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Hakuin
(1686-1769, Japan)
Biography Excerpt:
Hakuin Ekaku is one of the central figures of Japanese Zen Buddhism. What is popularly known as Rinzai Zen is in large part derived from the teachings of Hakuin. A tireless, dedicated practitioner of the art of zazen, or meditation, Hakuin is also famous for his koans or Zen riddles, especially the now clichéd “What is the sound of one hand clapping.” He was also renowned for his poetry, beautiful calligraphy, and humorous caricatures of himself and other Zen masters.
Enlightenment Story Excerpt:
When we arrived at the Sho-ju-an hermitage,
I received permission to be admitted as a student, then hung up my traveling
staff to stay.
Once, after I had set forth my understanding to the master during dokusan
[personal interview], he said to me, "Commitment to the study of Zen must
be genuine. How do you understand the koan about the Dog and the Buddha-Nature?”
"No way to lay a hand or foot on that," I replied.
He abruptly reached out and caught
my nose. Giving it a sharp push with his hand, he said, "Got a pretty good
hand on it there!"
I couldn't make a single move, either
forward or backward I was unable to spit out a single syllable.
That encounter put me into a very
troubled state. I was totally frustrated and demoralized. I sat red-eyed
and miserable, my cheeks burning from the constant tears.
The master took pity on me and assigned
me some koans to work on.