Hakuin Ekaku
"Hakuin Ekaku" ( Japanese 白 隠 慧 鶴 ; also "Hakuin Zenji"; * 1686 in the post station Hara (today Numazu ) in the province of Suruga ; † 1769 ) is considered the father of modern Rinzai-shū (a direction of Zen - Buddhism ) . He reformed and renewed the Rinzai line , which had gradually declined since the 14th century , by making it as pure as possible, i.e. H. taught simple practices and formulated them in a way that was understandable for simple laypeople.
Live and act
Hakuin joined the Shōin-ji (松蔭 寺) temple in his home village at the age of 15. He later led the life of a wandering monk. His first experience with an enlightenment he made at the age of 24, shortly before he was a student of Shōju Rōjin (正 受 老人; 1642-1721). In 1716 he returned to the Shōin-ji, where he began to teach a growing crowd of students. He reformed the traditional way of teaching Zen by insisting that each student must first delve into their own nature and then overcome "their concept of thinking" by talking about paradoxical questions called Koan (公案) , meditate. Most of the Kōan were adopted by earlier Chinese Zen masters, but Hakuin also invented some himself, including “Sekiju onjō” (隻 手 音 声), in German (what do you think of) “sound of clapping with one hand”. Hakuin's success in renewing Rinzai training was so great that all Rinzai temples have followed him to this day.
Hakuin left an extensive and significant body of work, including sermons, instructive texts, letters, poems and stories. In the “Prize Song of Zazen” he clarifies the fundamental necessity of sitting in contemplation ( zazen ) for the realization of enlightenment . He dealt with the "Zen Disease" and developed a method to cure it.
Hakuin was not only an excellent Zen master, but also an eminent teacher, painter, and calligraphy master. His powerfully designed depictions of the monk Daruma are particularly valued.
Remarks
- ↑ Inscription: 直指人心 、 見 性 成佛 (Jikishininjin kenshō jō-Butsu). For example, "Enlightenment through direct exposure of the human soul and recognition of one's own self"
literature
- S. Noma (Ed.): “Hakuin”. In: Japan. An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Kodansha, 1993, ISBN 4-06-205938-X , p. 493.
- Heinrich Dumoulin: Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 2: Japan . World Wisdom Books 2005, ISBN 9780941532907 .
- Master Hakuin Authentic Zen. Fischer, Frankfurt a. M. 1997, ISBN 3-596-13333-5 .
- Hakuin Ekaku: Wild ivy . The self-written biography of Zen master Hakuin, Kokurin Verlag, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-00-018048-6 .
- Katsuhiro Yoshizawa: The Religious Art of Zen Master Hakuin . Counterpoint Press, 2010.
- The Zen Master Hakuin: Selected Writings . Translated by Philip B. Yampolsky , Columbia University Press, New York / London 1971, ISBN 0-231-03463-6 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Hakuin Ekaku in the catalog of the German National Library
- T. Matthew Ciolek: Hakuin School of Zen Buddhism
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hakuin, Ekaku |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 白 隠 慧 鶴 (Japanese) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Japanese reformer, painter and author |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1686 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Post office in Hara, Suruga Province |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1769 |