w n nature.
nature. It
It was
w a s he,
h e , too,
too,
Zen
their oown
w h o strongly
s t r o n g l y emphasized
e m p h a s i z e d the
the need
n e e d for dharma
d h a r m a successors
s u c c e s s o r s who
who
who
.
eexecuted
x e c u t e d in
l i g h t shades
shades of
o f black
b l a c k ink,
ink,
in light
w o u l d transmit
t r a n s m i t "true
" t r u e Zen
Z e n practice"
p r a c t i c e " to
t o future
future generations.
generations.
would
A
c
c
o
r
d
i
n
g
t
o
H
a
k
u
i
n
,
a
Z
e
n
m
a
s
t
e
r
m
u
s
t
b
e
c
o
m
p l e t e l y dedeAccording to Hakuin, a Zen master must be completely
v o t e d to
to teaching
t e a c h i n g Zen,
Z e n , but
b u t he
h e must
m u s t never
never believe
believe that
that he
he has
has
voted
" c o m p l e t e d " his
his own
o w n practice,
practice, for
f o r moral
m o r a l refinement,
r e f i n e m e n t , comcom"completed"
b i n e d with
w i t h ever
ever deeper
deeper experiences
experiences o
i n s i g h t , continues
c o n t i n u e s forforbined
off insight,
ever.
ever.
to this
this very
v e r y day
day in
inevery
every Japanese
Japanese Rinzai
R i n z a i Zen
Z e n monastery,
monastery,
to
eexpresses
x p r e s s e s the
f ""Hakuin
H a k u i n Zen."
Zen."
the essence
essence oof
Boundless
sky of
of samadhi
samadhi [absorption],
Boundless and free is the sky
Bright the full
Bright
full moon
m o o n of
o f wisdom!
wisdom!
Truly, is
is anything
anything missing
Truly,
missing now?
now?
Nirvana is
is right here, before our eyes;
Nirvana
eyes;
This very place is
is the Lotus Land,
This
Land,
This very
very body, the
the Buddha.
Buddha.
e x c h a n g i n g formal
formal
exchanging
aesthetic
o r an
p p r e c i a t i o n ooff the coarse
coarse and
and ugly.
u g l y . To
To
aesthetic values
values ffor
an aappreciation
the
o y of
o f lower-class
l o w e r - c l a s s ppeople
eople w
h o loved
l o v e d his
r u d e humor,
humor,
the jjoy
who
his rude
H
a k u i n expressed
e x p r e s s e d his
w n idiosyncratic
i d i o s y n c r a t i c vviews
i e w s in
his rough
rough
Hakuin
his oown
in his
p
a i n t i n g s . Using
U s i n g animals
animals to
to convey
c o n v e y human
h u m a n characteristics,
characteristics, he
he
paintings.
p
o k e d fun
fun at
at conventionalized
c o n v e n t i o n a l i z e d Tokugawa
T o k u g a w a nnotions
o t i o n s oof
f morality.
morality.
poked
All
Rinzai
A
l l current
current Japanese
Japanese R
i n z a i ZZen
e n masters
masters trace
trace their lineage
lineage
back
to
Hakuin
Ekaku
Zenji.
It
was
his
merit
to
develop
b a c k to H a k u i n E k a k u Z e n j i .
w a s his m e r i t
d e v e l o p the
the
raw
c o n c e p t oof
f the
the famous
f a m o u s Chinese
C h i n e s e Zen
Z e n master
m a s t e r Daie
D a i e Soko
Soko
raw concept
134
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
I
Hakuin
Hakuin
135
135
77
Nyogen Senzaki:
Nyogen
Senzaki:
The Homeless
Homeless
Mushroom
Mushroom
Nyogen
the eend
N
y o g e n Senzaki
S e n z a k i was
w a s bborn
o r n in 1876,
1876, aa yyear
e a r bbefore
e f o r e the
n d oof
f the
era ooff the
in Japan.
Japan. TThis
momentous
with
era
the samurai
s a m u r a i in
his m
o m e n t o u s bbreak
reak w
i t h the
past played
itself oout
past
p l a y e d itself
u t in
in the
the life
life of
o f this
this homeless
h o m e l e s s wandering
wandering
m
o n k , who
w h o single-handedly
s i n g l e - h a n d e d l y bbrought
r o u g h t aa modern
m o d e r n form
f o r m of
o f dedemonk,
m
ocratized Z
e n to the
the West.
West. Nyogen
N y o g e n Senzaki's
S e n z a k i ' s path,
p a t h , like
like the
the
mocratized
Zen
rrevolutionary
e v o l u t i o n a r y events
characterized the
M e i j i era
which
events that
that characterized
the Meiji
era in
in which
he
d e v e l o p e d his
rinciples, w
a s difficult
difficult and
fraught
he developed
his radical
radical pprinciples,
was
and fraught
w
i t h obstacles.
o b s t a c l e s . It is essential
essential to
o o k at
society
with
to take
take a close
close llook
at the society
that
o r m e d him.
him.
that fformed
The
all samurai
T
h e Meiji
M e i j i regime
r e g i m e prohibited
p r o h i b i t e d all
s a m u r a i from
f r o m bearing
bearing
swords,
s w o r d s , the
the symbol
s y m b o l of
of their
their superior
s u p e r i o r status.
status. In
In addition,
a d d i t i o n , the
the
warrior
its sstipends,
w
a r r i o r caste
caste llost
o s t its
t i p e n d s , which
w h i c h were
w e r e ccompulsorily
o m p u l s o r i l y conconverted iinto
n t o government
g o v e r n m e n t bonds
b o n d s representing
r e p r e s e n t i n g only
o n l y about
a b o u t half
half
verted
their value.
v a l u e . In a desperate
desperate last
t t e m p t to turn
turn back
b a c k the
the clock,
clock,
their
last aattempt
Saigo T
a k a m o r i , aa samurai
s a m u r a i eendowed
ndowed w
i t h the
v i r t u e s of
o f his
his
Saigo
Takamori,
with
the virtues
b i r t h — c o u r a g e , generosity,
g e n e r o s i t y , lack
lack of
o f ostentation,
o s t e n t a t i o n , and
and contempt
contempt
birth-courage,
for m
o n e y — o r g a n i z e d aarebellion
r e b e l l i o n to
to overthrow
o v e r t h r o w the
the eight-year
eight-year
for
money-organized
rule
o
f
E
m
p
e
r
o
r
Meiji.
T
h
i
s
"
c
i
v
i
l
w
a
r
o
f
S
e
i
n
a
n
"
e n d e d in
in
rule of Emperor Meiji. This "civil war of Seinan" ended
1877
i t h the
the devastating
devastating defeat
defeat of
o f Takamori's
T a k a m o r i ' s forces.
f o r c e s . The
The
1877 wwith
p r o u d rebel
rebel samurai
s a m u r a i leader
leader was
w a s forced
f o r c e d to
tocommit
c o m m i tseppuku,
seppuku,
proud
leaving
riumphant n
e w regime
r e g i m e in
in place
place oof
f a
a two-hundredtwo-hundredleaving aa ttriumphant
new
s i x t y - y e a r order
o r d e r that
that had
h a d outlived
o u t l i v e d its
its usefulness.
usefulness.
sixty-year
The
off the Meiji
T h e beginnings
beginnings o
M e i j i restoration
restoration are
are traced
traced to
to the
the
American
led bby
aappearance
p p e a r a n c e oof
f ffour
our A
m e r i c a n ""black
b l a c k sships,"
h i p s , " led
y ComCom-
noseki,
and forcing
Choshu
and SSatsuma
to aa truce
n
o s e k i , and
forcing C
h o s h u and
a t s u m a to
t r u c e and
and the
the
mander
Perry, offshore
m
a n d e r Matthew
M a t t h e w Perry,
o f f s h o r e oof
f the
the Japanese
Japanese ttown
o w n of
of
Tokugawa
to the
the ppayment
an iindemnity.
T
o k u g a w a rregime
e g i m e to
a y m e n t oof
f an
n d e m n i t y . The
T h e irrairra-
U
r a g a in
in the
the summer
s u m m e r of
o f 1853.
1853. Threatening
T h r e a t e n i n g the
theTokugawa
Tokugawa
Uraga
tional,
a n t i f o r e i g n sentiment
s e n t i m e n t of
o f the
the Japanese
Japanese ruling
r u l i n g elite
elite was
was
tional, antiforcign
rregime
e g i m e with
w i t h attack,
attack, Perry
Perry eventually
eventually forced
f o r c e d the
p e n i n g of
o f two
two
the oopening
ccooled
o o l e d bby
y these
these belligerent
belligerent events,
hey w
e r e forced
f o r c e d to
events, and
and tthey
were
Japanese
o r t s tto
o A
m e r i c a n trade
nding m
o r e than
than
Japanese pports
American
trade ships,
ships, thus
thus eending
more
m
ake p
eace w
i t h fforeign
o r e i g n infiltration
country.
make
peace
with
infiltration ooff the
the country.
ttwo
w o hundred
h u n d r e d years
years of
o f self-imposed
s e l f - i m p o s e d isolation.
o o n oother
t h e r powpowisolation. SSoon
Their
had taught
T
h e i r defeat
defeat had
t a u g h t the lords
l o r d s of
o f the
the Satsuma,
S a t s u m a , Choshu,
Choshu,
ers
G r e a t Britain,
B r i t a i n , Russia,
Russia, France,
France, and
and Germany
G e r m a n y followed,
followed,
ers like
like Great
Nagato,
N
a g a t o , and
and Hizen
H i z e n districts
districts another
a n o t h e r lesson
lesson too:
t o o : since
since the
the
and
w i t h i n five
five years,
y e a r s , treaties
treaties for
the further
further opening
o p e n i n g of
o f Japan
Japan
and within
for the
Japanese
weak B
a k u f u ggovernment
overnment w
a s rready
e a d y to
be
Japanese that
that the
the weak
Bakufu
was
to be
Bakufu
was
B
akufu w
a s ttoo
o o weak
w e a k to
to punish
p u n i s h their
their rebellious
r e b e l l i o u s districts
districts for
for
e n g a g i n g in independent
i n d e p e n d e n t warfare
w a r f a r e against
against the
the Western
W e s t e r n powers,
powers,
engaging
it
would p
r o b a b l y be
b e too
t o o weak
w e a k to
w i t h s t a n d a united
u n i t e d action
a c t i o n to
it would
probably
to withstand
establish
e w rregime
e g i m e uunder
n d e r the
flag oof
f the
the young
y o u n g emperor
emperor
establish aa nnew
the flag
d
o n e away
away w
i t h . In
In 186o,
i 8 6 0 , aa group
g r o u p of
o fnationalistic
nationalistic samurai
samurai
done
with.
M
eiji. O
n the
the morning
m o r n i n g of
o f 33 January
J a n u a r y 1868,
1868, troops
t r o o p s under
u n d e r the
the
Meiji.
On
to
f o r e i g n trade were
w e r e put
p u t into
i n t o effect.
effect. These
T h e s e events,
events, aand
n d their
their
to foreign
ineffectual
a n d l i n g bby
y the
the Tokugawa
T o k u g a w a rregime,
e g i m e , convinced
c o n v i n c e d the
ineffectual hhandling
assassinated the
o w e r f u l rregent
e g e n t IiIiNNaosuke,
a o s u k e , wwho
h o ruled
the
assassinated
the ppowerful
ruled for
for the
m i n o r shogun
s h o g u n lemochi
I e m o c h i Tokugawa,
T o k u g a w a , thus
thus opening
o p e n i n g the
the way
w a y for
for aa
minor
leadership
S a t s u m a seized
seized the
i m p e r i a l palace
palace in
Kyoto. A
A
leadership ooff Satsuma
the imperial
in Kyoto.
ccouncil
o u n c i l was
w a s summoned,
s u m m o n e d , the
the last
last shogun
s h o g u n Yoshinobu
Y o s h i n o b u Tokugawa
Tokugawa
series oof
f challenges
c h a l l e n g e s to
T o k u g a w a rule
w e r e to
to become
become
series
to Tokugawa
rule that
that were
w
a s stripped
his lands
lands and
and power,
p o w e r , and
and Emperor
E m p e r o r Meiji
M e i j i was
was
was
stripped ooff his
steadily more
m o r e effective
effective w
i t h the
the years.
years.
steadily
with
fformally
o r m a l l y rrestored
e s t o r e d to
to political
political leadership.
leadership. A
l m o s t three
three centucentuAlmost
ries
T o k u g a w a rule
n d e d , and
and a
a new
n e w era,
era, the
the Meiji
Meiji
ries ooff Tokugawa
rule thus
thus eended,
Between
B
e t w e e n ii86o
8 6 0 and
and 1867,
1867, the
the Bakufu
B a k u f u tried
tried desperately
d e s p e r a t e l y to
to
restoration,
began.
restoration, began.
its oold
rregain
e g a i n its
l d strength,
s t r e n g t h , implementing
i m p l e m e n t i n g policies
policies designed
d e s i g n e d to give
give
the ggovernment
the
o v e r n m e n t control
c o n t r o l of
o f all
all trade.
trade. In
In May
M a y i i860,
8 6 0 , aa decree
decree was
was
issued
ranting m
o n o p o l y rights
r i g h t s in the major
major export
e x p o r t consignconsignissued ggranting
monopoly
Twenty-five
later, the
the new
T
w e n t y - f i v e yyears
e a r s later,
n e w regime
r e g i m e had
had
completely
completely
Japanesessociety,
making
the eempire
cchanged
h a n g e d Japanese
ociety, m
a k i n g the
m p i r e aa world
w o r l d power
power
m
e n t s oof
f ggrains,
r a i n s , raw
raw silk,
silk, and
and wax
w a x to certain
certain Edo
E d o wholesalers.
wholesalers.
ments
equal to
to its
its EEuropean
equal
u r o p e a n counterparts.
c o u n t e r p a r t s . The
T h e architects
architects of
o f the
the Meiji
Meiji
A
l l shipments
s h i p m e n t s had
depart from
f r o m Yokohama,
Y o k o h a m a , Edo's
E d o ' s port,
port,
All
had to depart
were
elite ooff relatively
relatively yyoung
men,
rregime
egime w
e r e aa ssmall
m a l l elite
oung m
e n , a mixture
mixture
eensuring
n s u r i n g the
B a k u f u ' s control
c o n t r o l over
o v e r principal
principal items
i t e m s of
o f export.
export.
the Bakufu's
oof
f lower-class
l o w e r - c l a s s ssamurai
a m u r a i and
c o u r t nobility.
n o b i l i t y . In
the so-called
so-called
and court
In the
H
o w e v e r , the
o v e r n m e n t ddid
id n
o t have
have the
p o w e r to enforce
enforce
However,
the ggovernment
not
the power
C
harter O
a t h , the regime,
r e g i m e , in the name
name o
o u n g emperor,
emperor,
Charter
Oath,
off the
the yyoung
adopted n
e w principles
principles as
u i d e l i n e s for
a t i o n . Old
O l d ToToadopted
new
as gguidelines
for the
the nnation.
k
u g a w a rules
e g u l a t i n g in
detail the
the activities
activities oof
f men
m e n and
and
kugawa
rules rregulating
in detail
w
omen w
e r e aabolished,
b o l i s h e d , and
e r e uurged
r g e d to
women
were
and all
all classes
classeswwere
to unite
unite in
an
effort
to
establish
a
m
o
d
e
r
n
nation-state,
w
h
i
c
h
i
ncluded
an effort to establish a modern nation-state, which included
o
p
e
n
i
n
g
Japan
t
o
Western
t
e
c
h
n
o
l
o
g
y
and
culture.
T
h
new
opening Japan to Western technology and culture. Thee new
ggovernment
o v e r n m e n t initiated
initiated aa westernized
w e s t e r n i z e d educational
e d u c a t i o n a l system,
s y s t e m , postal
postal
service,
i l i t a r y cconscription,
o n s c r i p t i o n , telegraph,
t e l e g r a p h , railroads,
railroads, and
and finally,
finally,
service, m
military
in
1889, aa cconstitution
o n s t i t u t i o n and
a t i o n a l aassembly,
s s e m b l y , the
i e t . Meiji
Meiji
in 1889,
and aa nnational
the D
Diet.
ggovernment
o v e r n m e n t officials
officials sstudied
t u d i e d vvarious
a r i o u s European
E u r o p e a n and
and American
American
societies,
a k i n g ffrom
r o m each
h a t tthey
h e y thought
t h o u g h t would
w o u l d best
best fit
fit
societies, ttaking
each wwhat
Japan.
T h e y based
b a s e d the
the legal
l e g a l system
s y s t e m on
o n the
the French
F r e n c h Napoleonic
Napoleonic
Japan. They
C
o d e , the
the education
e d u c a t i o n system
s y s t e m on
o n American
American p
r a g m a t i s m , and
and the
the
Code,
pragmatism,
cconstitution
o n s t i t u t i o n oon
n its
authoritarian
G
e
r
m
a
n
t
w
i
n
.
M
o
s
t
i
m
p
o
rits authoritarian German twin. Most impor-
the
decree in
in the
the domains
d o m a i n s of
o f the
the increasingly
i n c r e a s i n g l y powerful
p o w e r f u l daimyo,
daimyo,
the decree
the
feudal lords,
l o r d s , and
and finally,
finally, in
in 1864,
1864, the
the monopoly
monopoly
the feudal
was
was
aabolished,
b o l i s h e d , lleaving
e a v i n g trade
o develop
d e v e l o p aaccording
c c o r d i n g to
t h e free
free
trade tto
to the
market.
market.
At
A
t the
the same
s a m e time,
t i m e , jingoistic
j i n g o i s t i c lower-class
lower-class samurai
s a m u r a i murdered
murdered
several BBritish
and AAmerican
trade officials,
officials, pprovoking
several
r i t i s h and
m e r i c a n trade
r o v o k i n g Western
Western
retaliation. In
In 1863,
the llords
retaliation.
1863, the
o r d s oof
f ttwo
w o ssouthern
o u t h e r n ddomains,
o m a i n s , ChoChoshu
S a t s u m a , decided
d e c i d e d to start their own
o w n private
p r i v a t e war
w a r against
against
shu and
and Satsuma,
the
hated gaijin.
h o s h u steamers
steamers attacked
attacked American,
A m e r i c a n , French,
French,
the hated
gaijin. CChoshu
and Dutch
D u t c h vessels
vessels in the
the Shimonoseki
S h i m o n o s e k i Straits.
Straits. Satsuma
S a t s u m a forces
forces
and
attacked a British
British squadron
s q u a d r o n near
near Kagoshima,
K a g o s h i m a , inflicting
inflicting heavy
heavy
attacked
d a m a g e oon
n the
the British
B r i t i s h ships.
ships. The
T h e allied
allied forces
forces of
o f France,
France,
damage
B
r i t a i n , and
and the
the United
U n i t e d States
States retaliated,
retaliated, bombarding
b o m b a r d i n g ShimoShimoBritain,
1.38
138
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
I
Nyogen Senzaki
Senzaki
Nyogen
139
Forced
to conduct
F o r c e d to
c o n d u c t Shinto
Shinto ceremonies,
c e r e m o n i e s , Buddhist
B u d d h i s t clergy
c l e r g y tried to
to
save
their rreligion
with
save their
e l i g i o n bby
y aaligning
l i g n i n g tthemselves
hemselves w
i t h the nationalistic
nationalistic
sentiment
s e n t i m e n t of
o f the Meiji
M e i j i rregime.
e g i m e . In aaddition,
d d i t i o n , both
b o t h Shintoism
S h i n t o i s m and
and
B
u d d h i s m attacked
a t t a c k e d the
the newly
n e w l y legalized
legalized C
h r i s t i a n religion
r e l i g i o n on
on
Buddhism
Christian
g r o u n d s that
that aa doctrine
d o c t r i n e of
o f love
l o v e and forgiveness
forgiveness w
a s "inherently
"inherently
grounds
was
antinationalistic and
u n -Japanese."
Japanese."
antinationalistic
and un
By
the early
early r89os,
the M
Meiji
felt sstrong
B y the
1890s, the
e i j i ggovernment
o v e r n m e n t felt
t r o n g enough
enough
tantly, the old
tantly,
o l d feudal
feudal system
s y s t e m was
w a s abolished,
a b o l i s h e d , and
and the division
division
oof
f the
o u n t r y into
into prefectures
prefectures tturned
u r n e d ppowerful
o w e r f u l daimyo
into
the ccountry
daimyo into
llocal
o c a l ggovernors,
o v e r n o r s , rresponsible
e s p o n s i b l e ffor
o r kkeeping
e e p i n g llaw
a w and
and order
o r d e r in
in the
the
n
ame o
emperor.
name
off the
the emperor.
The
T h e city
c i t y of
o f Edo
E d o was
w a s renamed
r e n a m e d Tokyo
T o k y o and
and designated
d e s i g n a t e d the
the
i m p e r i a l capital.
he n
e w spirit
o f "modernity"
" m o d e r n i t y " infused
i n f u s e d the
the
imperial
capital. TThe
new
spirit of
aautomation
u t o m a t i o n of
o f agriculture
a g r i c u l t u r e and
and the
the development
d e v e l o p m e n t oof
f iindustry.
n d u s t r y . In
In
to compete
to
c o m p e t e with
w i t h the
the Western
Western powers
p o w e r s in
in their
theirimperialistic
imperialistic
o r d e r to
to fulfill
fulfill its
its dream
d r e a m of
o f turning
t u r n i n g Japan
Japan into
i n t o aafirst-class,
first-class,
order
m
o d e r n nation
n a t i o n state
state as
as quickly
q u i c k l y as
as possible,
p o s s i b l e , the
the government
government
modern
s u p p o r t e d "corporate
" c o r p o r a t e capitalism,"
c a p i t a l i s m , " placing
p l a c i n g economic
e c o n o m i c power
p o w e r in
in
supported
the
a n d s of
o f zaibatsu,
zaibatsu, an
e x c l u s i v e cclique
l i q u e oof
f pprivate
r i v a t e entrepreentreprethe hhands
an exclusive
neurs who
w h o enjoyed
enjoyed a
a virtual
v i r t u a l monopoly
m o n o p o l y in
in finance,
finance, industry,
industry,
neurs
and commerce,
c o m m e r c e , in close
close ccooperation
ooperation w
i t h the military
m i l i t a r y and the
the
and
with
at eexploiting
Using
over
aadvances
d v a n c e s aaimed
i m e d at
x p l o i t i n g CChina.
hina. U
s i n g disputes
disputes o
v e r ChiChinese
o r e a as
pretense, Japan
declared w
a r on
on
nese influence
influence in
in KKorea
as aa pretense,
Japan declared
war
C
h i n a in the summer
s u m m e r of
o f 1894,
1894, and
and soon
s o o n controlled
c o n t r o l l e d Korea
K o r e a and
and
China
the
s o u t h e r n part
part of
o f Manchuria.
M a n c h u r i a . In
InFebruary
F e b r u a r y 1895,
1895, Japanese
Japanese
the southern
forces
o o k the Liaotung
L i a o t u n g peninsula,
peninsula, including
i n c l u d i n g Port
Arthur,
forces ttook
Port Arthur,
fforcing
orcing C
h i n a to
to accept
accept defeat
a r s h ppeace
e a c e treaty.
China
China
defeat and
and aa hharsh
treaty. China
iimperial
m p e r i a l court.
c o u r t . The
T h e new
n e w Japanese
Japanese capitalism,
capitalism, characterized
characterized by
by
lost
a i w a n to
ut w
i t h the
e l p oof
f the
t r i p l e intervenintervenlost TTaiwan
toJapan,
Japan, bbut
with
the hhelp
the ""triple
p r e d o m i n a n t state
state enterprise
enterprise supported
s u p p o r t e d by
b y aa financial
financial oligaroligaraa predominant
cchy,
h y , heavily
h e a v i l y ttaxed
a x e d the
p
o
p
u
l
a
t
i
o
n
,
p
a
r
t
i
c
u
l
a
r
l
y
the
a
g
r
i
c
u
ltural
the population, particularly the agricultural
ccommunity.
ommunity.
Following
Japanese m
model
the uunity
F o l l o w i n g the ancient
ancient Japanese
o d e l ofsaisei-itchi,
o£saisei-itchi, the
nity
ttion"
i o n " powers
p o w e r s of
o f Germany,
G e r m a n y , France,
France, and
and Russia,
Russia, the Meiji
M e i j i govgoveernment
r n m e n t was
w a s fforced
o r c e d to
the Liaotung
L i a o t u n g peninsula.
u t only
only
to return
return the
peninsula. BBut
five
e a r s later,
e l p e d GGreat
r e a t BBritain
r i t a i n ssubdue
u b d u e the
Chinese
five yyears
later, Japan
Japan hhelped
the Chinese
off religion
o
r e l i g i o n and
and government,
g o v e r n m e n t , the
the Meiji
M e i j i regime
r e g i m e created
created State
State
B
o x e r rrebellion,
e b e l l i o n , and
a s rrewarded
e w a r d e d bby
y the
the government
g o v e r n m e n t in
in
Boxer
and wwas
S h i n t o , aa mixture
m i x t u r e of
o f emperor
e m p e r o r worship,
w o r s h i p , obedience
o b e d i e n c e to
to state
state
Shinto,
authorities,
the worship
w o r s h i p of
o f kami,
kami, various
v a r i o u s Shinto
Shinto nature
nature
authorities, and
and the
g
o d s that
w e r e tthought
h o u g h t to
p r o t e c t the
the "superiority"
" s u p e r i o r i t y " of
o f JapaJapagods
that were
to protect
had crossed
c r o s s e d the
frontier into
i n t o Korea.
K o r e a . Within
W i t h i n oone
n e year,
y e a r , the
the
had
the frontier
L
o n d o n with
w i t h an
an alliance
alliance treaty.
N o w backed
b a c k e d by
b y Britain,
B r i t a i n , Japan
Japan
London
treaty. Now
felt
t r o n g enough
e n o u g h to
to attack
attack expansionist
e x p a n s i o n i s t Russian
Russian forces
forces that
that
felt sstrong
Japanese inflicted
n the
Russian aarmy
r m y and
and navy
navy
Japanese
inflicted major
major defeats
defeats oon
the Russian
at
Port
A
r
t
h
u
r
and
T
s
u
s
h
i
m
a
.
P
l
a
g
u
e
d
b
y
internal
p
r
o
b
l
e
ms,
at Port Arthur and Tsushima. Plagued by internal problems,
nese
ociety. R
a t h e r than
e l e g a t i n g rreligious
eligious m
a t t e r s to
temple
nese ssociety.
Rather
than rrelegating
matters
to temple
authorities,
g o v e r n m e n t itself
i t s e l f controlled
c o n t r o l l e d the
activities of
of
authorities, the
the government
the activities
Russia w
a s fforced
o r c e d tto
o sign
sign a
a peace
peace treaty
treaty in
in 1905,
1905, ceding
c e d i n g to
to
Russia
was
State
h i n t o , gearing
g e a r i n g it
it carefully
carefully toward
t o w a r d ethnocentric
e t h n o c e n t r i c nationnationState SShinto,
Japan its
o l d i n g s in
outhern M
a n c h u r i a , the
outhern h
a l f of
of
Japan
its hholdings
in ssouthern
Manchuria,
the ssouthern
half
alism.
this vein,
vein, deifying
d e i f y i n g the
the emperor
e m p e r o r as
as aa "living
" l i v i n g kami"
kami"
alism. In
In this
the island
island o
Sakhalin, and
the Liaotung
L i a o t u n g peninsula.
peninsula.
the
off Sakhalin,
and the
Japan's military
the nnation
Japan's
m i l i t a r y success
success ppropelled
r o p e l l e d the
a t i o n tto
o world
w o r l d power
power
status, which
w h i c h manifested
m a n i f e s t e d itself in a jjingoistic
i n g o i s t i c ffrenzy
r e n z y that
forced
status,
that forced
the half-Russian,
half-Russian, half-Japanese
half-Japanese pacifist
o n k Nyogen
N y o g e n Senzaki
Senzaki
the
pacifist m
monk
to
leave his
o u n t r y and
n e w life
life in the
the United
U n i t e d States.
States.
to leave
his ccountry
and start aa new
w
a s aa clever
clever m
o v e oon
n the
the part
part of
o f powerful
p o w e r f u l bureaucrats
b u r e a u c r a t s and
and
was
move
militaristic
h o uused
s e d the
x a l t a t i o n oof
f the
throne
militaristic nationalists,
nationalists, wwho
the eexaltation
the throne
to
p r o m o t e nationalistic
nationalistic ffervor
e r v o r among
a m o n g the
the masses.
masses. Far
Far from
from
to promote
d i r e c t i n g affairs
f state,
mperor w
a s nno
o more
m o r e than
than a
a
directing
affairsoof
state, the
the eemperor
was
c o n v e n i e n t ffigurehead
i g u r e h e a d for
s m a l l despotic
d e s p o t i c oligarchy.
o l i g a r c h y . In
In an
an
convenient
for aa small
a t t e m p t to
to spread
spread State
State Shinto,
S h i n t o , the
the government
g o v e r n m e n t moved
m o v e d to
to
attempt
w
e
a
k
e
n
B
u
d
d
h
i
s
m
b
y
i
n
s
t
i
g
a
t
i
n
g
a
n
t
i
B
u
d
d
h
i
s
t
p
r
o
p
a
g
a
n
d
weaken Buddhism by instigating anti-Buddhist propagandaa
that linked
l i n k e d Buddhism
B u d d h i s m to
to the
the hated
hated Tokugawa
T o k u g a w a regime.
r e g i m e . As
A s aa
that
Indelibly
a r k e d oon
n his
his mind
m i n d were
w e r e the
the pernicious
p e r n i c i o u s effects
effects of
of
Indelibly mmarked
n
a t i o n a l i s m , and
o p p o r t u n i s m of
o f the
the Buddhist
B u d d h i s t establishestablishnationalism,
and the
the opportunism
m
e n t in the
the face
face of
o f state
state power.
power.
ment
result, many
m a n y Buddhist
B u d d h i s t temples
t e m p l e s were
w e r e destroyed
d e s t r o y e d or
or damaged,
d a m a g e d , aa
result,
llarge
a r g e nnumber
u m b e r oof
f monks
m o n k s and
and nuns
n u n s were
w e r e fforced
o r c e d tto
o take
take up
up
The
T
h e circumstances
c i r c u m s t a n c e s oof
f Nyogen's
N y o g e n ' s birth
birth and
and early
early childhood
childhood
secular life,
u d d h i s t priests
e r e eencouraged
n c o u r a g e d tto
o m
arry.
secular
life, and
and all
all BBuddhist
priests wwere
marry.
140
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
are nnot
are
o t well
w e l l kknown
n o w n and
and with
w i t h the
the course
c o u r s e of
o f time
t i m e have
have taken
taken on
on
0
Nyogen Senzaki
Senzaki
Nyogen
141
141
an aapocryphal
Japanese mmother
in October
an
p o c r y p h a l character.
character. Born
B o r n to aa Japanese
o t h e r in
October
Chicago,
C
h i c a g o , where
w h e r e he made
m a d e contact
c o n t a c t with
w i t h American
A m e r i c a n Buddhists
Buddhists
1876, oon
off Kamchatka,
1876,
n the
the Siberian
Siberian peninsula
peninsula o
K a m c h a t k a , he
h e was
w a s either
either
who
w
h o would
w o u l d invite
i n v i t e him
h i m back
b a c k ten years
y e a r s later.
later.
her at
aabandoned
b a n d o n e d bby
y her
at birth, or
or left
left to
to survive
s u r v i v e after
after she
she died
died in
in
the talent
talent oof
IImmediately
m m e d i a t e l y rrecognizing
e c o g n i z i n g the
f ""this
t h i s sstrange
t r a n g e monk,"
monk,"
Soyen
Nyogen
hard, often
S o y e n ddrove
rove N
y o g e n hard,
often using
u s i n g the traditionally
t r a d i t i o n a l l y harsh
harsh
R
inzai m
ethods o
h o u t i n g and beating
b e a t i n g to press his student
s t u d e n t to
to
Rinzai
methods
off sshouting
self-realization.
y o g e n fell
i t h tuberculosis,
t u b e r c u l o s i s , and
and spent aa
self-realization. NNyogen
fell ill
ill wwith
cchildbirth.
hildbirth. H
i s father
father remains
remains u
n k n o w n , but
b u t it
it is
is generally
generally
His
unknown,
that he
aassumed
s s u m e d that
he was
w a s either
either Russian
Russian or Chinese.
Chinese. A
A traveling
traveling
Japanese
Kegon
Buddhist
priest ddecided
to aadopt
Japanese K
egon B
u d d h i s t priest
e c i d e d to
d o p t the baby
b a b y and
and
take it to Japan.
take
N
y o g e n was
w a s given
g i v e n a first-class
d u c a t i o n . At
A t the age
a g e of
o f five,
five,
Nyogen
first-class eeducation.
he was
and before
he
w a s already
already studying
s t u d y i n g the Chinese
C h i n e s e classics,
classics, and
b e f o r e the
the
aage
g e of
o f eighteen,
e i g h t e e n , he
he had
h a d finished
finished reading
r e a d i n g the
the
yyear
e a r in
i s o l a t i o n in
little wooden
w o o d e n hut
h u t on
o n the
the monastery
monastery
in isolation
in a little
ggrounds.
r o u n d s . Sensing
Sensing h
i m s e l f to
close to
death, Nyogen
N y o g e n asked
asked
himself
to bbee close
to death,
S
o y e n for
d v i c e . ""If
I f yyou
o u die,
ust d
i e , " was
w a s the
the cryptic
cryptic
Soyen
for his
his last
last aadvice.
die, jjust
die,"
aanswer
n s w e r oof
f the
bbot. S
t r a n g e l y eenough,
nough, N
y o g e n ' s health
health
the stern
stern aabbot.
Strangely
Nyogen's
multi-volume
multi-volume
Chinese
Tripitaka, the
the BBuddhist
C
h i n e s e Tripitaka,
u d d h i s t ""Bible."
B i b l e . " Drawn
D r a w n to
to medicine,
medicine,
bbegan
e g a n to
i m p r o v e , and
and it
it was
w a s not
n o t long
l o n g before
b e f o r e he
h e could
c o u l d again
again
to improve,
Nyogen
N
y o g e n was
w a s llooking
o o k i n g fforward
o r w a r d to starting medical
m e d i c a l sschool,
c h o o l , when
when
e n g a g e in
in the
the usual
usual demanding
d e m a n d i n g monastery
m o n a s t e r y schedule.
s c h e d u l e . It
was
engage
It was
ssuddenly
u d d e n l y his
foster father
father passed
passed away.
h e death
o f his only
only
his foster
away. TThe
death of
priest, but,
priest,
b u t , soon
s o o n disappointed
d i s a p p o i n t e d by
b y the
the institutionalized
institutionalized formalformal-
d
u r i n g this
i m e that
that Nyogen
N y o g e n met
m e t D.
D . T.
T. Suzuki,
S u z u k i , aa young
y o u n g lay
lay
during
this ttime
student and
and favorite
favorite of
o f Soyen
Soyen S
haku, w
h o had
had no
n o idea
idea that
that he
he
student
Shaku,
who
w
a
s
h
a
r
b
o
r
i
n
g
u
n
d
e
r
his
r
o
o
f
the
t
w
o
t
w
e
n
t
i
e
t
h
c
e
n
t
u
r
y
p
i
owas harboring under his roof the two twentieth-century pioneers
o
f
Z
e
n
B
u
d
d
h
i
s
m
in
A
m
e
r
i
c
a
.
neers of Zen Buddhism in America.
Nyogen's
N
y o g e n ' s practice
practice progressed,
p r o g r e s s e d , and
and although
a l t h o u g h he
he never
never spoke
spoke
of
he rresolved
hisfirst
first kkoans
during
o f his own
o w n kensho
kensho eexperience,
x p e r i e n c e , he
e s o l v e d his
oans d
uring
he left
left Shingon
for ZZen.
iity
t y of
o f esoteric
esoteric Buddhism,
B u d d h i s m , he
S h i n g o n for
en. A
A Soto
Soto
the five
five yyears
e a r s he
Engaku-ji. B
u t here,
here, too,
t o o , he
h e was
was
the
he spent
spent at
at Engaku-ji.
But
priest aaccepted
the yyoung
priest
c c e p t e d the
o u n g novice,
n o v i c e , but
b u t Nyogen
N y o g e n wandered
w a n d e r e d away
away
ffamily
amily m
e m b e r left
left deep
deep scars
scars o
n the psyche
p s y c h e of
o f the
the eighteeneighteenmember
on
He
the spot
yyear-old
e a r - o l d yyouth.
outh. H
e resolved
r e s o l v e d oon
n the
s p o t to
t o renounce
r e n o u n c e the
the
secular life
life and
and ddevote
himself, like
like his
his foster
foster father,
father, to relisecular
e v o t e himself,
religgious
i o u s aand
nd m
o r a l teaching.
t e a c h i n g . Nyogen
N y o g e n was
w a s ordained
o r d a i n e d by
b y aa Shingon
Shingon
moral
again, this
this ttime
again,
i m e turning
t u r n i n g up
u p at
at the
the gates
gates of
o f the Rinzai
R i n z a i monastery
monastery
d i s c o m f i t e d by
b y monastic
m o n a s t i c ceremony
c e r e m o n y and ritual, alienated
alienated by
b y the
the
discomfited
traditional life
life oof
f aa B
u d d h i s t priest
o n k . Turning
T u r n i n g to books
books
traditional
Buddhist
priest oorr m
monk.
E
n g a k u - j i in
a m a k u r a . Impressed
I m p r e s s e d by
b y his
his p
r e v i o u s corresponcorresponEngaku-ji
in KKamakura.
previous
f o r intellectual
intellectual sstimulus,
t i m u l u s , NNyogen
y o g e n hit
n the
w r i t i n g s of
o f the
the
for
hit oon
the writings
ddence
ence w
i t h its
o u n g abbot
a b b o t Soyen
S o y e n Shaku,
Shaku, the
twenty-year-old
with
its yyoung
the twenty-year-old
G e r m a n eeducational
d u c a t i o n a l rreformer
e f o r m e r and
o u n d e r oof
f the
kindergarten
German
and ffounder
the kindergarten
s y s t e m , Friedrich
F r i e d r i c h Froebel
F r o e b e l (1782-1852).
(1782-1852). F
r o e b e l ' s ideas
imsystem,
Froebel's
ideas so
so impressed
the
y
o
u
n
g
m
o
n
k
that
he
r
e
s
o
l
v
e
d
to
leave
E
n
g
a
k
u
j
i
to
pressed the young monk that he resolved to leave Engaku ji to
N
y o g e n rresolved
e s o l v e d toto stick
i t h RRinzai
i n z a i ZZen
e n in
o p e of
of
Nyogen
stickwwith
in the
the hhope
ccatching
a t c h i n g aa gglimpse
l i m p s e of
o f his essential
essential nature.
ffound
ound a
a nursery
n u r s e r y school,
s c h o o l , which
w h i c h he
h e called
called the
the Mentorgarten.
Mentorgarten.
Abbot
was
the ZZen
prodigy
A
b b o t Soycn
S o y e n Shaku
Shaku w
a s the
en p
r o d i g y of
o f the day.
day. Having
Having
B
e l i e v i n g in
power o
h i l d r e n , Nyogen
N y o g e n envisioned
envisioned
Believing
in the
the natural
natural power
off cchildren,
received
at the
the iincredibly
received ttransmission
r a n s m i s s i o n at
n c r e d i b l y yyoung
o u n g age
age of
o f twentytwentyfive ffrom
r o m Kosen
Kosen R
o s h i , the
o s t celebrated
celebrated Z
e n master
m a s t e r of
o f his
his
five
Roshi,
the m
most
Zen
ttime,
i m e , Soyen
S o y e n was
w a s sent
sent for
for a year
y e a r to Keio
Keio U
n
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
in
T
o
k
y
o
University in Tokyo to
s t u d y Buddhism.
B u d d h i s m . Stimulated
S t i m u l a t e d by
b y his
his new
n e w intellectual
intellectual activity,
activity,
study
SSoyen
o y e n ddecided
e c i d e d to
p e n d ssome
o m e ttime
i m e in Southeast
S o u t h e a s t Asia
A s i a studying
studying
to sspend
T
h e r a v a d a BBuddhism.
uddhism. T
w o yyears
e a r s after
to Japan,
Japan, at
at
Theravada
Two
after his
his return
return to
h
i m s e l f gguiding
u i d i n g and
a t c h i n g tthem,
h e m , and
and helping
h e l p i n g them
t h e m learn
learn
himself
and wwatching
aabout
b o u t nature
nature without
w i t h o u t religious
r e l i g i o u s instruction
i n s t r u c t i o n or
or ceremonies.
c e r e m o n i e s . He
He
w
o u l d later
x t e n d this
this concept
c o n c e p t of
of a
a Mentorgarten
M e n t o r g a r t e n to
to his
his small
small
would
later eextend
Z
e n centers
centers in
in San
San Francisco
F r a n c i s c o and
and Los
L o s Angeles.
Angeles.
Zen
coined the
the word
word "Mentorgarten" as
I coined
as II thought the
the whole
whole world
world
o f his teacher Kosen
K o s e n Roshi,
R o s h i , Soyen
S o y e n Shaku
Shaku w
a s installed
the death of
was
as
h i e f aabbot
b b o t oof
f EEngaku
n g a k u - jji
i at
n p r e c e d e n t e d aage
g e oof
f tthirtyhirtyas cchief
at the
the uunprecedented
three.
In
1893,
as
the
representative
o
f
Japanese
Z
e
n
B
u
d
d
h
ism,
three. In 1893, as the representative ofJapanesc Zen Buddhism,
was a beautiful
was
beautiful garden
garden where
where all
all friends
friends could
could associate
associate peacepeace-
fully, and
and be mentors of
As
fully,
o f one
one another.
another. . .. . . A
s in a kindergarten
kindergarten
.
we had
had no teacher,
we
teacher, but
but we
we encouraged
encouraged one
one another
another and
and tried
tried
S o y e n Shaku
S h a k u attended
the World
W o r l d Parliament
Parliament of
o f Religions
R e l i g i o n s in
in
Soyen
attended the
142
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
our best
our
best to grow
grow up
up naturally.
naturally. And
A n d like
like aa nurse
nurse of
o f the kinderkinder-
1
Nyogen Senzaki
Senzaki
Nyogen
143
143
Senzaki,
was
S
e n z a k i , wwho
ho w
a s nnow
o w aalmost
l m o s t tthirty,
h i r t y , and
and whose
w h o s e distaste
distaste for
for
rampant
r a m p a n t nationalism
n a t i o n a l i s m and
and institutional
institutional religion,
r e l i g i o n , what
w h a t he
h e called
called
""cathedral
c a t h e d r a l ZZen,"
e n , " prompted
p r o m p t e d him
h i m not
n o t to
to return
return to
to Japan.
Japan. SensSensi n g Nyogen's
N y o g e n ' s thoughts,
t h o u g h t s , Soyen
S o y e n Shaku
S h a k u ttook
o o k him
h i m for
f o r aa walk
w a l k in
in
ing
G
o
l
d
e
n
G
a
t
e
Park,
and,
setting
d
o
w
n
N
y
o
g
e
n
'
s
suitcase,
the
Golden Gate Park, and, setting down Nyogen's suitcase, the
m a s t e r said,
said, "Just
"Just face
face the
r e a t ccity
i t y and
and see
see w
h e t h e r it conconmaster
the ggreat
whether
quers yyou
o u or
o r you
y o u conquer
c o n q u e r it.
it. Don't
D o n ' t feel
feel obliged
o b l i g e d to
t o serve
serve me
me
quers
any longer."
l o n g e r . " Disappearing
D i s a p p e a r i n g into
i n t o the evening
e v e n i n g ffog
og w
i t h a goodgoodany
with
b y e on
o n his
his lips,
lips, Soyen
S o y e n left
left his
his student,
s t u d e n t , never
never to
to see
see him
h i m again.
again.
bye
T
h
e
m
a
s
t
e
r
never
gave
N
y
o
g
e
n
f
o
r
m
a
l
t
r
a
n
s
m
i
s
s
i
o
n
,
a
n
d
The master never gave Nyogen formal transmission, and itit isis
n
o t clear
clear whether
w h e t h e r he
he gave
gave h
i m permission
p e r m i s s i o n to
teach. It
It seems
seems
not
him
to teach.
that he
he intended
i n t e n d e d for
for Nyogen
N y o g e n to
to ripen
ripen for
for at
at least
least twenty
t w e n t y years
years
that
garten,
myself as
as aa gardener
gardener to
to do
garten, I sometimes
sometimes presumed
presumed myself
do all
all
sorts of
o f labor, but
but II never
never forgot
forgot that
that IImyself
myself was
was also
also aaflower
flower
o f the
of
the garden,
garden, mingling
minglingwith
withold
oldand
andnew
newfriends.
friends....
. . . II was
was
always happy
h y will I not be
be so
so in
in
always
happy in
in this
this Mentorgarten,
Mentorgarten, and
and w
why
the
future? This
This is
is the
the .. . . spirit
o f the
the Sangha
Sangha in
in primitive
primitive
the future?
spirit of
Buddhism,
nay, not only
only in primitive
primitive Buddhism,
Buddhism, but in modern
modern
Buddhism, nay,
Buddhism, so
so far
far as
as it is true Buddhism.
Buddhism.
.
.
In 1901,
In
1 9 0 1 , after
after five
five years
y e a r s at Engaku
E n g a k u - jji,
i , Nyogen
N y o g e n asked
a s k e d Soyen
Soyen
Shaku
permission
the mmonastery
in oorder
S
h a k u ffor
or p
e r m i s s i o n to leave
leave the
o n a s t e r y in
r d e r to devote
devote
himself
h
i m s e l f tto
o the creation
creation of
o f a kindergarten.
k i n d e r g a r t e n . Soyen
S o y e n decided
d e c i d e d to let
let
his ""mad
him
his
m a d monk"
m o n k " go,
g o , and
and gave
gave h
i m aa to-whom-it-may-concern
to-whom-it-may-concern
letter that read:
letter
read:
until
e would
would b
e ready
r e a d y to
to emerge
e m e r g e as
as a
a Zen
Z e n teacher
teacher in
in the
the
until hhe
be
West.
yogen h
a d achieved
achieved his
o a l ; hhe
e w
o u l d rremain
e m a i n in
the
West. NNyogen
had
his ggoal;
would
in the
Brother Nyogen
and penniless
monk. He goes
Brother
N y o g e n is
is a nameless
nameless and
penniless monk.
goes
unrecognized both
both in
in and
unrecognized
and out of
o f monasteries.
monasteries. He
He has
has only
only an
an
aspiration for
position
aspiration
for loving-kindness,
loving-kindness, with which no honored position
can
He is
is bold
bold enough
enough to
to establish
establish the Mentorgarten
Mentorgarten
can compare.
compare. He
with
no
other
assets
than
his
accumulated
knowledge
o f .BudBudwith no other assets than his accumulated knowledge of
dhism
and
modern
thought.
To
begin
with,
he
will
start
by
dhism and modern thought. To begin with, he will start by
taking care
care of
o f children,
children, trying
trying to
to influence
influence their
their parents
parents indiinditaking
rectly.
will plant
plant the seedlings
seedlings oof
f Buddha
the field
field of
of
rectly. He
He will
Buddha in
in the
actual
depending on
church system
system of
of
actual life,
life, without
without depending
on the modern church
Japan.
Japan.
U n i t e d States
his life,
life, returning
r e t u r n i n g to
his home
home
United
States for
for the
the rest
rest ooff his
to his
ccountry
o u n t r y only
o n l y once
o n c e on
o n aa brief
b r i e f trip
trip to
to visit
visit his
his friend
friend Nakagawa
Nakagawa
S o e n Roshi
R o s h i in
in 1955.
1955.
Soen
Far ffrom
Nyogen
Far
r o m being
b e i n g disheartened,
disheartened, N
y o g e n ttook
o o k on
o n all
all kinds
k i n d s of
of
jobs
j o b s to stay
stay alive.
alive. He
H e was
w a s a houseboy,
h o u s e b o y , a cook,
c o o k , elevator
elevator operaoperator, clerk,
managed
tor,
clerk, and
and hotel
h o t e l manager.
m a n a g e r . In
In 1916
1 9 1 6 he
he even
even m
a n a g e d to buy
buy
h o t e l , but
b u t after
after only
o n l y aa short
s h o r t period
p e r i o d of
o f time
t i m e he
h e gave
gave it up,
up,
a hotel,
feeling
v
e
r
y
u
n
c
o
m
f
o
r
t
a
b
l
e
at
"
p
l
a
y
i
n
g
the
b
o
s
s
.
"
W
h
e
n
in
feeling very uncomfortable at "playing the boss." When in
1 9 1 9 hhe
e received
e s s a g e that
S o y e n Shaku
S h a k u had
h a d died
died in
in
1919
received the
the m
message
that Soyen
Japan
the age
a g e of
o f sixty,
s i x t y , Nyogen
N y o g e n lit
lit incense
incense and
and vowed
v o w e d to
to
Japan at
at the
And
what
Nyogen
out
A n d that is exactly
exactly w
hat N
y o g e n set
set o
u t to
t o do.
d o . Determined
D e t e r m i n e d to
to
the llove
and care
care that
that he had
ggive
i v e cchildren
h i l d r e n the
o v e and
h a d received
received from
f r o m his
his
house
he spent
spent the rest of
h o u s e he would
w o u l d sit zazen;
zazen; he
o f the day
day with
w i t h the
the
c o m m e m o r a t e his
his teacher's death every
every year.
r o m the time
t i m e of
of
commemorate
year. FFrom
his arrival,
studied English
E n g l i s h and
a n d was
w a s a frequent
frequent visitor
v i s i t o r to
to the
the
his
arrival, hhee studied
San F
r a n c i s c o PPublic
u b l i c LLibrary,
i b r a r y , where
w h e r e he
he spent
spent hours
h o u r s reading
reading
San
Francisco
authors like
like Ralph
R a l p h Waldo
Waldo E
m e r s o n and
and William
W i l l i a m JJames.
a m e s . He
H e was
was
authors
Emerson
children,
callingtheir
their attention
attentiontto
or sunset,
c h i l d r e n , calling
o aa sunrise
sunrise or
sunset, to
to
especially
o n d oof
f G
e r m a n cculture,
u l t u r e , often
often referring
referring tto
o great
great
especiallyf fond
German
differently
or to
to the
the song
differently colored
c o l o r e d leaves,
leaves, or
s o n g of
o f birds.
birds.
But
B
u t in 1905,
1905, the increasingly
i n c r e a s i n g l y shrill
shrill voice
v o i c e of
o f Japanese
Japanese nationnationalism
left hhim
with
alism left
im w
i t h no
n o option
o p t i o n but
b u t to
to leave.
leave. Having
H a v i n g been
b e e n born
born
in Russia,
Russia, perhaps
perhaps ppartly
himself, NNyogen
in
a r t l y Russian
Russian himself,
y o g e n looked
l o o k e d with
with
G
e r m a n pphilosophers
h i l o s o p h e r s like
m m a n u e l KKant
a n t as
t r u e giants,"
giants,"
German
like IImmanuel
as ""true
relief
at the opportunity
relief at
o p p o r t u n i t y to
to accompany
a c c o m p a n y Soyen
S o y e n Shaku
S h a k u as
as his
his
arrival in
in the
the United
arrival
U n i t e d States,
States, he
he spent
spent all
all his
his savings
savings to hire
hire aa
attendant
attendant in San
San Francisco,
F r a n c i s c o , where
w h e r e the
the famous
f a m o u s abbot
a b b o t had
h a d been
been
hall
i v e aa lecture
n ""The
T h e First
First Steps
e d i t a t i o n . " He
He
hall and
and ggive
lecture oon
Steps in
in M
Meditation."
foster
off about
foster father,
father, he
he created
created a kindergarten
kindergarten o
a b o u t twenty
t w e n t y to
to
thirty
t h i r t y youngsters.
y o u n g s t e r s . Every
E v e r y morning
m o r n i n g before
b e f o r e opening
o p e n i n g the
the playplay-
w
h o , like
like every
every m
a n , once
o n c e in
in a
a while
w h i l e needed
n e e d e d aa "good
" g o o d kick
k i c k in
in
who,
man,
the
p a n t s .""
the pants.
In 1922,
In
1922, at the
the age
age of
o f forty-six,
f o r t y - s i x , seventeen
seventeen years
y e a r s after
after his
his
iinvited
n v i t e d to visit
visit friends
friends and
and deliver
deliver lectures
lectures on
o n Buddhism
B u d d h i s m and
and
repeated
p r o c e d u r e several
several ttimes,
i m e s , and by
b y 1927
1927 had
h a d estabestabrepeated this
this procedure
Zen.
Z e n . America
A m e r i c a seemed
s e e m e d a very
v e r y promising
p r o m i s i n g place
place for
for Nyogen
Nyogen
lished
f l o a t i n g zzendo,"
e n d o , " which
w h i c h became
b e c a m e popular
p o p u l a r in
in San
San FranFranlished aa ""floating
144
144
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
1H
Nyogen Senzaki
Senzaki
Nyogen
145
145
cisco BBuddhist
circles.CCarrying
cisco
u d d h i s t circles.
a r r y i n g wwith
i t h hhim
i m aa six-hundred-yearsix-hundred-year-
other
chapter 88 for
for a description
o
t h e r one
o n e day.
day. (See
(See chapter
d e s c r i p t i o n oof
f the
the meeting
meeting
Manjusri,
who
cuts through
oold
l d painting
p a i n t i n g of
o f the Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva M
anjusri, w
h o cuts
through
between
b e t w e e n Nyogen
N y o g e n Senzaki
S e n z a k i and Nakagawa
N a k a g a w a Soen
S o e n Roshi.)
Roshi.)
Nyogen
N y o g e n spent the greater part of
o f the
the nineteen-thirties
nineteen-thirties estabestablishing his
his M
Mentorgarten
lishing
e n t o r g a r t e n Meditation
M e d i t a t i o n Hall.
H a l l . Using
U s i n g simple
s i m p l e chairs
chairs
instead of
zafus, hhe
perfectly
instead
o f traditional Japanese
Japanese zafus,
e p
e r f e c t l y matched
m a t c h e d the
the
all ddelusions,
Nyogen
wherever
and whenall
elusions, N
y o g e n established
established aa zzendo
endo w
h e r e v e r and
when-
ever
he could
it. He
ever he
c o u l d afford
afford it.
H e thrived
thrived in
in this
this atmosphere
a t m o s p h e r e of
of
stressing again
again and
and again
again the
the importance
iimpermanence,
m p e r m a n e n c e , stressing
i m p o r t a n c e of
of
level
f his
i n s t r u c t i o n s to
his students'
s t u d e n t s ' ability.
ability. Far
Far from
from
level oof
his instructions
to his
""true
t r u e homelessness"
h o m e l e s s n e s s " for
for the
the unconventional,
u n c o n v e n t i o n a l , everyday
e v e r y d a y Zen
Zen
rresembling
e s e m b l i n g an
his M
e n t o r g a r t e n provided
p r o v i d e d students
students
an institution,
institution, his
Mentorgarten
His
name,
ppractitioner.
ractitioner. H
i s vvery
ery n
a m e , Nyogen,
N y o g e n , meaning
m e a n i n g "like
" l i k e a fanfan-
w
i t h the opportunity
o p p o r t u n i t y to
to learn
learn the
thebasics
basics of
o fzazen,
z a z e n , Mahayana
Mahayana
with
for the
ttasy,"
a s y , " was
w a s the
the perfect
perfect synonym
s y n o n y m for
the Zen
Z e n of
o f aa homeless
homeless
B
u d d h i s m , and
and Japanese
H e patiently
patiently delivered
delivered
Buddhism,
Japanese art
art and
and culture.
culture. He
wanderer.
With
help ffrom
w
anderer. W
i t h help
r o m his
his new
n e w students
students and
and friends,
friends, NyNy-
lectures
e e k and
n v i t e d students
see him
h i m privately
privately
lectures every
every wweek
and iinvited
students to see
was
able to
to rent
oogen
gen w
a s able
rent an
an apartment
a p a r t m e n t on
o n Bush
B u s h Street,
Street, later
later the
the
in
n f o r m a l interviews.
i n t e r v i e w s . Steadily,
Steadily, N
y o g e n ' s sangha
s a n g h a grew,
g r e w , and
and
in iinformal
Nyogen's
the first
first ZZen
center in
in the
the UUnited
States. Although
llocation
o c a t i o n oof
f the
e n center
n i t e d States.
Although
w
i t h the
the generous
g e n e r o u s help
help of
o f Mrs.
M r s . Tanahashi,
Tanahashi, he
o u g h t approapprowith
he bbought
he oonce
Japanese roshi
roshi GGyodo
brief
he
n c e iinvited
n v i t e d the
the Japanese
y o d o FFurukawa
u r u k a w a ffor
o r aa b
rief
priate
and established
established a
a little
library.
priate furniture
furniture and
little library.
stay in
in San
Francisco,
Nyogen
that the cultural
stay
San F
rancisco, N
y o g e n ssoon
o o n realized
realized that
cultural
The
marked
T
h e year
y e a r 1942
1942 m
a r k e d a hiatus
hiatus in all
all of
o f Nyogen
N y o g e n Senzaki's
Senzaki's
efforts.
efforts. The
T h e outbreak
o u t b r e a k of
o f World
W o r l d War
W a r II and
and the
the ensuing
e n s u i n g antianti-
Japanese""cathedral
ggap
a p between
b e t w e e n fformal
o r m a l Japanese
c a t h e d r a l ZZen,"
e n , " aand
n d his
his own
own
antihierarchical and
andi informal
had
antihierarchical
n f o r m a l ""Mentorgarten
M e n t o r g a r t e n ZZen"
en" h
a d become
become
Japanese hhysteria
in the
the U.S.
Japanese
y s t e r i a in
U . S . led
led totoPresident
P r e s i d e n t Roosevelt's
Roosevelt's
ttoo
o o wide
w i d e ever
ever to
b e bridged
b r i d g e d again.
again.
to be
E
x e c u t i v e OOrder
r d e r 9066,
a n d a t i n g the
i n t e r n m e n t of
o f both
both
Executive
9066, m
mandating
the internment
In the
the early
Nyogen
In
early 193os,
1930s, N
y o g e n moved
m o v e d to Los
L o s Angeles,
A n g e l e s , celebratcelebrat-
Japanese
A m e r i c a n citizens.
citizens. Senzaki
S e n z a k i and
and
Japanese aliens
aliens and
and naturalized
naturalized American
the simple
life ooff aa wwanderer,
with
off food
iing
n g the
s i m p l e life
anderer, w
i t h "no
" n o excess
excess o
f o o d or
or
his Japanese
Japanese ccommunity
ommunity w
e r e iinterned
n t e r n e d at
H e a r t Mountain
Mountain
his
were
at Heart
R e l o c a t i o n CCamp
a m p in
Wyoming. N
o w their
their "Mentorgarten"
"Mentorgarten"
Relocation
in Wyoming.
Now
Z
e n training
training paid
p a i d off,
off; making
m a k i n g the best
best of
o f their situation,
situation, they
they
Zen
practiced
a z e n ttogether,
o g e t h e r , cchanted
hanted B
u d d h i s t sutras,
spent
practiced zzazen
Buddhist
sutras, and
and spent
money,
quietly
without
m
o n e y , sleeping
sleeping q
uietly w
i t h o u t worries,
w o r r i e s , and
and having
h a v i n g no
n o posspossable to
to rent
rent an apartment
eessions."
s s i o n s . " Soon
S o o n he
he was
w a s able
a p a r t m e n t (in
(in one
o n e of
o f the
the
dirtiest parts
parts ooff town)
with
dirtiest
t o w n ) and
and slowly
s l o w l y acquaint
acquaint himself
himself w
i t h the
the
Japanese ccommunity.
and mediJapanese
o m m u n i t y . He
H e continued
c o n t i n u e d giving
g i v i n g lectures
lectures and
medi-
many
tation
n s t r u c t i o n , lliving
iving o
n the dollar
dollar bills
bills that his
his students
students
tation iinstruction,
on
D
h a r m a . Ruth
R u t h Strout
S t r o u t McCandless,
M c C a n d l e s s , aa devoted
d e v o t e d friend
friend in
in Los
Los
Dharma.
w
o u l d leave
e h i n d . In
yogen m
et M
r s . Kin
K i n Tanahashi,
Tanahashi,
would
leavebbehind.
In 1932,
1932, NNyogen
met
Mrs.
A
n g e l e s , ttook
o o k care
N y o g e n ' s library
l i b r a r y and
and stayed
stayed in
touch
Angeles,
care ooff Nyogen's
in touch
h o u r s listening
l i s t e n i n g to
t o Nyogen
N y o g e n expound
e x p o u n d the
t h e BuddhaBuddhamany hours
w
i t h the
the almost
a l m o s t seventy-year-old
seventy-year-old m
o n k , sending
s e n d i n g hhim
im b
o o k s at
at
with
monk,
books
the
wner o
s m a l l business,
business, w
h o offered
offered hhim
i m room
r o o m and
and
the oowner
off a small
who
his
request. The
T h e three
three years
y e a r s in
i n the
the internment
i n t e r n m e n t camp
camp
his request.
gave
gave
N
y o g e n the
t i m e and
and the opportunity
o p p o r t u n i t y to
to work
w o r k on
o n lectures;
lectures;
Nyogen
the time
every m
o n t h he
h e managed
m a n a g e d to send
send one
o n e back
b a c k to
to Los
L o s Angeles,
Angeles,
every
month
b o a r d in
in exchange
e x c h a n g e for
for care
care of
o f her
her mentally
m e n t a l l y retarded
retarded son
son
board
JJimmy.
i m m y . Nyogen,
N y o g e n , the
the "mcntorgartner,"
" m e n t o r g a r t n e r , " made
m a d e friends
friends w
i t h the
the
with
ttwelve-year-old
w e l v e - y e a r - o l d bboy,
oy, w
h o repaid
k i n d n e s s bby
y llearning
e a r n i n g the
who
repaid his
his kindness
first line
F o u r Great
Great B
odhisattva V
o w s , ""Shujo
S h u j o mu
m u hen
hen
first
line ooff the
the Four
Bodhisattva
Vows,
sei
g
a
n
d
o
"
(
"
T
h
o
u
g
h
the
m
a
n
y
b
e
i
n
g
s
are
n
u
m
b
e
r
l
e
s
s
,
I
v
ow
sei gan do" ("Though the many beings are numberless, I vow
w
h e r e he
a d entrusted
i t h the
the administration
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of
o f the
the
where
he hhad
entrusted aa friend
friend wwith
w
e e k l y meetings.
meetings.
weekly
which
magazine.
w
h i c h were
w e r e published
p u b l i s h e d in
in aa Japanese
Japanese llanguage
anguage m
a g a z i n e . The
The
Returning
to Los
in 1945,
Nyogen
moved
into a
R
e t u r n i n g to
L o s Angeles
A n g e l e s in
1945, N
yogen m
o v e d into
small
apartment
on
the
top
floor
of
the
Miyako
hotel.
small a p a r t m e n t o n the t o p floor o f
M i y a k o h o t e l . The
The
owner,
o w n e r , a fellow-internee,
f e l l o w - i n t e r n e e , had
had been
b e e n so impressed
i m p r e s s e d by
b y Nyogen
Nyogen
that
the oold
that he
he gave
gave hhim
i m the
the flat
flat rent-free,
rent-free, allowing
a l l o w i n g the
l d monk
m o n k to
to
resume
his usual
r e s u m e his
usual dharma
d h a r m a activities.
activities. The
T h e following
f o l l o w i n g thirteen
thirteen
years,
until his
years, until
his death
death at the age
a g e of
o f eighty-two,
e i g h t y - t w o , were
w e r e the
the most
most
ttwo
w o men
m e n began
b e g a n a correspondence
c o r r e s p o n d e n c e and
and resolved
resolved tto
o meet
m e e t each
each
productive
in NNyogen's
students crowded
p
r o d u c t i v e in
y o g e n ' s life.
life. Many
M a n y American
A m e r i c a n students
crowded
to
save them").
t h e m " ) . `These
These w
e r e aamong
m o n g the
the few
f e w words
w o r d s Jimmy
Jimmy
to save
were
Tanahashi ever
p o k e in
short life.
life.
Tanahashi
ever sspoke
in his
his short
It wwas
Mrs.
who
Nyogen's
It
as M
r s . Tanahashi
Tanahashi w
h o directed
directed N
y o g e n ' s attention
attention to
to
the ppoems
the
o e m s of
o f the young
y o u n g Japanese
Japanese Zen
Z e n monk
m o n k Nakagawa
N a k a g a w a Soen,
Soen,
146
146
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
I
Nyogen Senzaki
Senzaki
Nyogen
147
into
i n t o his
his room
r o o m for
for zazen
zazen and
and aalecture
lecture two
t w o evenings
e v e n i n g s aa week.
week.
A
m o n g these
these was
was R
obert A
i t k e n , who
w h o appeared
a p p e a r e d in December
December
Among
Robert
Aitken,
1947,
and ssoon
1947, and
o o n became
b e c a m e oone
n e of
o f Nyogen's
N y o g e n ' s most
m o s t devoted
d e v o t e d stustu-
off wwriting
Japanese death
deathppoem,
Nyogcn
o
r i t i n g the traditional Japanese
oem, N
y o g e n proved
proved
himself
true child
child oof
the ttwentieth
h
i m s e l f tto
o bhe
e aa true
f the
w e n t i e t h ccentury-he
e n t u r y — h e taped
taped
his last
last words.
his
words.
ddents.
e n t s . Aitken
A i t k e n would
w o u l d depart
depart three
three years
y e a r s later
later for
for his
his first
first stay
stay as
as
Friends
in the
the Dharma,
with your
your oown
Friends in
Dharma, be
be satisifed
satisifed with
w n head.
head. Do
Do
not put
your own.
not
put any
any false
false heads
heads above
above your
own. Then
Then minute
minute after
after
watch your
your steps
steps closely.
closely. Always
Always keep your
your head
head cold
cold
minute, watch
and your
y last
. . . The
The
and
your feet
feet warm.
warm.These
Theseare
aremmy
lastwords
wordsto toyou.
you....
funeral
performed in the
the simplest
simplest way.
way. A
A few
few friends
friends
funeral must
must be performed
w
h o live
live nearby
h o know
o w to
who
nearby may
may attend
attend itit quietly.
quietly. Those
Those w
who
know hhow
recite
recite sutras
sutras may
may murmur
murmur the
the shortest
shortest one.
one. That will be
be enough.
D
o not ask
ask a priest or anyone
anyone to
to make
make aa long
long service
service and speech
speech
Do
and
have others
others yawn.
yawn. . . .. Remember
Remember me
monk, and
and
and have
me as
as a monk,
nothing
else. II do
belong to any
any sect
sect or
cathedral. None
of
nothing else.
do not
not belong
or cathedral.
None of
them
should send
anything of
of
them should
send me
me aa promoted
promoted priest's
priest's rank
rank or
or anything
that
sort. II like
like to
to be
be free
free from
from such
such trash
trash and
and die
die happily.
happily.
that sort.
aa Z
e n student
s t u d e n t in Japan,
e t u r n i n g to the States
States to become
b e c o m e one
one
Zen
Japan, rreturning
oof
f the first Americans
A m e r i c a n s to receive
receive dharma
d h a r m a transmission
t r a n s m i s s i o n and the
the
title
Roshi.
title Roshi.
In these
off his
In
these last
last years
years o
his life,
life, Nyogen
N y o g e n touched
t o u c h e d and
a n d enriched
enriched
the lives
off many
the
lives o
m a n y people
p e o p l e who
w h o would
w o u l d later
later disseminate
d i s s e m i n a t e the
the
d
h a r m a in
U n i t e d States.
States. In 1949,
1949, he
e t his
longdharma
in the United
he finally
finally m
met
his longttime
i m e correspondent
correspondent N
a k a g a w a SSoen,
o e n , wwho
ho w
a s aabout
b o u t to be
be
Nakagawa
was
m
a d e aabbot
b b o t of
o f Ryutaku-ji
Ryutaku-ji m
o n a s t e r y in
i s h i m a , Japan.
Nymade
monastery
in M
Mishima,
Japan. Ny-
.
o g e n was
w a s deeply
d e e p l y impressed
i m p r e s s e d with
w i t h Soen
S o e n and
and saw
saw in
in him
h i m aa likely
likely
ogen
s u c c e s s o r in
West. ""Some
S o m e day
day the
the Mentorgarten
JVlentorgarten will
w i l l disdissuccessor
in the
the West.
a p p e a r , " he
h e said
said to Robert
R o b e r t Aitken,
A i t k e n , "but
" b u t Soen-san
S o e n - s a n will
w i l l build
b u i l d aa
appear,"
great temple
t e m p l e in
in the
the United
U n i t e d States
States and
and the
the Dharma
D h a r m a will
w i l l flourflourgreat
iish."
s h . " Nyogen's
N y o g e n ' s dream
d r e a m was
w a s not
n o t to
to be,
b e , for
for Soen's
S o e n ' s tasks
tasks as
as abbot
abbot
o f aa Japanese
Japanese m
o n a s t e r y oonly
n l y allowed
a l l o w e d hhim
i m time
t i m e for
for frequent
frequent
of
monastery
.
The
T
h e monk
m o n k Nyogen
N y o g e n Senzaki
S e n z a k i died
died on
o n 77 May
M a y 1958.
1958. The
T h e funeral
funeral
service w
e n t the
a y he
had envisioned
e n v i s i o n e d it.
O n l y the
the "few
"few
service
went
the wway
he had
it. Only
people w
h o live
live n
e a r b y " turned
t u r n e d out,
o u t , enough
e n o u g h to
to fill
fill the
the halls,
halls,
people
who
nearby"
side rooms,
r o o m s , and
and every
every inch
i n c h of
o f space.
space. His
H i s ashes
ashes were
w e r e divided
divided
side
visits to
the United
U n i t e d States,
States, and
and not,
n o t , as
as Nyogen
N y o g e n had
had hoped,
hoped,
visits
to the
p
e r m a n e n t residence.
residence.
permanent
in Hawaii,
H a w a i i , Japan,
C a l i f o r n i a , and New
N e w York.
York.
and interred in
Japan, California,
In 1955,
at the
the aage
In
1 9 5 5 , at
g e ooff sseventy-nine,
e v e n t y - n i n e , Nyogen
N y o g e n accepted
a c c e p t e d Soen's
Soen's
to visit
Japan. TThough
iinvitation
n v i t a t i o n to
visit Japan.
h o u g h he
he spent
spent most
m o s t of
o f his time
t i m e at
at
is not
It is
n o t easy
e a s y to
t o characterize
characterize Nyogen
N y o g e n Senzaki's
Senzaki's
R
yutaku-ji m
o n a s t e r y , he
traveled to
K a m a k u r a tto
o visit
visit the
the
Ryutaku-ji
monastery,
he traveled
to Kamakura
teaching.
teaching.
grave
f his
e l o v e d teacher
oyen S h
aku—from w
h o m he
he had
had
grave oof
hisbbeloved
teacherSSoyen
Shaku-from
whom
First
f o r e m o s t , he
he taught
t a u g h t by
b y his
his own
o w n example
e x a m p l e and
and was
was
First and
and foremost,
parted
San Francisco
Francisco exactly
e x a c t l y fifty
fifty years
years before.
b e f o r e . It
It was
w a s a very
very
parted in San
kkeenly
e e n l y aware
a s oonly
n l y an
n t r o d u c t o r y Zen
Z e n instructor
instructor
aware that
that he
he wwas
an iintroductory
eemotional
motional m
o m e n t for
ld m
onk, w
h o , true to
to his
his vow,
vow,
moment
for the
the oold
monk,
who,
in
d o p t e d country.
c o u n t r y . He
H e used
u s e d the
the three
three elements
e l e m e n t s of
o f all
all Rinzai
Rinzai
in his
his aadopted
h
a d celebrated
celebrated his
Durhad
his teacher's
teacher's death
death anniversary
anniversary each
each year.
year. Dur-
tteachers-lectures,
e a c h e r s — l e c t u r e s , zazen,
z a z e n , and
and iinterviews-to
n t e r v i e w s — t o convey
c o n v e y the "Zen
"Zen
iing
n g his
his stay
stay in
y o g e n was
w a s frequently
f r e q u e n t l y overcome
o v e r c o m e by
b y his
his
in Japan,
Japan, N
Nyogen
oof
f S
o y e n Shaku."
Shaku."
Soyen
eemotions,
m o t i o n s , which,
w h i c h , after
after half
half a
a century
c e n t u r y in
in America,
A m e r i c a , were
w e r e still
still
years
r s . Tanahashi
Tanahashi had
him
years ooff his
his life
life in
in aa flat
flat that
that M
Mrs.
had rented
rented for him
Being
both
Being b
o t h extremely
e x t r e m e l y practical
practical and
and humble,
h u m b l e , Nyogen
N y o g e n could
could
adjust the
the most
adjust
m o s t difficult
difficult and
and theoretical
theoretical Buddhist
B u d d h i s t concepts
c o n c e p t s to
to
the potential
the
p o t e n t i a l of
o f his
his audience,
a u d i e n c e , always
a l w a y s offering
o f f e r i n g Zen
Z e n stories
stories and
and
concrete
to make
c o n c r e t e eexamples
x a m p l e s to
m a k e his
his point.
p o i n t . Widely
W i d e l y read
read and
and well
well
schooled
in the cultural
s c h o o l e d in
cultural background
b a c k g r o u n d of
o f his
his Western
Western audience,
audience,
he
alluded to
to common
he always
a l w a y s alluded
c o m m o n points
p o i n t s of
o f reference
reference that
that would
would
the aattention
ffocus
o c u s the
t t e n t i o n of
o f his
his students.
students. The
T h e topics
t o p i c s of
o f his
his lectures
lectures
East Los
L o s Angeles.
A n g e l e s . He
H e continued
c o n t i n u e d to
to see
see students
students until
until the
the
in East
were
wide
w
ere w
i d e rranging,
a n g i n g , but
b u t most
m o s t of
o f them
t h e m presented
p r e s e n t e d basic
basic Zen
Zen
end, never
never llosing
o s i n g his
p t i m i s t i c ddown-to-earth
o w n - t o - e a r t h manner.
m a n n e r . Instead
Instead
end,
his ooptimistic
Buddhist
like zazen,
B
u d d h i s t cconcepts
o n c e p t s like
z a z e n , satori,
satori, kkarma,
a r m a , ssangha,
a n g h a , dharma,
dharma,
llodged
o d g e d in
o m e ccountry.
o u n t r y . For
For the
the monks
m o n k s at
at Ryutaku
R y u t a k u - jji,
i , the
the
in his
his hhome
silver-haired,
a r r e l - c h e s t e d oold
ld m
an w
i t h the
the strangely
s t r a n g e l y acacsilver-haired, bbarrel-chested
man
with
cented
a s aa rare
u t all
all were
w e r e moved
m o v e d by
by
cented Japanese
Japanesewwas
rare attraction,
attraction, bbut
his departing
d e p a r t i n g Talk.
talk.
his
Returning
to the United
R e t u r n i n g to
U n i t e d States,
States, Nyogen
N y o g e n spent
spent the
the last
last three
three
148
148
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
2
Nyogen Senzaki
Senzaki
Nyogen
149
149
Nyogen
N y o g e n felt
felt that religious
r e l i g i o u s institutions
institutions and
and sects
sects were
w e r e interinterested in
in perpetuating
this m
myth
in order
ested
p e r p e t u a t i n g this
y t h of
o f "specialness"
" s p e c i a l n e s s " in
o r d e r to
to
wield
power
and ccontrol
the common
w
ield p
o w e r and
o n t r o l the
the behavior
b e h a v i o r oof
f the
c o m m o n people.
people.
In
especially d
u r i n g the years
years immediately
i m m e d i a t e l y preceding
preceding
In Japan,
Japan, especially
during
the
Russo-Japanese War,
a d seen
o w State
State Shinto
Shinto and
and
the Russo-Japanese
War,hehehhad
seen hhow
B
u
d
d
h
i
s
m
h
a
d
been
used
to
activate
the
r
e
l
i
g
i
o
u
s
f
e
r
v
o
r
o
f
the
Buddhism had been used activate
religious fervor of the
p
e o p l e for
business of
o f killing
k i l l i n g and destruction.
d e s t r u c t i o n . He
H e resolved
resolved
people
for the business
never to
" b e l o n g " to
to any
a n y sect
sect or
or make
m a k e himself
h i m s e l f dependent
d e p e n d e n t on
o n aa
never
to "belong"
r e l i g i o u s institution.
institution. No
N o religion
r e l i g i o n could
c o u l d ever
ever claim
c l a i m to
to possess
possess
religious
the Truth,
T r u t h , all
all were
w e r e like
like flowers
flowers in
in aa garden,
g a r d e n , manifesting
m a n i f e s t i n g one
one
the
particular
aspect
o
f
the
h
u
m
a
n
e
x
p
e
r
i
e
n
c
e
.
C
o
m
m
e
n
t
i
n
g
o
particular aspect of the human experience. Commenting onn aa
k o a n whose
w h o s e central
central image
i m a g e was
w a s the
the ocean,
ocean, h
said, "If
" I f anyone
anyone
koan
hee said,
m a k e s demarcation
d e m a r c a t i o n ffoolishly,
o o l i s h l y , tthinking
h i n k i n g that
h e alone
alone has
has the
the
makes
that he
r i g h t view
v i e w of
o f `water,'
' w a t e r , ' who
w h o should
s h o u l d not
n o t pity
p i t y him
h i m for
for his
his ignoignoright
rance? T
h e r e are
are many
m a n y schools,
s c h o o l s , monasteries,
m o n a s t e r i e s , and
and sects,
sects, each
each
rance?
There
cconsidering
o n s i d e r i n g their
o
w
n
t
e
a
c
h
i
n
g
as
a
lake,
rather
than
a
bay,
their own teaching as a lake, rather than a bay,
and
and so
s o forth.
f o r t h . Nyogen
N y o g e n frequently
f r e q u e n t l y emphasized
e m p h a s i z e d that Zen
Z e n was
w a s not
not
based
faith, nor
aa religion
religion b
a s e d oon
n faith,
n o r was
w a s it
it some
s o m e sort
sort of
o f speculative
speculative
"It isis nnot
pphilosophy.
h i l o s o p h y . "It
o t enough,"
e n o u g h , " Nyogen
N y o g e n said,
said, "to
" t o tell
tell people
people
that it is
is possible
p o s s i b l e to become
b e c o m e Buddha.
B u d d h a . What
W h a t Zen
Z e n actually
actually does
does
is
is to produce
p r o d u c e Buddhas.
B u d d h a s . . . .. Zen
Z e n is
is something
s o m e t h i n g that
that must
m u s t be
be
experienced,
knowledge
e x p e r i e n c e d , not
n o t explained.
e x p l a i n e d . Scientific
Scientific k
n o w l e d g e is ggained
a i n e d and
developed
but
d e v e l o p e d bby
y syllogism;
syllogism; b
u t Zen,
Z e n , because
because it
it is
is based
b a s e d solely
s o l e l y on
on
intuition,
i n t u i t i o n , has
has no
n o need
need for
f o r such
s u c h a roundabout
r o u n d a b o u t method.
m e t h o d . Zen
Z e n is
is
the actualization
the
actualization of
o f the
the unselfish
unselfish life.
l i f e .""
.
.
There
T
h e r e was
w a s nothing
n o t h i n g miraculous
m i r a c u l o u s about
a b o u t Zen
Z e n and
and enlightenenlighten-
ment,
to emerge
m
e n t , nobody
n o b o d y should
s h o u l d expect
e x p e c t to
e m e r g e as
as a
a person
p e r s o n with
with
supernatural
supernatural powers.
p o w e r s . He
H e railed
railed against
against what
w h a t he
he called
called "Indian
"Indian
fakirs"
performed
f a k i r s " who
w h o had
had come
c o m e to
to the
the West
West and
and p
e r f o r m e d all
all kkinds
i n d s of
of
miracles.
miracles.
Some Americans
Americans pay
pay aa good
good sum
sum of
Some
o f money
money to
to learn
learn diverse
diverse
methods of
methods
o f meditation
meditation from so-called
so-called Indian
Indian "teachers." Some
Some
ooff them give
give imaginary
imaginary names to
to their
their own
own bodies,
bodies, and
andbelieve
believe
that each
that
each part of
o f them
them develops,
develops, meditation
meditation after
after meditation,
meditation,
until Kundalini,
Kundalini, the
the highest
stage, is
is attained.
until
highest stage,
attained. It is
is like
like a good
good
card game
game of
can play
play itit by
by yourself as
as long
long as
as you
card
o f solitaire. You
You can
like.
Your physical
stomach and
and others,
others, however,
however,
like. Your
physical organs,
organs, your stomach
go
to work
work constantly
constantly in
in spite
spite of
o f naming
naming them.
them. Besides,
Besides,
go on to
your
wife will
from their
their work.
work. If
If you
y o u do
do
your husband
husband or
or wife
will return
return from
prepare the dinner
dinner for two,
two, meditation
meditation or no
no meditation,
meditation,
not prepare
some
k i c k " is coming to you
you just the
the same.
same.
some ""kick"
f o r g e t t i n g the
inlet to
to the
the ocean
o c e a n of
o f Dharma,
D h a r m a , the
theuniversal
universal
forgetting
the inlet
t r u t h .""
truth.
Narrow
N a r r o w sectarian
sectarian activities
activities were
w e r e anathema
a n a t h e m a to this unconvenunconven-
tional
when
to "holy
tional monk,
m o n k , especially
especially w
h e n tthey
h e y were
w e r e elevated
elevated to
"holy
t e a c h i n g s " rrecorded
e c o r d e d for
"salvation" o
u m a n k i n d . "Zen
"Zen
teachings"
for the
the "salvation"
off hhumankind.
teachers
o r l d tto
o take
f f bburdens
u r d e n s ffrom
r o m their pupils'
pupils'
teachers live
live in
in this
this wworld
take ooff
sshoulders,"
h o u l d e r s , " Senzaki
S e n z a k i insisted,
insisted, "not
" n o t to
to leave
leave beautiful
beautiful records
r e c o r d s or
or
rromantic
o m a n t i c anecdotes."
a n c e d o t e s . " After
A f t e r his
his lectures
lectures he
he always
a l w a y s urged
u r g e d his
his
students
" f o r g e t everything
e v e r y t h i n g I said,"
s a i d , " and
and find
find their own
o w n inner
inner
students to
to "forget
gguide.
u i d e . For
F o r this
this reason,
reason, one
o n e had
h a d to be
b e simple
s i m p l e and
and compassioncompassion-
According
A c c o r d i n g to Nyogen
N y o g e n Senzaki,
S e n z a k i , there
there was
w a s no
n o way
w a y to
to dispense
dispense
ate, always
a l w a y s kkeeping
e e p i n g the
the well-being
w e l l - b e i n g of
o f others
others in
in mind.
mind.
ate,
with
w
i t h karma,
k a r m a , the
the law
l a w of
o f causation,
causation. Even
E v e n passing
p a s s i n g aa thousand
thousand
When m
my
When
y master was
was alive,
alive, I asked
asked him to
to excuse
excuse me
me from
from all
all
officialranks
ranksand
and titles
titles oof
our church,
church, and
and allow
me to walk
official
f our
allow me
walk
freely inin the
the streets
streets ooff the
the world.
freely
world. I do
do not
not wish
wish to
to be
be called
called
Reverend, Bishop,
Bishop, or
or by
by any
any other church title. To be
be aa member
Reverend,
o f the
the great
great American
American people
people and
and walk
walk any
any stage
stage of
o f life
life as
as II
of
please, is
me. I want to
to be
be an
an American
American
please,
is honorable
honorable enough
enough for
for me.
Hotei, aa happy
happy Jap in
in the
the streets.
streets.
Hotci,
koans
would
into a brunette."
k
oans w
o u l d nnot
o t tturn
u r n ""a
a blonde
b l o n d e into
b r u n e t t e . " The
T h e true
true
Zen
tteaching
e a c h i n g oof
f Z
e n was
w a s that
that every
every member
m e m b e r of
o f the
the phenomenal
phenomenal
world
w
o r l d manifests
manifests the glory
g l o r y of
o f the
the noumenon,
n o u m e n o n , of
o fshunyata,
shunyata, each
each
in its
in
its own
o w n natural
natural way.
w a y . If
I f one
o n e wished
w i s h e d to
to attain
attain supernatural
supernatural
powers,
better sstop
the study
it would
p
o w e r s , oone
n e hhad
a d better
t o p the
s t u d y of
o f Zen,
Z e n , since
since it
would
be aa waste
off time
be
waste o
t i m e and
and effort.
effort. "Look
" L o o k at
at me,"
m e , " Senzaki
S e n z a k i would
would
say, ""II have
and practicing
say,
have bbeen
e e n sstudying
t u d y i n g and
p r a c t i c i n g ZZen
e n meditation
m e d i t a t i o n for
for
more
m
o r e than forty
f o r t y years,
y e a r s , yet
y e t II cannot
c a n n o t show
s h o w you
y o u the slightest
slightest sign
sign
Nyogen's
and rrumpled;
N y o g e n ' s clothing
c l o t h i n g was
w a s always
a l w a y s tweedy
t w e e d y and
u m p l e d ; for
for Zen
Zen
meetings
hee would
meetings h
w o u l d simply
s i m p l y wear
w e a r a robe
r o b e over
o v e r his street clothes.
clothes.
ooff aany
n y miracle!"
miracle!"
150
150
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
M`
Nyogen
Senzaki
Nyogen Senzaki
151
draw a p
i c t u r e of
o f the everlasting
everlasting B
u d d h a oon
n the
b l a c k b o a r d of
of
draw
picture
Buddha
the blackboard
there is
y o u r dualistic
dualistic m
i n d , " he warned.
w a r n e d . "Look
" L o o k at
at the
the world,
w o r l d , there
your
mind,"
As
would
money,
hee either
A
s ssoon
o o n as
as ssomeone
omeone w
o u l d ggive
i v e hhim
im m
oney, h
either used
u s e d it
to pay
p a y the rent
rent for
for his
his various
v a r i o u s "floating
" f l o a t i n g zendos"
z e n d o s " or
o r he
h e would
would
save itit ffor
or M
r s . Tanahashi
Tanahashi to
r e p a y her
for her kindness."
k i n d n e s s . " In
In
save
Mrs.
to ""repay
her for
o f a true Mahayana
Mahayana B
u d d h i s t , a Bodhisattva
B o d h i s a t t v a who
w h o has
has
the spirit of
Buddhist,
an
an ocean
o c e a n of
o f Buddhas
B u d d h a s around
a r o u n d you."
y o u . " Always
A l w a y s addressing
a d d r e s s i n g his
m e n t taught
t a u g h t nothing
n o t h i n g but
b u t "to
" t o calm
c a l m yourself
y o u r s e l f and to
t o control
c o n t r o l your
your
ment
students and
u d i e n c e as
f e l l o w sstudents"
t u d e n t s " oor
r "Bodhisattvas,"
"Bodhisattvas,"
students
and aaudience
as ""fellow
Nyogen
N y o g e n indicated
i n d i c a t e d with
w i t h absolute
a b s o l u t e certainty
certainty that
that everyone
e v e r y o n e was
was
already a B
o d h i s a t t v a , ready
r e a d y to realize
realize this fact
fact and then
t h e n move
move
already
Bodhisattva,
h e l p others.
o t h e r s . His
H i s uncompromising
u n c o m p r o m i s i n g nondualism
n o n d u a l i s m refused
refused to
to
to help
b
r e a t h i n g , until
until you
y o u become
become o
t h e r s and
t h e r s bbecome
e c o m e you."
you."
breathing,
others
and oothers
d
draw
r a w aa line
line between
b e t w e e n "Zen
" Z e n activities"
a c t i v i t i e s " and
and "ordinary
" o r d i n a r y daily
daily
S p e a k i n g oout
u t against
idea of
o f gradualism
g r a d u a l i s m in
in Soto
S o t o Zen,
Zen,
Speaking
against the
the idea
aactivities.
ctivities."
the well-being
w e l l - b e i n g oof
f o
t h e r s in
m i n d , Nyogen
N y o g e n never
never tired
tired of
of
the
others
in mind,
r e m i n d i n g his
" M e n t o r g a r t e n " Zen
Z e n movemovereminding
his students
students that
that his
his "Mentorgarten"
S e n z a k i ppointed
o i n t e d to
the possibility
p o s s i b i l i t y of
o f self-actualization
self-actualization right
right
Senzaki
to the
here
ow, w
i t h o u t any
a n y thought
t h o u g h t of
o f aa goal
g o a l or
o r an
an end
e n d state.
state.
here and
and nnow,
without
""There
T h e r e is
is no
n o graduation
g r a d u a t i o n in
Z e n . Each
E a c h of
o f us
us takes
takes a
a vow
v o w to
to
in Zen.
have no
no such
such funny
funny business
preaching Zen. Whatever
I have
business as preaching
Whatever I said
said
passed away
away before
before yyou
recorded it.
it. You
You only
only caught
caught m
my
passed
o u recorded
y yawns
yawns
and
. . .If If
I serveyou
y o ua acup
cupof
o ftea
tea and
and say,
say, "This
" T h i s is a
and coughs.
coughs....
I serve
symbol
f ZZen,"
e n , " none
y o u , the
the students
students oof
f Zen
o f the
the
symbol oof
none ooff you,
Zen of
Mentorgarten, will
will enjoy
enjoy such
such aa lukewarm
lukewarm beverage.
beverage.
e n l i g h t e n all
all sentient
b e i n g s and,
as these
these are
o u n t l e s s , so
our
enlighten
sentient beings
and, as
are ccountless,
so our
vvows
o w s are
endless.
F
r
o
m
eternity
to
eternity,
B
u
d
d
h
i
s
t
s
w
o
r
k
are endless. From eternity to eternity, Buddhists work to
to
eenlighten
n l i g h t e n oothers,
t h e r s , all
all for
n e and
n e for
all."
for oone
and oone
for all."
As
method,
the iimportance
A
s aa m
e t h o d , Nyogen
N y o g e n stressed
stressed the
m p o r t a n c e oof
f meditation
meditation
under
the
guidance
of
a
good
teacher.
Having
people
under
g u i d a n c e o f a g o o d teacher. H a v i n g p e o p l e sit
sit o
n aa
on
chair for
for only
period,
chair
o n l y fifteen
fifteen minutes
m i n u t e s per
per zazen
zazen p
e r i o d , he
h e taught
t a u g h t his
his
Nyogen's
the UUnborn
N y o g e n ' s Zen,
Z e n , like
like Bankei's
B a n k e i ' s teaching
t e a c h i n g oof
f the
n b o r n in the
the
here and
and now,
the Zen
here
n o w , emphasized
e m p h a s i z e d bbringing
r i n g i n g fforth
o r t h the
Z e n mind
m i n d in
in
daily activities,
activities, uunobstructed
daily
n o b s t r u c t e d bby
y thoughts
t h o u g h t s of
o f "specialness"
" s p e c i a l n e s s " or
or
students
" r e g u l a t e your
y o u r breath
breath and
and work
w o r k on
o n your
y o u r koan!"
koan!"
students to
to "regulate
"religious
the mind
moment
" r e l i g i o u s aactivity."
c t i v i t y . " It was
w a s the
m i n d of
o f this
this vvery
ery m
o m e n t that
m
a n i f e s t e d itself
y r i a d things
t h i n g s of
o f the
the universe.
universe.
manifested
itself in
in the
the m
myriad
O
n c e again
again m
a t c h i n g the method
m e t h o d with
w i t h the
the needs
needs and
and capacities
capacities
Once
matching
oof
f his
tudents, N
y o g e n sometimes
s o m e t i m e s dared
dared to
c h a n g e traditional
his sstudents,
Nyogen
to change
k o a n s , or
o r to
to make
m a k e up
u p new
n e w ones,
o n e s , which,
w h i c h , as
as he
he felt,
felt, would
w o u l d serve
serve
koans,
What
is this
this mind that perceives
the moon?
moon? ZZen
has aa short-cut
What is
perceives the
e n has
his American
A m e r i c a n ssangha
a n g h a better.
H e highly
h i g h l y esteemed
e s t e e m e d the
tradition
his
better. He
the tradition
o f Christian
C h r i s t i a n mystics,
m y s t i c s , especially
especially German
G e r m a n representatives
representatives like
like
of
question, yyou
already just
just aa second
second too
too late.
late. Thinking
Thinking ooff the
question,
o u are already
answer to
to this
this question.
For the moment
answer
question. For
moment you
y o u formulate
formulate this
this
question, yyou
are too
too late
late to
to find
If yyou
question,
o u are
find the answer.
answer. If
o u think
think and
Johannes Tauler
Tauler and
R i c h a r d of
o f St.
St. V
i c t o r . Lighting
Lighting o
n aa
Johannes
and Richard
Victor.
on
ffamous
amous p
a
s
s
a
g
e
o
f
the
G
e
r
m
a
n
m
y
s
t
i
c
M
e
i
s
t
e
r
E
c
k
h
a
r
t
,
S
enpassage of the German mystic Meister Eckhart, Senzzaki
a k i created
the
k
o
a
n
,
"
T
h
e
e
y
e
w
i
t
h
w
h
i
c
h
I
see
G
o
d
is
the
created the koan, "The eye with which I see God is the
vvery
e r y ssame
a m e eeye
ye w
i t h which
w h i c h God
G o d sees
sees m
e . Show
S h o w me
m e that
that eye!"
eye!"
with
me.
O t h e r koans
k o a n s were,
w e r e , "After
" A f t e r you
y o u enter
enter your
y o u r house,
h o u s e , then
then let
let the
the
Other
h
o
u
s
e
enter
i
n
t
o
y
o
u
,
"
or,
"
Y
o
u
and
I
m
e
t
each
o
t
h
e
r
m
a
ny
house enter into you, " or, "You and I met each other many
speak nothing,
nothing, on
on the
the other
speak
other hand,
hand, you
y o u are
are too
too early.
early. So
So what
what
can yyou
can
o u do?
Loving
his iindependence,
thelife
lifeoof
man
L
o v i n g his
n d e p e n d e n c e , the
f aa ""true
true m
a n without
without
rank,"
r a n k , " Nyogen
N y o g e n taught
t a u g h t the
the importance
i m p o r t a n c e of
o f what
w h a t he
h e called
called "free"freethinking."
person
t h i n k i n g . " It
It was
w a s essential
essential tto
o become
b e c o m e a confident
confident p
e r s o n who
who
has learned
learned ""to
has
t o stand on
o n one's
o n e ' s own
o w n feet."
f e e t . " Always
A l w a y s encouraging
encouraging
questions,
he ppointed
to the strength
q u e s t i o n s , he
o i n t e d to
s t r e n g t h and
and power
p o w e r dormant
d o r m a n t in
in
m i l l i o n s of
o f years
years ago.
a g o . Now
N o w tell
tell me
m e where
w h e r e we
w e have
have met!"
met!"
millions
The
T
h e true object
object of
o f zazen,
z a z e n , according
a c c o r d i n g to
t o Senzaki,
S e n z a k i , was
w a s not
n o t to
to
have aany
have
n y ""object."
o b j e c t . " In this
this practice
practice of
o f nondualism,
n o n d u a l i s m , one
o n e had
had
every
every person,
p e r s o n , regardless
regardless of
o f talent,
talent, physical
p h y s i c a l appearance,
appearance, or
or
o
n l y to
to devote
devote o
n e s e l f to
task at
at hand,
h a n d , whether
w h e t h e r it was
was
only
oneself
to the
the task
m
e n t a l sharpness.
sharpness.
mental
ccounting
o u n t i n g one's
o n e ' s breath
breath or
o r working
w o r k i n g on
o n aa koan.
k o a n . Satori
Satori was
was n
o t aa
not
mere n
e g a t i o n , oonly
n l y aa letting
l e t t i n g go
g o of
o f all
all clinging,
c l i n g i n g , even
even the
the
mere
negation,
Buddhism
counsels independence
Buddha inauguinauguBuddhism counsels
independence ooff thought.
thought. Buddha
cclinging
l i n g i n g to
" n e g a t i o n " or
o r the
the experience
e x p e r i e n c e of
o f shunyata.
shunyata. "Don't
"Don't
to "negation"
152
152
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
rated a religion
rated
religion which,
which, instead
instead of
o f forcing
forcing the
the mind
mind to
to remain
remain
I
Nyogen
Nyogen Senzaki
Senzaki
153
153
within
within the
the boundaries
boundaries of
o f narrow
narrow creeds,
creeds, actually
actually encourages
encourages
p
r a c t i c a l i t y the
g o s p e l oof
f eenergy."
nergy." H
e felt
Z e n and
and
practicality
the ""gospel
He
felt that
that Zen
free-thinking.
free-thinking. The
The system
system the
the Buddha
Buddha formulated
formulated explained
explained the
the
whole
reason of
of things,
things, throwing
throwing a new and
and startling
startling light
light on
on
whole reason
the
mystery of
o f life
life and death.
death. No
N o longer
longer aa baffling
baffling riddle, life
life
the mystery
becomes
himself
becomes aa wonderful
wonderful gift
gift that
that each
each man
man may
may shape
shape for
for himself
as
he
will.
He
may
ruin
his
life
by
wrongdoing,
or
he
may
make
as he will. He may ruin his life by wrongdoing, or he may make
it
a
beautiful
thing.
Man
is
master
o
f
himself
and
his
fate.
He
it a beautiful thing. Man is master of himself and his fate. He
himself
holds
the
key
to
the
mystery
o
f
life.
himself holds the key to the mystery of life.
A
m e r i c a n ppragmatism
r a g m a t i s m had
u c h in
o m m o n , since
since only
o n l y the
the
American
had mmuch
in ccommon,
daily,
practical life,
w i t h o u t great
great miracles"
m i r a c l e s " could
c o u l d reveal
reveal the
the
daily, practical
life, ""without
w
o n d e r s oof
f eating
e a t i n g corn
c o r n flakes
flakes in
m o r n i n g and
and catching
c a t c h i n g aa
wonders
in the
the morning
b
u s tto
o work.
w o r k . Resonating
Resonating w
i t h the sentiments
s e n t i m e n t s of
o f freedom
f r e e d o m and
and
bus
with
e q u a l i t y that
ade A
m e r i c a n s ""natural
n a t u r a l ZZen
e n sstudents,"
t u d e n t s , " Nyogen
Nyogen
equality
that m
made
Americans
ppointed
o i n t e d to
e i g h t aspects
aspects of
o f American
A m e r i c a n life
life and
and character
character that
that
to eight
m
a
d
e
the
c
o
u
n
t
r
y
a
fertile
g
r
o
u
n
d
for
Z
e
n
.
made the country a fertile ground for Zen.
This
with
T
h i s self-confidence
s e l f - c o n f i d e n c e ccombined
ombined w
i t h compassion
c o m p a s s i o n was
w a s the hallhall-
I.
American
1.
A
m e r i c a n philosophy
p h i l o s o p h y is
is practical.
practical.
mark
off the
the mature
m
ark o
m a t u r e Zen
Z e n person.
p e r s o n . Nyogen
N y o g e n never
never forgot
f o r g o t to
to stress
stress
2. A
American
life ddoes
2.
m e r i c a n life
o e s nnot
o t cling
c l i n g to formality.
formality.
the iimportance
the ""whole
beyond
the
m p o r t a n c e oof
f the
w h o l e person
person b
e y o n d ssex,"
e x , " someone
someone
The
3.
h e majority
m a j o r i t y of
o f Americans
A m e r i c a n s are optimists.
optimists.
3. T
w
h o had
h a d learned
learned to
to realize
realize male
m a l e qualities
qualities as
as well
w e l l as
as female
female
who
4. Americans
A m e r i c a n s love
l o v e nature.
nature.
4.
qualities. Since
Since NNyogcn
never kknew
the tenderness
tenderness ooff aa mothqualities.
y o g e n never
n e w the
mother's love,
l o v e , he
h e successfully
successfully developed
d e v e l o p e d this
this love
l o v e in himself.
himself. Like
Like
IIkkyu,
k k y u , Nyogen,
N y o g e n , too,
t o o , loved
l o v e d children.
children. He
H e rejected
rejected the idea
idea that
that
discipline, ppunishment,
harsh words
the right
discipline,
u n i s h m e n t , oor
r harsh
w o r d s were
w e r e the
r i g h t way
w a y to
to
the yyoung;
eeducate
d u c a t e the
o u n g ; in their
their place
place he bestowed
b e s t o w e d love
l o v e and
and taught
taught
with
w
i t h a respectful
respectful leniency
l e n i e n c y that aimed
a i m e d at
at aa mutually
m u t u a l l y beneficial
beneficial
interaction,
interaction, rather
rather than
than the
the usual
usual adult-child
a d u l t - c h i l d one-way
o n e - w a y street.
street.
He
never tired
tired ooff telling
telling aanecdotes
the yyears
when,
H
e never
n e c d o t e s aabout
b o u t the
ears w
h e n , as a
yyoung
o u n g monk
m o n k in charge
c h a r g e of
o f aa kindergarten,
k i n d e r g a r t e n , he'd
he'd
5.
T h e y are
are capable
capable of
o f simple
s i m p l e living,
l i v i n g , being
b e i n g both
b o t h practical
practical
5. They
aand
n d efficient.
efficient.
6. Americans
true happiness
6.
A m e r i c a n s consider
c o n s i d e r true
happiness to
to lie
lie in
in universal
universal
brotherhood.
b
rotherhood.
The
7. T h e American
A m e r i c a n conception
c o n c e p t i o n of
o f ethics
ethics is
is rrooted
o o t e d in individual
individual
7.
morality.
m
orality.
8.
8. Americans
A m e r i c a n s are
are rational
rational thinkers.
thinkers.
Nyogen's
N y o g e n ' s depiction
d e p i c t i o n of
o f the
the American
A m e r i c a n national
national character
character may
may
not
n o t hold
h o l d true
true with
w i t h the
the passing
p a s s i n g of
o f the
the forties
forties and
and fifties,
fifties, but
b u t his
his
emphasis
e m p h a s i s oon
n American
A m e r i c a n pragmatism
p r a g m a t i s m is
is certainly
certainly valid
valid today.
today.
"American
Nyogen
would
insist, ""is
but
" A m e r i c a n ppragmatism,"
ragmatism," N
yogen w
o u l d insist,
is b
u t ananother
o
t h e r name
n a m e for
f o r one
o n e manifestation
m a n i f e s t a t i o n of
o f the
the sparkling
s p a r k l i n g rays
rays of
o f Zen
Zen
in the
the actual,
practical world."
in
actual, practical
world."
With
W i t h the
the same
s a m e vigor
v i g o r that
that he
h e defended
d e f e n d e d American
A m e r i c a n culture
c u l t u r e as
as
off Zen,
""ideal"
i d e a l " for
f o r the
the development
development o
Z e n , he
he would
w o u l d condemn
c o n d e m n forfor-
forgotten
forgotten
himself
in the jjoyful
and wild
h i m s e l f in
o y f u l screams
s c r e a m s and
w i l d play
play of
o f children,
c h i l d r e n , enjoyenjoying
i n g the happiest time
t i m e of
o f his
his life.
life.
When II was
in charge
When
was a young
young monk
monk in
in Japan,
Japan, being
being in
charge oof
f a
kindergarten, I used
kindergarten,
used to play
play with
with the
the children
children and
and be
be defeated
defeated
purposely in
in a game
game ooff wrestling.
wrestling. I had no wish to cheat
purposely
cheat them,
them,
simply enjoyed
being defeated
defeated to
to encourage
encourage the
the children.
but I simply
enjoyed being
malized
Japanese""cathedral"
as ""hollow,
m
a l i z e d Japanese
c a t h e d r a l " ZZen
e n as
h o l l o w , dead,
dead, and meanmean-
Nyogen
N y o g e n Senzaki
S e n z a k i held
held the highest
h i g h e s t hopes
h o p e s for
f o r the
the development
development
of
o f Zen
Z e n practice
practice in America.
A m e r i c a . Having
H a v i n g read
read the
the major
major American
American
philosophers
p h i l o s o p h e r s aand
n d educators,
e d u c a t o r s , he
he had
h a d acquainted
a c q u a i n t e d himself
h i m s e l f thorthoroughly
o u g h l y with
w i t h American
A m e r i c a n culture.
culture. Finding
F i n d i n g American
A m e r i c a n secularism
secularism
and
and the
the clinging
c l i n g i n g of
o f the
the Buddhist
B u d d h i s t clergy
c l e r g y to
to their
their social
social status
status
especially
especially ccompatible
o m p a t i b l e wwith
i t h his
his anticlericalism,
anticlericalism, Nyogen
N y o g e n adadmired
American
"free-thinkers"
like
Thomas
Paine,
Ralph
m i r e d A m e r i c a n " f r e e - t h i n k e r s " like T h o m a s Paine, R a l p h
Waldo
W a l d o EEmerson,
m e r s o n , and
and William
W i l l i a m JJames.
a m e s . The
T h e latter was
w a s aa special
special
favorite
the oold
favorite oof
f the
l d monk,
m o n k , who
w h o called
called James's
J a m e s ' s philosophy
p h i l o s o p h y of
of
drals.
Properly
are in
in opposition
to Zen
drals. P
r o p e r l y sspeaking,
p e a k i n g , tthey
h e y are
o p p o s i t i o n to
Z e n in
in
every
respect.
There
should
be
no
bishops
or
archbishops
in
every respect. T h e r e s h o u l d b e n o b i s h o p s
archbishops
154
154
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
iingless."
n g l e s s . " Having
H a v i n g witnessed
w i t n e s s e d the
the "Shintoization"
" S h i n t o i z a t i o n " of
o f Buddhism
Buddhism
rather than
than ttoo the teachings
the BBuddha,
Nyogen's
rather
t e a c h i n g s ooff the
uddha, N
y o g e n ' s criticisms
criticisms
were
harsh and
and uunrelenting.
"It isis aa ppity,"
w
e r e harsh
n r e l e n t i n g . "It
i t y , " Nyogen
N y o g e n said,
said, "for
"for
Zen
Z e n in Japan
Japan to
t o make
m a k e connections
c o n n e c t i o n s with
w i t h churches
c h u r c h e s and
and cathecatheZen.
Z
e n . They
T h e y all
all carry
c a r r y clumsy
c l u m s y old
o l d sticks
sticks which
w h i c h were
w e r e never
never used
used
M
Nyogen
Senzaki
Nyogen Senzaki
155
155
—
to
mountains....
to cclimb
limb m
o u n t a i n s . . . .Those
T h o s e priests
priests ...
. . imitate
. i m i t a t eold
o l dsymbols
symbols
of
Zen
of Z
e n with
w i t h them.
t h e m . They
T h e y have
have nno
o Zen."
Zen."
Bemoaning
the ""end
the Zen
B
e m o a n i n g the
e n d of
o f Zen"
Z e n " in
in Japan
Japan and
a n d praising
p r a i s i n g the
Zen
of
o f his
his late
late teacher
teacher Soyen
S o y e n Shaku,
S h a k u , Nyogen
N y o g e n wrote
w r o t e aa Chinese
Chinese
poem
p o e m one
o n e New
N e w Year's
Year's Day.
Day.
One
O
n e hundred
hundred thousand
thousand Bonzes
Bonzes of
o f Japan
Japan are
are intoxicated
intoxicated with
with
My
M
y ideal
ideal life
life is
is to
to become
become aa useless
useless mushroom,
mushroom, having
having no
attractive flowers
or bothersome stems
flowers or
stems or leaves.
leaves. When
o u start
When yyou
liking me
me too much,
liking
much, II will
will disappear
disappear from
from you.
am not
not like
like
you. I am
some other
other religious
religious workers
h o send
reports to the
the
some
workers wwho
send out
out reports
cathedrals
cathedrals and to fellow
fellow workers,
workers, and
and advertise
advertise how
how splendidly
splendidly
they are
are doing their
their parts.
parts. In
In fact,
fact, IIhave
have no
no cathedral
cathedral to
to which
which II
have no
fellow workers
Zen.
belong. II have
no fellow
workers as
as no-work
no-work is
is the
the work
work ooff Zen.
sake, on this
this New
N e w Year's
Year's Day.
Day.
Alone, Brother
Brother Soyen
Soycn isis sober,
sober, nothing
nothing being
being able
able to
to tempt
Alone,
tempt
him.
I lay
lamp on
on the
my
lay aa lamp
the sill
sill oof
f m
y window
window and
and pine
pine for
for him, from
from
this side of
o f the ocean.
ocean.
He must
He
must be very
very happy
happy when
when the
the plum
plum blossoms
blossoms herald
herald the
the
coming spring!
spring!
Nyogen's
that ttouched
N
y o g e n ' s Zen
Z e n was
w a s the gentle
g e n t l e stream
s t r e a m that
o u c h e d the
the life
life of
of
many
practitioners
in the
m
any p
r a c t i t i o n e r s bboth
o t h in
the United
U n i t e d States
States and
and in
in Japan,
Japan,
helping
in foreign
h
e l p i n g tto
o implant
i m p l a n t genuine
g e n u i n e practice
practice in
f o r e i g n soil.
soil. As
A s Robert
Robert
Aitken
has ppointed
out,
A
i t k e n has
ointed o
u t , Senzaki's
S e n z a k i ' s "Mentorgarten
" M e n t o r g a r t e n Zen"
Z e n " has
has
many
After
m
a n y descendants.
descendants. A
f t e r Nyogen's
N y o g e n ' s death,
death, Nakagawa
N a k a g a w a Soen
Soen
Roshi
R
o s h i ttook
o o k on
o n many
m a n y "Mentorgarten"
" M e n t o r g a r t e n " students
students himself,
himself, or
or
urged
u
r g e d them
t h e m to
to continue
c o n t i n u e their
their training
training with
w i t h similarly
s i m i l a r l y proproWestern ZZen
Western
e n teachers,
teachers, like Hakuun
H a k u u n Yasutani
Y a s u t a n i Roshi
R o s h i or
or Yamada
Yamada
Koun
Roshi.
The
K
oun R
oshi. T
h e Diamond
D i a m o n d Sangha
S a n g h a in Hawaii,
H a w a i i , the
the Zen
Z e n Center
Center
off Los
Angeles,
and The
o
Los A
n g e l e s , and
T h e Zen
Z e n Studies
Studies Society
S o c i e t y in New
N e w York
Y o r k all
can trace
can
trace their
their heritage
h e r i t a g e tto
o the
the untiring
u n t i r i n g efforts
efforts of
of
Nyogen
Nyogen
Senzaki.
He
never pproposed
to bbe
Senzaki. H
e never
r o p o s e d to
e aa ""founding
f o u n d i n g patriarch"
p a t r i a r c h " or
o r aa
"venerable
He
wanted
to pprovide
an oopportunity
" v e n e r a b l e tteacher."
eacher." H
e jjust
ust w
a n t e d to
r o v i d e an
pportunity
practice to
to anyone
ffor
o r practice
a n y o n e who
w h o was
w a s interested in Zen.
Z e n . If
If his
his guests
guests
wished
to
meditate,
he
would
show
them
how.
If
they
wished
wished to meditate, he w o u l d s h o w them h o w . If they w i s h e d
to study
to
s t u d y the scriptures,
scriptures, he
h e would
w o u l d assist
assist tthem.
h e m . If
I f they
t h e y wished
wished
to take
to
take the vows
v o w s to keep
k e e p the
the precepts,
p r e c e p t s , he
he would
w o u l d give
g i v e them
t h e m aa
jukai ceremony.
jukai
c e r e m o n y . Like
Like a
a storehouse
s t o r e h o u s e of
o f ancient
ancient treasures
treasures that
opens
itself, NNyogen
would
o
p e n s bby
y itself,
yogen w
o u l d ssimply
i m p l y ""be
b e there."
there."
Fascinatedbby
the simplicity
and stark
Fascinated
y the
s i m p l i c i t y and
stark beauty
b e a u t y of
o f plants,
plants,
Senzaki
to ccompare
toaa""homeless
mushroom."
S e n z a k i lloved
o v e d to
o m p a r e hhimself
i m s e l f to
homeless m
ushroom."
In one
hee eencompassed
In
o n e passage
passage h
n c o m p a s s e d his whole
w h o l e teaching.
teaching.
156
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
Nyogen
Senzaki
Nyogen Senzaki
157
88
Soen:
Soen:
The Master
The
of Play
Nakagawa
Soen
Roshi
was
an enigma.
Nakagawa S
oen R
oshi w
a s an
e n i g m a . The
T h e details
details of
o f his
his life,
life,
like
with
like the story
s t o r y Rashomon,
Rashomon, vvary
ary w
i t h each
each witness:
w i t n e s s : he
h e was
w a s born
born
in
in Formosa,
F o r m o s a , he
h e was
w a s born
b o r n near
near Hiroshima;
H i r o s h i m a ; he
h e was
w a s aa teetotaler,
teetotaler,
he
he had
he was
w a s an
an alcoholic;
a l c o h o l i c ; he
he was
w a s manic
m a n i c depressive,
depressive, he
h a d an
an
accident
that affected
his brain;
brain; he
he worked
accident that
affected his
w o r k e d oon
n koans
k o a n s with
with
Western
students for koan
Western sstudents,
t u d e n t s , he
h e never accepted
a c c e p t e d Western
Western students
koan
practice . . . and
practice
and on
o n and on
o n it
it goes.
g o e s . He
H e was
w a s tiny,
t i n y , but
b u t seemed
seemed
...
had aa booming
and the
eenormous;
n o r m o u s ; hhe
e had
b o o m i n g voice
v o i c e and
the light
l i g h t step
step of
o f aa
ballet dancer;
dancer; hhe
in his
ballet
e was
w a s entirely
entirely Western
Western in
his tastes;
tastes; and
and so
so
an oriental
oriental ZZen
ccompletely
o m p l e t e l y an
e n master
m a s t e r that
that he
h e seemed
s e e m e d to
to have
have
out
sstepped
tepped o
u t of
o f an
an ancient koan
k o a n collection.
collection.
Perle BBesserman
met
on
Perle
esserman m
e t Soen
S o e n Roshi
R o s h i in
in 1982,
1982, o
n his last visit to
to
the United
the
U n i t e d States,
States, two
t w o years
y e a r s before
b e f o r e he
he died:
died:
We took
took tea
tea together,
together, he
he stirring
stirring the bitter green powder, and
We
and II
pouring the boiling water
water and
and passing
passing him
him chocolate
chocolate chip cookcookies on
on aa platter.
ies
platter. He
He told
told stories,
stories, endless
endless stories
stories .. . .. about
wandering
pointing out to
to me
me that
that we
we were
were drinking
drinking
wandering in
in China,
China, pointing
from
none other
other than
than the
the precious
precious bowl
bowl of
o f master
master Rinzai
Rinzai
from none
himself!
Soen
was
antic,
as
m
y
Zen
friends
had
warned
me.
In
himself! Soen was antic, as my Zen friends had warned
In
the
middle of
o f tea, he ordered
ordered his
his dharma
dharma successors
successors to massage
massage
the middle
him,
roshi at
All
him, one roshi
at his
his head
head and
and neck
neck and
and the
the other at his feet. All
the
while
he
went
on
talking,
charming
his
audience
with
his
the while he went on talking, charming his audience with his
tales,
compelled—like
Scheherazade—to
spin
stories.
Even
then,
tales, compelled-like Scheherazade-to spin stories. Even then,
.
as
as he neared
neared the end
end of
o f his
his life,
life, Soen
Soen Roshi
Roshi was
was himself
himself both
both
tics,
tics, its bureaucracy,
b u r e a u c r a c y , and
and its
its religious
r e l i g i o u s hierarchy.
h i e r a r c h y . The
T h e Russian
Russian
Revolution
provoked
Revolution p
r o v o k e d a tiny
tiny resurgence
r e s u r g e n c e of
o f Japanese
Japanese radicalism,
radicalism,
even aa few
f e w strikes
strikes in the
the cities,
cities, but
b u t Japanese
Japanese society
s o c i e t y did
d i d not
not
even
l e n d itself
i t s e l f to socialism.
socialism. Its
Its Confucian
C o n f u c i a n structure
structure and its
its TokuTokulend
hero and
and narrator
narrator of
o f aa fantastic
fantastic story,
hero
story,one
one that
thathe
he had
had been
been
improvising for
for half
half aa century.
century.
In 1905,
In
1905, two
t w o years
y e a r s before
b e f o r e Nakagawa
N a k a g a w a Soen
S o e n was
w a s born
b o r n to
to aa
g a w a - i n s p i r e d hhierarchy
ierarchy w
e r e ttoo
o o entrenched.
e n t r e n c h e d . Farmers
F a r m e r s reregawa-inspired
were
m
a i n e d clan
clan oriented
oriented and
and reactionary
r e a c t i o n a r y in
in their
their politics;
p o l i t i c s ; even
even
mained
u r b a n laborers
l a b o r e r s revered
revered the
e m p e r o r as
as aa divine
d i v i n e being;
b e i n g ; and
and
urban
the emperor
f a c t o r y workers
w o r k e r s were
w e r e content
c o n t e n t to live
live under
u n d e r traditional
traditional paterpaterfactory
nalistic company
c o m p a n y codes
codes that
that are
are still
still in
in place
place in
in Japan
Japan today.
today.
nalistic
T
h
e
b
u
i
l
t
i
n
t
e
n
d
e
n
c
y
to
accept
and
s
u
b
m
i
t
to
a
u
t
h
o
r
i
t
y
gave
The built-in tendency to accept and submit to authority gave
physician
officerand
and his
his wwife
in aa small
p
h y s i c i a n aarmy
r m y officer
i f e in
s m a l l town
t o w n near
near
Hiroshima,
had conquered
H
i r o s h i m a , the
the Japanese
Japanese had
c o n q u e r e d the Russians
Russians and exextended
their
empire
as
far
as
the
Liaotung
peninsula
and
Korea.
t e n d e d their e m p i r e as far as
Liaotung
Korea.
The
the bbirth
T h e "Meiji
" M e i j i Miracle"
M i r a c l e " ccoincided
o i n c i d e d wwith
i t h the
i r t h of
o f this
this Zen
Zen
prodigy,
p r o d i g y , the
the emblematic
e m b l e m a t i c triumph
t r i u m p h of
o f Japanese
Japanese nationalism,
n a t i o n a l i s m , and
and
the
the dharma
d h a r m a spreading
s p r e a d i n g westward.
w e s t w a r d . The
T h e Sino-Japanese
Sino-Japanese War
War in
in
w
a y tto
o an
o c c a s i o n a l rice
b u t these
these were
w e r e no
n o more
m o r e effective
effective
way
an occasional
rice riot,
riot, but
1895 had
had already
already cconvinced
the nnation
that itit was
1895
o n v i n c e d the
a t i o n that
w a s now
n o w the
the
in provoking
p r o v o k i n g mass
mass social
social change
c h a n g e than
t h e y had
had been
b e e n during
during
in
than they
wellspring
for all
w
e l l s p r i n g oof
f culture
culture for
all of
o f East
East Asia,
A s i a , a modernizing
m o d e r n i z i n g force
force
IIkkyu's
k k y u ' s times.
times.
ffor
o r establishing
e s t a b l i s h i n g Western
i v i l i z a t i o n aamong
m o n g the
a c k w a r d peopeoWestern ccivilization
the bbackward
ples of
ples
o f China
C h i n a and
and Korea.
Korea.
Alienation
A l i e n a t i o n was
w a s the cultural hallmark
h a l l m a r k of
o f Japan in the nineteen
nineteen
Nakagawa
N a k a g a w a Soen
S o e n personified
p e r s o n i f i e d this
this
and thirties,
thirties, and
Soen
up
ttwenties
w e n t i e s and
and Nakagawa
Nakagawa S
o e n ggrew
rew u
p as aa poet
poet
iinteresting
n t e r e s t i n g amalgam
a m a l g a m of
o f East
East and
and West,
West, ffinding
i n d i n g his
e n rroots
o o t s in
in
his ZZen
aamong
m o n g its disaffected
disaffected artists and
and intellectuals.
intellectuals. Novelists
N o v e l i s t s were
were
ancient
h i n e s e culture
i t h his
his family
f a m i l y in
in Formosa
Formosa
ancient CChinese
culture (living
(living wwith
sseeking
e e k i n g ffor
o r individuality
i n d i v i d u a l i t y and
and psychological
p s y c h o l o g i c a l iidentity
d e n t i t y in
in the
the
w
h i l e aa very
v e r y young
y o u n g boy),
b o y ) , and
and also
also developing
d e v e l o p i n g aa Western
Western
while
m
o s t rigidly
r i g i d l y conformist
c o n f o r m i s t society
society o
o d e r n world.
w o r l d . RomanRomanmost
off the
the m
modern
ppersona
e r s o n a in
o v e for
c i v i l i z a t i o n oof
f EEurope,
u r o p e , and
in his
his llove
for the
the arts
arts and
and civilization
tic
lifestyles, ppoetry,
o e t r y , music,
m u s i c , painting,
p a i n t i n g , and
and philosophy
p h i l o s o p h y flourflourtic lifestyles,
the
n d i v i d u a l i s m of
o f America.
America.
the anarchistic
anarchistic iindividualism
ished
e m i m o n d e of
o f misfits.
misfits. Continuously
C o n t i n u o u s l y at odds
o d d s over
over
ished in
in the
the ddemimonde
Japanese politics
politics and Japanese
Japanese
Japanese Zen
Z e n were
w e r e never
never democratic.
democratic.
" E a s t e r n spirituality
spirituality and
and Western
Western materialism,"
m a t e r i a l i s m , " Japanese
Japanese intelintel"Eastern
Influenced
Influenced bby
y o
oligarchy,
l i g a r c h y , eemperor
m p e r o r worship,
w o r s h i p , and
and the
the samurai
samurai
lectuals
p o s t - W o r l d War
W a r II period
p e r i o d immersed
i m m e r s e d themselves
themselves
lectuals ooff the
the post-World
ccode,
o d e , both
b o t h moved
m o v e d inevitably
i n e v i t a b l y toward
t o w a r d the
the fascism
f a s c i s m oof
f the
the ninenine-
in
o p u l a r culture
i m p o r t e d from
f r o m the
the West:
West: bars,
bars, cafes,
cafes,
in aa sea
sea ooff ppopular
culture imported
teen-thirties,
w h i c h ultimately
u l t i m a t e l y brought
b r o u g h t Japan's
Japan's defeat
defeat in
in World
World
teen-thirties, which
A
m e r i c a n cinema,
c i n e m a , dances,
d a n c e s , music,
m u s i c , even
even architecture
architecture changed
changed
American
War
h e r e had
e e n several
h o r t - l i v e d aattempts
t t e m p t s at
War II.
11.TThere
hadbbeen
severals short-lived
at establish-
the
face o
T o k y o after
after the
the great
great earthquake
e a r t h q u a k e of
o f 1923.
1923. Baseball,
Baseball,
the face
off Tokyo
i n g aa party
p a r t y democracy;
d e m o c r a c y ; but
b u t the
the universal
universal manhood
m a n h o o d suffrage
suffrage
ing
golf,
and tennis
tennis swept
s w e p t Japan
as they
t h e y did
did once
o n c e again
again after
after
golf, and
Japan then,
then, as
established in
1925 resulted
w o major
major parties whose
w h o s e leaders
leaders
established
in 1925
resulted in
in ttwo
W
orld W
a r II.
m i d s t of
o f this
this flood
flood of
o f Western
Western culture,
culture,
World
War
II. In
In the
the midst
represented
owerful m
o n o p o l i e s and
w e r e virtually
v i r t u a l l y as
as ununrepresented ppowerful
monopolies
and were
S o e n the
the high
h i g h school
s c h o o l boy,
b o y , enthralled
enthralled by
b y European
E u r o p e a n classical
classical
Soen
available
c o m m o n people
p e o p l e as
as the
the Tokugawa
T o k u g a w a shogunate
shogunate
availabletoto the
the common
m
u s i c , ppersuaded
e r s u a d e d aa friend
ith h
i m and
and buy
b u y aa
music,
friendtoto chip
chip inin wwith
him
h
a d been
b e e n two
t w o centuries
centuries before.
b e f o r e . Socialists
Socialists and
and Christians,
C h r i s t i a n s , artarthad
rrecording
ecording o
Beethoven's N
i n t h Symphony
S y m p h o n y that
that set
set his
his "body
"body
off Beethoven's
Ninth
ists,
intellectuals, and
ied w
i t h each
each other
o t h e r in
in
ists, intellectuals,
and anarchists
anarchists had
had vvied
with
sshivering
h i v e r i n g for
three days
days afterwards."
afterwards."
for three
search
d i s s e n t i n g voice.
v o i c e . But
B u t all
all were
w e r e silenced
silenced in
in 1910,
1910,
search ooff aa dissenting
With
W i t h the great
great stockmarket
s t o c k m a r k e t crash,
crash, Japan
Japan moved
m o v e d away
away from
from
cooperation
and ttoward
more
c o o p e r a t i o n with
w i t h the
the West
West and
oward a m
o r e forceful
f o r c e f u l nationnationalist
p p r o a c h that led
led to
to the
the usurpation
u s u r p a t i o nof
o fManchuria
M a n c h u r i ainin193
1933.
alist aapproach
3
w
hen a
a group
g r o u p of
o f radical
radical anarchists
anarchists caught
c a u g h t in
in aa plot
p l o t to
t o assassiassassiwhen
nate
m p e r o r were
w e r e executed.
executed.
nate the
the eemperor
World
War
Japan its first heady
W
orld W
a r II bbrought
r o u g h t Japan
h e a d y wave
w a v e of
o f economic
economic
Militaristic, rright-wing
i g h t - w i n g bbehavior
ehavior w
a s the
o r d e r of
o f the
the day.
day.
Militaristic,
was
the order
U s i n g the
the emperor
e m p e r o r as
as the symbol
s y m b o l of
o f their
their platform,
p l a t f o r m , ultranaultranaUsing
tionalists tterrorized
e r r o r i z e d even
the powerful
p o w e r f u l capitalists
capitalists and
their
tionalists
even the
and their
success. Zaibatsu,
Zaibatsu, the
the ppowerful
monopolies
success.
owerful m
o n o p o l i e s llinking
i n k i n g rruling
u l i n g famfamilies
i t s u i and
i t s u b i s h i , ccontrolled
o n t r o l l e d the
o u n t r y ' s polipoliilies like
like MMitsui
and MMitsubishi,
the ccountry's
16o
160
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
I
Soen
Soen
161
161
political ppawns.
All
pretense at
at democratic
political
awns. A
l l pretense
d e m o c r a t i c party
p a r t y government
government
came
to an
c a m e to
an end
e n d in
in May
M a y 1932,
1932, when
w h e n aa group
g r o u p of
o f young
y o u n g naval
naval
officers
r i m e minister
a s s u m e d control
control
officers assassinated
assassinatedthe
the pprime
minister and
and assumed
o
the country.
c o u n t r y . By
B y 1940,
1940, in
in the
the "name
" n a m e of
o f national
n a t i o n a l unity,"
unity,"
off the
ffascism
ascism w
a s in the ascendant, and
and militarism,
m i l i t a r i s m ,bushido,
bushido, its
its voice.
voice.
was
A
s in
in the
the past,
past, this
this old
o l d samurai
s a m u r a i spirit
spirit could
c o u l d not
n o t tolerate
tolerate
As
""foreigners"-except
f o r e i g n e r s " — e x c e p t for
for the
the Germans,
G e r m a n s , with
w i t h whom
w h o m the
the milimilitarists signed
s i g n e d a pact
o p e of
o f achieving
a c h i e v i n g their
l t i m a t e goal
g o a l of
of
tarists
pact in
in hhope
their uultimate
a n n e x i n g China,
C h i n a , Southeast
S o u t h e a s t Asia,
A s i a , Australia,
Australia, and New
N e w Zealand.
Zealand.
annexing
Soen,
the army
S
o e n , the
a r m y officer's
officer's son,
s o n , applied
a p p l i e d for
f o r military
m i l i t a r y service
s e r v i c e and
w
was
a s rejected
rejected for
for a mistakenly
m i s t a k e n l y diagnosed
d i a g n o s e d punctured
p u n c t u r e d eardrum.
eardrum.
B u t by
b y then
then there
there were
w e r e two
t w o Soens:
S o e n s : one
o n e a monk
m o n k ordained
o r d a i n e d in
in
But
1930,
m m e d i a t e l y after
g r a d u a t i n g from
f r o m Tokyo
T o k y o University,
University,
1930, iimmediately
after graduating
already a celebrated
celebrated haiku
h a i k u poet
p o e t and
and specialist
specialist in
in Japanese
Japanese literalready
ature
and
Shakespeare;
the
o
t
h
e
r
,
his
w
i
d
o
w
e
d
m
o t h e r ' s son,
s o n , aa
ature and Shakespeare; the other, his widowed mother's
traditional ssamurai
a m u r a i wwilling
i l l i n g toto die
his country.
c o u n t r y . To
To his
his
traditional
die for
for his
m
o t h e r ' s dismay,
d i s m a y , Soen
S o e n the
o n k triumphed.
triumphed.
mother's
the m
monk
1945
saw the
the defeat
defeat ooff Japan
Japanand
and the
the eexhaustion
its people.
1945 saw
x h a u s t i o n ooff its
people.
Postwar
was
pervaded
culture ooff ffilms,
P o s t w a r ssociety
ociety w
as p
e r v a d e d bby
y a GI
G I culture
i l m s , chocochoco-
lates, strip
lates,
strip shows,
s h o w s , and
and an
an unprecedented
u n p r e c e d e n t e d display
display of
o f consumer
consumer
ggoods.
oods. T
h e United
U n i t e d States
States w
a s nno
o llonger
o n g e r the
n e m y , but
but the
the
The
was
the eenemy,
""favorite
f a v o r i t e fforeign
o r e i g n ccountry"
o u n t r y " of
o f the
the Japanese
Japanese people.
p e o p l e . General
General
MacArthur h
o p e d to turn
turn Japan
Japan into
i n t o the
the "Switzerland
" S w i t z e r l a n d of
o f the
the
MacArthur
hoped
Far
a s t , " aa demilitarized
d e m i l i t a r i z e d zone
zone w
ith a
a democratic
d e m o c r a t i c constitution,
constitution,
Far EEast,"
with
decentralization oof
f the
the national
national police
police force
force and
and educational
educational
decentralization
ssystem,
y s t e m , and an end
e n d to emperor
e m p e r o r worship
w o r s h i p and the samurai
s a m u r a i code.
code.
W h a t resulted
resulted is
is the
s t u f f of
o f current
current newspaper
n e w s p a p e r headlines:
headlines:
the stuff
What
aanother
n o t h e r "Japanese
"Japanese m
i r a c l e , " an
an eeconomic-industrial
c o n o m i c - i n d u s t r i a l bboom
o o m that
that
miracle,"
thrust
the
v
a
n
q
u
i
s
h
e
d
far
ahead
o
f
their
o
c
c
u
p
i
e
r
s
.
thrust the vanquished far ahead of their occupiers.
after the
the wwar
there w
was
IImmediately
m m e d i a t e l y after
a r there
a s aa rush
rush for
for translations
translations
of
Japanese intellectuals
intellectualsnnow
o f Western
Western literature;
literature; Japanese
o w tturned
u r n e d to
to
Western
x i s t e n t i a l i s m , the
o d i s h philosophy
p h i l o s o p h y of
o f the
the forties
forties
Western eexistentialism,
the m
modish
and fifties,
finally, to a n
e w fform
o r m of
o f dissolute
romanticism
and
fifties, and,
and, finally,
new
dissolute romanticism
b
o r d e r i n g on
o n nihilism.
n i h i l i s m . The
T h e artist,
artist, the
the individualist,
i n d i v i d u a l i s t , was
w a s still
still
bordering
s e e k i n g aa place
place in
o c i e t y ; bbut
u t there
a s nno
o room.
room.
seeking
in Japanese
Japanese ssociety;
there wwas
T
h e Japanese
roups, m
a r r y in
g r o u p s , bathe,
bathe,
The
Japanese still
still live
liveinin ggroups,
marry
in groups,
w
o r k , and
v a c a t i o n in
r o u p s . They
T h e y are
are still
still wedded
w e d d e d to
to the
the
work,
and vacation
in ggroups.
162
162
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
idea ooff clan
and many
that they
idea
clan loyalty,
l o y a l t y , and
m a n y of
o f them
t h e m still
still believe
believe that
they
are
are a superior
s u p e r i o r breed
b r e e d of
o f being
b e i n g surrounded
s u r r o u n d e d by
b y barbarians;
barbarians; only
only
now
n o w they
t h e y enjoy
enjoy barbarian
barbarian goods,
g o o d s , films,
f i l m s , music,
m u s i c , food,
f o o d , and
and
lifestyles.
to maintain
lifestyles. ZZen
e n monasteries
m o n a s t e r i e s ccontinue
o n t i n u e to
m a i n t a i n their
their traditraditional
tional tics
ties to
to the
the powerful
p o w e r f u l and
and wealthy,
w e a l t h y , and
and their
their barriers
barriers
w e s t e r n e r s . Celebrated
C e l e b r a t e d roshis
roshis ppublicly
u b l i c l y insist
westeragainst westerners.
insist that
that westerners are
are incapable
i n c a p a b l e of
o f experiencing
e x p e r i e n c i n g satori,
satori, and those
t h o s e who
w h o have
have
ners
g o n e abroad
a b r o a d to
to spread
spread the
the dharma
d h a r m a among
a m o n g westerners
w e s t e r n e r s are
are
gone
l a r g e l y regarded
r e g a r d e d as
as outcasts.
outcasts. Soen
S o e n Roshi
Roshi w
a s aamong
m o n g the first
first
largely
was
o f this new
n e w breed
b r e e d of
o f postwar
p o s t w a r wanderers.
w a n d e r e r s . His
H i s life
life and
and teaching
teaching
of
represent the
the quintessential
quintessential Japanese
i l e m m a between
b e t w e e n duty
duty
represent
Japanese ddilemma
(girt) and
u l l oof
f his
w n eemotions
m o t i o n s (ninjo).
(ninjo). H
i s sstory
t o r y is
is itself
itself
(giri)
and the
the ppull
his oown
His
m o d e r n Noh
N o h drama
d r a m a of
o fconflicting
c o n f l i c t i n g loyalties,
loyalties, poetic
p o e t i c vision,
vision,
aa modern
and
o r l d l y betrayal,
betrayal, a
a sstruggle
t r u g g l e that
that split
split him
h i m apart.
apart.
and w
worldly
Born
B o r n on
o n 19
19 March
M a r c h 1907,
1907, Soen
S o e n was
w a s the eldest
eldest of
o f three
three boys.
boys.
W
h e n he
a s ttwelve,
w e l v e , his
oung m
other
When
he wwas
his father
father died,
died, leaving
leavinghis
hisyyoung
mother
aa widow
w i d o w in straitened
straitened circumstances.
circumstances. A
A second
s e c o n d ttragedy
r a g e d y struck
struck
w
h e n Tamotsu,
T a m o t s u , her
m i d d l e son,
s o n , died
died in
in childhood.
childhood.
when
her middle
Soen's
Soen's
m
o t h e r behaved
b e h a v e d like
like a very
very u
n c o n v e n t i o n a l Japanese
o m a n of
of
mother
unconventional
Japanese wwoman
the
a m u r a i class;
ent to
o r k as
i d w i f e , crimping
crimping
the ssamurai
class;she
shewwent
towwork
asaammidwife,
c
and saving
s a v i n g to
s u p p o r t and
and educate
e d u c a t e her
her children
children herself.
herself.
and
to support
As
A
s a
a boy,
b o y , Soen
S o e n was
w a s aa gifted
gifted poet
p o e t and
and actor
a c t o r who
w h o easily
easily
endeared
to the
the adults
in his
endeared hhimself
i m s e l f to
adults in
his life.
life. He
H e exhibited
e x h i b i t e d an
an
u n u s u a l aappreciation
p p r e c i a t i o n of
o f the arts even
even as
h o u g h he
he
unusual
as aa child,
child, and,
and, tthough
w
a s trained
as aa ssamurai,
a m u r a i , and was
w a s eexpected
x p e c t e d to follow
follow
was
trained and raised as
in
his father's
father's footsteps,
f o o t s t e p s , he
he displayed
displayed a yearning
y e a r n i n g for
for the spirispiriin his
tual
life while
w h i l e still
still in
in high
h i g h school.
school.
tual life
S o e n ' s lifelong
l i f e l o n g friend,
friend,
Soen's
Y
a m a d a KKoun
o u n RRoshi,
o s h i , entered
o k y o ' s First
igh S
c h o o l oon
n the
Yamada
entered TTokyo's
First HHigh
School
s a m e day.
day. The
T h e two
t w o boys
b o y s became
b e c a m e roommates,
r o o m m a t e s , and
and though
though
same
Y
a m a d a felt
hey w
e r e iintimate
n t i m a t e friends,
friends, he
h e was
w a s always
a l w a y s sursurYamada
felt tthey
were
prised by
b y Soen's
S o e n ' s "spiritual"
" s p i r i t u a l " confessions.
confessions.
prised
The
The two
two of
o f us
us would
would often
often go
g o for
for aa walk
walk around
around the
the Hongo
Hongo
neighborhood
in the late
neighborhood in
late evening.
evening. One
O n e night,
night, quite
quite unexpectunexpectedly,
edly, he said
said something
something aa trifle
trifle frightening.
frightening. He
He spoke
spoke of
o f how
how
almost every
top of
o f the
the
almost
every evening
eveninghehe was
was sitting
sitting in
in zazen
zazen on
on top
platform of
o f the balancing
balancing bars
bars in
He said
said that
that
platform
in the
the sportsground. He
Soen
Soen
163
163
in fact
fact the previous
previous evening,
evening, he had had some
some kind
kind of
o f spiritual
spiritual
experience. He
He told
told me
me I should
speak ooff this
this to anyone.
experience.
should never
never speak
anyone.
Quite some
the interpretation
interpretation that
that it should
Quite
some time later,
later, he gave
gave the
should
probably
be
called
a
"natural
self-realization."
At
that
probably be called
"natural self-realization." At that time,
time,
although I did not understand
although
understand at
at all,
all, I somehow
somehow felt
felt that II had
had
had a glimpse of
had
o f the deep
deep recesses
recesses of
o f his heart.
heart.
Soen
the high
in a secret
S
o e n the
h i g h school
s c h o o l boy
b o y was
w a s already
already engaged
e n g a g e d in
secret
spiritual
search
for
his
life's
meaning.
In
an
article
published
spiritual search for his life's m e a n i n g . In an article p u b l i s h e d
after hhee hhad
after
a d become
b e c o m e a monk,
m o n k , he
he describes
describes his freshman
f r e s h m a n year
y e a r in
in
high
h
i g h school
s c h o o l as
as a period
p e r i o d of
o f "searching
" s e a r c h i n g for
for something
s o m e t h i n g worthworthwhile
my
w h i l e tto
o dedicate
dedicate m
y life
life tto."
o . " He
H e would
w o u l d settle
settle for nothing
n o t h i n g less
less
than a grand
than
g r a n d and
and worthy
w o r t h y goal,
g o a l , and
and was
w a s dispirited
dispirited at
at finding
finding
nothing
n
o t h i n g that met
m e t his
his needs
needs "in
" i n the
the everyday
e v e r y d a y world."
w o r l d . " Hiding
Hiding
his desperation
his
d e s p e r a t i o n from
f r o m Yamada,
Y a m a d a , he
h e buried
b u r i e d himself
h i m s e l f every
every evening
evening
in the
in
the library,
l i b r a r y , poring
p o r i n g over
o v e r the
the works
w o r k s of
o f philosophers
p h i l o s o p h e r s like
like
Schopenhauer
in search
search oof
Once,
S c h o p e n h a u e r in
f aa ppurpose.
urpose. O
n c e , he
he came
c a m e upon
u p o n aa
page
p
a g e that shocked
s h o c k e d him.
him.
My
mind ceased
searching. It became
became lucid
lucid and
and tranquil.
tranquil. SchoM
y mind
ceased searching.
Schopenhauer said,
said, "In the real
world, it is impossible
penhauer
real world,
impossible to attain true
true
happiness,
happiness, final
final and
and eternal
eternal contentment.
contentment. For these are visionary
flowersinin the
the air;
air; mere
mere fantasies.
In truth
truth they
flowers
fantasies. In
they can
can never
never be
be
actualized.
not be
be actualized.
actualized. Why?
Why? If
If such
such
actualized. In
In fact,
fact, they
they must not
ideas
our
ideas were
were actualized,
actualized,the
the search
searchfor
for the
the real
real meaning
meaning ooff our
existence would
existence
would cease.
cease. If
If that
that happened,
happened, it would
would be
be the spiritual
o f our being, and
and life
life would
would seem
end of
seem too
too foolish
foolish to
to live."
Schopenhauer
led to
to ZZen,
S c h o p e n h a u e r led
e n , and soon,
s o o n , Soen
S o e n was
w a s ttrying
r y i n g to engage
engage
his yyoung
in his
his m
marvelous
find. H
Handing
his
o u n g friend
friend Yamada
Y a m a d a in
a r v e l o u s find.
a n d i n g him
him
an old
an
o l d book
b o o k by
b y Zen
Z e n master
m a s t e r Hakuin,
H a k u i n , the
theOrategama,
Orategama, Soen
S o e n said,
said,
" P l e a s e try
b o o k . " Yamada
Y a m a d a read Hakuin
H a k u i n and
and was
was
"Please
try and read this book."
eexcited
x c i t e d bby
y Z
e n , but
b u t not
n o t enough
e n o u g h to
to join
j o i n his
his friend
friend in
in zazen
z a z e n atop
atop
Zen,
aa shaky
s h a k y platform.
platform.
The
T
h e two
t w o boys
b o y s went
w e n t on
o n to
to Tokyo
T o k y o University
U n i v e r s i t y together;
t o g e t h e r ; Soen
Soen
majored
in Japanese
Japanese literature
literature and
and wwrote
his final
majored in
r o t e his
final thesis
thesis on
on
B
a s h o , the
the Zen
Z e n haiku
h a i k u poet.
p o e t . He
H e also
also wrote
w r o t e his own
o w n poetry
p o e t r y and
and
Basho,
iimmersed
m m e r s e d himself
h i m s e l f in
B u d d h i s t scriptures, the Bible,
B i b l e , and WestWestin Buddhist
164
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
ern and Japanese
Japanese literary
literary classics,
classics, wwhile
h i l e ffrequenting
r e q u e n t i n g the theater,
theater,
listening tto
o Schubert,
S c h u b e r t , Beethoven,
B e e t h o v e n , and Wagner,
W a g n e r , and
a n d jjoining
o i n i n g aa
listening
circle
who
circle oof
f friends
friends w
h o were
w e r e to
t o become
b e c o m e the
the artistic
artistic and
a n d intellecintellectual elite
elite of
o f modern
m o d e r n Japan.
Japan. At
A t the
the university,
u n i v e r s i t y , Soen
S o e n started
started aa
tual
small Z
e n sitting group
g r o u p that
that is
is still active
active ttoday.
o d a y . ""I
I will
w i l l become
become
small
Zen
g o d , " he
he confided
c o n f i d e d to
to his
his younger
y o u n g e r brother
b r o t h e r Sonow.
S o n o w . "After
"After
aa god,"
g r a d u a t i o n , II will
w i l l work
w o r k in society
s o c i e t y for
f o r ten
ten years;
y e a r s ; for
f o r the next
next
graduation,
ten
y
e
a
r
s
I
w
i
l
l
g
o
to
the
m
o
u
n
t
a
i
n
s
o
n
retreat
and
b
e
c
ome
ten years I will go to the mountains on retreat and become
eenlightened;
n l i g h t e n e d ; and
i l l return
n c e again
society."
and then
then II wwill
return oonce
again to
to society."
Yamada
and SSoen
the university
Y
a m a d a and
o e n ggraduated
r a d u a t e d ffrom
r o m the
u n i v e r s i t y ttogether
o g e t h e r in
in
1930 aand
lost ttouch.
1930
n d ttemporarily
e m p o r a r i l y lost
o u c h . One
O n e day,
day, Yamada,
Y a m a d a , now
n o w aa
businessman,
was
that he
b
usinessman, w
a s iinformed
n f o r m e d that
h e had a guest.
g u e s t . Walking
W a l k i n g into
into
the
r e c e p t i o n rroom,
o o m , he
he was
w a s startled to see
see his
his old
o l d friend
friend Soen
Soen
the reception
sitting
chair dressed
dressed in
m o n k ' s robes.
r o b e s . "You
" Y o u certainly
c e r t a i n l y have
have
sitting in a chair
in monk's
cchanged,"
h a n g e d , " he said.
said. Looking
L o o k i n g at
at Yamada's
Y a m a d a ' s spiffy
spiffy business
b u s i n e s s suit,
suit,
S
o e n replied,
Y o u ' v e cchanged
h a n g e d quite
t o o . " Soen
S o e n had
had
Soen
replied, ""You've
quiteaa bit,
bit, too."
carried
esolution. A
l m o s t immediimmedicarried his
his search
search to
to its
its inevitable
inevitable rresolution.
Almost
ately
r a d u a t i n g ffrom
r o m the
u n i v e r s i t y , he
a d attended
attended a
ately after
after ggraduating
the university,
he hhad
Z
e n meeting
m e e t i n g at
at Shorin
Shorin-ji,
m o n a s t e r y headed
h e a d e d by
b y Katsube
Katsube
Zen
ji, aa monastery
K
e i g a k u RRoshi,
o s h i , and,
u c h to
t o his
his mother's
m o t h e r ' s consternation,
consternation,
Keigaku
and, m
much
asked to
e oordained
r d a i n e d oon
n his
i r t h d a y — n o doubt
d o u b t to
to symbolize
symbolize
asked
to bbe
hisbbirthday-no
his
"
r
e
b
i
r
t
h
.
"
O
r
c
h
e
s
t
r
a
t
i
n
g
even
his
o
r
d
i
n
a
t
i
o
n
,
S
o
e
insisted
his "rebirth." Orchestrating even his ordination, Soenn insisted
that the
the ceremony
c e r e m o n y take
take place
p l a c e at
at K o g a k u - j i , the
m o n a s t e r y of
of
that
the monastery
his
favorite ZZen
en m
aster, B
assui, w
h o s e kkoan,
o a n , ""Who
W h o is
is the
the
his favorite
master,
Bassui,
whose
master o
h e a r i n g ? " , he
h e had
had been
b e e n assigned.
a s s i g n e d . Following
F o l l o w i n g in
in the
the
master
off hearing?",
llegendary
e g e n d a r y ffootsteps
o o t s t e p s oof
f the
e
s
t
e
e
m
e
d
B
a
s
s
u
i
,
he
t
o
o
k
u
p
resithe esteemed Bassui, he took up resid
e n c e near
K o g a k u - j ji,
i , on
o n Dai
D a i Bosatsu
B o s a t s u mountain.
m o u n t a i n . Traveling
Traveling
dence
near Kogaku
b
a
c
k
and
f
o
r
t
h
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
his
h
o
m
e
m
o
n
a
s
t
e
r
y
and
D
a
i
Bosatsu
back and forth between his home monastery and Dai Bosatsu
m
o u n t a i n , Soen
S o e n lived
lived the
i x e d life
o n k and
and hermithermitmountain,
the m
mixed
life ooff the
the m
monk
p o e t , d e d i c a t i n g h i m s e l f to z a z e n , w r i t i n g articles and verse,
poet, dedicating himself to zazen, writing articles and verse,
fasting o r s u b s i s t i n g o n w i l d plants, and b a t h i n g in f r e e z i n g
fasting or subsisting on wild plants, and bathing in freezing
m o u n t a i n s t r e a m s . It w a s here that h e w a s f o u n d b y peasants
mountain streams. It was here that he was found by peasants
o n e day, h a l f d e a d f r o m h a v i n g eaten p o i s o n o u s m u s h r o o m s .
one day, half dead from having eaten poisonous mushrooms.
H i s rescuers n u r s e d h i m b a c k to health and b e f r i e n d e d the
His rescuers nursed him back to health and befriended the
y o u n g p o e t - m o n k , p r o v i d i n g h i m f r o m then o n w i t h e d i b l e
young poet-monk, providing him from then on with edible
f o o d and l o o k i n g to h i m as their priest; it w a s m u c h the s a m e
food and looking to him as their priest; it was much the same
situation enjoyed b y B a s s u i , w h o had w r i t t e n f o l k p o e m s for
situation enjoyed by Bassui, who had written folk poems for
Kogaku-ji,
Soen
Soen
165
his peasant
peasant ccongregation
his
o n g r e g a t i o n oon
n that same
s a m e mountain
m o u n t a i n six
six centuries
centuries
[Soen]
said, '`Yamada,
allyyou
Why
[Soen] said,
Y a m a d a , all
o u ddo
o isis aargue.
rgue. W
h y ddon't
o n ' t you
y o u try
try
before.
before.
sitting?' "" That
sitting?'
T h a t remark
r e m a r k prompted
p r o m p t e d Yamada's
Y a m a d a ' s interest,
interest, but
b u t sevsev-
Once,
O
n c e , when
w h e n accompanying
a c c o m p a n y i n g Katsube
K a t s u b e Roshi
R o s h i on
o n aa weekend
weekend
eral yyears
would
pass bbefore
he wwould
begin
Zen
eral
ears w
o u l d pass
e f o r e he
ould b
egin Z
e n practice
practice and
and
meditation
University
students, Soen
m e d i t a t i o n retreat for Tokyo
Tokyo U
n i v e r s i t y students,
S o e n discovdiscovered that he
he was
w a s missing
m i s s i n g aa kyosaku,
kyosaku, the
w o o d e n stick used
u s e d for
for
ered
the wooden
""encouraging"
e n c o u r a g i n g " sleepy
sleepy sitters.
sitters. H
o p i n g tto
o borrow
b o r r o w one,
o n e , he
he
Hoping
become
himself. ""Perhaps,"
b
e c o m e a roshi
roshi himself.
P e r h a p s , " he
h e concludes,
c o n c l u d e s , "Nakagawa
"Nakagawa
Roshi
was
much
R
oshi w
a s ttoo
oo m
u c h of
o f a poet."
poet."
World
War
II prevented
prevented SSoen
meeting
W
orld W
a r II
o e n ffrom
rom m
e e t i n g Nyogen
N y o g e n Senzaki
Senzaki
in the flesh;
and itit w
was
April
on
flesh; and
a s nnot
o t until 8 A
p r i l 1948,
1948, o
n the traditional
traditional
w
a l k e d oover
v e r to
Hakusan D
o j o , aa nearby
n e a r b y Zen
Z e n center,
center, and
and
walked
to Hakusan
Dojo,
date
date of
o f Buddha's
B u d d h a ' s birthday,
birthday, that
that the
the two
t w o actually
actually faced
faced each
each
other
on
a
San
Francisco
pier.
Finding
Senzaki's
"anticatheo t h e r o n a San F r a n c i s c o pier. F i n d i n g S e n z a k i ' s " a n t i c a t h e dral"
d r a l " Zen
Z e n and
and the
the American
A m e r i c a n climate
c l i m a t e perfectly
p e r f e c t l y suited
suited to
t o his
his
own
style, SSoen
the poet,
o w n unconventional
u n c o n v e n t i o n a l style,
o e n ccombined
o m b i n e d the
p o e t , Noh
Noh
aactor,
c t o r , and Zen
Z e n radical
radical in
in himself
h i m s e l f to
to create
create an
an inimitable
i n i m i t a b l e perpersona. Here,
sona.
H e r e , in
in the
the free
free atmosphere
a t m o s p h e r e of
o f the
the American
A m e r i c a n West,
West, he
he
as ffrom
ccould
o u l d quote
q u o t e from
f r o m Faust
Faust as
as well
w e l l as
r o m Hakuin
H a k u i n and
and Bassui
B a s s u i in
in
his ZZen
lectures. H
Here
he ccould
demonstrate
Bassui's
his
e n lectures.
e r e he
ould d
emonstrate B
a s s u i ' s "master
"master
entered in
m i d d l e of
o f aa dharma
d h a r m a talk
talk given
g i v e n by
b y Yamamoto
Yamamoto
entered
in the middle
G e m p o Roshi
R o s h i oof
f R
y u t a k u - jji
i monastery
m o n a s t e r y in Mishima,
M i s h i m a , an
an hour's
hour's
Gempo
Ryutaku
trip
f r o m Tokyo.
T o k y o . Moved
M o v e d to
stay and
and listen
listen aa bit,
bit, Soen
S o e n soon
soon
trip from
to stay
ffound
o u n d himself
h i m s e l f "bathed
" b a t h e d in
in aa universal
universal ocean
o c e a n of
o f warmth
w a r m t h and
and
p
e
n
e
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
.
"
B
e
f
o
r
e
l
o
n
g
,
he
had
b
e
c
o
m
e
a
f
r
e
q
u
e
n
t
v
i
s
i
t
o
r
at
penetration." Before long, he had become a frequent visitor at
H
a
k
u
s
a
n
D
o
j
o
,
a
t
t
e
n
d
i
n
g
G
e
m
p
o
R
o
s
h
i
'
s
talks
and
e
n
j
o
y
i
n
Hakusan Dojo, attending Gempo Roshi's talks and enjoyingg
the
c e a n oof
f wwarmth
a r m t h until
n e day
day he
e a r d , "If
" I f you
you
the universal
universal oocean
until oone
he hheard,
practice
a z e n , it
m u s t be
b e true
true practice."
p r a c t i c e . " Soen
S o e n felt
felt the
the roshi
roshi had
had
practice zzazen,
it must
in the
the fform
Noh
the monks
oof
f hhearing"
e a r i n g " in
o r m oof
f aa N
o h ddrama,
r a m a , ssomething
o m e t h i n g the
monks
a i m e d that
r e m a r k directly
directly at
at him.
h i m . When
W h e n the
the talk
talk was
w a s over,
o v e r , he
he
aimed
that remark
bback
a c k at Ryutaku
R y u t a k u - jji
i would
w o u l d find
find laughable.
l a u g h a b l e . Nyogen
Nyogen
Senzaki
Senzaki
hoped
that Soen
h
o p e d that
S o e n would
w o u l d remain
r e m a i n in
in the
the United
U n i t e d States
States and
and bebehis successor,
but because
ccome
o m e his
s u c c e s s o r , but
b e c a u s e oof
f Soen's
S o e n ' s monastic
m o n a s t i c commitcommitments
Japan, the
with
m e n t s in
in Japan,
the two
t w o had
had to
t o content
c o n t e n t themselves
themselves w
i t h frefre-
aasked
s k e d ffor
or a
a private
private interview
i n t e r v i e w and
and immediately
i m m e d i a t e l y offered
o f f e r e d to
to
bbecome
ecome G
empo R
oshi's m
onk. A
A true
true child
child of
o f Pisces,
P i s c e s , Soen
Soen
Gempo
Roshi's
monk.
w
a s as
u i c k s i l v e r y as
e m p l e ppond.
ond. O
n that
that day,
day,
was
as qquicksilvery
asaa carp
carpinin aa ttemple
On
he
first scene
scene ffor
o r his
r e e - f l o w i n g ZZen
e n style,
mercuhe set
set the
the first
his ffree-flowing
style, his
his mercurial
i n d changes,
c h a n g e s , his
his dramatic
d r a m a t i c entrances
entrances and
and disappearances.
disappearances.
rial m
mind
quent
visits. Soen
maintained
with
q u e n t traveling
traveling visits.
Soen m
a i n t a i n e d his
his ties
ties w
i t h American,
American,
European,
E
u r o p e a n , and
and Israeli
Israeli students,
students, traveling
traveling between
b e t w e e n East
E a s t and
and
In 1938,
transferred toto aa jjob
In
1938, Yamada
Y a m a d a wwas
a s transferred
o b in
in Manchuria,
Manchuria,
West for
for the
the nnext
West
e x t thirty-three
t h i r t y - t h r e e years.
years.
where
to his
w
h e r e to
his surprise,
surprise, he
h e again
a g a i n met
m e t his old
o l d friend
friend Soen,
S o e n , now
now
attendant
G e m p o Roshi.
R o s h i . The
T h e two
t w o were
w e r e on
o n a mission
m i s s i o n to
t o start
start
attendant to
to Gempo
In 195o,
Gempo
decided
to retire and appointed
1950, G
e m p o Roshi
Roshi d
e c i d e d to
a p p o i n t e d Soen
Soen
b r a n c h of
o f Myoshin
M y o s h i n - ji
j i Zen
Z e n in
inthe
theJapanese
Japanese colony.
c o l o n y . Yamada
Yamada
a branch
and
G e m p o Roshi
R o s h i were
w e r e nationalists
nationalists with
w i t h few
f e w reservations
reservations
and Gempo
aabout
b o u t Japanese
x p a n s i o n i s m . BBut
u t SSoen
oen w
a s iimpatient
m p a t i e n t with
with
Japanese eexpansionism.
was
traditional
Japanese
Z
e
n
and
its
r
i
g
i
d
l
y
nationalistic
political
traditional Japanese Zen and its rigidly nationalistic political
cconnections.
onnections. H
e ttold
o l d Yamada
Y a m a d a that
d r e a m e d of
o f creating
c r e a t i n g an
an
He
that he
he dreamed
aantiestablishment
n t i e s t a b l i s h m e n t practice
f BBassui
a s s u i uup
p oon
n Dai
Dai
practiceininthe
thestyle
styleoof
B
osatsu m
ountain. W
h a t he
h e did
d i d not
n o t tell
tell Yamada
Y a m a d a was
w a s that
that he
he
Bosatsu
mountain.
What
Ryutaku-ji.
reluctant to assume
aabbot
b b o t of
of R
y u t a k u - j i . The
T h e new
n e w abbot
a b b o t was
w a s so reluctant
assume
the post
the
p o s t that he
h e refused
refused to
t o wear
w e a r the
the traditional
traditional golden
g o l d e n regalia
regalia
during
d
u r i n g the
the ceremony
c e r e m o n y and
and appeared
a p p e a r e d in
in simple
s i m p l e black
b l a c k monk's
monk's
robes. Moreover,
he disappeared
the monastery
robes.
M o r e o v e r , he
disappeared ffrom
r o m the
m o n a s t e r y soon
soon
after, lleaving
Gempo
Roshi wwithout
an aabbot
the inaugural
after,
eaving G
e m p o Roshi
i t h o u t an
b b o t ffor
o r the
inaugural
sesshin,
andfforcing
the oold
teacher to
to stand
sesshin, and
o r c i n g the
l d teacher
stand in for his
his dharma
dharma
heir hhimself!
Only
heir
imself! O
n l y Soen's
S o e n ' s mother
m o t h e r could
c o u l d bring
b r i n g the
the eccentric
eccentric
had already
already begun
b e g u n to
to correspond
c o r r e s p o n d with
w i t h Nyogen
N y o g e n Senzaki
S e n z a k i in
in
had
yyoung
o u n g aabbot
b b o t down
d o w n from
f r o m his Dai
D a i Bosatsu
B o s a t s u mountain
m o u n t a i n hermitage.
hermitage.
A
m e r i c a , and
that he
h e was
w a s being
b e i n g injected
injected with
w i t h Senzaki's
S e n z a k i ' s rebelrebelAmerica,
and that
Where
she wwas
W
h e r e she
a s cconcerned,
o n c e r n e d , there was
w a s no
n o conflict
conflict of
o f loyalty.
loyalty.
Soen's
as abbot
S
o e n ' s ttenure
e n u r e as
a b b o t of
o f Ryutaku-ji
R y u t a k u - j i was
w a s by
b y no
no
lious
f o r e i g n " ideas.
ideas.
lious ""foreign"
typical
off aa traditional
traditional Zen
typical o
Z e n abbot.
a b b o t . He
H e dressed
dressed in
in the
the plain
plain robes
robes
"We
walks
" W e uused
s e d tto
o ggo
o ffor
or w
a l k s ttogether
o g e t h e r at night,"
n i g h t , " Yamada
Y a m a d a recalls,
recalls,
of
o f a monk,
m o n k , ate
ate his
his meals
m e a l s in
in the
the refectory
r e f e c t o r y with
w i t h his
his novices,
novices,
At
one
point
"`just
j u s t as we
w e did
did when
w h e n we
w e were
w e r e students.
students. A
t o
ne p
o i n t I must
must
bathed
in the
b
a t h e d in
the communal
c o m m u n a l bath
b a t h with
w i t h them,
t h e m , even
even sat
sat zazen
z a z e n with
with
have bbeen
have
e e n qquibbling
u i b b l i n g aabout
b o u t something
s o m e t h i n g rather
rather heatedly
h e a t e d l y when
when
166
166
Crazy
Crazy
Clouds
Clouds
means
means
_
I
Soen
Soen
167
i
I
tthem.
h e m . Insisting
Insisting that he had
had himself
h i m s e l f ccompleted
o m p l e t e d ""only"
o n l y " the
the five
five
ccontinue
o n t i n u e his "polishing-"
" p o l i s h i n g . " Traveling
Traveling great
great distances,
distances, he
h e studied
studied
Western
classicalmmusic,
entertaining ppatrons
Western classical
u s i c , entertaining
a t r o n s at tea
tea ceremony,
ceremony,
and
on
matters.
Thus,
and advising
a d v i s i n g hhim
im o
n all
all m
atters. T
h u s , women
w o m e n students
s t u d e n t s found
found
Soen
the
most
respectful
of
Japanese
Zen
teachers,
for
he
S o e n the m o s t respectful o f Japanese Z e n teachers, f o r h e saw
saw
them
t h e m all in an idealized,
idealized, platonic
platonic llight
i g h t that emanated
e m a n a t e d from
f r o m his
his
w
i t h Harada
H a r a d a Roshi
R o s h i of
o f Hosshin-ji,
H o s s h i n - j i , himself
h i m s e l f aa renowned
r e n o w n e d Zen
Zen
with
adoration
his mother.
a d o r a t i o n oof
f his
m o t h e r . This
T h i s of
o f course
c o u r s e did
did not
n o t endear
e n d e a r him
him
rreformer
e f o r m e r who
w h o wedded
w e d d e d Rinzai
R i n z a i and
and Soto
S o t o schools
s c h o o l s in
in aa new
n e w lineage
lineage
with
nor
w i t h his
his macho
m a c h o Zen
Z e n peers;
peers; n
o r did
did his
his "effete"
" e f f e t e " love
l o v e for
for
that
and changed
the face
that bemused
b e m u s e d the Zen
Z e n establishment
e s t a b l i s h m e n t and
c h a n g e d the
face of
of
Zen
Z
e n practice
practice to
to this
this day.
day. Under
U n d e r the
the influence
influence of
o f Harada
H a r a d a in
in
Japan
in the United
Japan and
and Senzaki
S e n z a k i in
U n i t e d States,
States, Soen
S o e n soon
s o o n developed
developed
his own
his
o w n amalgam
a m a l g a m of
o f Zen
Z e n practice
practice and
and performance,
p e r f o r m a n c e , using
using
""Namu
N a m u dal
dai bosa"
b o s a " ("I
("I call
call upon
u p o n the name
n a m e of
o f the great
g r e a t BodhiBodhi-
ceremony,
c e r e m o n y , poetry,
p o e t r y , and
and art
art appeal
appeal to the rough
r o u g h country
c o u n t r y novices
novices
at RRyutaku
y u t a k u - jjii either.
either.
solitary retreats
retreats to
to Dai
SSoen's
o e n ' s solitary
D a i Bosatsu
B o s a t s u mountain
m o u n t a i n increased
increased
periods
p
e r i o d s of
o f isolation,
isolation, he slipped
slipped from
f r o m aa precipice
p r e c i p i c e and
a n d suffered
suffered aa
sattva")
as aa kind
s a t t v a " ) as
k i n d of
o f mantra,
m a n t r a , which
w h i c h he,
he, and
and his
his American
American
blow
b
l o w to
to his
his head.
head. Lying
L y i n g unconscious
u n c o n s c i o u s for
for three
three days
days until
until he
he
students
and over
again in
in aa lloud
students at least,
least, repeated
repeated over
o v e r and
o v e r again
o u d shout
shout
was
w
a s discovered,
d i s c o v e r e d , Socn
S o e n Roshi
R o s h i awoke,
a w o k e , but
b u t as
as his
his friend
friend Yamada
Yamada
put
p u t it, "he
" h e was
w a s never
never the same."
s a m e . " Nonetheless,
N o n e t h e l e s s , he
he continued
c o n t i n u e d as
as
abbot
a b b o t of
o f Ryutaku
R y u t a k u - jji
i and
and honorary
h o n o r a r y abbot
a b b o t of
o f Dai
D a i Bosatsu
B o s a t s u monmonastery
astery in Beecher
B e e c h e r Lake,
L a k e , New
N e w York,
Y o r k , and
and the
the Jerusalem
J e r u s a l e m Zen
Zen
hundred
h
u n d r e d required
r e q u i r e d koans
k o a n s of
o f Hakuin's
H a k u i n ' s curriculum
c u r r i c u l u m of
o f seventeen
seventeen
hundred
notable
Zen
h
u n d r e d Rinzai
R i n z a i kkoans,
o a n s , he
he visited
visited oother
ther n
otable Z
e n masters
m a s t e r s to
to
after his
his mother's
after
m o t h e r ' s death.
death. In
In 1965,
1965, during
d u r i n g one
o n e of
o f these
these long
long
that cascaded
that
cascaded iinto
n t o silent
silent meditation.
m e d i t a t i o n . He
H e particularly
p a r t i c u l a r l y loved
loved
students oout
ttaking
a k i n g students
u t into
i n t o nature
n a t u r e and
and shouting
s h o u t i n g this
this self-styled
self-styled
k o a n at the
the moon,
m o o n , the
the trees,
trees, the
the sky,
s k y , and
and the
the water.
water.
koan
As
an "American
A
s an
" A m e r i c a n Zen
Z e n master,"
m a s t e r , " Socn
S o e n Roshi
R o s h i could
c o u l d indulge
indulge
Society
S
o c i e t y oon
n the
the Mount
M o u n t of
o f Olives
O l i v e s in
in Israel.
Israel. He
H e still
still traveled
traveled
around
a r o u n d the
the world,
w o r l d , held
held retreats,
retreats, and
and gave
gave interviews
i n t e r v i e w s to his
his
the performer
as he
he instructed
his students.
SSoen
o e n the
p e r f o r m e r even
even as
i n s t r u c t e d his
s t u d e n t s . He
He
wrote
w
r o t e haiku
h a i k u poetry
p o e t r y and
and used
used it as
as aa teaching
t e a c h i n g tool;
t o o l ; he
he recited
recited
adoring
students, and
a d o r i n g Western
Western students,
a n d he
h e appointed
a p p o i n t e d five
five successors
s u c c e s s o r s of
of
his
own.
But
by
the
mid-nineteen
seventies,
Soen
was
enerhis o w n . B u t b y the m i d - n i n e t e e n seventies, S o e n w a s e n e r vated,
vated, retreating
retreating iinto
n t o isolation
i s o l a t i o n ffor
o r months
m o n t h s at
at aa time
t i m e to
to escape
escape
the pain
off a dream
for he
the
pain and
and disappointment
disappointment o
d r e a m betrayed,
b e t r a y e d , for
he had
had
never successfully
successfully""spread
the DDharma
net East
East and
and West,"
never
s p r e a d the
h a r m a net
W e s t , " as
he had
had oonce
hopefully
he
nce h
o p e f u l l y written.
w r i t t e n . In
In March
M a r c h 1984,
1984, only
o n l y aa few
f e w days
days
Rinzai
in his
his dharma
SShakespeare
h a k e s p e a r e aalong
l o n g wwith
ith R
i n z a i in
d h a r m a talks;
talks; he
he visited
visited
the
great museums
m u s e u m s of
o f Europe,
E u r o p e , and
and incorporated
i n c o r p o r a t e d his
his growing
growing
the great
knowledge
k n o w l e d g e oof
f Christian
C h r i s t i a n and
and Jewish
J e w i s h traditions
traditions and
and scripture
scripture
iinto
n t o his
his presentation
p r e s e n t a t i o n of
o f the
the Buddha-Dharma.
B u d d h a - D h a r m a . As
A s aa Japanese
Japanese
monastery
he wwas,
in the
m
o n a s t e r y aabbot,
b b o t , he
a s , in
the words
w o r d s of
o f D.
D . T.
T. Suzuki,
S u z u k i , "a
"a
rather
e c u l i a r ffellow."
ellow." B
u t Soen
S o e n considered
c o n s i d e r e d hhimself
i m s e l f "Hak"Hakrather ppeculiar
But
uuin's
i n ' s cchild,"
h i l d , " and Hakuin,
H a k u i n , too,
t o o , had
had been
b e e n thought
t h o u g h t of
o f as
as peculiar
peculiar
after his
bath at
after
his seventy-seventh
s e v e n t y - s e v e n t h bbirthday,
i r t h d a y , wwhile
h i l e t taking
a k i n g aa bath
at
Ryutaku-ji,
passed qquietly
R
y u t a k u - j i , Soen
S o e n Roshi
R o s h i passed
u i e t l y ffrom
r o m this world.
world.
bby
y the
e n establishment.
establishment.
the Japanese
Japanese ZZen
Soen's
on
S
o e n ' s teaching
t e a c h i n g style
style was
w a s based
b a s e d entirely
entirely o
n communicating
communicating
It wwould
appear that
that Soen's
deep
to his
It
o u l d appear
Soen's d
e e p aattachment
t t a c h m e n t to
his mother
mother
would
call aa puer,
puer, the
the ccharming
w
o u l d call
h a r m i n g eternal
eternal child
child who,
w h o , like
like Peter
Peter
the suchness
the m
moment.
the
suchness oof
f the
o m e n t . "Only
" O n l y This,
This, This!"
This!" he
he would
would
cry, slapping
his cushion
cry,
s l a p p i n g his
c u s h i o n to illustrate
illustrate his
his point.
p o i n t . Whether
Whether
discoursing
Rinzai
dancing
under
the moon,
d i s c o u r s i n g oon
n R
i n z a i oor
r d
ancing u
n d e r the
m o o n , his
his single
single
Pan, ssimply
refusestoto ggrow
up.
Pan,
i m p l y refuses
row u
p . When
W h e n his
his mother
m o t h e r died
died in
in
purpose
p
u r p o s e was
w a s to lock
l o c k his
his students into
i n t o the reality
reality of
o f immediacy.
immediacy.
1962,
after GGempo
Roshi,
Soen
was
1962, oonly
n l y aa yyear
e a r after
empo R
oshi, S
oen w
a s ttruly
r u l y orphaned
orphaned
had often
ttwice.
w i c e . Gempo
G e m p o Roshi
R o s h i had
o f t e n stepped
s t e p p e d into the
the breach
b r e a c h for
for his
his
Robert
Aitken
Roshi,
R
obert A
itken R
o s h i , oone
n e of
o f Soen's
S o e n ' s earliest
earliest Western
Western ZZen
e n stustu-
wayward
mother,
w
a y w a r d yyoung
o u n g ssuccessor,
u c c e s s o r , aand
n d SSoen's
oen's m
o t h e r , in a situation
situation
Buddhist
and as
as an
an artist
artist ooff the body,
B
u d d h i s t oorigins,
r i g i n s , and
b o d y , his
his way
w a y was
w a s to
to
in the
the long
uunheard
n h e a r d oof
f in
l o n g history
h i s t o r y of
o f Zen,
Z e n , was
w a s firmly
f i r m l y established
established
act tthem
out,
act
hem o
u t , and
and to
t o encourage
e n c o u r a g e others
o t h e r s to
to act
act them
t h e m out
o u t as
as well.
w e l l ."
at the
the monastery,
her sson
walking
with
him
at
m o n a s t e r y , seeing
seeing her
o n daily,
daily, w
alking w
ith h
i m in
Intent
Intent on
o n creating
c r e a t i n g an
an "international
" i n t e r n a t i o n a l Zen,"
Z e n , " Soen
S o e n added
a d d e d to
t o his
his
had
h
a d left
left him
h i m aa perpetual
p e r p e t u a l boy,
b o y , what
w h a t psychologist
p s y c h o l o g i s t Carl
C a r l Jung
Jung
dents,
in touch
dents, writes,
w r i t e s , "Soen
" S o e n Roshi
R o s h i was
w a s intimately
i n t i m a t e l y in
t o u c h with
w i t h his
his
the mountains,
the
m o u n t a i n s , listening
listening to
to their
their magnificent
m a g n i f i c e n t collection
c o l l e c t i o n of
of
168
168
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
Buddhist
B
u d d h i s t oorigins
r i g i n s bby
y taking
t a k i n g communion
c o m m u n i o n at
at Saint
Saint
M
Patrick's
Patrick's
Soen
Soen
169
169
9
Cathedral
C a t h e d r a l in
in New
N e w York
Y o r k and, after
after donning
d o n n i n g aa black
b l a c k caftan
caftan and
and
hat, dancing
d a n c i n g with
w i t h Hasidim
H a s i d i m in
in Israel.
Israel. Seeking
S e e k i n g to combine
c o m b i n e his
his
artistic
nature, and
artistic gifts,
gifts, his
his playful
playful nature,
and his
his role
role as
as aa Zen
Z e n teacher,
teacher,
he gathered
g a t h e r e d flute
flute masters,
masters, Catholic
C a t h o l i c priests, and
and street
street people
p e o p l e as
as
players
in his
Zen
that the
players in
his elaborate
elaborate Z
e n performances.
p e r f o r m a n c e s . Insisting
Insisting that
the
spiritual
worlds,
spiritual and
and physical
physical w
o r l d s , the
the angels,
angels, devils,
devils, and
and BodhiBodhisattvas were
w e r e all
all equally
e q u a l l y real,
real, he invested
invested every
every dharma
d h a r m a talk,
talk,
sattvas
every
retreat and
and kkoan
with
every retreat
o a n iinterview
nterview w
i t h the jjoyful
o y f u l sspontaneity
p o n t a n e i t y of
of
enlightenment.
e n l i g h t e n m e n t . "This
" T h i s world
w o r l d is
is so
s o wonderful,
w o n d e r f u l , so
s o Unthinkable
Unthinkable
and
and Ungraspable.
U n g r a s p a b l e . What
What are
are we
we touching
touching right
right here
here now?"
now?" he
he
would
w o u l d cry,
c r y , gleefully
g l e e f u l l y thumping
t h u m p i n g his
his cushion.
cushion.
Just hearing,
Just
h e a r i n g , jjust
u s t dancing,
d a n c i n g , were
w e r e the
the rallying
r a l l y i n g cries
cries of
o f his
his
universal
He
quietists for
for ttrying
universal bbrotherhood.
rotherhood. H
e chastised
chastised quietists
r y i n g to
to
"empty
in the
the ""present
" e m p t y the
the mind,"
m i n d , " and
and advocated
a d v o c a t e d living
l i v i n g in
p r e s e n t mind"
mind"
instead, without
instead,
w i t h o u t aa glimmer
g l i m m e r of
o fself-conscious
s e l f - c o n s c i o u s spirituality.
spirituality. To
To
expunge
the stink
e x p u n g e the
stink of
o f Zen
Z e n from
f r o m his
his students,
students, he
he even
even went
w e n t so
so
far
as
to
place
a
large
pumpkin
on
his
cushion
in
the
dokusan
far as
place
large p u m p k i n o n his c u s h i o n in the dokusan
room,
r o o m , hiding
h i d i n g behind
b e h i n d aa screen
screen and
and laughing
l a u g h i n g as
as they
t h e y entered
entered and
and
bowed
deeply
it. To
the drama
b
owed d
e e p l y bbefore
e f o r e it.
To illustrate
illustrate the
d r a m a of
o f perpetual
perpetual
change,
his ddharma
talks bbehind
red ddemon
c h a n g e , he
h e enacted
enacted his
h a r m a talks
e h i n d aa red
e m o n mask
mask
and pplayed
all the
the parts
parts in
in his
Noh
with
and
l a y e d all
his improvised
improvised N
o h play
play w
i t h his
his
rrobe
o b e pulled
p u l l e d up
u p over
o v e r his
his head.
head. When
W h e n Nyogcn
N y o g e n Senzaki
S e n z a k i died
died in
in
1958,
o e n ccame
a m e to
to California,
C a l i f o r n i a , conducted
c o n d u c t e d aa sesshin
sesshin in
in his
his
1958, SSoen
m
e m o r y , and
gave aa bbrief
r i e f talk.
hen h
e dispersed
dispersed part
of
memory,
and gave
talk. TThen
he
part of
S
e n z a k i ' s ashes
Tassajara m
o n a s t e r y in California
C a l i f o r n i a and
and
Senzaki's
ashes at
at the Tassajara
monastery
cconducted
o n d u c t e d aa ceremonial
c e r e m o n i a l dance
n d e r the
full m
o o n , clapping
clapping
dance uunder
the full
moon,
and
i n g i n g The
The Heart
Heart Sutra
honor.
and ssinging
Sutra in
in his
his friend's
friend's honor.
No
N
o form
f o r m of
o f celebration
celebration was
w a s iinappropriate.
n a p p r o p r i a t e . Dancing
D a n c i n g as
as medmed-
itation
itation "should
" s h o u l d be
b e full
full of
o f Dharma
D h a r m a delight;
d e l i g h t ; we
w e should
s h o u l d feel
feel so
so
full o
g r a t i t u d e that we
w e cannot
c a n n o t sit still,
still, that we
w e naturally
naturally start
full
off gratitude
ddancing....
a n c i n g . . . Both
. B o t hare
areuniversal,
universal, dancing
d a n c i n g and
and ssitting."
i t t i n g . " EmbodEmbod-
Ordinary
extraordinary....
Ordinary is extraordinary.
. . Dramas
. Dramasallallhave
haveonly
only one
one point.
point.
....
. . ititisis to
to understand
understand this Great
Great Matter.
Matter. . .. . . to understand
understand
this,
realize this, to actualize
actualize this in everyday
everyday life,
this, to realize
life, in
in ordinary
life, in
Of
life,
in every
every ordinary
ordinary life.
life. There
There isisno
noneed
needtotogo
gototo Kabuki.
Kabuki. Of
course it
wonderful; II admire
drama is
course
it is
is wonderful;
admire itit very
very much.
much. But
But the
the drama
Rinzai and
N o h actors,
not only with Rinzai
and Obaku
Obaku and
and Bokushu,
Bokushu, and Noh
and wonderful
wonderful New
N e w York
York actors
actors and
and actresses.
actresses. Even
Even eating,
eating,
and
cooking, and sleeping-each
sleeping—eachdeed
deedof
o fyour
youreveryday
everyday life
life is
is nothnothcooking,
else but
ing else
but this Great Matter.
.
Soen's
insistence that
that the
the ""real"
S o e n ' s insistence
r e a l " and
and "spiritual"
" s p i r i t u a l " worlds
w o r l d s were
were
one and
and the same
one
s a m e extended
e x t e n d e d also
also to his
his definition
definition of
o f birth
b i r t h and
and
death. The
these ttwo
death.
T h e only
o n l y difference
difference between
b e t w e e n these
w o conditions,
c o n d i t i o n s , he
he
said, lay
lay in
in the
said,
the names
n a m e s we
w e used
u s e d to express
e x p r e s s them.
t h e m . Otherwise,
Otherwise,
even
birth and death
even birth
death were
w e r e the
the same.
same.
To
die is
is to join
join the majority.
us will
will go
go to aa dark,
To die
majority. Some
Some oof
f us
dark,
dismal world, some
some to
to aa beautiful,
beautiful, transparent
transparent world,
world, some
some to
to aa
noisy, pilgrimaging
pilgrimaging world.
world. But
But we
we will
will all
all join
join the
the majority.
majority.
noisy,
Congratulations!
reason we
we celebrate
celebrate death-day,
Congratulations! For
For this
this reason
death-day, tobirth-day.
gether with birth-day.
For hhim
in the
the "Miserable
For
i m no
n o distinctions
distinctions existed
existed even
even in
" M i s e r a b l e karma
karma
relations,
cruel karma
relations, world
w o r l d war
w a r . . . miserable
m i s e r a b l e cruel
k a r m a relations,"
relations,"
which
w h i c h could
c o u l d be
b e immediately
i m m e d i a t e l y transformed
t r a n s f o r m e d into
i n t o "wonderful
"wonderful
dharma
with
d h a r m a relations"
relations" w
i t h the mere
m e r e recognition
r e c o g n i t i o n of
o f the
the interdeinterdependence
Nothing
but
p e n d e n c e oof
f tthings.
hings. N
othing b
u t this cup,
c u p , this
this drinking,
d r i n k i n g , this
this
bird chirping
nothing
but
bird
chirping . . . n
o t h i n g else
else b
u t this
this right
r i g h t here
here now!
n o w ! He
He
warned
w a r n e d students
students against
against self-conscious
s e l f - c o n s c i o u s holiness,
h o l i n e s s , "neurotic
"neurotic
.
.
.
.
.
.
mindfulness,"
m i n d f u l n e s s , " using
u s i n g his
his eccentric
eccentric versions
versions of
o f the tea
tea ceremony
ceremony
to
s h o w the radiant
radiant simplicity
s i m p l i c i t y inherent
inherent in
in "just
" j u s t boiling
b o i l i n g water
water
to show
and
a k i n g tea,
u s t ddrinking
r i n k i n g it.
o t h i n g else."
else."
and m
making
tea, jjust
it. N
Nothing
In
In the
the middle
m i d d l e of
o f aa dharma
d h a r m a talk
talk he
hewould
w o u l d spontaneously
spontaneously
yying
i n g Bodhidharma's
B o d h i d h a r m a ' s ffamous
a m o u s ZZen
en m
o t t o , "Nothing
" N o t h i n g holy,"
holy,"
motto,
organize
session, eencouraging
o
r g a n i z e aa bbowing
o w i n g session,
n c o u r a g i n g students by
b y bowing
b o w i n g in
in
S
o e n cconducted
o n d u c t e d tea
eremony w
i t h coffee
coffee or
oda p
o p , ate
ate
Soen
tea cceremony
with
or ssoda
pop,
c h e r r y blossoms
b l o s s o m s in
o f the
the Capitol
C a p i t o l in
in Washington,
W a s h i n g t o n , D.C.,
D.C.,
cherry
in front
front of
front of
front
o f them,
t h e m , assuring
assuring tthem
h e m that
that "each
" e a c h one
o n e of
o f you
y o u is
is aa
and discoursed
d i s c o u r s e d oon
n the
v i r t u e s of
o f "shitting"
" s h i t t i n g " as
as an
an equally
equally
and
the virtues
and
h u s b a n d , friend
friend and
and stranger,
s t r a n g e r , he
he exhorted
e x h o r t e d everyone
e v e r y o n e to
to
and husband,
iimportant
m p o r t a n t form
f o r m of
o f Zen
Z e n as
as "sitting."
"sitting."
""bow
b o w to the
the living
l i v i n g Bodhisattva
B o d h i s a t t v a that is
is each
each of
o f you."
y o u . " Words
Words
1170
jo
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
B
o d h i s a t t v a . " Then,
T h e n , directing
d i r e c t i n g them
t h e m to
to bow
b o w to
to each
each other,
o t h e r , wife
wife
Bodhisattva."
Soen
Soen
171
171
Cockroach
was my
my pet.
pet. Cockroach
is living
Cockroach was
Cockroach is
living with
with his
his whole
whole
heart, with his
heart,
his whole
whole might.
might. Wonderful
Wonderful wonderful
wonderful Zen! More
More
Zen than you.
you. . . .. Better
Better than human beings.
beings. Human
Human beings
beings
Zen
are more
less masters
f the
o w — w e l l , only
only human
human
are
more or
or less
masters oof
the earth
earth nnow-well,
beings can
. .
beings
can get
get true
true enlightenment,
enlightenment,but
butdisease
diseaseand
andcruelty
cruelty. ...
but this
this II skip
. . Anyway,
. A n y w a y , in
inmy
m y room
room where
where there
there
but
skip for
fornow.
now....
is not
not food
food or
or anything,
anything, aa big
big cockroach
cockroach came
came to me
me for
for the
the
is
first
Probably the king of
o f cockroaches.
cockroaches. And
A n d he sat by me
me
first time.
time. Probably
. . . II talked
o f wonderful
h e next
night too,
too,
talked with
with him
him of
wonderful matters.
matters. TThe
next night
he came.
came. Every
n d then,
he stopped
stopped coming.
coming.
he
Every night.
night. AAnd
then, he
were
never sufficient
sufficienttoto ccommunicate
the GGreat
Matter.
w
e r e never
o m m u n i c a t e the
reat M
a t t e r . Only
Only
it, oonly
action and
and bbeing.
The
eexperience
x p e r i e n c e cconveyed
o n v e y e d it,
n l y action
eing. T
h e Ten
Ten ComCommandments
m a n d m e n t s and
and the
the Buddhist
B u d d h i s t precepts
p r e c e p t s themselves
t h e m s e l v e s were
w e r e simply
simply
words.
w o r d s . "Don't,
" D o n ' t , don't,
d o n ' t , don't
d o n ' tsee
seethem
t h e m as
as bindings!
b i n d i n g s ! They
T h e y make
make
us
free
they
are
important.
But
do
not
be
bound
up
us
. . . t h e y are i m p o r t a n t . B u t d o n o t b e b o u n d u p by
by
commandments.
c o m m a n d m e n t s . Everything
Everything is
is yourself.
yourself. Everything
E v e r y t h i n g isis myself.
myself.
Each
off yyou
his w
whole
E
ach o
o u is master
m a s t e r of
o f his
h o l e universe."
universe."
Contact
C o n t a c t with
w i t h his
his students
students at
at the
theJerusalem
Jerusalem zendo
z e n d o gave
gave him
him
.
.
.
.
ever
and symbols
ever nnew
e w insights
insights and
s y m b o l s for
for teaching.
t e a c h i n g . Even
E v e n the
the most
most
dualistic
dualistic religious
r e l i g i o u s archetypes
a r c h e t y p e s suited his purpose.
purpose.
.
Even
in aa world
E
v e n aa cockroach
c o c k r o a c h was
w a s a worthy
w o r t h y conversationalist
c o n v e r s a t i o n a l i s t in
world
where:
w
here:
My
M y friends
friends tell me
me there
there are
are eight
eight gates
gates in
inthe
theJerusalem
Jerusalem wall.
wall.
One
O n e of
o f the
the gates
gates is
is the
the Never-Open
Never-Open Gate.
Gate. The
The Golden
Golden Gate.
Gate.
The
will appear,
appear, riding
riding aa donkey,
donkey, and
and go
go down
T h e Messiah
Messiah will
down the
the
hillside.
All the spirits
under the tombs will
hillside. All
spirits sleeping
sleeping under
will wake
wake and
and
follow him
. . .
follow
him through
through the
theNever-Open
Never-OpenGate,
Gate,into
intothethetemple.
temple....
Never-Opened Gate
Gate is opened!
opened! Do
D o you
y o u believe
believe this?
this? From the
the
Never-Opened
beginning the door is open. It
It cannot
cannot open more.
more.
beginning
All beings are
All
are flowers
flowers
Blooming
Blooming
In a blooming universe.
universe.
Nyogen
Senzaki
N
yogen S
e n z a k i oonce
n c e ttold
o l d an
an American
A m e r i c a n student,
s t u d e n t , "Soon
"Soen
R
o s h i is
u r e llove."
ove." N
o t only
o n l y cockroaches,
cockroaches, b
u t ferocious
f e r o c i o u s dogs
dogs
Roshi
is ppure
Not
but
and uunquiet
were
hypnotized
by
and
n q u i e t babies
babies w
ere h
ypnotized b
y his
his presence.
p r e s e n c e . Like
L i k e the
Nothing
N o t h i n g was
w a s sacrosanct.
sacrosanct. Not
N o t even
even zazen.
zazen.
Pied
hee could
P
i e d PPiper,
iper, h
c o u l d draw
d r a w a ggroup
r o u p of
o f hardened
h a r d e n e d New
N e w York
Y o r k Zen
Zen
sitters iinto
sitters
n t o a "sutra-chanting
" s u t r a - c h a n t i n g contest"
c o n t e s t " and
and defuse
defuse their
their comcom-
Meditation itself
itselfisisnot
not Zen.
Zen. ZZen
Meditation
e n is meditation,
meditation, but it
it is
is also
also
thinking,
eating, drinking,
drinking, sitting,
sitting, standing,
standing, shitting,
shitting, ppeeingthinking, eating,
eeing—
all
these are
arenothing
nothingelse
elsebut
butZen.
Zen....
all oof
f these
. . .Zazen
Zazenisissitting
sitting Zen.
Zen.
But
this
is
not
the
Zen.
Don't
be
mistaken
about
this
point.
But this is not the Zen. D o n ' t
mistaken
petitivenesswwith
the llaughing
assertion that
that there
petitiveness
i t h the
a u g h i n g assertion
there were
w e r e no
no
w
i n n e r s , for
f o r "everyone
" e v e r y o n e is best!"
b e s t ! " Hidden
H i d d e n in
in the
the sleeves
sleeves of
o f his
his
winners,
rrobe
obe w
e r e fruits,
flowers, ssouvenirs
o u v e n i r s ppicked
i c k e d uup
p oon
n a walk
w a l k in
were
fruits, flowers,
in the
meditating
on
m
editating o
n something,
s o m e t h i n g , jjust
u s t meditate
m e d i t a t e on
o n it. When
W h e n cooking,
cooking,
park, and he
these gifts
gifts freely.
freely. OOnce,
when
park,
h e dispensed
d i s p e n s e d these
nce, w
h e n a woman
woman
s t u d e n t offered
o f f e r e d him
h i m a Buddhist
B u d d h i s t piece
piece o
s c u l p t u r e that
he had
had
student
off sculpture
that he
admired, h
e tthanked
h a n k e d her
o r it
and said,
said, ""But
B u t don't
d o n ' t be
b e angry
angry
admired,
he
her ffor
it and
w
h e n II ggive
i v e it
o m e o n e else
i g h t like
t."
when
it away.
away. SSomeone
else mmight
like iit."
Nature's
During
N
a t u r e ' s oddities
o d d i t i e s fascinated
fascinated hhim.
im. D
u r i n g aa retreat
retreat in ConConnecticut,
he
woke
several
students
in
the
middle
of
the
night,
n e c t i c u t , h e w o k e several s t u d e n t s in the m i d d l e o f
night,
just
j u s t cook.
c o o k . When
W h e n drinking,
d r i n k i n g , just
j u s t drink.
drink. Nothing
N o t h i n g else
else but
b u t this.
this.
and,
and, with
w i t h his
his finger
f i n g e r on
o n his
his lips,
lips, took
t o o k them
t h e m downstairs
d o w n s t a i r s in
in
The
T
h e enlightenment
e n l i g h t e n m e n t experience
e x p e r i e n c e itself
itself disappeared
disappeared and had to be
be
recalled oover
and oover
no
no
recalled
v e r and
v e r aagain.
g a i n . ""There's
There's n
o end;
end; n
o graduation.
graduation.
...
Even
Buddha
is training,
training, training, training . .. .. every
every day."
E
ven B
u d d h a . . . is
day."
.
But
students were
B
u t students
w e r e not
n o t to make
m a k e aa fetish of
o f their practice:
practice: "When
"When
In the
the m
midst
our
...
. . . In
i d s t of
o f all
all o
u r doing,
d o i n g , there
there is
is this
this doing
doing nnothing."
othing."
silence.
Gathering
silence. G
a t h e r i n g tthem
h e m before
b e f o r e a windowsill
w i n d o w s i l l and
and motioning
motioning
for
for a woman
w o m a n with
w i t h aa flashlight
flashlight to shine it there, he
he pointed
p o i n t e d to
t o aa
n i g h t - b l o o m i n g cereus
cereus in aa pot.
p o t . Ruth
R u t h Lilienthal,
Lilienthal, one
o n e of
o f Seen's
Soen's
night-blooming
oldest students,
s t u d e n t s , was
w a s present.
present. She
She recalls,
recalls, "The
" T h e air
air above
a b o v e the
the
oldest
o
p
e
n
m
o
u
t
h
e
d
flower
w
a
s
radiant
w
i
t
h
e
n
e
r
g
y
.
Tears
c
o
me
open-mouthed flower was radiant with energy. Tears come
Every
was
E
v e r y occasion
occasion w
a s rich
rich with
w i t h possibilities
possibilities for
for revealing
revealing the
the
dharma,
variety, the
the kkind
that usually
d
h a r m a , particularly
p a r t i c u l a r l y the everyday
e v e r y d a y variety,
i n d that
usually
makes
spiritual ppeople
Once,
he oopened
talk with
m
a k e s spiritual
e o p l e ssqueamish.
queamish. O
n c e , he
p e n e d aa talk
with
aa sstory
t o r y about
a b o u t aa cockroach.
cockroach.
172
1J2
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
I
Soen
Soen
17j
173
I
even nnow
as II remember
even
o w as
r e m e m b e r this
this exquisite,
e x q u i s i t e , wordless
w o r d l e s s bbirth."
i r t h . " At
At
that same
in aa domed
that
s a m e retreat
retreat he
he conducted
c o n d u c t e d sstudent
t u d e n t interviews
i n t e r v i e w s in
domed
pup
in on
p
u p tent, crawling
c r a w l i n g in
o n all
all fours,
f o u r s , and urging
u r g i n g his
his students
students to
to
do
the same.
d
o the
s a m e . Nothing
N o t h i n g holy.
holy.
But
Japan, wwhere
was
master
to the imperial
B u t back
b a c k in Japan,
h e r e hhe
e w
a s ZZen
en m
a s t e r to
imperial
prince
and the
the prime
was
p
r i n c e and
p r i m e minister,
minister, Soen
S o e n Roshi
Roshi w
a s ""every
e v e r y iinch"
nch" a
traditional aabbot.
traditional
b b o t . Which
W h i c h was
w a s the
the real
real Soen,
S o e n , the
themischievous
mischievous
imp
who
played
Beethoven's
Ninth
Symphony
at
meditation
i m p w h o played Beethoven's N i n t h S y m p h o n y
meditation
retreats,
retreats, the
the moonstruck
m o o n s t r u c k dancer
dancer who
w h o erased
erased all
all hierarchical
hierarchical
differences
all hhumans
as ""members
differences bby
y ddefining
e f i n i n g all
u m a n s as
m e m b e r s of
o f the same
same
nosehole
the teacher
teacher wwho
led aa student
n o s e h o l e ssociety,"
o c i e t y , " the
h o led
s t u d e n t out
o u t of
o f the
the
interview
sunset, the poet
i n t e r v i e w rroom
o o m to view
v i e w aa magnificent
m a g n i f i c e n t sunset,
p o e t whose
whose
material
life, the
the artist
material was
w a s everyday
e v e r y d a y life,
artist who
w h o crafted
crafted enlightened
enlightened
beings-or
b
e i n g s — o rthe
thesomber,
s o m b e r ,traditional
traditionalZen
Z e n abbot,
a b b o t ,national
n a t i o n a l teacher
teacher
to the imperial
house?
imperial house?
In search
search of
o f the
the "real"
" r e a l " Soen
S o e n Roshi,
Roshi, Perle
Perle Besserman
B e s s e r m a n made
made
her way
her
w a y to
t o Ryutaku-ji
R y u t a k u - j i in
in 1983.
1983.
The
Roshi who
T
h e head monk at
at Ryutaku-ji
Ryutaku-ji had said it was
was Soen
Soen Roshi
who
inspired him
him to
to finish
with his Marxism,
at
inspired
finish with
Marxism, his secular
secular studies
studies at
the university,
university, and
and become
become aa monk.
monk. "He
the
" H e was
was powerful,
powerful, magmagnetic."
netic.
"
replied, remembering
"Yes
he was,"
"Yes he
w a s , " II replied,
remembering the
the tea
tea and
and Rinzai's
Rinzai's
bowl, and
cookies, and
and the
the booming
booming magibowl,
and the chocolate-chip
chocolate-chip cookies,
cian's voice
cian's
voice weaving
weaving stories.
Was SSoen
as aa ZZen
Was
o e n RRoshi
o s h i uultimately
l t i m a t e l y ""ineffective
i n e f f e c t i v e as
e n tteacher,"
e a c h e r , " as
as
Was he
he in
in fact
fact ""too
ssome
o m e ooff his
his students later claimed?
c l a i m e d ? Was
t o o ecceneccenttric,"
r i c , " too
t o o much
m u c h the
the "poet"
" p o e t " and
and not
n o tenough
e n o u g h the
theroshi?
roshi? Those
Those
successors wwho
seek toto pperpetuate
the ""Soen
mystique,"
successors
h o seek
e r p e t u a t e the
Soen m
y s t i q u e , " even
even
to canonize
him
after his
his death,
ggoing
o i n g so
s o far
far as
as to
canonize h
i m only
o n l y five
five years
years after
were
often aamong
his greatest
w
e r e tthemselves
h e m s e l v e s often
m o n g his
greatest detractors
detractors while
w h i l e he
he
lived. Several
Severaloof
his closest
closeststudents
students attribute
attribute his
his bbreakdown
lived.
f his
r e a k d o w n to
to
the profound
he suffered
at the hands of
the
p r o f o u n d sense
sense of
o f betrayal
betrayal he
suffered at
o f his
his
What
placehas
has ZZen
for such
pprincipal
r i n c i p a l ssuccessors.
uccessors. W
h a t place
e n for
s u c h antics
antics as
as
Soen's?
Where
to ddraw
the line
line bbetween
S
oen's? W
h e r e to
r a w the
e t w e e n bbeing
e i n g aa CCrazy
r a z y Cloud
Cloud
and jjust
and
u s t plain
plain "crazy"?
" c r a z y " ? Perhaps
Perhaps only
o n l y artists
artists and
and children
c h i l d r e n can
can
I stood with
with my
m y gift
gift of
o fstrawberries
strawberries on
onaafreezing
freezing February
February day,
day,
waiting for his attendant monk
waiting
monk to
to give
give me
me the
the signal
signal to
to see
see him.
him.
The monks
The
monks in the
the kitchen
kitchen tittered.
tittered. One,
One, in
in faltering
faltering English,
English,
said, "Why
He crazy,"
crazy," and
said,
" W h y you
y o u want
want to
to see
see Soen
Soen Roshi?
Roshi? He
and he
made circling
circling motions
motions with
with his finger
made
finger at his
his temple
temple to illustrate
illustrate
the point.
but no
the
point. The
T h e strawberries
strawberries were
were accepted
accepted but
no invitation
invitation
came. TThe
attendant monk,
monk, aa girlish
with long,
long, tapered
came.
h e attendant
girlish fellow
fellow with
tapered
fingers and
and ash-colored
ash-colored eyes,
eyes, only
only shook
shook his
head. Soen
fingers
his head.
Soen Roshi
Roshi
was not
not seeing
anyone. He'd
He'd gone
was
seeing anyone.
gone back
back into
into one of
o f his
his long,
long,
For SSoen
most
to all
all wwho
refused to
to
aanswer.
n s w e r . For
o e n sspoke
poke m
o s t iintimately
n t i m a t e l y to
h o refused
who
to ""play,"
ggrow
r o w uup,
p, w
h o ssought
o u g h t to
p l a y , " "dance,"
" d a n c e , " and
and "wonder."
" w o n d e r . " His
His
real successors
are nnot
the Zen
real
successors are
o t the
the black-robed
b l a c k - r o b e d roshis
roshis bbut
u t the
Zen
musicians
and wwriters,
m
u s i c i a n s and
r i t e r s , the painters
painters and tea
tea ceremony
c e r e m o n y masters,
masters,
the little
the
little band
b a n d of
o f dharma
d h a r m a players
players for
for whom
w h o m "singing
" s i n g i n g and
and
dancing
are the
the vvoice
the Law."
d
a n c i n g are
o i c e oof
f the
Law."
One
O
n e winter,
w i n t e r , when
w h e n he
he was
w a s living
l i v i n g alone
alone and
and happy
h a p p y in
in an
an
uunheated
n h e a t e d ccottage
o t t a g e in the Catskills,
C a t s k i l l s , bathing
b a t h i n g in
in icy
i c y Beecher
B e e c h e r Lake
Lake
hermetic retreats by locking himself
himself into his little cottage on the
the
the snow,
and eating
what
he
and
eating w
h a t plants
plants h
e could
c o u l d find
find in
in the
s n o w , Soen
Soen
monastery grounds.
grounds.Rumor
Rumorhad
had itit that
that he'd
monastery
he'd grown
grown his
his hair
hair
scratched aa ppoem
wooden
board
scratched
o e m iinto
n t o aa w
ooden b
o a r d that read:
read:
down
down to his
his shoulders,
shoulders, that
that he
he had
hadlong,
long,clawlike
clawlike fingernails,
fingernails,
that he was
wetting his pants and had to be tied to the bed. Even
was wetting
Even
in hiding, Soen's
in
Soen's life
life had assumed Shakespearean
Shakespearean proportions.
One
the balcony
around the monasO
n e day,
day, as
as I was
was sweeping
sweeping the
balcony around
monastery's main hall, II heard the strains of
a
Schubert
sonata coming
o f Schubert sonata
from the
from
the little
little mountain
mountain hut where
where he
he lived.
lived. Maybe
Maybe now,
now, I
thought, maybe
he'll come
come out
out now.
now. But
he didn't.
didn't. I hoped
thought,
maybe he'll
But he
hoped he
Ten years'
years' searching
searching in
in the
the deep forest
Ten
forest
Today great
great laughter
laughter at the edge of
Today
o f the lake.
lake.
That
T
h a t laughter
l a u g h t e r is
is his Zen
Z e n legacy,
legacy.
might come
out with
might
come out
with the
the full
full moon.
moon. But
But he
henever
never showed
showed
himself once
once in
in the
the two
two months II spent
himself
spent there.
there.
174
Crazy
Crazy Clouds
Clouds
Soen
Soen
175
175
Epilogue:
Epi
Crazy
Cra^y Cloud
Cloud Zen
Zen
for the
theWest
West
It has
has been
b e e n through
t h r o u g h the
the teachings
t e a c h i n g s of
o f Zen
Z e n masters
m a s t e r s like
like NakaNakagawa S
o e n and
N y o g e n Senzaki
S e n z a k i that
the Crazy
C r a z y Cloud
C l o u d spirit
spirit
gawa
Soen
and Nyogen
that the
has been
been transmitted
t r a n s m i t t e d to the
the West,
West. However,
H o w e v e r , before
b e f o r e we
w e can
can
has
speak about
a b o u t the
the efficacy
efficacy o
C r a z y Cloud
C l o u d Zen
Z e n for
for the
the West,
West, we
we
speak
off Crazy
m u s t first
first explore
e x p l o r e the
the effects
effects of
o f hierarchical
hierarchical ZZen,
e n , and
of
must
and of
Japanese
e n in
r o u p of
o f major
major ccultural
u l t u r a l "incom"incomJapanese ZZen
in particular.
particular. AA ggroup
p a t i b i l i t i e s " has
has already
already caused
c a u s e d problems
p r o b l e m s for
for Western
Western practipractipatibilities"
tioners.
T
h
e
s
e
s
t
i
c
k
i
n
g
p
o
i
n
t
s
i
n
c
l
u
d
e
attitudes
t
o
w
a
r
d
the
role
tioners. These sticking points include attitudes toward the role
o f the teacher
teacher and
religious h
i e r a r c h y ; the
status o
women
of
and the religious
hierarchy;
the status
off women
in
Z e n and
and questions
q u e s t i o n s of
o f sex,
s e x , celibacy,
c e l i b a c y , and
and family;
f a m i l y ; and
and the
the
in Zen
relationship oof
f Z
e n to
to ethics,
ethics, as
as we
w e translate
translate them
t h e m into
i n t o sociosociorelationship
Zen
political
n v o l v e m e n t , and
traditional ""flight
f l i g h t from
f r o m the
the
political iinvolvement,
and the
the traditional
w o r l d " associated
associated with
w i t h monastic
m o n a s t i c Buddhism
B u d d h i s m in
in general.
general.
world"
In
In order
o r d e r for
for aa new
n e w religion
r e l i g i o n to
to take
take root
r o o t in
in foreign
f o r e i g n soil,
soil,
certain
certain charismatic
c h a r i s m a t i c role players
players or
o r very
v e r y specific
specific cultural trends
trends
m
u s t appear
appear to
to spread
spread the
the word.
w o r d . In
In this
this fashion,
fashion,
must
Buddhism
Buddhism
easily
o o k hold
h o l d in societies
societies whose
w h o s e caste
caste structures
structures provided
p r o v i d e d aa
easily ttook
" r o y a l road"
r o a d " for
for its
its entry.
entry. Appealing
A p p e a l i n g to
to kings
k i n g s and
and emperors,
emperors,
"royal
s h o g u n s and
w a r r i o r s , this portable
p o r t a b l e religion
r e l i g i o n was
w a s perpetuated
perpetuated
shoguns
and warriors,
b
y indigenous
i n d i g e n o u s Asian
A s i a n ffigures
igures w
h o painted
painted it
it in
in local
l o c a l colors.
colors.
by
who
N
onetheless, B
u d d h i s m remained
r e m a i n e d unmistakably
u n m i s t a k a b l y Buddhist
B u d d h i s t in
in
Nonetheless,
Buddhism
its
r e l i g i o u s ccontent,
o n t e n t , ritual,
ritual, and
and practice.
practice. After
A f t e r centuries,
centuries, the
the
its religious
feudal
o n t e x t oof
f the
the faith
faith was
w a s forgotten,
f o r g o t t e n , and
and an
an evolving
evolving
feudal ccontext
earthly concerns.
earthly
c o n c e r n s . Thus,
T h u s , some
s o m e Zen
Z e n teachers
teachers have
have even
even allowed
allowed
its oown
arbiter. The
ssociety
o c i e t y bbecame
e c a m e its
w n rreligious
e l i g i o u s arbiter.
T h e best example
e x a m p l e for
for
their spiritual
to eencroach
nondharmic
their
spiritual eexpertise
x p e r t i s e to
n c r o a c h oon
n n
o n d h a r m i c aspects
aspects of
of
this aabsorbed
Japan, wwhich
is so
so drenched
this
b s o r b e d state of
o f Buddhism
B u d d h i s m is Japan,
h i c h is
drenched
their students'
their
s t u d e n t s ' lives,
lives, giving
g i v i n g opinions
o p i n i o n s and guidance
g u i d a n c e on
o n matters
matters
in
Z e n that
that the
the words
w o r d s "Japan"
" J a p a n " and
and "Zen"
" Z e n " are
are often
o f t e n used
used
in Zen
oof
f business
business and
and family
f a m i l y affairs.
affairs. This
T h i s creates
creates an uncomfortable
uncomfortable
iinterchangeably.
nterchangeably. A
r t , literature,
literature, the
the emperor,
e m p e r o r , priests,
priests, and
and the
the
Art,
paradox;
the roshi
roshiisis"just
"justaannormal
p
a r a d o x ; ffor
o r iiff the
o r m a l gguy
u y oor
r ggal,"
a l , " then
t h e n the
the
w
a r r i o r code
c o d e are
are still
still universal
universal cue-givers
c u e - g i v e r s in
alwarrior
in Japan,
Japan, and,
and, al-
spiritual wweight
spiritual
e i g h t of
o f the tradition and
and title
title are
are superfluous,
s u p e r f l u o u s , even
even
tthough
h o u g h the
the practice
practice and
and influence
influence oof
f Zen
Z e n as
as aa religion
r e l i g i o n is
is
rridiculous
i d i c u l o u s in
the context
c o n t e x t of
o f everyday
e v e r y d a y life
life in
in the
the West.
West. It is
in the
d
i m i n i s h i n g ffrom
r o m year
year to
to year,
y e a r , the
the Japanese
Japanese cultural
cultural matrix
matrix
diminishing
after all
all that
that makes
""specialness"
s p e c i a l n e s s " after
m a k e s a roshi,
roshi, bbut
u t being
b e i n g "special"
"special"
ccontinues
o n t i n u e s to
t o reinforce
reinforce cues
cues reflective
reflective oof
f the
B u d d h i s t experiexperithe Buddhist
d
o e s n ' t square
square well
w e l l with
w i t h democratic
d e m o c r a t i c ideals.
ideals. This
T h i s conflict
conflict bebedoesn't
ence.
ence.
Eastern
hierarchical roles,
roles, and
and the
the individualttween
ween E
a s t e r n rreligious
e l i g i o u s hierarchical
individualism
i s m of
o f the
the West
West is
is in great
great part responsible
r e s p o n s i b l e for
f o r the
the confusion
confusion
experienced
in m
many
e x p e r i e n c e d in
a n y American
A m e r i c a n Zen
Z e n centers
centers when
w h e n students
s t u d e n t s put
put
The
is radically
radically different.
different. In
In the
the United
T
h e situation in the West
West is
United
States, where
ideals and
and aa puritan
States,
w h e r e Jeffersonian
Jeffersonian ddemocratic
e m o c r a t i c ideals
puritan
entrepreneurial
o r m the cultural
cultural matrix,
m a t r i x , secularization
secularization
entrepreneurial spirit
spirit fform
their
in aa double
their teachers
teachers in
d o u b l e bind
b i n d by
b y demanding
d e m a n d i n g that
that they
t h e y be
be
on
""authentic"
a u t h e n t i c " Zen
Z e n masters
masters o
n the
the one
o n e hand,
h a n d , and
and "the
" t h e guy
g u y next
next
It is impossible
d o o r " on
o n the
the other.
o t h e r . It
i m p o s s i b l e to
to maintain
m a i n t a i n the
the Asian
Asian
door"
has
n d e r m i n e d the
the validity
validity of
o f any
a n y hierarchy
h i e r a r c h y at all.
all. Spiritual
Spiritual
has uundermined
cues
are mediated
m e d i a t e d by
b y advertisements,
a d v e r t i s e m e n t s , TV,
T V , and
and newspapers,
newspapers,
cues are
w
h i c h tend
t e n d to
to level
level culture
culture for
for mass
m a s s consumption.
c o n s u m p t i o n . "Royal"
"Royal"
which
authority
a u t h o r i t y of
o f aa Zen
Z e n teacher
teacher in
in an
an egalitarian
egalitarian society.
society.
Several ssecond-generation
Zen
Several
econd-generation Z
e n centers have
have done
d o n e away
a w a y with
with
Japanese
sutra recitation,
Japanese sutra
recitation, bowls
b o w l s and
and chopsticks,
c h o p s t i c k s , formal
f o r m a l robes,
robes,
and traditional
traditional Japanese
e r m i n o l o g y , including
i n c l u d i n g even
even the
title
and
Japanese tterminology,
the title
iindividuals
n d i v i d u a l s oor
r institutions
d e m o c r a c y of
of
institutions are
are irrelevant
irrelevant inin the
the ""democracy
the
m a n y . " Thus,
T h u s , traditional
traditional Zen
Z e n practice,
practice, with
w i t h its
its roshi,
roshi, or
the many."
venerable
op o
the pyramid,
p y r a m i d , is
is antithetical
antithetical to
to
venerable teacher,
teacher, atat the
the ttop
off the
n
e w generations
g e n e r a t i o n s of
o f Americans
A m e r i c a n s and,
and, increasingly,
i n c r e a s i n g l y , Europeans,
Europeans,
new
roshi.
In their
their place
we
see ""hiking
roshi. In
place w
e see
h i k i n g retreats,"
r e t r e a t s , " New
N e w EnglandEnglandstyle
style ttown
o w n meetings
m e e t i n g s with
w i t h full
full membership
m e m b e r s h i p voting
v o t i n g and
and consenconsensus,
and spiritual
parts of
sus, the separation
separation of
o f administrative
a d m i n i s t r a t i v e and
spiritual parts
o f the
the
Zen
Z e n center,
center, and
and jjob
o b rotation
r o t a t i o n that
that includes
i n c l u d e s the
the teacher
teacher in
in even
even
the most
m o s t menial
m e n i a l tasks.
tasks. Sometimes
S o m e t i m e s even
even the word
w o r d Zen
Zen itself
i t s e l f is
is
the
d r o p p e d in
in favor
favor of
o f the
thenonsectarian
n o n s e c t a r i a nterm
t e r mmeditation.
meditation. Vertical
Vertical
dropped
w
h o s e sscorn
c o r n for
a u t h o r i t y of
o f any
a n y kind
k i n d would
w o u l d preclude
p r e c l u d e any
any
whose
for authority
fform
o r m of
o f teacher
teacher worship.
w o r s h i p . Today's
T o d a y ' s children,
children, from
f r o m very
v e r y early
early on,
on,
are
n c o u r a g e d to
o r m their
their own
o w n opinions
o p i n i o n s and
a n d to
to express
express
are eencouraged
to fform
tthem
h e m eloquently
e l o q u e n t l y and
and critically.
critically. The
T h e uniqueness
u n i q u e n e s s of
o f each
each and
and
every
m e r i c a n iindividual,
n d i v i d u a l , aand
n d his
his or
or her
her freedom,
f r e e d o m , are
are values
values
every AAmerican
that
present a
a major
major obstacle
o b s t a c l e to
to Asian
A s i a n expressions
e x p r e s s i o n s of
o f absolute
absolute
that present
faith in
in "the
" t h e old
o l d man."
m a n . " American
A m e r i c a n Zen
Z e n teachers
teachers like
like Robert
Robert
faith
hierarchies ccollapse
hierarchies
o l l a p s e iinto
n t o hhorizontally
o r i z o n t a l l y sshaped
h a p e d ccommunities,
o m m u n i t i e s , and
and
j u n g l e w h o requires certain w a y s t o p r a c t i c e . " T h e d e g r e e to
A
i t k e n have
have redefined
g u i d e tthrough
h r o u g h aa tropical
tropical
Aitken
redefined the
the roshi
roshiasasaa ""guide
even ZZen
centers that
that ppride
even
e n centers
r i d e tthemselves
h e m s e l v e s oon
n bbeing
e i n g "traditional,"
"traditional,"
jungle who requires certain ways to practice." The degree to
w h i c h a Z e n teacher's w o r d s a n d actions are subject t o s t u d e n t
which a Zen teacher's words and actions are subject to student
that is, Japanese
that
Japanese oor
r Korean,
K o r e a n , are
are acknowledging
a c k n o w l e d g i n g the
the need
n e e d for
for
greater ddistribution
greater
i s t r i b u t i o n of
o f power,
p o w e r , individual
i n d i v i d u a l initiative,
initiative, aand
n d a famfam-
criticism is still, however, an unresolved issue. Even an American Z e n teacher r e m a i n s h a m p e r e d b y the authoritative f o r m s
ican
Zen teacher remains hampered by the authoritative forms
that he or she has inherited f r o m the v e r y heart o f B u d d h i s m
that he or she has inherited from the very heart of Buddhism
itself. A f t e r all, it is o n l y the roshi w h o can c o n f i r m a " t r u e "
itself.
After all, it is only the roshi who can confirm a "true"
ily-oriented
i l y - o r i e n t e d practice
practice for
for laypeople.
laypeople.
criticism is still, h o w e v e r , an u n r e s o l v e d issue. E v e n an A m e r -
e x p e r i e n c e o f e n l i g h t e n m e n t , and o n l y the roshi w h o
Nothing
in the
N o t h i n g in
the last
last eighty
e i g h t y years
y e a r s has
has changed
c h a n g e d our
o u r malemaledominated
as pprofoundly
d
o m i n a t e d Western
W e s t e r n ssociety
o c i e t y as
r o f o u n d l y as the feminist
f e m i n i s t strugstrug-
gle ffor
gle
o r equal
equal rights
r i g h t s in all
all domains.
d o m a i n s . Although
A l t h o u g h far
far from
f r o m over,
over,
deter-
the struggle
women
at the
the
s t r u g g l e has
has placed
placed w
o m e n at
the forefront
f o r e f r o n t of
o f aa social
social
experience of enlightenment, and only the roshi who determ i n e s w h o his o r her s u c c e s s o r s w i l l b e — s o m e t i m e s in a v e r y
mines who his or her successors will be-sometimes in a very
arbitrary and autocratic w a y . A s an e x p e r t in " u l t i m a t e q u e s arbitrary and autocratic way. As an expert in "ultimate quest i o n s , " the roshi is e x p e c t e d to deal effortlessly w i t h m u n d a n e
tions," the roshi is expected to deal effortlessly with mundane
178
178
Epilogue
Epilogue
rrevolution
e v o l u t i o n that
o llonger
o n g e r be ignored.
i g n o r e d . The
T h e Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian
that can
can nno
the West
havehhad
to face
faceuup
to the
the nnew
rreligions
e l i g i o n s oof
f the
West have
a d to
p to
e w status
status of
of
w
o m e n , bbut
u t none
n o n e of
o f this
this has
has filtered
filtered into
i n t o traditional
traditional Asian
Asian
women,
I
Crazy
Crazy Cloud
Cloud Zen
Zen for
for the
the West
West
179
179
.
<m
_
Buddhist
models.
For many
Buddhist m
o d e l s . For
m a n y people,
p e o p l e , Zen
Z e n still
still represents
represents a
actively eexperimented
actively
x p e r i m e n t e d wwith
i t h nnew
e w fforms
o r m s of
o f practice.
practice. The
T h e most
most
bastion
b a s t i o n of
o f male
m a l e supremacy,
s u p r e m a c y , a warrior
w a r r i o r religion
r e l i g i o n set
set on
o n combat,
combat,
bravery,
and death.
bravery, and
death. Zen
Z e n practitioners
practitioners for
for more
m o r e than
than five
five cencen-
visible
h a n g e in
Western ZZen
e n centers
centers in
the last
last decade
d e c a d e has
has
visible cchange
in Western
in the
the iinclusion
children and
and the
the rrecognition
bbeen
e e n the
n c l u s i o n oof
f children
e c o g n i t i o n oof
f an inteinte-
turies have
have bbeen
in throwing
turies
e e n drilled
drilled in
t h r o w i n g away
away such
s u c h "negative"
"negative"
g r a t e d family
f a m i l y practice
practice alongside
a l o n g s i d e formal
f o r m a l retreats,
retreats, classes,
classes, and
and
grated
training periods.
p e r i o d s . Family
F a m i l y practice
practice seems
s e e m s to be
b e one
o n e of
o f the
the most
most
training
successful iinnovations
n n o v a t i o n s resulting
r o m the
the women's
w o m e n ' s liberation
liberation
successful
resulting ffrom
m o v e m e n t . In
In its
its ideal
ideal form,
f o r m , it
a l l o w s for
f o r necessary
n e c e s s a r y silent
silent
movement.
it allows
retreats
and focused
f o c u s e d meditation
m e d i t a t i o n practice,
practice, as
as well
w e l l as
as for
f o r social
social
retreats and
and
ritual gatherings
g a t h e r i n g s where
w h e r e children
c h i l d r e n assume
a s s u m e important
i m p o r t a n t roles
roles
and ritual
and
u n c t i o n s . Recognizing
R e c o g n i z i n g the
e e d tto
o accommodate
a c c o m m o d a t e families,
families,
and ffunctions.
the nneed
A
m e r i c a n ZZen
e n centers
centers have
have shifted
p r o g r a m s toward
t o w a r d aa
American
shifted their
their programs
m o r e balanced
b a l a n c e d schedule
s c h e d u l e that
takes family
f a m i l y events
events jjust
u s t as
as seriserimore
that takes
o
u
s
l
y
as
traditional
m
o
n
a
s
t
i
c
r
o
u
t
i
n
e
s
.
It
has
b
e
c
o
m
e
clear
that
ously as traditional monastic routines. It has become clear that
this
rocess w
i l l ccontinue
o n t i n u e tthroughout
h r o u g h o u t the
the next
n e x t decades,
d e c a d e s , further
further
this pprocess
will
cchanging
h a n g i n g the
face o
Z e n in
in the
the West,
West, and
and reflecting
reflecting women's
women's
the face
off Zen
roles
B u d d h i s t practice
practice that
is being
b e i n g forced
f o r c e d to a c c o m m o roles in
in aa Buddhist
that is
to accommodate
i
t
s
e
l
f
t
o
its
n
e
w
h
o
m
e
in
o
r
d
e
r
to
s
u
r
v
i v e . Outside
O u t s i d e of
o f Asia
Asia
date itself to its new home in order to survive.
ffeminine
e m i n i n e qualities
e m o t i o n a l openness,
o p e n n e s s , self-regard,
s e l f - r e g a r d , and
and
qualities as
as emotional
ssentiment.
entiment. T
h e very
v e r y stuff
stuff of
o f Zen
Z e n practice
practice is male:
m a l e : koans
k o a n s that
that
The
ggrew
r e w out
o u t of
o f spontaneous
s p o n t a n e o u s dialogues
d i a l o g u e s fashioned
f a s h i o n e d between
b e t w e e n monks;
monks;
heroes
who
rivals in
in ddharma
h
eroes w
h o best their less
less eenlightened
n l i g h t e n e d rivals
h a r m a combat;
combat;
and aa ggood
off bbeating
and stick
stick wwielding.
No
and
o o d deal
deal o
e a t i n g and
ielding. N
o matter
m a t t e r how
how
male
yyou
o u look
l o o k at it,
it, Zen
Z e n has
has been
b e e n an
an unremittingly
unremittingly m
a l e practice,
practice,
since itit w
was
and hhanded.
since
a s conceived
c o n c e i v e d and
a n d e d ddown
o w n aalmost
l m o s t eexclusively
x c l u s i v e l y by
by
m
e n for
for almost
a l m o s t twenty-five
t w e n t y - f i v e hundred
h u n d r e d years.
y e a r s . We
We sshould
h o u l d not
not
men
deceive oourselves
into
that the
the BBuddha's
deceive
urselves in
t o tthinking
h i n k i n g that
u d d h a ' s democratidemocrati-
off the
zzation
ation o
the Indian
Indian caste
caste system
s y s t e m included
i n c l u d e d making
making
women
women
roshi. M
Most
JapaneseZZen
masters
who
in the late
roshi.
o s t Japanese
en m
asters w
h o came
c a m e West
West in
late
nineteen
n
i n e t e e n fifties
fifties aand
n d early
early sixties
sixties perpetuated
p e r p e t u a t e d this
this male
m a l e model
model
of
o f spiritual
spiritual soldiers
soldiers who
w h o would
w o u l d penetrate
penetrate delusions
d e l u s i o n s and win
win
the
war
for
enlightenment.
But
what
they
encountered
was
the w a r for e n l i g h t e n m e n t . B u t w h a t t h e y e n c o u n t e r e d w a s a
whose
members
were
fifty ppercent
and they
ssangha
angha w
hose m
embers w
e r e fifty
e r c e n t ffemale,
e m a l e , and
they
at
least, the
the male
m a l e domination
d o m i n a t i o n of
o f Zen
Z e n has
has diminished.
d i m i n i s h e d . The
The
at least,
denial
f e m a l e sexuality
s e x u a l i t y is
is no
n o longer
l o n g e r acceptable
acceptable t o a c o m denial ooff female
to a com-
w
e r e nnot
o t prepared.
prepared.
were
m u n i t y o f p r a c t i t i o n e r s w h o have n o cultural c o n n e c t i o n to the
munity of practitioners who have no cultural connection to the
s a m u r a i c o d e . L a n g u a g e , therefore, c h a n g e s t o i n c l u d e s t u samurai
code. Language, therefore, changes to include stu-
In Japan,
Japan, even
even as
as late
late as
as 1984,
women
made
only
In
1984, w
omen m
a d e uup
p o
n l y 7.2
7.2
percent
p e r c e n t of
o f the clergy,
c l e r g y , and
and monasteries,
m o n a s t e r i e s , temples,
t e m p l e s , and
and lay
lay centers
centers
are
still exclusively
e x c l u s i v e l y geared
g e a r e d toward
t o w a r d male
m a l e practitioners.
p r a c t i t i o n e r s . The
The
are still
dents o f b o t h s e x e s , n e w rituals replace the o l d , a n d s e x u a l
dents of both sexes, new rituals replace the old, and sexual
h a r a s s m e n t b y c h a r i s m a t i c teachers is n o l o n g e r tolerated.
harassment by charismatic teachers is no longer tolerated.
The
T
h e Zen
Z e n hierarchy
h i e r a r c h y in
in Japan
Japan has
has either
either been
been silent
silent in
in matters
matters
of
social
and
political
engagement,
or
it
has
stridently
o f social and political e n g a g e m e n t , o r
has s t r i d e n t l y supsup-
Meiji
to weaken
M
e i j i rrestoration
e s t o r a t i o n aattempted
t t e m p t e d to
w e a k e n Zen
Z e n Buddhism
B u d d h i s m by
by
the ccelibacy
for its
its priests.
priests. BBut
rrevoking
e v o k i n g the
e l i b a c y rrequirement
e q u i r e m e n t for
u t far
far from
from
off liberalization
and the
the iinclusion
women,
bbeing
e i n g aa ssign
ign o
liberalization and
n c l u s i o n oof
f w
o m e n , the
ported
p o r t e d the
the military.
m i l i t a r y . The
T h e apparent
apparent nihilism
n i h i l i s m of
o f the
the sixteenthsixteenth-
eend
n d of
o f celibacy
c e l i b a c y was
w a s directed
directed toward
t o w a r d strengthening
s t r e n g t h e n i n g Shinto
Shinto
c e n t u r y swordmaster
s w o r d m a s t e r and
and Zen
Z e n teacher
teacher Takuan
T a k u a n fueled
fueled Japanese
Japanese
century
n
a t i o n a l i s m and
b o u r g e o i s construction
construction o
corporate
nationalism
and the
the bourgeois
off aa corporate
m
i l i t a r i s m in
e n tterms
e r m s that
that still
still ring
r i n g loudly
l o u d l y in the
the ears
ears of
of
militarism
in ZZen
state.
W o m e n became
became p
r i e s t l y appendages
appendages w
h o s e main
m a i n funcfuncstate. Women
priestly
whose
nationalists today.
nationalists
today.
ttion
i o n was
w a s to provide
p r o v i d e heirs
heirs for
for the
the temple.
t e m p l e . Japanese
Japanese women,
women,
to social
structures ssupporting
aaccustomed
c c u s t o m e d to
social structures
u p p o r t i n g the
the Confucian
C o n f u c i a n ideal
ideal
The uplifted
uplifted sword
sword has
has no
no will
will of
o f its
its own,
own, itit is
is all
all of
o f emptiness.
emptiness.
It isis like
like aa flash
flashoof
lightning.TThe
man wwho
is about
about to
to be
be struck
It
f lightning.
h e man
h o is
down is also
also of
o f emptiness,
emptiness, as is the one
one who
w h o wields
wields the
the sword.
sword.
off ssubmission
to a m
male
head ooff the
the hhousehold,
o
u b m i s s i o n to
a l e head
o u s e h o l d , never
never protested
protested
would
be
or
tried to
to change
c h a n g e conditions
c o n d i t i o n s that
that w
ould b
e intolerable
i n t o l e r a b l e to
to
or tried
Western
women.
Western women.
...
getgetyour
mind
. . .Do
D onot
not
your
mindstopped
stoppedwith
withthe
thesword
sword you
y o u raise;
raise;
In the early nineteen
n i n e t e e n eighties,
e i g h t i e s , after
after aa series
series of
o f sex
sex scandals
scandals in
in
various
American
Zen
the stability
various A
merican Z
e n centers
centers threatened
threatened the
stability of
o f Zen
Zen
forget about
y o u are
are doing, and
and strike the enemy.
enemy. Do
D o not
forget
about what you
keep
mind on
on the
the person
person before
before you.
you. They
T h e y are
are all
all of
of
keep your
your mind
institutions in
in the West,
institutions
West, both
b o t h male
m a l e and
and female
f e m a l e Zen
Z e n students
students
18o
180
Epilogue
Epilogue
emptiness,
beware of
o f your mind being
being caught
caught in emptiness.
emptiness.
emptiness, but beware
#
Crazy
Crazy Cloud
Cloud Zen
Zen for
for the
theWest
West
181
181
R
e c e n t eexamples
x a m p l e s oof
f this
w o r l d v i e w are
are those
t h o s e jingoistic
j i n g o i s t i c Zen
Zen
Recent
this worldview
War, and
m a s t e r s who
w h o supported
s u p p o r t e d the
theRusso-Japanese
Russo-Japanese War,
and those
those
masters
who
w
h o contemplated
c o n t e m p l a t e d suicide
suicide after
after Japan's
Japan's defeat
defeat in
in World
W o r l d War
W a r II.
II.
T h e Zen
Z e n emphasis
e m p h a s i s on
o n bushido,
bushido, the
a r r i o r code,
c o d e , which
w h i c h justifies
justifies
The
the wwarrior
the Buddhist
bbreaking
r e a k i n g the
B u d d h i s t precept
p r e c e p t of
o f not
n o t killing,
k i l l i n g , and
a n d glorifies
glorifies
m
i l i t a r i s m , has
led many
m a n y Western
Western Z
e n practitioners
p r a c t i t i o n e r s to
ask
militarism,
has led
Zen
to ask
there isis an
tthemselves
h e m s e l v e s wwhether
h e t h e r there
an ethical
ethical system
s y s t e m inherent
i n h e r e n t in
in
Japanese ZZen
e n at
all. Commenting
C o m m e n t i n g on
o n Takuan's
T a k u a n ' s amorality,
a m o r a l i t y , the
the
Japanese
at all.
A
m e r i c a n ZZen
e n teacher
teacher R
obert A
itken p
o i n t s out:
out:
American
Robert
Aitken
points
The
the absolute
from the relative
and the
the treatT
h e separation
separation oof
f the
absolute from
relative and
be good
ment
o f the
the absolute
absolute as
as something
something impenetrable
impenetrable may
may be
good
ment of
Hinduism, but it is
Hinduism,
is not the
the teaching
teaching of
o f the Buddha,
Buddha, for
for whom
whom
absolute and relative
were inseparable
inseparable except
except when
when necessary
necessary to
absolute
relative were
The
highlight them as
highlight
as aspects
aspects of
o f aa unified
unified reality.
reality. . . . T
h e vow
vow of
of
Takuan
Zenji to
to save
all beings
beings did
did not encompass
Takuan Zenji
save all
encompass the one
one he
he
called
enemy."
called "the
"the enemy."
.
.
.
Does
D
o e s the
the strongly
s t r o n g l y rooted
r o o t e d Judeo-Christian
J u d e o - C h r i s t i a n ethic
ethic of
o f the
the West
West
p o i n t to
to the
the inevitable
inevitable "pacification"
" p a c i f i c a t i o n " of
o f Zen?
Z e n ? Though
T h o u g h movemovepoint
m
e n t toward
t o w a r d a more
m o r e engaged,
e n g a g e d , peace-promoting
p e a c e - p r o m o t i n g fform
o r m of
o f Zen
Zen
ment
has
e e n slow
s l o w and
and is far
far from
f r o m all-inclusive,
all-inclusive, many
m a n y American,
American,
has bbeen
European,
E u r o p e a n , and
and Latin
L a t i n American
A m e r i c a n students
students have
have begun
b e g u n to
to see
see their
practice
l e n d oof
f spiritual
n s i g h t and concrete
c o n c r e t e social action
action
practice as
as aa bblend
spiritual iinsight
w
i t h i n the sphere
sphere of
o f historical
historical events.
events. The
T h e American
A m e r i c a n tradition
tradition
within
o
o f church
c h u r c h and
a n d state
state has
has never
never adversely
a d v e r s e l y affected
affected
off a separation of
s t r o n g socio-political
s o c i o - p o l i t i c a l movements
m o v e m e n t s that
that ttook
o o k off
o f f from
f r o m relirelistrong
giously
g i o u s l y motivated
m o t i v a t e d morality
m o r a l i t y and
and aa sense
sense of
o f social
social j justice.
u s t i c e . AmerAmerican
ican PProtestantism,
r o t e s t a n t i s m , with
w i t h its inner-worldly
i n n e r - w o r l d l y engagement
e n g a g e m e n t and
and its
action-oriented
life ooff ""good
a c t i o n - o r i e n t e d life
g o o d works,"
w o r k s , " is
is beginning
b e g i n n i n g to
to color
c o l o r an
an
Zen
centers in
in the
the United
ootherwise
t h e r w i s e neutral Zen
Z e n stance.
stance. Several
Several Z
e n centers
United
States
n g a g e d in
e c u m e n i c a l social
o r k , linking
linking
States are
are actively
actively eengaged
in ecumenical
social wwork,
and PProtestants,
as wwith
u
p with
w i t h Jews,
J e w s , Catholics,
C a t h o l i c s , and
r o t e s t a n t s , as
as well
w e l l as
i t h other
other
up
Buddhist
B
u d d h i s t ggroups,
r o u p s , to
to engage
e n g a g e in
in ethical
ethical activism
a c t i v i s m of
o f the kind
k i n d that
that
eevolved
v o l v e d dduring
u r i n g the
V i e t n a m War
W a r in
in Southeast
Southeast Asia.
A s i a . Focusing
Focusing
the Vietnam
specifically
specifically oon
n problems
p r o b l e m s of
o f homelessness,
h o m e l e s s n e s s , environmental
e n v i r o n m e n t a l isissues, disarmament,
d i s a r m a m e n t , and
and racism,
r a c i s m , several
several ZZen
e n centers
centers have
have sucsucsues,
182
Epilogue
Epilogue
cessfully
action pprograms
cessfully iincorporated
n c o r p o r a t e d social
social action
r o g r a m s into
i n t o their formal
formal
meditation
m e d i t a t i o n practice.
practice.
Typically,
T y p i c a l l y , when
w h e n the
the Japanese
Japanese Zen
Z e n master
m a s t e r Taisen
Taisen Deshimaru
Deshimaru
was
students wwhat
w
a s aasked
s k e d bby
y his
his Western
Western students
h a t people
p e o p l e sshould
h o u l d do
d o in
in
their eeveryday
lives, hhe
their
v e r y d a y lives,
e rresponded,
e s p o n d e d , ""Work,
W o r k , go
g o to
t o the toilet,
toilet, eat;
w
h a t e v e r yyou
o u like.
l i k e . "" Activist
A c t i v i s t Western
Western ZZen
e n teachers
teachers have
have added
added
whatever
D e s h i m a r u ' s Japanese
Japanese version
Z e n life,
life, urging
u r g i n g their
their
to Deshimaru's
version ooff the
the Zen
students to
t o be
be socially
socially active
active as
as well.
w e l l . Politically
Politically and
a n d socially
socially
students
aware, these
en B
u d d h i s t s are
a v i n g aa contemplative
contemplative
aware,
these Western
Western ZZen
Buddhists
are ppaving
w a y that
that blends
b l e n d s quite
quite naturally
naturally w
i t h "turning
" t u r n i n g the
the dharma
dharma
way
with
w h e e l . " If
I f the
the need
n e e d for
for such
s u c h spiritually
spiritually inspired
inspired social
social action
a c t i o n is
is
wheel."
n
e g l e c t e d , the
l e g i t i m a c y oof
f Zen
Z e n Buddhism
B u d d h i s m in
in a
a society
s o c i e t y that
that
neglected,
the legitimacy
regards
and religion
r e l i g i o n as
as inseparable
inseparable will
w i l l eventually
e v e n t u a l l y be
be
regards ethics
ethics and
u
ndermined.
undermined.
The
more
T
h e experience
e x p e r i e n c e oof
f m
o r e than forty
f o r t y years
y e a r s has
has shown
s h o w n Zen
Z e n to
be
in aadapting
to its new
b e flexible
flexible in
d a p t i n g to
n e w home.
h o m e . Accommodating
A c c o m m o d a t i n g to
to
democratic d
e c i s i o n - m a k i n g , an
distaste for
hierardemocratic
decision-making,
an inherent
inherent distaste
for hierarchy,
demands,
c h y , feminist
feminist d
e m a n d s , and
and aa ddeep-seated
e e p - s e a t e d iimpulse
m p u l s e tto
o ddo
o ""good
good
works,"
w
o r k s , " Zen
Z e n is
is changing
c h a n g i n g its
its monastic
m o n a s t i c robes
r o b e s for clothing
c l o t h i n g that
that is
is
m
o r e appropriate
a p p r o p r i a t e to
to aa communitarian
c o m m u n i t a r i a n lay
lay society.
s o c i e t y . Inevitably,
Inevitably,
more
it
w i l l cease
cease tto
o reflect
reflect Asian
A s i a n structures
structures of
o f the
the last
last twenty-five
twenty-five
it will
h
u
n
d
r
e
d
y
e
a
r
s
.
H
a
p
p
i
l
y
,
t
h
o
u
g
h
,
it
d
o
e
s
n
o
t
s
e
e
m
t
b e losing
losing
hundred years. Happily, though, it does not seem too be
its religious
r e l i g i o u s function
f u n c t i o n of
o f providing
p r o v i d i n g aa way
w a y toward
t o w a r d spiritual
spiritual
its
freedom.
freedom.
By
B y its
its very
v e r y nature,
n a t u r e , Zen
Z e n isiscontemplative.
c o n t e m p l a t i v e . Zazen
Z a z e n means
means
settling
oneself
awayf rfrom
thewworld-for
settling o
n e s e l f away
o m the
o r l d — f o r half
h a l f an hour
h o u r a day,
day,
for a weekend,
for
w e e k e n d , for
for aa seven-day
seven-day retreat,
retreat, or
or for
for a year.
y e a r . That
T h a t is
is
the basis
basis for
f o r all
all meditative
m e d i t a t i v e traditions. The
T h e Buddha,
B u d d h a , a product
product
of
o f his Indian culture, cloistered
cloistered his
his students
students as celibate
celibate monks
monks
and nuns.
As
Western
laypeople
following
the
Buddha's
advice
n u n s . A s Western l a y p e o p l e f o l l o w i n g
Buddha's advice
to be
b e our
o u r own
o w n authorities,
authorities, we
w e have
have begun
b e g u n to
to shape
shape aa practice
practice
that
that befits
befits our
o u r time
t i m e and
and place.
place. But
B u t the
the Zen
Z e n message
m e s s a g e remains
remains
the
the same,
s a m e , permitting
p e r m i t t i n g us
us to
tosee
seeourselves
o u r s e l v e s everywhere:
e v e r y w h e r e : somesometimes
as
Joshu
putting
his
sandals
on
his
head,
times as Joshu p u t t i n g his sandals o n his head, or
Unmon
or as Unmon
sshouting,
h o u t i n g , "Sesame
" S e s a m e rice
rice cake!",
c a k e ! " , sometimes
s o m e t i m e s as
as a ffox,
o x , and somesometimes as
as an
an oold
woman
times
ld w
o m a n who
w h o gets
gets insulted
insulted and hits a monk
m o n k on
on
the head.
the
head. The
T h e magic
m a g i c of
o f Zen
Z e n lives
lives in
in the
the act
act of
o f sitting;
sitting; its
its
Crazy
Crazy Cloud
Cloud Zen
Zen for
for the
theWest
West
183
183
is eexpressed
in the
the kkoan,
the manifest
world
ccreativity
r e a t i v i t y is
x p r e s s e d in
o a n , the
manifest w
o r l d of
o f form
form
inseparable
inseparable ffrom
r o m the wordless,
w o r d l e s s , imageless
i m a g e l e s s eexperience
x p e r i e n c e oof
f emptiemptiness. ItIt is aa place
play wwhere
ness.
place of
o f ceaseless
ceaseless play
h e r e we
w e shine
shine with
w i t h the
the
morning
star
and
fly
with
the
wild
goose.
Yet
it
is
wedded
morning
fly w i t h the w i l d g o o s e . Yet
w e d d e d to
the sort of
it takes
the
o f discipline
discipline it
takes tto
o sit down
d o w n and meditate
m e d i t a t e seriously
seriously
for a llifetime
for
i f e t i m e while
w h i l e actively
actively eengaging
n g a g i n g in the world
w o r l d as
as a teacher,
teacher,
a ddoctor,
o c t o r , aa mother,
m o t h e r , aa carpenter,
carpenter, even
even aa politician.
politician. This
T h i s is Crazy
Crazy
Notes on
Sources
Cloud
child isis bborn
to it.
it. TThose
who
C l o u d Zen.
Z e n . Every
E v e r y child
o r n to
hose w
h o ggrow
r o w uup
p to
live itit wwith
breath and
and ccrook
off the
live
i t h every
every breath
rook o
the finger
finger march
m a r c h alongalong-
side
side IIkkyu
k k y u through
t h r o u g h the
the streets
streets of
o f Sakai
Sakai on
o n New
N e w Year's
Year's Day
Day
waving
wooden
w a v i n g aa w
o o d e n sword
s w o r d as
as tthey
h e y make
m a k e their way
w a y to work
w o r k in
in the
the
morning;
m o r n i n g ; sit with
w i t h Bassui
B a s s u i in his cozy
c o z y tree
tree house
h o u s e as
as they
t h e y bake
bake
bread;
and capture
the Unborn
b r e a d ; and
capture the
U n b o r n with
w i t h Bankei
B a n k e i over
o v e r an
an open
open
ccampfire
a m p f i r e in a mountain
m o u n t a i n sesshin.
sesshin.
The
Crazy
T
he C
r a z y CClouds-artists,
l o u d s — a r t i s t s , poets,
p o e t s , actors,
actors, iindividuals
n d i v i d u a l s aallll—
were
w
e r e ppushed
u s h e d oout
u t of
o f view,
v i e w , their
their teachings
t e a c h i n g s laundered
l a u n d e r e d by
b y traditraditionalists wwhose
to the
the w
world
tionalists
h o s e secular
secular cconnections
o n n e c t i o n s to
o r l d of
o f power
p o w e r and
politics oovertook
the CCrazy
Cloud
politics
v e r t o o k the
razy C
l o u d vvision
i s i o n oof
f ZZen.
e n . IIkkyu's
k k y u ' s voice
voice
Introduction
p. 33 "There
p.
"There are
are neither
neither Buddhas
Buddhas ...
. . ":. "Kenneth
: KennethCh'en,
C h ' e nBuddhism
, Buddhism in
in
China.
China.
cries oout
cries
u t to
to call
call it back,
b a c k , provoking
p r o v o k i n g us
us to
to leap
leap fearlessly
fearlessly into
into
1. Pang
1.
P'ang Yun
Yun
depths,
oour
u r creative
creative d
e p t h s , open
o p e n to
t o the
the same
s a m e wellspring
w e l l s p r i n g of
o f ebullient
ebullient
that fueled
his practice,
demanding
that we
eenergy
n e r g y that
fueled his
practice, d
e m a n d i n g that
w e scrub
s c r u b the
the
hard sstone
off the
the eego
down
plumb
hard
tone o
go d
o w n tto
o a pebble,
p e b b l e , and
and p
l u m b the darkest
darkest
depths
d
e p t h s oof
f ourselves-as
o u r s e l v e s — a s artlessly
artlessly as a kitten
k i t t e n tussling
tussling a ball
ball of
of
All direct
direct quotations
quotations and poems in this chapter
All
chapter are
Fuller
are from
from Ruth Fuller
Sasaki's translation,
translation, AA Man
ManofofZen:
Zen:The
The
RecordedSayings
Sayings of
ofLayman
Layman
Sasaki's
Recorded
Pang.
P'ang.
2.
2. Rinzai
Rinzai
string. P'ang
string.
P ' a n g and
and Nyogen,
N y o g e n , Rinzai
R i n z a i and
and Hakuin
H a k u i n have
have never
never
us to stand
sstopped
t o p p e d uurging
r g i n g us
stand on
o n our
o u r own
o w n feet.
feet. We
We jjust
u s t haven't
haven't
listening. For
For ttoo
bbeen
e e n listening.
o o long
l o n g they
t h e y have
have been
b e e n set
set outside
o u t s i d e the
the
mainstream,
who
m
a i n s t r e a m , admired
a d m i r e d from
f r o m afar
afar as
as religious
religious geniuses
geniuses w
h o were
were
not
for their
their ""eccentricity,"
their "anarchism,"
n
o t to be
b e eemulated
m u l a t e d for
e c c e n t r i c i t y , " their
"anarchism,"
or,
in Ilkkyu's
their ""licentiousness."
Crazy
Cloud
o
r , as in
k k y u ' s case,
case, their
licentiousness." C
razy C
l o u d Zen
Zen
is neither
neither hhedonistic
nor
is the
the natural
natural development
is
edonistic n
o r eccentric.
eccentric. It is
development
off one
o
o n e whose
w h o s e insight
i n s i g h t into
i n t o the
the ineffable
ineffable emerges
e m e r g e s as
as the most
most
spiritual form
f o r m of
o fself-expression
s e l f - e x p r e s s i o nininthis
thisvery
verybody
body and
and in
in this
this very
very
All
All direct
direct quotations
quotations in
in this
thischapter
chapterare
arefrom
fromThe
TheRecord
RecordofofLin-chi,
Lin-chi,
translated by Ruth
Ruth Fuller
Fuller Sasaki
Sasaki and
and from
from Kenneth
Kenneth Ch'en's
Ch'en'sBuddhism
Buddhism
in China.
China.
p. 27
men ...":
p.
27 "Nowadays,
"Nowadays, few
few men
. . .":Buddhism
Buddhism in
in China.
China.
p. 38
p.
38 "1
"I speak
speak this way
way ...
. . ":.":The
TheRecord
RecordofofLin-chi.
Lin-chi.
p. 40 ""Mind
Record
p.
M i n d is without form
form ...":
. . . "The
: The
RecordofofLin-chi.
Lin-chi.
p. 42
TheThe
Record
42 "There are
are some
some students
students ...":
. . .":
RecordofofLin-chi.
Lin-chi.
p. 42 "There are some
some BBuddhist.
u d d h i s t . ..
. .": The Record
Record of Lin-chi.
Lin-chi.
place.
It plays
plays oon
stage, its spirit expressed
place. It
n aa fformless
o r m l e s s stage,
e x p r e s s e d in Fuke's
Fuke's
3. Bassui
Bassui
3.
cartwheel,
c a r t w h e e l , Hakuin's
H a k u i n ' s caricatures,
caricatures, Ikkyu's
I k k y u ' s comic
c o m i c poetry.
p o e t r y . It
speaks
to us
speaks to
us in
in gestures.
g e s t u r e s . Like
L i k e the
the swaying
s w a y i n g bamboo
b a m b o o or
or the
the
string
at the
moment
string bean
b e a n at
the tip of
o f our
o u r fork,
f o r k , itit invests
invests every
every m
o m e n t of
of
All direct
All
direct quotations
quotations in this
this chapter
chapter are
are from
from Arthur
Arthur Braverman's
Braverman's
unpublished 1989
1989 manuscript,
manuscript,Bassui
Bassui Zenji:
Zenji: Talks
Talks With
With Students,
Students, subsubsequently published
publishedasasMud
Mudand
andWater:
Water:AA Collection
Collection of
of Talks
Talks by
by the
Zen
the Zen
Master
Master Bassui.
Bassui.
our
o u r lives
lives with
w i t h radiance.
radiance.
184
Epilogue
Epilogue
p. 132
1 3 2 "A
" A warrior must
must ...
. .":.":The
TheZen
ZenMaster
Master Hakuin.
Hakuin.
p. 133
1 3 3 "Often
" O f t e n Zen
Zen masters
masters ...
. . ":.":The
TheZen
ZenMaster
Master Hakuin.
Hakuin.
4.
4. Ikkyu
Ikkyu
All direct
and poems
poems in
in this
All
direct quotations
quotations and
this chapter
chapter are
are from
from Sonja
Sonja
7. Nyogen
Nyogen Senzaki
Senzaki
7.
Arntzen's Ikkyu
andJon
Jon Covell's
Covell's Zen
Ikkyu and
and the
the Crazy
Crazy Cloud
Cloud Anthology
Anthology and
Zen
Core:
Ikkyu's Freedom.
Freedom.
Core: Ikkyu's
p. 68
the world
world oof
passions. ...
6 8 ""From
F r o m the
f passions
. .": Zen
Zen Core.
Core.
. ':
Ikkyu
p.
1 "Robbers
"Robbers never
never strike
strike . . .":
Ikkyu and
and the
the Crazy
Crazy
p. 771
.
.
All
and poems
All direct
direct quotations
quotations and
poems in
in this
this chapter
chapter are
are from
from Soen
Soen
Nakagawa
et al.,
Nakagawa et
ah, Namu
Namu Dai
Dai Bosa;
Bosa; Nyogen
N y o g e n Senzaki,
Senzaki, Like
Like aaDream,
Dream,
Like aa Fantasy;
Fantasy; NNyogen
Senzaki, On
Nyogen
Like
y o g e n Senzaki,
On Zen
Zen Meditation;
Meditation; N
y o g e n Senzaki,
Senzaki,
Comments
onthe
theMumon
MumonKan,
Kan,unpublished
unpublishedmanuscript;
manuscript; and
and Nyogen
Comments on
Nyogen
Senzaki
and Ruth Strout
Senzaki and
Strout McCandless,
McCandless, The
The Iron
Iron Flute.
Flute.
p. 143
"I coined
the word
word ....":
p.
1 4 3 "I
coined the
. .":On
OnZen
ZenMeditation.
Meditation.
p. 144
"Brother Nyogen
is aa ....":
1 4 4 "Brother
N y o g e n is
. .":The
TheIron
IronFlute.
Flute.
P
p. 149
"Friends in
in the
the Dharma
Dharma ...":
Like
1 4 9 "Friends
. . .":
Likea aDream,
Dream, Like
Like aaFantasy.
Fantasy.
P
p. 150
"It isis not
not enough
enough ....":
1 5 0 "It
. .":Namu
Namu Dai
Dai Bosa.
Bosa.
P
p. 150
Comments
1 5 0 "Some
" S o m e Americans
Americans pay
pay ...
. .":.":
Comments on
onthe
the Mumon
Mumon Kan.
Kan.
P
p. 151
anyonemakes
makes. ...
on the
the Mumon
Mumon Kan.
1 5 1 ""If
I f anyone
. .": Comments
Comments on
Kan.
P
p. 15
master. ...
On Zen
1 5 1 1" "When
W h e n mmy
y master
. .": On
Zen Meditation.
Meditation.
P
p. 152
Comments
1 5 2 "There is
is no
no graduation
graduation .... .":.":
Comments on
onthe
the Mumon
Mumon Kan.
Kan.
P
p. 153
no such funny ...":
Comments
1 5 3 "I have
have no
. . .":
Comments on
onthe
theMumon
Mumon Kan.
Kan.
P
1 5 3 "What
. .":Namu
Namu Dai
Dai Bosa.
Bosa.
p. 153
"What isis the
the mind
mind ....":
P
p. 153
"Buddhism counsels
counsels ....":
1 5 3 "Buddhism
. .":Namu
Namu Dai
Dai Bosa.
Bosa.
P
P. 154
1 5 4 "When
" W h e n IIwas
wasaayoung
young.._. . ":
.":Comments
Comments on
onthe
the Mumon
Mumon Kan.
Kan.
P
P. 155
Comments
1 5 5 "It is a pity ...":
. . .":
Comments ononthe
theMumon
Mumon Kan.
Kan.
P
p. 156
hundred thousand
thousandBonzes
Bonzes. ...
Comments on the
the Mumon
1 5 6 ""One
O n e hundred
. .": Comments
Mumon
P
Kan.
Kan.
p. 157
ideallife
life. ...
p.
1 5 7 ""My
M y ideal
. .": Comments
Comments on the Mumon
Mumon Kan.
Kan.
Cloud
Cloud
Anthology.
Anthology.
7 1 "Greed
. .":Zen
Zen Core.
Core.
p. 71
"Greed for
for luxuries
luxuries. ...":
p.
7 4 "After
days ..... ":
.":Zen
Zen Core.
Core.
p. 74
"After ten days
p.
7 4 ""I'm
I ' m a simple
simple man
.":Zen
Zen Core.
Core.
p. 74
man ..... ":
p.
7 6 "I am ashamed
ashamed .. . .":
Zen Core.
Core.
p. 76
": Zen
.
.
p. 78
Ikkyu
thetheCrazy
7 8 "My
" M y hand,
hand, how
howitit.... ":
. .":
Ikkyuand
and
Crazy Cloud
CloudAnthology.
Anthology.
p.
7 8 ""Who
W h o carries
carries on
Zen Core.
Core.
p. 78
on the
the basic
basic ..... .":
": Zen
p.
9 "After
y death
. .":Zen
Zen Core.
Core.
p. 779
"After m
my
death ....":
p.
8 1 "Men
" M e n in
in the
the midst
m i d s t...
. .":.":
Ikkyuand
andthe
theCrazy
Crazy Cloud
Cloud Anthology.
Anthology.
p. 81
Ikkyu
55.. Bankei
Bankei
All direct
direct quotations and poems are
All
are from Norman
Norman Waddell's
Waddell's translatranslaZen Master
Bankei and
and Peter
tion The
The Unborn:
Unborn: The
The Life
Life and
and Teaching
Teaching of
of Zen
Master Bankei
Haskel's Bankei
Haskel's
Bankei Zen:
Zen:Translations
Translationsfrom
fromthe
theRecord
Record of
of Bankei.
Bankei.
p. 9911 "I
"I pressed
pressedmmyself.
p.
y s e l f . ....": The Unborn.
Unborn.
9 "I've
The Unborn.
Unborn.
p. 999
"I've lived
livedfor
for.. ....": The
The Unborn.
1 0 1 "You
"You make
Unborn.
p. rot
make yourself.
yourself. ....": The
The Unborn.
p. iol
awake ... The
1 0 1 "When
" W h e n you're
you're awake
Unborn.
p. 102
1 0 2 "Try
"Try to stay
stay ...
. . ":
.":The
TheUnborn.
Unborn.
p. 104
"Here'ssomething
something. ...
1 0 4 "Here's
. .": The
The Unborn.
Unborn.
p. Io5
1 0 5 "My
" M y own
own struggle.
struggle . ..":
. .":The
TheUnborn.
Unborn.
P, 107
1 0 7 "What
"What does
does itit matter
matter ....":
. .":Bankei
Bankei Zen.
Zen.
Oh
8. Soen
Soen
All
direct
quotations
and
poems
are
All
quotations and poems arefrom
fromSoen
SoenRoku:
Roku: the
theDoings
Doings and
and
Sayings
Sayings of
ofZen
"ZenMaster
MasterSoen,
Soen,ed.ed.Eido
EidoShimano,
Shimano, and
and Namu
Namu Dai
Dai Bosa
Bosa by
by
Soen Nakagawa et
et al.
al.
163 ""The
163
": Soen
T h e two of
o f us . . .":
Soen Roku.
Roku.
I63
164 ""My
mind ceased
ceased ....":
M y mind
. .":Soen
Soen Roku.
Roku.
p. I64
. .":Soen
Soen Roku.
Roku.
"Ordinary isis extraordinary
extraordinary ....":
7 1 "Ordinary
P- 1171
Namu Dai
Dai Bosa.
Bosa.
"To die
die isis ..... .":
": Namu
7 1 "To
P- 1171
M y friends
. .": Soen
Roku.
friendstell
tellme
me. ...
Soen Roku.
1 7 2 ""My
P- 172
"Meditation
itself
is
.
.
.":
Namu
Dai Bosa.
Bosa.
172
"Meditation
itself
is
...":
Namu
Dai
1
7
2
P"
C
o
c
k
r
o
a
c
h
was
m
y
p
e
t
.
.
.":
Soen
Roku.
1
73
"Cockroach
was
my
pet
...
":
Soen
Roku.
P- 1 7 3
A l l beings
. .": Soen
Roku.
beings are
areflowers
flowers. ...
Soen Roku.
P. 173
1 7 3 ""All
6. Hakuin
6.
Hakuin
All direct
direct quotations
All
quotations are from
from Philip
Philip Yamplosky's
Yamplosky's The
The Zen
Zen Master
Master
Hakuin and
and from Heinrich
Hakuin
Heinrich Dumoulin's
Dumoulin'sAAHistory
History ofofZen
Zen Buddhism,
Buddhism,
vol.
2.
vol. 2.
p. 116
"Suddenly a great
great doubt ...":
A AHistory
p.
1 1 6 "Suddenly
. . .":
HistoryofofZen
ZenBuddhism.
Buddhism.
p. 122
1 2 2 "In the
the realm
realm ...
. .":.":The
TheZen
ZenMaster
Master Hakuin.
Hakuin.
p. 122
"I made
made up
up m
my
mind ...":
p.
1 2 2 "I
y mind
. . .":The
TheZen
ZenMaster
Master Hakuin.
Hakuin.
p. 126
"There are some
some blind,
blind, bald ...
p.
1 2 6 "There
. . ":
.":The
TheZen
Zen Master
Master Hakuin.
Hakuin.
The
Zen
Master
Hakuin.
p.
127
"Some
two
hundred
years
...
p. 1 2 7 " S o m e two hundred years . . .": The Zen Master Hakuin.
p. 127
p.
1 2 7 ""The
T h e practice
practice of
o f the
the Lotus
Lotus Sutra
Sutra ..... ":
.":The
TheZen
Zen Master
Master Hakuin.
Hakuin.
186
Notes
Notes on Sources
Sources
p.
P.
p.
p-
I
...
Epilogue
Epilogue
181
"The
uplifted
sword
...
1 8 1 " T h e uplifted sword . . ":
.":Robert
RobertAitken,
Aitken,The
TheMind
Mind ofofClover.
Clover.
182
1 8 2 ""The
T h e separation of
o f the absolute ...
. . ":
.":The
TheMind
Mind ofofClover.
Clover.
Notes on Sources
Notes
Sources
187
187
Glossary
Glossary
Arhat (Pali)
Arhat
(Pali)
A worthy
worthy elder;
Buddhist adept
adept wwho
has not
not yet
yet gone
A
elder; aa Buddhist
h o has
beyond his
his or
or her own enlightenment
all beings;
beings; thus,
thus, not
not
beyond
enlightenment to save
save all
yet a Bodhisattva.
yet
Baku
military government.
Bakufufu gap.)
(Jap.) Tokugawa
Tokugawa military
government.
Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva (Skt_)
(Skt.)
Mahayana Buddhist
Buddhist archetype
Mahayana
archetype of
o f compassion;
compassion;
one w
who
one
h o puts off
off entering
entering nirvana
nirvana in
in aa vow
vow to
to save
save the
the many
many
beings.
Buddha-Dharma (Skt.)
Buddha-Dharma
(Skt.)
Teachings ooff the Buddha.
Teachings
Buddha.
Bushido Qap.)
Bushido
(Jap.) The
The samurai
samurai spirit
spirit of
o f the
the warrior;
warrior; Japanese
Japanese militamilitarism;
face of
o f death.
rism; bravery
bravery in the face
Chinzo
An
Zen portrait of
Chinzo gap.)
(Jap.) A
n official
official Zen
o f an abbot.
abbot.
Chonin Qap.)
(Jap.)
Chonin
Townsmen, merchant
Townsmen,
merchant class
class of
o f Tokugawa
Tokugawa Japan.
Lay Zen
Zen practitioners
practitioners ooff the T'ang era.
Chu-shih
Chu-shih (Chin.)
(Chin.) Lay
era.
A samurai
samurai chieftain,
off retainers.
Daimyo cap.)
Daimyo
(Jap.) A
chieftain, head of
o f a clan o
out"
Furyu Qap.)
Furyu
(Jap.) Ikkyu's
Ikkyu's "far
"far o
u t " or "wild"
" w i l d " Zen.
Zen.
Fusho Zen
Zen cap.)
Fusho
(Jap.)
Bankei's
form of
Bankei's form
o f teaching,
teaching, with its
its emphasis
emphasis on
discourse
rather than meditation or koans.
discourse rather
koans.
Gaijin cap.)
(Jap.) Foreigner.
Gaijin
Giri
Giri gap.)
(Jap.) Duty.
Goi koans
koans gap.)
(Jap.)
Goi
The most difficult
The
difficult form of
o f koan
koan designed
designed to take
take
the
off the
the student
student through
through T'ang
T'ang master
master Tozan's
Tozan's "Five
"Five Modes
Modes o
the
Apparent
Apparent and the Real."
Real."
Gonsen koans
koans cap.)
Gonsen
(Jap.)
off Zen ancestors.
o
ancestors.
Help to clarify
Help
clarify the difficult
difficult words
words and phrases
phrases
Kessei Gap.)
A twoKessei
(Jap.) A
t w o - or three-month
three-month training
training period
period held
held twice
twice aa
year
monasteries.
year in Zen monasteries.
Gozan (Jap.)
"Five Mountain"
Mountain" temple hierarchy created
Japan to
Gozan
(Jap.) "Five
created in
in Japan
emulate aa similar
in China,
emulate
similar arrangement
arrangement in
China, where
where aa few
few selected
selected
monasteries
monasteries were
were given
given special
special privileges,
privileges, status,
status, and economic
economic
support by the
the emperor.
emperor.
Kikan koans
Lead to
to aa better
better understanding
understanding of
Kikan
koans Gap.)
(Jap.) Lead
o f the differentidifferentiated world
world ooff phenomena
phenomena as
as seen
seen through
through the
the "enlightened
"enlightened eve."
ated
eye."
Great Death
Great
Death (Jap.
(Jap.daishi)
daishi)
A metaphor for
A
for satori.
satori.
Great Doubt
Great
Doubt Gap.
(Jap. daigi)
daigi)
satori.
satori.
The
T h e "dark
"dark night
night of
o f the
the soul"
soul" preceding
preceding
Great Joy (Tap.
(Jap. daikangi)
daikangi)
The
love and
and compassion
compassion resulting
T
h e flow
flow ooff love
from the
the satori
satori experience.
experience.
Haiku (Tap.)
Haiku
(Jap.)
A
form ooff Japanese
Japanese poetry,
poetry, derived
A seventeen-syllable
seventeen-syllable form
derived
from renga, that is associated
associated with
with Zen
from
Z e n themes.
themes.
Hara (Tap.)
(Jap.) A
A point for
for concentration
concentration in
in zazen
zazen located
located two
two inches
inches
below
the
navel;
a
center
of
energy
(the
site
of
the
vagus
below the navel; a center o f energy (the site o f the vagus nerve).
nerve).
Hogo Gap.)
instruction, usually
usually in
in sermon
sermon form.
Hogo
(Jap.) Verbal
Verbal instruction,
form.
Hojo
Qap.)
Shogun
government.
Hojo (Jap.) Shogun government.
Hosshin
Intended to
to deepen
deepen the
the student's
student's insight
insight into
Hosshin koans
koans Gap.)
(Jap.) Intended
into
his or her essential nature.
his or her essential nature.
Hotei (Tap; Chin. Pu-tai.) Chinese folklore character representing
Hotel (Jap; Chin. Pu-tai.) Chinese folklore character representing
Maitreya, the future Buddha, who bestows gifts on children.
Maitreya, the future Buddha, w h o bestows gifts on children.
Inka Gap.) Sea] of enlightenment granted by a Zen master to a
Inka (Jap.) Seal o f enlightenment granted by a Z e n master to a
disciple in confirmation.
disciple in confirmation.
Ji Gap.) Temple or monastery; for example, Myoshin-ji.
Ji (Jap.) Temple or monastery; for example, Myoshin-ji.
Jizo (Tap.) A Japanese archetypal "savior Bodhisattva" particularly
Jizo (Jap.) A Japanese archetypal "savior Bodhisattva" particularly
identified with children.
identified with children.
Joriki Qap.) Concentration power in sitting meditation.
Joriki (Jap.)
power in sitting meditation.
Jukai Gap.) Concentration
Ceremony of taking the Buddhist Precepts; public
Jukai
(Jap.) of
Ceremony
taking of
the
Buddhist Precepts;
declaration
becoming oaf disciple
Shakyamuni
Buddha. public
declaration
f becoming
f Shakyamuni
Buddha.
Kami
Gap.) oShinto
naturea disciple
gods. Inothe
Meiji period,
the emperor
Kami
(Jap.) Shinto
nature
gods. In the Meiji period, the emperor
was revered
as a living
kami.
was revered
a living (Chin.)
kami.
Kannon
(Tap.),asKuan-yin
Literally, "The one who perceives
Kannon
(Jap.),ofKuan-yin
(Chin.)
Literally, " T
one wand
h o perceives
the sounds
the world";
the Bodhisattva
ofh emercy
compasthe
sion.sounds o f the world"; the Bodhisattva o f mercy and compassion.
Karma (Skt.)
Buddhist concept of the law of cause and effect.
Karma (Skt.) Buddhist concept o f the law of cause and effect.
Kensho Gap.) Seeing into one's essential nature; another expression
Kensho (Jap.)
for satori.
Seeing into one's essential nature; another expression
for satori.
19o
190
Glossary
Glossary
Koan
and the
the absolute";
Zen
Koan Gap.)
(Jap.) "The
" T h e relative
relative and
absolute"; Z
e n meditation
meditation techtechnique employing
employing vignettes
vignettes from
from ancient
exchanges between
between master
master
nique
ancient exchanges
and
disciple as
focus for concentration;
concentration; aa nonintellectual
nonintellectual means
means
and disciple
as a focus
for
dualistic thinking to the
the Absolute.
Absolute.
for penetrating
penetrating through dualistic
Kokushi
Kokushi Gap.)
(Jap.) National
National Zen
Z e n teacher;
teacher; highest
highest honor bestowed
bestowed on aa
Zen master by
Zen
by the government.
government.
Koto Gap.)
A Japanese
Japanese musical
musical instrument
instrument resembling aa lyre.
Koto
(Jap.) A
lyre.
Kyosaku
The
Kyosaku Gap.)
(Jap.) T
h e wooden
wooden stick
stick used
used in Zen
Zen monasteries
monasteries to
to
awaken sleepy
sleepy sitters.
awaken
Kyo-un
Kyo-un Gap.)
(Jap.) "Crazy
" C r a z y Cloud";
C l o u d " ; the
the term
term invented
invented by
by Ikkyu
Ikkyu to
to
characterize his
his form of
characterize
o f Zen.
Zen.
Mahayana
Mahay ana Buddhism
Buddhism (Skt.)
(Skt.) "The
" T h e Great
Great Vehicle";
Vehicle"; the
the Buddhist
Buddhist
practice inin China,
China, Korea,
Tibet, Vietnam,
Japan, with
with its
practice
Korea, Tibet,
Vietnam, and
and Japan,
its
emphasis on
on the
the Bodhisattva
ideal oof
the beings
beings ooff the
emphasis
Bodhisattva ideal
f saving
saving the
the
world.
Manjusri (Skt.)
Manjusri
(Skt.)
The
Bodhisattva ooff w
wisdom
T
h e sword-wielding
sword-wielding Bodhisattva
i s d o m who
who
cuts through delusion.
cuts
delusion.
Mentorgarten (Ger.)
Mentorgarten
Nyogen
N
y o g e n Senzaki's
Senzaki's term for his
his antihierarchical
antihierarchical
Zen, where
where everybody
everybody was
was recognized
recognized as
as both
both teacher
teacher and
anddisciple.
disciple.
Taken
from
the
German
educational
reformer
Froebel's
concept of
Taken from
German educational reformer Froebel's concept
of
the kindergarten.
kindergarten.
teacher and
and student,
student, or
or an
Mondo Gap.)
Mondo
(Jap.) Zen
Z e n dialogue
dialogue between
between teacher
an
exchange
between ZZen
expressing the
the basic
basic truths
truths of
exchange between
e n adepts
adepts expressing
o f the
the
realization experience.
experience.
Mukei (Tap.)
Ikkyu's pun denoting himself as
as the
the "dream
"dream boudoir"
Mukei
(Jap.) Ikkyu's
monk.
Naikan Gap.)
imagery therapy
therapy given
to Hakuin
Naikan
(Jap.) Visual
Visual imagery
given to
Hakuin by Hakuyu
Hakuyu
the hermit-healer.
Nanto koans
Nanto
koans Gap.)
(Jap.)
daily
daily activity.
Point to
to the
in the
the midst
midst of
Point
the undifferentiated
undifferentiated in
of
""Namu
N a m u amida
amida butsu"; aa mantra
mantra reciting
reciting the savior
savior
Buddha
Amida's
name
over
and
over
again
in
prayer
or
meditation;
Buddha
prayer or
practice instituted
instituted by
by Honen,
Honen, founder
practice
founder of
o f the Pure Land
Land School
School of
of
Buddhism in the twelfth
Buddhism
twelfth century.
century.
Nembutsu Gap.)
Nembutsu
(Jap.)
Glossary
Glossary
191
Nichiren (Jap.)
(Jap.)
Nichiren
The Lotus
Sutra sect,
sect, aa popular
The
Lotus Sutra
popular form
form of
o f Japanese
Japanese
Buddhism emphasizing
emphasizing devotion
devotionand
andthe
the prayer
prayer ""Namu
Buddhism
N a m u myoho
myoho
renge kkyo":
Dharma,"
renge
y o " : "Hail
"Hail to
to the
the Lotus
Lotus of
o f the
the Wondrous
Wondrous D
h a r m a , " which
is
The Lotus
Lotus Sutra.
is the
the first
first line ooff The
Sutra.Nichiren,
Nichiren, the
the thirteenth-century
founder ooff this
that the
the ultimate
truth of
founder
this school,
school, proclaimed
proclaimed that
ultimate truth
of
Buddhism could
could be
be found
found only
only in
in The
The Lotus
Lotus Sutra.
Sutra.
Emotions.
Ninjo
(Jap.)
Ninjo (Jap.)
Oibara
(Jap.) A
A samurai's expression
expression of
o f his devotion
devotion to his lord
lord by
by
Oibara (Jap.)
joining him in
in death.
death.
Paramitas
(Skt.) The six
six "perfections"
"perfections" of
o f Buddhism;
Buddhism; for
for instance,
instance,
Paramitas (Skt.)
the perfection of
o f wisdom.
wisdom.
The
Buddhism, like
like not
not killing,
T h e ethical
ethical guidelines
guidelines oof
f Buddhism,
killing, not
not
stealing,
stealing, and so on; the core
core of
o f Zen
Zen ethics.
ethics.
An
Renga
Renga Gap.)
(Jap.) A
n open-ended form
form of
o f Japanese
Japanese verse
verse improvised in
in
the
form
of
witty
repartee
in
a
group.
the form o f
repartee
Precepts
Precepts
the formula,
the
formula, "Namu
" N a m u amida
amida butsu."
butsu." Shin
Shin has
has been,
been, and
and continues
continues
to be, the
the most
most popular
popular Buddhist
Buddhist sect
sect in
in Japan.
Shingon
(Jap.) Literally,
sect o
Buddhism, founded
founded
Shingon (Jap.)
Literally, "True
"True Word"
Word" sect
off Buddhism,
by
the Buddhist
Buddhist priest
priest Kukai
Kukai (774-835).
( 7 7 4 - 8 3 5 ) . It
It is
is derived
derived from
from Indian
Indian
by the
and
Tantrism. Known
K n o w n also
also as
"esoteric Buddhism,"
B u d d h i s m , " it
it is
is
and Tibetan
Tibetan Tantrism.
as "esoteric
centered
the belief
belief in
in the
the cosmic
cosmic Buddha
Buddha Vairochana,
Vairochana, and
and
centered on
on the
emphasizes proper
proper ritual
ritual performances
performances of
of mantras
mantras (sacred
(sacred syllables)
syllables)
emphasizes
mandalas (cosmic
and mandalas
(cosmic icons).
Shinto Gap.)
Shinto
(Jap.) "The
" T h e Way
Way of
o f the
the Kami
Kami (gods)";
(gods)"; animistic
animistic religion
religion
centered on ancestor
ancestor worship
worship and
and ritual
ritual purification.
purification. Japanese
Japanese state
state
religion
religion connected
connected with the figure of
o f the
the Emperor
Emperor in
in the
the Meiji
Meiji era.
era.
Shunyata
Shunyata (Skt.)
(Skt.) Emptiness;
Emptiness; "suchness."
Head monk.
monk.
Shuso (Jap.)
Shuso
(Jap.)
Gigen (Lin-chi
I-hsuan), and
and introduced to
Gigen
(Lin-chi I-hsuan),
to Japan by masters
masters Eisai
Eisai
Soto Zen
Derived from
from the Chinese
Soto
Zen Gap.)
(Jap.) Derived
Chinese T'ang
T'ang masters
masters Tozan
Tozan
Ryokai (Tung-shan
Liang-chieh) and
and Sozan
Sozan Honjaku
Honjaku (Ts'ao shan
Ryokai
(Tung-shan Liang-chieh)
shan
Pen-chi),
and introduced
Japan by
by master
Pen-chi), and
introduced to Japan
master Eihei
Eihei Dogen
D o g e n in
in the
the
century; emphasizes
emphasizes shikantaza,
shikantaza, "just
sitting."
thirteenth century;
"just sitting."
and Daio
Daio in the thirteenth century;
and
century; emphasizes
emphasizes koan practice.
practice.
Suiboku-ga
Japanese ink
ink painting.
Suiboku-ga Gap.)
(Jap.) Japanese
by the Chinese
Rinzai
Rinzai Zen
Zen (Jap.)
(Jap.) Founded
Founded by
Chinese T'ang
T ' a n g master
master Rinzai
Rinzai
Roshi
Roshi Qap.)
(Jap.) "Old
" O l d teacher";
teacher"; Zen
Zen master.
master.
The
ancient
Japaneseconcept
conceptoof
the unity
unity of
Saisen-itchi 0ap.)
Saisen-itchi
(Jap.) The ancient Japanese
f the
of
religion
and
government,
revived
in
the
Meiji
period.
religion and government, revived in the Meiji period.
tree that
that turned
Sala tree
Sala
tree (Skt.)
(Skt.) The
The legendary
legendary tree
turned white
white at
at the
the BudBuddha's death.
death.
Absorption in meditation.
Samadhi (Skt.)
Samadhi
(Skt.) Absorption
meditation.
community, extended
Sangha
(Skt.) Originally,
Originally, monastic Buddhist
Buddhist community,
extended
Sangha (Skt.)
Mahayana tradition
tradition to the lay community as
in the Mahayana
as well.
well.
for private
Sanzen (Jap.),
Sanzen
(Jap.), Rinzai;
Rinzai; dokusan,
dokusan, Soto.
Soto. Expression
Expression for
private interview
between Zen
view between
Z e n teacher
teacher and disciple.
disciple.
enlightenment; realization
realization oof
Satori
(Jap.) Self-realization;
Self-realization; enlightenment;
f emptiSatori (Jap.)
ness.
Seppuku (Jap.)
(Jap.) Ritual suicide.
suicide.
Seppuku
Death: an
an important
important koan for samurai training in Zen.
Shi (Jap.)
(Jap.) Death:
Zen.
Shi
civil bureaucracy
bureaucracy oof
the Minamoto
Minamoto period
Shiki (Jap.)
(Jap.) Japanese
Japanese civil
f the
period in
Shiki
the thirteenth
thirteenth century.
the
century.
A particular
Shin
(Jap.) A
particular sect
sect of
o f Pure Land
Land Buddhism,
Buddhism, founded
founded by
by
Shin (Jap.)
the Buddhist
the
Buddhist monk Shinran
Shinran (1173-1262),
(i 1 7 3 - 1 2 6 2 ) , who
w h o promised
promised salvation
salvation
to all
who
upon the
the mythical
Buddha Amida
Amida with
to
all w
h o sincerely
sincerely called
called upon
mythical Buddha
192
Glossary
Glossary
Sutra
Sutra (Skt.)
(Skt.)
Scripture,
discourse, or
or classic;
name given
given to
to the
Scripture, discourse,
classic; name
the
sacred
sacred texts of
o f the Buddhist canon.
canon.
Tathagata
Literally, ""The
Tathagata (Skt.)
(Skt.) Literally,
T h e one who
w h o just comes"; the
the Buddha
Buddha
aspect
and creation;
the immanent
immanent form
form ooff the
aspect oof
f potentiality
potentiality and
creation; the
the
Absolute.
Absolute.
Tenzo
Tenzo (Jap.)
(Jap.)
Monastery cook.
cook.
Theravada Buddhism
the Elders";
Theravada
Buddhism (Pali)
(Pali) "The
" T h e Way
Way oof
f the
Elders"; the
the "ortho"orthodox"
Asia that
that emphad
o x " stream
stream of
o f Buddhism
Buddhism practiced
practiced in Southeast
Southeast Asia
sizes monasticism
nirvana, or
or extinction,
extinction,
sizes
monasticism and
and enlightenment
enlightenment with nirvana,
as its goal.
goal.
Tripitaka
extant records
Tripitaka (Pali)
(Pali) Earliest
Earliest extant
records of
o f the teachings
teachings of
o f the BudBuddha.
Unborn
Unborn
day.
Bankei's expression for the
the Absolute,
Absolute, realized
realized in
in the
the everyevery-
Unsui
Unsui Uap.)
(Jap.) Monk;
Monk; literally,
literally, "cloud
"cloud water," indicating
indicating the monk's
monk's
passing
passing through the
the world
world without
without leaving
leaving aa trace.
trace.
Wabi Gap.)
Japanese aesthetic
aesthetic ideal
ideal ooff simplicity
simplicity and starkness.
(Jap.) The
T h e Japanese
starkness.
Zafu
Meditation cushions
Zaju (Jap.)
(Jap.) Meditation
cushions used
used in
in zazen.
zazen.
Zaibatsu
Japanese commercial
commercial monopolistic elite.
Zaibatsu (Jap.)
(Jap.) Japanese
elite.
Zazen
Gap.)
Sitting
meditation.
Zazen (Jap.)
meditation.
Glossary
Glossary
193
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5-2
About the
About
the
Authors
((1972):
1 9 7 2 ) : 70-94.
70-94.
Perle
Besserman holds
holds aa doctorate
Perle Besserman
doctorate in Comparative
Comparative Literature
Literature from
from
Columbia
University
and
has
written
several
books
Columbia University
has written several books on
on mysticism,
mysticism,
including
including Oriental
Oriental Mystics
Mystics and
and Magicians,
Magicians, and
and Kabbalah:
Kabbalah: The
The Way
Way of
of the
the
Jewish
Mysticfor
forDoubleday
Doubleday (the
(the latter
latter reissued
reissued by
by Shambhala),
Jewish Mystic
Shambhala), and
Pilgrimage,
anaccount
accountoof
her spiritual
Pilgrimage, an
f her
spiritual adventures,
adventures, for
for Houghton
Houghton
Mifflin.
Mifflin. She
She is
is the
theauthor
authorofo The
f ThePrivate
PrivateLabyrinth
Labyrinth ofofMalcolm
Malcolm Lowry:
Lowry:
Under
the Volcano
Volcanoand
andthetheCabbala
Cabbala(a(astudy
studyo of
contemporary Christian
Under the
f contemporary
Christian
and
Jewish mysticism),
mysticism), published
published by
by Holt,
Holt, Rineand occult
occult versions
versions of
o f Jewish
Rinehart, Winston,
Winston, numerous
numerous articles
articles on
on related
related subjects,
subjects, and
and books
books for
for
young adults.
adults. She
She has
has practiced
practiced Zen
Z e n with
with various
various disciples
disciples of
o f Soen
Soen
young
Nakagawa Roshi
United States.
States.
Nakagawa
Roshi in
in Israel,
Israel, Europe,
Europe, Japan,
Japan, and
and the United
Currently living
living in
in Hawaii,
Hawaii, she
she is aa student
student of
o f Robert
Robert Aitken
Aitken Roshi,
Roshi,
Currently
and teaches
teaches literature
and
writing
at
the
University
o
f
Hawaii.
She isis
literature
writing at the University of Hawaii. She
married
to
Manfred
Steger.
married to Manfred Steger.
Manfred Steger,
Steger, former
Manfred
former competitive
competitive sportsman,
sportsman, truck
truck driver,
driver,
banker, and Zen
banker,
Z e n monk,
monk, has
has been
been Robert
Robert Aitken
Aitken Roshi's
Roshi's student
student since
since
1 9 8 6 , starting
Z e n training
training in
in his
his native
native Austria
Austria with
with Genro
Genro
1986,
starting his
his Zen
Koudela
Vienna, an affiliate
affiliate of
of
Koudela Roshi
Roshi atat the
the Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma Zendo
Zendo in
in Vienna,
Joshu Sasaki
Sasaki Roshi's
Baldy Monastery
Monastery in California.
California. A
A resiresiJoshu
Roshi's Mount
Mount Baldy
dent
o f Hawaii,
Hawaii, Steger
Steger holds
holds aa Bachelor's
Bachelor's degree
degree in Religion
Religion and
and
dent of
Political
Hawaii at
Manoa, and
and is
is
Political Science
Sciencefrom
from the
the University
University ooff Hawaii
at Manoa,
currently
completing
his
Master's
degree
in
Political
Science
at
the
currently completing his Master's degree in Political Science at the
same
s a
a student
student of
o f Robert
Robert Aitken
Aitken Roshi's
Roshi's "engaged
"engaged
same university.
university. AAs
Buddhism,"
he
is
interested
in
ethics,
social
justice,
and
environmenBuddhism," he is interested in ethics, social justice, and environmen-
ig8
198
Bibliography
Bibliography
tal
issues and
and their
their relationship
relationship to
to the
the practice
Zen. He is
tal issues
practice ooff Zen.
is a junior
teacher
at the
the Diamond Sangha in
in Honolulu, Hawaii,
teacher at
Hawaii, and for the past
past
two years he has been leading
leading Zen retreats in
in Princeton,
Princeton, New
N e w Jersey.
Jersey.
He
articles on
on lay
lay Zen
Zen practice
in English and
He has published
published several
several articles
practice in
and
German.
Credits
The
permissiontoto quote
quote from
from the
The authors
authors gratefully
gratefully acknowledge
acknowledge permission
following works:
works:
A
SayingsofofLayman
LaymanP'ang,
Pang,translated
translated by
by
A Man
Man of
of Zen:
Zen: The
The Recorded
Recorded Sayings
Ruth Fuller Sasaki
et al., copyright ©
Sasaki et
©1976,
1 9 7 6 , published
published by
by Weatherhill
Weatherhill
and reprinted by
by permission.
permission.
Ikkyu
translated by
by Sonja
Ikkyu and
and the
the Crazy
Crazy Cloud
Cloud Anthology,
Anthology, translated
Sonja Arntzen,
Arntzen,
copyright
copyright © 1986,
1 9 8 6 , published
published by
by the
the University
University of
o f Tokyo
Tokyo Press
Press and
and
reprinted by permission.
permission.
Soen
Roku, the
and Doings
Doings of
of Master
MasterSoen,
Soen,edited
edited by
by Eido Tai
Soen Roku,
the Sayings
Sayings and
Tai
Shimano,
Shimano, copyright
copyright © 1986,
1 9 8 6 , published
published by The
The Zen
Zen Studies
Studies Society
Society
Press
and reprinted by permission.
Press and
permission.
The
ofZen
Zen Master
MasterBankei,
Bankei,copyright
copyright ©
The Unborn:
Unborn: The
The Life
Life and
and Teaching
Teaching of
©
by Norman
published by
by North
11984
9 8 4 by
Norman Waddell,
Waddell, published
North Point
Point Press
Press and
and
reprinted by permission.
permission.
Zen
Zen's Red
Zen Core:
Core: Ikkyu's
Ikkyu's Freedom
Freedom (Unraveling
(Unraveling Zen's
Red Thread:
Thread: Ikkyu's
Ikkyu's
Controversial
Way),bybyJon
CarterCovell,
Covell,published
published by
by Hollym
Hollym InterControversial Way),
Jon Carter
national, copyright
copyright © 198o
by Jon
Jon Carter
Carter Covell
and reprinted
reprinted by
national,
1 9 8 0 by
Covell and
by
permission.
The
Zen Master
Hakuin, translated
translated by
by Philip
Philip Yampolsky,
Yampolsky, copyright
The Zen
Master Hakuin,
©
© 1971,
1 9 7 1 , published
published by
byColumbia
ColumbiaUniversity
UniversityPress
Pressand
andreprinted
reprintedbyby
permission.
200
200
About
About the
the Authors
Authors
Zen figures whose inrcrpretariotis cat e+'vrt the
proach to Zen remain invaluable guides. to peop
Zen today.
EASTERN
PHILOSOPHY
i L h c " c r a z y c l o u d s " o f this b o o k are t h o s e i n n o v a t i v e , n o n c o n "[:ic<eti
the stark absence ut- female vices in virt
-4^tr"mist Z e n m a s t e r s — w a n d e r i n g seekers and sages often d i s history
joy
to
g u i s e dof
as Zen
b e g g a r RRuddhisni.
s , n o m a d i c p r e a c h e rit's.
s , and a" m
a d mand
e n " — wah orelief
se
s i n g u l a rstrain
Z e n Way
r o f o u n dof
l y i these
n f l u e n c e dradical
Zen Budd
h i s m . ttiasr
feminist
inhasu.p)ms.
Zen
S p a n n i n g a p e r i o d f r o m e i g h t h - c e n t u r y C h i n a to t w e n t i e t h - cLenore
Frictlrnan, author of
ilrith
e n t u r y A m e r i c a , Crazy Clouds portrays the lives and t e a c h i n g s
o f Z e n masters like the fierce R i n z a i , the e a s y g o i n g L a y m a n
P ' a n g , the r e n e g a d e I k k y u , and the lay m o n k N y o g e n S e n z a k i —
Z e n figures w h o s e interpretations o f even the m o s t radical a p p r o a c h to Z e n r e m a i n i n v a l u a b l e g u i d e s to p e o p l e interested in
Z e n today.
Perle Iiess.erman ho
in comparative liter
]unibia University
student Of Zen tevr
has written several
" G i v e n the stark a b s e n c e o f f e m a l e v o i c e s in v i r t u a l l y the w h o l e
h i s t o r y o f Z e n B u d d h i s m , it's a j o y and a r e l i e f to h e a r the s t r o n g
feminist strain in s o m e o f these radical Z e n m a s t e r s . "
— L e n o r e F r i e d m a n , a u t h o r o f Meetings with Remarkable
Women
feature e-tonrribtito
Ste
teacher .it the Uian
Perle B e s s e r m a n h o l d s a d o c t o r a t e
ir-r°.
i- V.:
id.
Cower ,ire
C, 1991
Honolulu and is cu
politics and l34iddh
t r it of Ha%4aii at
in c o m p a r a t i v e literature f r o m C o l u m b i a University and has b e e n a
s t u d e n t o f Z e n for m a n y years. She
has w r i t t e n several b o o k s and w a s a
f e a t u r e c o n t r i b u t o r at t h e Village
Voice. M a n f r e d S t e g e r is a j u n i o r
t e a c h e r at the D i a m o n d S a n g h a in
Hby
o n oArthur
l u l u andOkaiuura.
is c u r r e n t l y s t u d y i n g
p o l i t i c s and B u d d h i s m at the U n i versity o f H a w a i i at M a n o a .
au.iais, lnt IPrinecd irs L'.S \
Cover art: Transmission Clouds, by Arthur O k a m u r a .
© 1991 Shambhala Publications, Inc. Printed in U.S.A.
11
i
ISBN 1]
US'$13A0 LAG