#hakuin

[catandgirlcomic]

Enter the bagpipes.

[gleaningsinbuddhafields]

The Hymn of Zazen

Recently I stumbled a neat bit of Buddhist liturgy in the Rinzai Zen tradition called the Hakuin Zenji Zazen Go-Wasan (白隠禅師坐禅御和讃), or more simply the Zazen Wasan (坐禅和讃). This means “The Hymn of Zazen [of Zen Master Hakuin]”. In English it is sometimes called the “Song of Zazen”.1 Rinzai Zen is a somewhat unusual sect in Japanese Buddhism because although it was founded in the 12th century by…

[formlesslemonade]

"Upon attaining satori, if you continue to devote yourself to your practice single-mindedly, extracting the poison fangs and talons of the Dharma cave, tearing the vicious, life-robbing talismans into shreds, combing through texts of all kinds, Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike, accumulating a great store of Dharma wealth, whipping forward the wheel of the Four Universal Vows, and pledging yourself to benefit and save all sentient beings while striving every minute of your life to practice the great Dharma giving, and having nothing - nothing - to do with fame or profit in any shape or form - you will then be a true and legitimate descendant of the Buddha patriarchs. It's a greater reward than gaining rebirth as a human or a god."

- Wild Ivy: The Spiritual Autobiography of Zen Master Hakuin

[waiting-eyez]

[Be Good Examples]

We should be merciful, honest and patient, so as to be good examples to all men. Then without appearing to instruct we should in the most natural way be able to act as guides. Then all classes of people would associate in peace. Everyone would pass through life with smiling faces.

(Hakuin)

[wisdom-and-such]

Translation: “No matter how one looks at it…”

“An influential monk and prolific painter, Hakuin Ekaku made striking and sometimes humorous pictures that played an important role in his teaching. Dozens of half-length portraits of Bodhidharma, the Indian monk credited with bringing Zen Buddhism to China in the sixth century, can be dated to the last few decades of the artist’s life. He brushed a variety of different messages on these pictures, perhaps the most common being four Chinese characters conveying a clear lesson: “Look inside yourself to become a buddha.” The inscription on this work, however, is more enigmatic and seemingly incomplete: “No matter how one looks at it . . . ” In his teaching, Hakuin focused on the practice of koan, or paradoxical dialogues that when contemplated may lead to spontaneous awakening.” — The MET

[g00melo5-art-blog]

白隠禅画「観音三幅対」　解説：芳澤勝弘

[nicksalius]

Aforismi sulla meditazione - 1°

Aforismi sulla meditazione – 1°

Gli aforismi sulla meditazione sono spesso spigolature estemporanee e non veri e propri precetti da seguire. Ciò non toglie che sia utile soffermarsi un attimo a riflettere su ciascun messaggio per tentare di coglierne l’insegnamento più recondito. Seguono aforismi di: – Osho – Thynn Thynn – Daniel Naistadt – Hakuin – Ajhan Chah – Tishan – Sogyal Rinpoche – Sharon Salzberg – (more…)

[mythologyofblue]

"Two hands clap and there is a sound; what is the sound of one hand?"

-Koan, attributed to Hakuin Ekaku, 1686 - 1768

[holespoles]

Ekaku Hakuin (1685-1768)

Hamaguri-kan’non

Here, the Kan’non Goddess of Mercy, who has appeared from inside a hamaguri clam, is preaching to creatures of the sea, including the Dragon King, fish and clams. The Hamaguri-kan’non is one of the 33 Kan’non. Only the clam and the Kan’non are usually depicted. The inclusion of the Kan’non’s audience is an original concept of Hakuin. It is based on the essence of the Kan’non-gyo Sutra contained within the Lotus Sutra in which the Kan’non appears in a form appropriate to her audience to save the various living beings of this world. The words of praise are derived from a passage from the Kan’non-gyo Sutra and mean “With compassionate eyes, she looks at all living beings, and good fortune gathers, boundless like the sea.” The work is believed to have been painted when Hakuin was in his early 70s.

白隠慧鶴（1685～1768）

蛤蜊観音図　はまぐりかんのんず

蛤蜊から��現した観音が、龍王をはじめ魚や貝など海の生きものたちに説法している。蛤蜊観音は三十三観音の一つで、通常は蛤蜊と観音のみを描くが、このような聴衆を描き込むのは白隠の創作である。観音がこの世のさまざまな衆生のために、その衆生に応じた姿となって現れ救済するという『法華経』普門品の主旨に基づいている。賛の「慈眼視衆生、福壽海無量」も同経の一節に由来するが、「聚」字を「壽」字に変えている。白隠70代前半の作と推定される。

[nobrashfestivity]

Hakuin Ekaku, Posthumous Name of Prince Shotoku, Edo period, early 1700s

[kamala-laxman]

Not knowing how near the truth is, we seek it far away." Hakuin Ekaku

[x-ref]

"Two longtime painters recently told me how joyful their studio practices had become in their 40s once they took their minds off their ambitions, stopped trying to impress anyone, and just let the paintings paint themselves. I’ve been dabbling with working that way myself, so I was thrilled to find the memorable demonstrations of unburdened artistic spontaneity that are scattered in 'None Whatsoever: Zen Paintings from the Gitter-Yelen Collection' at the Japan Society."

-- Zen Paintings at the Japan Society.

[formlesslemonade]

What state of mind is it that allows for the concentration of luxury in one person, while causing many to suffer?

Zen Master Hakuin : Selected Writings, Yampolsky

[d-i-x-i-t]

Not knowing how near the truth is, we seek it far away. - Hakuin Ekaku

[wisdom-and-such]

“Pointing directly at the human heart, see your own self to attain Buddhahood.”

Another of Zen Master Hakuin’s paintings of Bodhidharma, but this time a different inscription.

[g00melo5-art-blog]

Bunkamura「白隠展　HAKUIN　禅画に込めたメッセージ」ビジュアルツアー