Buddhists From Japan

"Toyo Eicho's Kuzoshi... exists only as a single unidentified and fragmented text; it does not appear to be a handbook used by monks appending phrases to koans as a regular assignment in koan practice."

"[E]ven while the Daitokuji was in ashes, the basis for its recovery and expansion was being laid by the monks Yoso Soi (1376- 1458) and Ikkyu Sojun (1394-1481). Both Yoso and Ikkyu began their Zen training in gozan monasteries. But like growing numbers of monks in the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, they quickly became dissatisfied with what they perceived as the formalism, and aestheticism of the official monasteries and so turned to masters of the Daio school like Kaso Sodon (1352-1428) for training in a more rugged Zen."

"All four pillars of enlightenment Crumble at once - See! See! Moonlight wreathing coral branches - What does it mean? Now all grows as dark As the palace of hell in The grasp of Satan / Katsu!"

"For long years a bird in a cage Now, flying along with the clouds of heaven."

"Tetto Giko (1295-1369) [was a] Japanese Rinzai monk of the late Kamakura (1185-1333) and early Ashikaga (1392-1568) periods. Tetto was born in Izumo and became a Buddhist monk at age six. He began his practice of Zen at Kennin-ji, where he took the precepts at age nineteen."

"The dying master left in the hands of Tetto Giko, his disciple during the years of obscurity at Ungo-an and the head monk of Daitokuji since its inauguration. Tetto, an able and energetic administrator, served as abbot for thirty-one years. He persuaded several well-known nobles and warriors to become personal disciples and temple patrons, stabilizing Daitokuji during a period of political and economic adversity. Tetto was so fervent in the guidance of his monks that he once threatened to cut off his own tongue unless someone attained kensho during a ninety-day training session. Midway through the term Gongai Sochu (1315-1390) came to enlightenment, and Gongai later became Tetto’s principal successor."

"Empty-handed I entered the world Barefoot I leave it. My coming, my going - Two simple happenings That got entangled."

"The Japanese Zen master Kozan Ichikyo wrote the [above dead] poem in the year 1360 before he laid down his calligraphy brush and left the world while sitting upright... We not only come into this world and leave this world alone, we also cannot take anything along with us into the other world — in case there is one. If there is no permanence, it is also nonsense to tie our boat to our possessions and dreams. Consequently, it is also senseless to cling to certain philosophies, thoughts, feelings, and values, which we take along to the grave when all is said and done. But instead of taking them to the grave with us, it is possible to already learn to let go of them during our lifetime. 1 think that this is a task in life!"

"Life is an ever-rolling wheel And every day is the right one. He who recites poems at his death Adds frost to snow."

"Life is like a cloud of mist Emerging from a mountain cave, And death A floating moon In its celestial course. If you think too much About the meaning they may have, You'll be bound forever Like an ass to a stake."

"Toyo Eicho ... drew his material from sutras, recorded sayings of Chinese Zen masters, Taoist texts, Confucian texts, and Chinese poetry."

"The truth is never taken From another. One carries it always By oneself. Katsu!"

"My coming today is coming from no where. One year hence, my departing will be departing to no where."

"This year, the twenty-ninth of the twelfth No longer has a place to come to. The twenty-ninth of the twelfth next year Already has no place to go."

"In 1265, Jomyo achieved enlightenment and was recognized as an heir by Kido. Kido was so impressed by the young Japanese’s attainment that when the time came for him to return to his home country, Kido wrote this valedictory poem predicting the success he would find in Japan:"

"Joy of living, / Living joy... Zen doctrine is null. Before I die, Here is the secret of my teaching - My staff nods in agreement. Katsu!"

"Seigan Sōi was the 170th abbot of Daitokuji in Kyoto. Also known as Jishōshi or Korō, he founded Zen temples throughout Japan and was invited by the shogun (1604–1651) to assume the abbacy of Tōkaiji in Shinagawa, Edo (Tokyo) in 1649, after the death of the eminent monk (1573–1645)."

"My hour draws near and I am still alive. Drawn by the chains of death I take my leave. The King of Hades has decreed Tomorrow I shall be his slave."

"Higan Choro or Zoso Royo (1194-1277), Rinzai monk attached to the in Kamakura, succeeded Eicho (d. 1247) at the Chorakuji in Serada, where Muju had heard him discuss the esoteric Shakuron in 1252. Royo's presence at the Jufukuji in 1260 was evidently a temporary engagement for him to lecture on his specialty. His last moments are recorded in Sand and Pebbles."

"In 1837, when Sengai Gibon was asked by one of his students if he had anything to say before passing away, he replied, “I don't want to die.""

"Sengai Gibon (1750-1837) was an artistic Zen monk of importance, who took "a transcendental view of things that are relative and limited. One eye was turned deeply inward, while the other looked out with concern to catch the fleeting shadows of our earthly life.""

"If you say, 'Come back later', He will speedily come to snatch you away. Say rather, 'I shall not be in till I'm ninety-nine'"."

"At times I supported the sky, at times the earth; At times I turned into a dragon, at times to a snake. I wandered at will through the cycles of life and of death. All the fathers of our faith I took into my mouth. I give as I will and I take as I will. I slash the leopard with my teeth; My spirit smashes mountains."

"My sword leans against the sky. With its polished blade I'll behead The Buddha and all of his saints. Let the lightning strike where it will."

"No single bone in my body is holy - It is but an ash heap of stinking bones. Dig a deep hole and there bury these remains Thus, not a grain of dust will stain The green mountains."

"Shunpo Soki was a Zen priest of the Rinzai sect. A disciple of the Daitokuji priest Yoso Soi (1376-1458), Shunpo became the fortieth abbot of Daitokuji and was famous for his efforts in reconstructing the temple in the aftermath of the devastation of the (1467-77)."

"The Zen master wrote that an enso ̄without an accompanying inscription was, to him, “like flat beer.” While most enso ̄images include a calligraphic inscription, many do not, including this wonderful example by Ungo Kiyo (pictured). Since Zen paintings, including enso, ̄are representational teachings, a means of conveying a master's Zen mind and experience, a Zen phrase seems fitting alongside an enso. However, the inscriptions often provide concrete imagery with which to associate the enso, and as one Zen phrase."

"I look now at the very moment Even the Buddha is dumbfounded. All turns with a swing. I land on the plain of nothingness."

"Although [Tetsugen] was already married, he was dissatisfied that in the [True Pure Land] sect, people without talent or merit held high rank in the temple hierarchy. Therefore, he went up to Mount Ōbaku and followed [the instruction] of Muan."

"Zen Buddhist monk (Toyo Eicho, 1428-1504) of the Rinzai sect... was appointed juji of the in 1481 and founded the Shorin-ji temple at Mino, where , where he died."

"An early example is the Rinzai Zen master Ungo Kiyo ̄ (1582–1659), who in 1636 assumed the abbacy of Zuiganji, the family mortuary temple of the Date clan (daimyo ̄ of Sendai) and converted the temple into a sangha hall where the precepts were strictly observed and a regular schedule of twice daily meditation (niji no zazen), three daily sutra chanting services (sanji no fugin), and manual labor (fushin samu) was implemented."

"There are a few examples of Japanese Zen masters like Suzuki Shosan (1579 - 1655) and Ungo Kiyo (1583 - 1659) who advocated dual practice of Zen and Pure Land, though they regarded it primarily as a means to reach the laity. Shōsan was an independent, one might even say marginal, figure in the Zen tradition; he did not function within the bounds of institutional Zen, and his ideas had little or no influence on other Zen Buddhist masters of the day. In contrast to Suzuki Shosan's position as a relative outsider to the institutional Zen world, Ungo was a prominent figure within the Zen hierarchy and for a time served as abbot at ."

"Shuhu Myocho studied Tendai Buddhism as a youth but came to feel the knowledge of the scriptures was insufficient. He turned instead to Zen with its emphasis on practice. He was a disciple of Koho Kenichi, the teacher of Muso Soseki (1275 – 1351), and after becoming a priest he achieved enlightenment and spent time in Kamakura, where he was briefly abbot of Kencho-ji. He subsequently returned to Kyoto, spending over seven years living with beggars under Gojo Bridge."

"Koho Kenichi (1241-1316) was one of the most renowned Zen prelates of his era, his era, not least because of his Japanese origin. As son of , he began his religious career in the esoteric Buddhist school. In 1256 he was admitted into the Tofukuji by Enni Ben'en. Four years later he met Gottan Funei, who had just moved there from China. As instructed by his teacher Enni Ben'en, Koho followed Gottan Funei to Kamakura. On Ichio Ingo's recommendation he came under the care of Koho Kennichi. He was calm and self-willed and preferred to live in seclusion. For this reason he spent many years in a remote area until his appointment as leading priest of the Jomyoji in 1300 and later of the Manjuji in Kamakura. In 1314 Mugaku Sogen entrusted him with the leadership of the great Kenchoji."

"For over sixty years I often cried Katsu! to not avail. And now, while dying, Once more to cry Katsu! Won't change a thing."

"To depart while seated or standing is all one. All I shall leave behind me Is a heap of bones. In empty space I twist and soar And come down with the roar of thunder To the sea."

"Here in a thatched hut hidden among mountain peaks with barely room for one I am suddenly invaded by wandering white clouds."

"After Shorei Sokin's death, Rikyu became a devoted follower of Shorei's successor, Kokei Sochin. Kokei was a member of the Asakura family and, although ten years Rikyu's junior, was greatly admired by Rikyu for his abilities. It is said that when Kokei became head abbot of Daitokuji in 1573, Rikyu bestowed upon him the unprecedented sum of one hundred kanmon as a congratulatory gift. An event that well illustrates the trust between Kokei and Rikyu is the tea gathering held by Rikyu on 1 588."

"[E]ven while the Daitokuji was in ashes, the basis for its recovery and expansion was being laid by the monks Yoso Soi (1376- 1458) and Ikkyu Sojun (1394-1481). Both Yoso and Ikkyu began their Zen training in gozan monasteries. But like growing numbers of monks in the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, they quickly became dissatisfied with what they perceived as the formalism, and aestheticism of the official monasteries and so turned to masters of the Daio school like Kaso Sodon (1352-1428) for training in a more rugged Zen."

"A drop of water freezes instantly - My seven years and seventy. All changes at a blow Springs of water welling from the fire."

"My final words are these: As I fall I throw all on a high mountain peak - Lo! All creation shatters; thus it is That I destroy Zen doctrine."

"Sōen played a major role in the tea world as an active tea participant and as a powerful abbot of several Zen temples around the Kansai, though he is primarily associated with Daitokuji. Like the Daitokuji priest Kogaku Sōkō (1465–1548) before him, Soen was particularly active as a bridge between Kyoto, and its large community of tea practitioners, and Sakai, the merchant city south of present-day Osaka that gave birth to the new breed of sixteenth-century tea masters."

"Kogaku Soko was granted the title Busshin Seito Zenji in 1522 (Daiei 2) by Emperor , and was also granted the title Shobo Daisho Kokushi in 1536 (Tenmon 5) by ."

"Hogo acquired importance as a calligraphic art expressing the personality and the cultural attainments of the zen priest writer... Typical of such is the hogo written by Mugaku Sogen (1226-1286) and presented to Ichio Ingo, ( -1281)."

"Koho Kenichi (1241-1316) was one of the most renowned Zen prelates of his era, his era, not least because of his Japanese origin. As son of , he began his religious career in the esoteric Buddhist school. In 1256 he was admitted into the Tofukuji by Enni Ben'en. Four years later he met Gottan Funei, who had just moved there from China. As instructed by his teacher Enni Ben'en, Koho followed Gottan Funei to Kamakura. On Ichio Ingo's recommendation he came under the care of Koho Kennichi. He was calm and self-willed and preferred to live in seclusion. For this reason he spent many years in a remote area until his appointment as leading priest of the Jomyoji in 1300 and later of the Manjuji in Kamakura. In 1314 Mugaku Sogen entrusted him with the leadership of the great Kenchoji."

"Three and seventy years I've drawn pure water from the fire - Now I become a tiny bug. With a touch of my body I shatter all worlds."

"Togan Ean (1225 - December 29, 1277) was a priest of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism in the mid .... After he first received religious precepts as a priest and learnt doctrine at Mt. Shosha, he studied the same at Sennyu-ji Temple, too and went to Hakata to visit the Sung dynasty in China in 1257, but he met Goku kyonen and was inspired by him, and he converted to the Rinzai Sect."

"I was born into this world I leave it at my death. Into a thousand towns My legs have carried me, And countless homes - What are all these? A moon reflected in the water A flower floating in the sky Ho!"

"As a spiritual successor to the 19th-century Zen poet Gizan Zenrai (and anyone who has ever felt wistful thinking that everything we’ve ever known will one day vanish), [Harold Whit] Williams writes: “A child once again, / Gazing out to where forever ends. / Everything orbiting, gently orbiting.”"

"The truth embodied in the Buddhas Of the future, present, past; The teaching we received from the Fathers of our faith Can all be found at the tip of my stick."