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 electronic or mechanical, including b y any any mechanical, including photocopying, photocopying, recording, recording, or by storage and and retrieval retrieval system, without without information storage permission in from the the publisher. publisher. permission in writing from
99
88
77 66 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1
1
First Edition Edition
Printed in the United United States States of o f America America on on acid-free acid-free paper paper
Distributed by R Random Distributed in the United States States by a n d o m House, House, Inc., in Canada Canada by by Random in R a n d o m House House of o f Canada Canada Ltd, and and in in the the United Kingdom by United K ingdom b y the Random R a n d o m Century C e n t u r y Group Group 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
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,
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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,
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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.
""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
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Bassui Bassui
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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 .
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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."
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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
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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
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_
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Bankei Bankei
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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
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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
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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
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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