A Presentation of the Poet Ikkyu with Translations from the Kyounshu "Mad Cloud Anthology."
A PRESENTATION OF THE POET IKKYU WITH TRANSLATIONS FROM THE KYOUNSHU "MAD CLOUD ANTHOLOGY."
by
SONJA AHNTZEN B.A., University of British Colombia, 1966
A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
M.A.
in the Department of
Asian Studies
We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA April, 1970 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study.
I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission.
Department of -/\f^A h) 'bTUfolES
The University of British Columbia Vancouver 8, Canada ABSTRACT
This thesis presents a resume of the traditional biography of the
Japanese Zen poet, Ikkyu Sojun and translations with commentaries of a
selected number of poems from the Kyounshu, "Mad Cloud Anthology,", a
eollection of Ikkyu's Chinese poems. The Ky5unshu consists of one
thousand and sixty Chinese poems, some with prose introductions and
diary-like descriptions of the circumstances surrounding their
composition. Thus, the Kyounshu,aside from its wealth of poetry,
philosophy, and historical interest,is also a valuable source of biographical information about the poet himself.
There are some difficulties inherent in this study. To begin
with? it involved research in two languages, Japanese and classical
Chinese. Secondly, the subject range of Ikkyu's poetry is very large;
it includes the whole of Zen literature, the Mahayana Sutras, the
classics of Chinese poetry and Chinese history as well. Although biographical information about Ikkyu in Japanese is fairly substantial,
textual criticism and commentary for his poetry is extremely limited,
thus, one is sent often without a chart to the maze of first sources
seeking allusions. This, coupled with the very subjective nature of the
poetry itself - with Ikkyu, originality tends to make for obscurity - makes the unraveling of sources a thorny problem sometimes. Thus, it is
no wonder that few attempts have been made by scholars, even in Japan,to write commentaries for these poems. To my knowledge, this is the first
attempt to translate into English and give commentaries for this large
number of poems from the Kyounshu?although,compared to the total number of poems, this is still few indeed. This thesis thenjis really- preparatory work for a more complete translation of the Kyonnshu which could well) and will, I hope, constitute the subject of a Ph.D. thesis.
Having outlined the difficulties inherent in the subject of this thesis, it would be well to point out in what ways this study is of particular interest. To begin with, the field of kanbun, literature in
Chinese written by Japanese writers, has been relatively untouched in so far as translations into English are concerned; thus, to some extent these translations are an opening up of new territory in Japanese Literature.
Secondly, Ikkyu's voice is an unusual one in Japanese poetry. Japanese poetry has been so closely associated with a contemplative appreciation of nature, delicate and restrained emotions, suggestion rather then statement, and a subtle sense of nuance, qualities rather constant throughout the development of uta, renga and haiku. However, it is with some interest then, that one greets a poet such as Ikkyu in whose poetry these qualities are quite absent. Ikkyu's poetry seldom seems to be the product of quiet reflection; rather his poems have the quality of being written in the heat of the moment; strong and sometimes violent emotions,, defiance, anger, passion, remorse, love, are boldly expressed. Ikkyu's poetry also tends, because of his own eruditeness; to be quite intellectual poetry which would lean toward the extremely abstract were it not for his strong personal voice which is ever-present. In short, Ikkyu's poetry is very individualistic in a culture which has never put a high store on individuality. Thus it is, that Ikkyu adds a new dimension to our conception of Japanese poetry.
OS ) Table of Contents
I. Introduction 1
II. Historical Background 4
III. Biographical Information & Comment 9
IV. Philosophical Poems 25
V. Critical Poems 69
VI. Love Poems 83
VII. Footnotes 115
VIII. Bibliography 120
(ill) I. Introduction
Ikkyu is practically unknown as a literary figure. Legends that grew up around him in the Tokugawa period were passed on to succeeding generations of children for entertainment's sake^so Ikkyu is well-known by name in Japan today, but as a poet, he is totally ignored. Thus,it is not strange that in the Vest he should hardly be known at all. The greatest reason for his obscurity as a poet, both in Japan and the West, is the fact that he wrote his most important work in kanbun, that is Chinese.
As Japan had no system of writing before contact with China, it was only natural that educated peopleAshould write in Chinese; indeed; the ability to read and write Chinese constituted the only literate education possible, Even after a phonetic system of writing had evolved from the use of Chinese characters, still, a greater part of any person's education consisted of learning to read and write Chinese. This was true right up to the Tokugawa period, and no one thought it strange. Thus, a great number of Japan's most gifted and intelligent men, including most of the great monks, wrote in Chinese. However, in the Tokugawa Period with Motoori Norinaga, a movement against Chinese language and learning "took mo• mentum. The great scholar Motoori Norfcaga was the first scholar in Japan to apply himself to things purely Japanese, his great work being the elucidation of the earliest Japanese History, the Ko.jiki, on the basis of which he drew conclusions about Japanese language and Japanese sensibility. He too was the first to claim the uta, waka, and it's related forms as the only true Japanese poetry, all the poetry written in Chinese being only imitations. He also criticized Buddhism for being 2 a Chinese religion and, thus, not suitable for the Japanese soul which found its true fulfillment in Shinto. These ideas caught on and spread quickly, especially when Japanese identity was newly threatened from the outside by confrontation with the West. Thus, by the time Western scholars became interested in Japanese Literature, it was a firmly entrenched idea that the only Japanese Literature was literature written in Japanese, which in poetry means the waka, uta, renga and haiku. So it is that the overwhelming number of translations into Western languages are of these forms. This, coupled with the decline among Japanese people of the ability to read Chinese after the opening to the West and the necessary rush to acquire Western learning, has removed the enormous store of Japanese Literature written in Chinese farther and farther away from the reach of most people in Japan as well as in the West. Western interest in Zen and other forms of Buddhism has, however, initiated some work in the rediscovery of kawbun literature. Such is the case with this thesis, for it was my own interest in Zen and Buddhism in general that led me to choose Ikkyu's poems as a subject for translation.
It should be noted at this point that Ikkyu did not write all his work in Chinese. There is a mass of material in Japanese which is attributed to him^but, of that, very little is considered to be actually his. A collection of Doka, "Poems of the Way," that is, waka written on common religious themes, which has been translated into English by R. H.
Blyth,* is perhaps the most surely Ikkyu's. Bukigun, a religious allegory which tells of a battle between the forces of Heaven and Hell^is less certainly Ikkyu's. After that, all the rest has been attributed to one or more other monks as well and so is likely not Ikkyu's. The 3
Kyounshu is really the only work of Ikkyu which expresses his unique personality) and also the only work which contains definite personal references, dates and diary-like descriptions of noteworthy events in
Ikkyu's life. It is, therefore, the most interesting.
The Kyounshu, "Had Cloud Anthology*1 is a collection of 1060 poems written in Chinese. Some of the poems have date a, but most of them do notj>
So it is very difficult to know during which period of Ikkyu's life they were written. In the Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho and Ikkyu Osho zen^hu they are divided into jo kan and ge kan."first scroll ""second scroll," and it is assumed that these correspond to an early and a later i^eriod in Ikkyu's life. The Yamato Bunka[lfaikan edition of the Kyounshu. the text of which
I have used most extensively since it is the most recent and comprehensive edition of the Kyounshu, does not maintain this division but keeps basically the same order in its arrangement of the poems. A detailed commentary to the whole of the Kyounshu has never been done. The Yamato
BunkejKaikan edition concerns itself only with the establishment of the text. The commentary in the Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho is cursory to say the least. I am indebted, however, to Professors Kaneko Matabee and Nishioka 2
Skirt who have provided, in the periodical Kokubungakuy detailed commentaries for over a hundred poems of the Kyounshu. II. Historical Background
Ikkyu was born in 139^ and died in 1481, Thus,his life was -witVim one of the most restless and violent periods in Japanese
History, the rule, of the Ashikaga Shogunate, better known perhaps as the Muromachi Period;after the area in Kyoto where the government of the Shogunate was centered. It was a time of almost incessant civil war, shot through with sporadic desperate revolts among the hard-pressed agricultural population,, Many of the battles were fought right in the streets of Kyoto. Thusj the "Capital of Peace" suffered great damage during this period; especially since fire was as popular a weapon as the sword. Power struggles between the various clans of samurai were at the root of these conflicts^ but, as is so typical of Japan, all fighting was done in the name of the Emperor, succession disputes between the two imperial lines being the persistant excuse for trouble during this period.
The samurai attitude toward the old aristocracy of Kyoto was somewhat ambiguous. Unlike Yo,t»itomo who regarded the court at Kyoto as a corrupting influence on the stern virtue of the warrior and, therefore, kept himself and his warriors as far away as he could from their effete company, the Ashikaga Shoguns were only too fascinated with the court's cultural allure. They cultivated quite conscientiously the learning and arts of the capital and, thus, were themselves typical of a new kind of "aesthete warrior". On the other hand,there was never the shadow of an intention on the part of the Ashikaga Shoguns to allow the aristocrats to regain any of the political power they had once held. Thus^ the aristocracy was paid nominal respect but kept poor; aristocrats were cultivated as friends but denied any say in important political decisions.
However, as Karaki Junzo" in his book Causei no bungaku points out, it was not an unenviable position to be in at that time, since poor for the aristocracy was never starving; a little money could always be obtained by tutoring eager samurai in the arts of calligraphy and poetry.
The aristocracy were at least in a more stable position than the samurai whose fortunes were precarious to an extreme. Having little or no political power was in reality the safest position to be in, for those with political power were the immediate targets for everyone around them.
Ikkyu was born into the aristocracy.
The Tokugawa historians did not find much worthy of praise when they cast their eyes on the social and political disorder of the Muromach
Period. This slightly perjorative point of view of the Muromachi Period was transmitted to the post-Meiji era and further augmented by the influence of the conc«pt of the Middle or Dark Ages in Western History.
There were enough similarities between the European feudal period and the
Japanese feudal period to make an equation of them easy. Thus, the
Muromachi Period along with the Kamakura and Tokugawa periods came to be considered a kind of dark or unenlightened age. And at least in so far as moral and social order is concerned, this is to a certain extent true of the Muromachi Period. However, to an Art Historian it is exceedingly difficult to accept the Muromachi Period as a Dark Age; a glance through any oriental art book at the masterpieces of Sesshu, Sesson, the
Ginkakuji, the Kinkakuji, or the Saihoji garden, not to mention the anonymous masterpieces in the craft of pottery, point to an age of
artistic brilliancy. As mentioned above, this perjorative view of the
Muromachi Period in Japan mirrors the Western view of the European Middle
Ages that prevailed from the Renaissance through the Age of Enlightenment
into quite modern times. Here in the West, it was a rejuvenated
appreciation of Medieval Art starting in the 19th century that preceded
a comprehensive re-evaluation of the middle ages as a whole. A similar phenomenon seems to be occurring in Japan, except that it seems to be
the effect of a cross influence, that is, it is Western interest in
Japanese Medieval Art that has sparked Japanese scholars to re-examine
that period of their culture from a different point of view. Thus, we
see karaki Junzo quoting scholars who are of the opinion that there are
similarities between the^Italian Renaissance in so far as the growth of 2
individualism and a kind of humanism are concerned. This shows the
trend that contemporary thought on the Medieval Period in Japan is taking.
The overwhelming flavor of the art of the Muromachi Period which has so caught the eye of the contemporary West is without a doubt the
flavor of Zen. It is a quality which can only sound cliched when
described, especially when it has been described so often. Such words
as simplicity, naturalness, an "accidental" feeling, are the most
frequently used in description. In reality, it is an ineffable quality e which is however immediately recognizable upon confrontation with those
objects in which it is embodied. It is not the purpose of this paper to
analyse Zen aesthetics in the visual arts. Asuffice to say that Zen has become so popularly identified with Japan and Japanese art here in the
West, that many Westerners forget or even do not know that Zen is an 7
imported religion to Japan.
Zen (in Chinese Ch'an) was imported from China. Ch'an in China had become the sect of Buddhism with the most distinctively Chinese
flavor. It had received the quiet infiltration of Taoism and,-thus,"
a cosmic sense of humor. It was a pared down version of Buddhism stripped
of all the Indian baroque, ornamental intricacies. Something of these
qualities appealed to the Japanese as well, for Ch'an was very successfully
transplanted to Japan. There were, however, some differences between
Ch'an in China and Zen in Japan. For example, Ch'an was never as closely
associated with the visual arts as Taoism was, while in Japan it was Zen which acquired an intimate connection with aesthetics.
At any rate, from its introduction during the Eamakura period,
the Zen sect of Buddhism steadily grew in numbers and influence. The
Muromachi Period marks the zenith of Zen's power and influence in Japan.
At this time, Zen was heavily supported by the Shogunate and the court.
The Gosan Jissatsu - "Five Mountains Ten Temples''were but a few of the
great monasteries flourishing at that time. Yet another source of
prosperity was the profitable trade with Ming China carried on under the
auspices of the Zen sect. Of the two major Zen sects in Japan, Soto and
Rinzai, Binzai was the more expansive, freely involving itself in
political and social affairs. Soto, on the other hand, for the most part
eschewed the busy "dusty" life of the capital preferring to remain
"sitting quietly" in the hills, which, it must be noted, was more in
keeping with the usages of the great T'ang scViools.. Indeed, what the
Rinzai sect gained in wealth, prestige, and influence, seems to have been
detrimental to the true spirit of Zen. 8
There are many reasons for this. The sheer increase in the number of followers made it difficult for a religion which founds itself on something so nebulous as the "wordless transmission of mind" to keep its lines of transmission pure. This increase in numbers also tended to turn the temples into large institutions which demanded a numerous staff of organizers and beaureaucrats rather than holy men to keep them going.
These large temples took over the function of training schools for young boys. So, whereas Zen was originally a religion designed to free the mind of a mature man from the fetters of conventional thinking, now
Binzai temples were charged with task of instilling manners in raw youths.
However, perhaps the greatest single reason for the spiritual degeneration of the Rinzai sect at this time lies in the old axiom, power and wealth inevitably corrupt. Where power and wealth reach their zenith, droves of selfish people gather to struggle for the spoils. Thus, the Rinzai sect, at its height of power and influence, became filled with people of insincere motives who propagated a double-standard morality and dabbled in unsavory practices. The situation of the Rinzai sect in Japan at this time was not unlike the Roman Catholic Church before the reformation.
It was in such a time, in such a place, and in such a milieu that
Ikkyu lived. III. Biographical Information and Comment
It is always difficult when describing famous figures of the past to distinguish between the man and the myth about the man. With Ikkyu this is no easy task, especially since Tokugawa writers energetically created an elaborate myth for Ikkyu by which he is generally known in Japan today.
The mythical Ikkyu is a light-hearted carefree fellow, exceptionally clever and witty as a child, an evangelistic savior of courtesan's souls as a monk, in general a joyful, fish-eating, sake-drinking, love-making, prank-playing, Zen prelate. Yet when one turns and examines Ikkyu's own poems of the Kyounshu, how different is the impression one gets of his character. Whereas the mythical Ikkyu was clever, the author of the
Kyounshu is learned and erudite to a fine extreme* Vhile the mythical
Ikkyu, the clerical Don Juan, abandoned himself to pleasure, Ikkyu of
Kyounshu explores all the philosophical and metaphysical levels of love.
"Whereas the mythical Ikkyu was happy and carefree, the Kyounshu shows a man who knows sorrow and indeed all the darker depths of the soul. Somewhere
between the popular biographies and Ikkyu's own poems lies the traditional biography of Ikkyu which has been handed down for many years within the Zen church and a small circle of scholars. This traditional biography is a mixture undoubtedly of fact and myth, but it is as close to historically objective as can be obtained so far as Ikkyu is concerned.
The Tokugawa popular biographies of Ikkyu tell more about the Tokugawa period and those writers themselves than about Ikkyu and so I have largely disregarded them in forming my interpretation of Ikkyu's character. I have rather concentrated on studying the man through his own poems. Xn finding an approach to both the man and his poems, the traditional historical material has, of course, been very helpful. Thus,
I would like to begin this section with a resume of the traditional biography of Ikkyu.*
Ikkyu was born in 139** in Kyoto. He is said to have been the illegitimate son of the Emperor Go-Komatsu. It is quite probable that he actually was, since it is recorded in all the traditional biographies^ and his later close connections with the court indicate that his birth must have been very high. His mother was of the Fujiwara clan, but during the dispute between the Northern and Southern courts, she was accused of having treasonous intentions toward the emperor and so was banished to a lesser dwelling in Kyoto where Ikkyu was born.
In the traditional biography, there is a last testament supposedly - 2 written by Ikkyu's mother in which she sounds like a very iconoclastic woman herself; she urges Ikkyu to make "servants of the Buddha and
Dharma" and warns that people who stick to hoben ' "expedient means," are "just worms". However, the authenticity of this document is very questionable, and it could well be the fabrication of people in a later time who felt that since Ikkyu was such an eccentric person he must have had an eccentric mother. At any rate, Ikkyu was separated from his mother quite early, being sent to the Zen monastery Ankokuji in Kyoto 3 at the age of six. At the age of twelve he was supposed to have amazed -that KBCI a gatheringAcome to hear Master Seisonin lecture by displaying a wisdom 4 very much beyond his years. At thirteen he began studying the composition of Chinese Poems. Thus, it can be seen that it was not strange for Ikkyu to have written most of his poems in Chinese, for it was 11 a genre that he had studied and practised since boyhood. At seventeen he took his first real master, Keno and lived and studied with him for five years until that master's death. Keno it seems, had not received his transmission of Zen in an orthodox way since he had no seal (the sign of correct transmission) to pass on to Ikkyu. However, he is reputed to have told Ikkyu that Ikkyu had advanced to the point where
Keno had no more to teach him. The relationship between Ikkyu and Keno seems to have been a very warm one; the traditional biographies speak glowingly of the simplicity and pure poverty of their life in retreat.
Keno died when Ikkyu was twenty-one and he was very saddened indeed by the loss. Ikkyu wandered about in a distracted fashion and prayed for seventeen days before the Ishiyama Kannon but could not find any consolation and so resolved to drown himself in Lake Biwa.^ However, he was stopped from carrying out this dreadful enterprise by a vision of his mother which appeared and admonished him and told him to perservere in the path toward enlightenment. Versions of this story vary slightly but there seems to be a consensus that he did attempt suicide and that his salvation had something to do with the memory of his mother.
Thus rescued from self-annilation he set out for the master Kaso's hermitage at Katada. Kaso was somewhat famous for being a severe master and certainly the story of Ikkyu's acceptance there bears this out.
Ikkyu arrived at Katada and waited outside Kaso's gate for five days during which time Kaso did not deign even to notice his presence. Finally, one day on his way to a ceremony in the village, he looked at Ikkyu and said "Is this monk still here? Throw some water on his head and chase him away." which was duly carried out. However, after the ceremony was 12 finished Kaso returned and saw Ikkyu still standing tall and making no 7 move to go away. So Kaso relented and agreed to take him as a disciple.
Kaso's discipline was very rigorous and kept Ikkyu occupied night and day. Again, the standard of living in the temple was very poor, very little to eat.and no warm clothes to wear in the winter. Under such hardships Ikkyu studied for some years. Eventually Ikkyu came to be well loved by Kaso who was even supposed to have said once of Ikkyu, 8
"This boy is smarter than me." 1
Wien Ikkyu was twenty-five he heard someone playing a song from the Heike monogatari on the Biwa and suddenly grasped a koan of Unmon's.
At this point Kaso gave Ikkyu his name; prior to this Ikkyu had been known as Shuken. Ikkyu composed an uta with his new name exploring its philosophical implications;
from.the realm of illusions, uroji yori
Ve return to the realm of no illusions, muroji e kaeru
One restt, hitoyasumi
If it rains, let it rain. ame furaba fure
If the wind blows, let it blow0 kaze fukaba fuke
Ikkyu's name hitoyasumi in Japanese reading, means one rest,
one slumber; here, it is a metaphor for our short human life0 The implication is that if one arrives at the state of mind where it is evident that from birth to death is really only a moment, then griefs and cares in this life seem small things indeed.
Then, two years later, one spring night in May, Ikkyu was meditating, floating in a boat on a lake, when;hearing a crow call out through the night, he was immediately enlightened. He hurried to Kaso 13 to witness his enlightenment, but Kaso said, "This is just the enlightenment of an arhat, you are not a real master yet." Ikkyu said, "Then I am happy to be an arhat, I just detest masters." "Now you are a real master," - 10 - said Kaso. At this time, Ikkyu was twenty-seven years old and had been consciously seeking enlightenment for ten years. The poem he is said to have written recording this important event is the following:
Since ten years ago a mind longing for knowledge:
Raging and angry, the time is nowl
The crow laughs, I leave the dust and end up an arhat:
Brilliant shining sun, in the shadow ^'Jeweled, face sings. (2vJt w V/awato Bunk* Kail Ikkyu's life was spent almost entirely within the confines of the various monasteries and master's hermitages he studied at. It was only after his enlightenment that Ikkyu began to move away from such an austere and solitary environment and venture into the outside world. It is recorded that Ikkyu stayed at Kaso's hermitage long enough to attend to some of the illnesses that accompanied Kaso's old age; but he began to come and 11 go. This marks the beginning of his long companionship with the "straw rain hat and bamboo walking stick" that are mentioned so often in the Kyounshu. There is no detailed record of his travels because he seems to have traveled by whim and almost always unofficially. His few official visits to places other than temples, were mainly to the court. For example, it is known that in the year 1428, Ikkyu was invited to the court, and his birth rightsAofficially recognized by the Emperor AKbmatsu. 14 After that time, he became quite a frequent and welcome visitor to the court; the emperor himself was supposed to have been very fond of Ikkyu's 13 manner of explaining Zen. His unofficial traveling must have brought him into contact with the brothels and sakejshops that are another frequent theme in the Kyounshu, although about this the traditional biographies have very little to say. ,This is not to imply that brothels and sakeshops were the only items on Ikkyu's unofficial itineraries. One recorded incident gives a good idea of the other activities Ikkyu must have indulged in during his travels. It is recorded that in the year 1436, Ikkyu was noticed wandering through the streets of Sakai wearing a wooden sword, playing a shakuhachi and regaling passers-by with satirical accounts of the behavior of 14 - present-day monks. Thus, it seems that during his travels, Ikkyu some• times assumed the role of "street player" in order to instruct lay people in the ways of Zen and the ills of the church. Ikkyu was not always traveling. He spent a great portion of his time in temples as well, mainly Daitokuji which was his "base" temple for the latter half of his life. Not far from Daitokuji in the Muromachi section of Kyoto he had a personal hermitage called Katsuroan, "Blind Donkey Hermitage" and he spent much time there as well. It seems that a pattern of movement for Ikkyu during the middle part of his life was to stay at Daitokuji and instruct student monks until he could bear the atmosphere of the temple no longer. At tVefc point, he would either go off traveling among the "people" or else retreat into the seclusion of the mountains until he could bear to come back. Apart from the general degeneration of spirit within the temple, 15 one of the reasons why Daitokuji was unbearable to Ikkyu was the presence of one prelate called Yoso. Yoso, twenty years Ikkyu's senior had also been a student of Kaso's. Thus, the two had a very close relationship in common. However, they seem to have been as compatible as fire and ice. For Ikkyu, Yoso became the concrete embodiment of all that was evil in tn« church. If we accept Ikkyu's description of Yoso, Yoso was a monk who craved power and prestige, was arrogant to an extreme, greedy for wealth, and hypocritical. He was the epitome of the false monk parading as holy and duping the laity. All the most venemous invectives in the Kyounshu are reserved for Yoso. The traditional biographies record one incident which typifies the nature of the enmity between them. The occasion was the thirteenth anniversary of their master Kaso"s death, held on the 27th of July in 1343. A week previously Ikkyu, upon the request of temple elders, had taken up residence at Nyoian in Daitokuji. Yoso, officially head of the temple, arranged the ceremony and had especially invited certain wealthy merchants from Sakai. They came and were noisy and unruly, but each gave Yoso rich presents afterwards. Two days later, Ikkyu wrote this poem on the wall of Yoso'a house: Let us put some necessary things in a cottage. Like wooden ladles, bamboo baskets, hanging on the east wall, I don't have a lot of furniture like you do. Rivers and seas, many years, traveling with straw rain coat, straw rain hat. Yamato Bunka Ka'ikavx e feelings more directly: 16 Dwelling in the temple ten days, my mind is spinning" 15 Under my feet the red thread is very long. If you come tomorrow and ask after me; I'll he im the fish and sake shops or else a brothel. L"vio.85 "Vamato Buwka Ka.ikav\ ecSMooCJ] ^ With that Ikkyu gathered up his rain coat and hat and left. Such was the hostility between Yoso and Ikkyu. Ikkyu was once even driven by the state of things at Daitokuji to the point of resolving to starve himself to death. The event which is discussed in detail in the commentaries to poems/involved slanderous accusations on the part of false monks and temple intrigue. Ikkyu in a fit of despair fled to Mount Jo-u's Shidaji, one of his favorite retreats, and decided to commit suicide by starving to death. News of this came to the court,however, and an imperial edict was issued to dissuade him from carrying out his resolve. The edict said: "If the honourable monk does this, Buddha's way, the King's way will be caused to perish. How can the master cast us aside like this, how can the master forget his 17 country like this." From the wording of this edict we can see how high an esteem the emperor held for Ikkyu,and also how personal the connection between Ikkyu and the court was. This edict from the emperor combined with friend's entreaties gradually moved Ikkyu to change his mind. He finally came back to Kyoto^ and from that time until he was made Bishop^ he dwelt only in Katsuroan and not within the Daitokuji groundsA . 18 Another incident of interest during this middle period of Ikkyu's life which was his receiving of Kaso's seal of correct transmission. 17 Kaso had decided on the occassion of Ikkyu's enlightenment to make him his sole successor; the document stated specifically, "This is my only son/' and was dated April of the year 1421, the same year as the afore- 19 mentioned enlightenment. However, for what reasons we know not, he did not give this document to Ikkyu himself but rather entrusted it to a lady of the court named Sokitsu to keep until after his death at which time she was to transfer it to Ikkyu. She, in turn, however, entrusted it to Prime Minister Minamoto who kept it for some years. Finally in the year 1438, when Ikkyu was forty-four years old, Ikkyu paid the Prime Minister a visit,and the Prime Minister gave him the seal. Ikkyu is supposed to have said on this occassion: "How well we can see today's con• ditions, Buddha's great dharma scattered and ruined, jewels and stones, good and bad, mixed and confused. Those who have understood the true vision find that priests who resemble priests but are not priests are little by little presumptuously trampling the true dharma more and more 20 to the ground." Me then burnt the seal. This act did not in any way represent disrespect for his old master but rather a profound respect for the phenomenenof "wordless transmission" that is at the foundation of Zen. All around him he could see false monks like Yoso with scraps of paper claiming true transmission; Ikkyu himself needed no such papers to prove his enlightenment. In later years, Ikkyu's life moderated somewhat; at least the tone of the episodes is . not so extreme. He found in the temple Shuonan in Takigi a quiet retreat, not so remote and wild as Mount Jo-u and yet far enough removed from the confusion of Kyoto and Daitokuji to be a 18 suitable place for rest and renewal. However, as Ikkyu's life became more calm, the political state of the nation rose to a fever pitch. The Onin disorder broke out in 1468. Ikkyu was seventy-four years old. He was forced to flee from Kyoto as fighting broke out in the streets, and indeed, during the conflagration that followed, Ikkyu's Katsuroan 21 - was burned to the ground. Ikkyu escaped to Takigi which remained peaceful for some time. Ikkyu was able to hold the hundredth anniversary of Reizan Osho there, and the people who gathered to hear him on that 22 occassion were many. A year later, military strife spread to Takigi as well, and Ikkyu fled to the Izumi region this time, staying in various 23 places until the fighting had abated. Seven years later, at the age of eighty-one Ikkyu was called to become Bishop of Daitokuji. The poem he wrote on the day he assumed "tfoe - post eloquently describes his feelings toward the receiving of this honor: Daito's school destroyed his remaining lightD Difficult to explain singing in the heart,one night's eternity. For fifty years a fellow of straw rain hat and coat, 24 Shameful today, a purple-robed monk. tjno. 514 Yamato Bunka Kaikan edition^] Having been & renegade for most of his life, taking up such a dignified and lofty position in an institution he had criticised for so many years must have been odd for Ikkyu. However, it was a time of difficulty for Daitokuji since it had been largely destroyed by fire in the preceding wars and was in need of a strong and just man to lead the reconstruction. Thus, it was not just a position of eminence Ikkyu acceeded to,but also an opportunity to be of great help. In the next few years he is supposed 25 to have exhausted himself with aiding in the reconstruction. 19 Ikkyu apparently suffered greatly from the heat in his last years and took every opportunity he could to retreat to Takigi and his beloved Shuonan. He finally died there in 1482 at the age of eighty-eight and was also buried there. His death poem is recorded as being: South of Mount Sumeru, Who meets my Zen ? Even if Kido comes, 26 He's not worth half a penny. Cnot vn Ysvnato BuWka Ka'ikaw ecTrtiovnTJ Even from the description in the traditional biography, it is obvious that Ikkyu was quite an eccentric figure. Ikkyu too seems to have had this sense of himself; since the name he gave himself was Kyoun, "Mad Cloud". This does not necessarily mean, however, that he considered himself crazy. Ikkyu was simply aware that to the rest of the world assuming the validity of mundane reality, he appeared to be crazy, while at a transcendental level of reality he was not crazy at all; but rather quite sane, more sane perhaps than any one else. Thus, he was not afraid to call himself crazy for it was a way of pointing at his supra-mundane reality sanity. One of Ikkyu's eccentricities which is almost completely left out of the traditional biographies is his love of making love and in general a soft spot for women. One of the reasons why the traditional biographies have so little to say of Ikkyu's propensity for love, is that their main interest was in preserving Ikkyu's reputation as a great Zen monk. Thus, they found it embarrassing to deal with this aspect of his character. More recent researchers into Ikkyu like Karaki Junzo find it impossible to ignore this information but still find it difficult to harmonize with 20 Ikkyu'8 reputation as a great monk0 Sfaraki Junzo finally concludes that it was unfortunate that Ikkyu, who had no trouble ridding himself of attachment to "name and profit," was so hopelessly addicted to the weak• est 27 ness of the flesh but/lin spite of it all he was still a great monk. However, apologies and excuses are not really necessary. In point of fact, as the translated poems will show, Ikkyu himself almost never felt any shame for his actions<, This may have been partly due to the temper of the times. As has already been mentioned, this was not a time of particularly stern virtue within the Zen church. Many of the monks kept concubines secretly and homosexuality was also rife. For Ikkyu to do openly what other monks kept half hidden was certainly an expression of honesty if nothing else and also a kind of protest. However, more importantly, the nature of Zen enlightenment does not necessarily condemn experience of the senses. Zen,as a branch of Mahayana Buddhism, insists on the essential unity of nirvana "enlightenment'1 and samsara "the sphere of birth and death", Suzuki, in his book on Mahayana Buddhism, presents the formula which is at the core of Mahayana Buddhism, "Yas klec^as so \bodhi, yas samsaras tat nirvananaj' "What is sin or passion, that is Intelligence, what is birth and death that — 28 . — is Nirvana". This means that there is no nirvana to be sought outside this worldly life. Or as this passage from the Vimalakirti Sutra expresses it: "Just as the lotus flowers do not grow in the dry-land, but in the dark colored watery mire, 0 son of good family, it is even so [with Intelligence (prajna or bodhi)J. In non-activity and eternal annihilation which are cherished by the Cravakas and Pratyekabuddhas there is no opportunity for the seeds and sprouts of Buddhahood to grow. Intelligence can grow only in the mire and dirt of passion 21 and sin. It is by virtue of passion and sin that the seeds and sprouts of buddhahood are able to grow,"29 Suzuki himself is very eloquent in the elucidation of this most subtle point: "Nirvana is not to be sought in the heavens nor after a departure from this earthly life nor in the annihilation of human passions and aspirationso On the contrary, it must be sought in the midst of worldliness, as life with all its thrills of pain and pleasure is no more than Nirvana itself."30 This conception has inherent in it a more positive attitude toward the phenomenal world. This characteristic of Mahayana Buddhism contrasts quite strikingly with the more austere and world-disdaining tendencies of Hinayana Buddhism, This conception of the essential unity and voidness of the universe led to a great proliferation in the ways and means of attaining enlighten• ment or salvation, Western religious viewpoint, being that form of Tantric Buddhism which saw the bliss of physical union as the profound experience of the non- 31 dual nature of the universe and celebrated it as such. This is not to suggest that Ikkyu was influenced by this form of Buddhism for he certainly was not, but only to make clear that Ikkyu's fascination with the act of love was not contradictory to the basic principles of Mahayana Buddhism. Perhaps a useful comparison to make here would be one with the English poet John Donne, who is also known equally as an amourous adventurer and devout prelate. Donne is often spoken of as having a "split personality." In his youth, he is depicted as a debauched profligate chasing fugitive pleasures one after another. Then later in life, he is supposed to have renounced and repented his previous life of sin and pursued his redemption with all the powers of body and soul. However, 22 there seems to have been more unity to his personality than that* Certainly, the same spirit runs through all his poems whether secular or religious. There are passages in his love poems that display a pro• foundly mystical or religious attitude toward the act of love. For example in the "Canonization": "So, to one neutral thing both sexes fit wee dye and rise the same, and prove 32 Mysterious by this love." And then later, in his religious poems he often entreats God as though God were a powerful mistress; WYet dearly I love you and would be lov'd faine, But am betroth'd unto your enemie, Divorce mee, untie, or break that knot againe, Take me to you, imprison me, for I Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, Nor ever chast, except you ravish mee. It seems that John Donne was seeking for something throughout his whole life, in his youth through union with women and in his maturity through union with God. This same seeking is at the root of all religions. With Ikkyu, the integration of religion and love, or love of God and love of women is more complete. This may be partly due to the fact that he experienced union with God or the void before he experienced union with women. It will be remembered that Ikkyu spent his youth in strict religious training, and only after he had attained enlightenment did he discover women. It was exactly the opposite with John Donne, and, moreover, it is difficult to 23 speak of enlightenment with John Donne. The doubts never seemed to have ceased in his mind. One gets the impression that he was never really sure that he had found what he was looking for, whereas Ikkyu after his enlightenment; never doubted his own grasp of Zen. Thus, he could say things like "once enter a brothel, then great wisdom happens " and be absolutely sure of his rightness in saying it. So it is that a freer spirit breathes through the poems of Ikkyu,and one is not tempted to speak of a "split personality." 24 Translations: 1 have roughly divided the translated poems into the categories of philosophical, critical, and love, simply to introduce some organization into the presentation. These categories, however, are only loosely applicable since in many poems these themes overlap. I have tried to place the poems according to which theme predominates. N.B. It should be noted that the number in brackets before each poem refers to its number in the Yamato Bunka]Kaikan edition of the Kyounshu since it was that text which I took as final authority. IV. Philosophical Poems Ikkyu's philosophical poems are almost exclusively concerned with points of Zen philosophy. Ikkyu, in some poems, explores the various special characteristics of the philosophies of the former great masters and in other poems presents his own thought; but they are all linked by their common basis in Zen thought and its ultimate goal, enlightenment. The phenomenon of enlightenment is the topic of many of these poems. Perhaps the word philosophical is misleading because of its analytical connotations^and these poems are certainly not analytical. However, I hesitated to call them religious because of their abstract content; something between philosophical and religious would have been the proper word. rinzai shiryoken a b Hinzai's Four Points of View a. Rinzai Gigen (Lin-chi I-hsiian) $u fit hi (? - 850) was a great T'ang master, founder of the Hinzai Sect of Zen to which Ikkyu belonged. b. The "Four Points of View" shiryoken; are among Hinzai*s teachings recorded in the Rinzai roku (Lin-chi lu) 7^" ^II.1 Although it is not known whether Rinzai himself refered to them as "Points of View" or 2 not, they were certainly known to later generations as such. In essense, they represent four ways of conceiving the relationship between subject and object,which are also four ways of conceiving reality. Ikkyu takes these "Four Points of View" as titles for four poems which are then 26 comments on them. if f*\ | 4- f f # & * - & datsu nin fudatsu kyo Hyakujo Isan na imada kyu sezu yako no mi to suikogyu to zenctvono koji so no ju suru nashi koyoshufu tomo ni ichiro Taking away the subject, not taking away the object Hyakujo,a Isan,^ names not yet still: c d Wild fox body and water buffalo bull. No monks dwell in the former dynasty's old temples; Yellow leaves and autumn wind share the pavilion. a. ^Hyakujo "was a Zen monk of the T'ang Dynasty, born 720, died 814; his full name is Hyakujo Ekai (Po-chang Huai-hai) He studied Zen with Baso Doitsu (Ma-tsu Dao-i) He is most famous for drawing up a set of rules for the organization of Zen 27 communities, one of the most basic miles being "a day of no working is a 3 day of no eating". b. °Isan"is another monk of the T'ang dynasty, died 813. His full name is Isan Reiyu (Wei-shan Mng-yu) /fe] ^' $L s He was a student of _ 4 Hyakujo and co-founder of the Igyo (Wei-yangj sect of Zen in China. c. "Wild fox body"is an allusion to a story concerning Hyakujo. The story goes as follows: "There was an old man who listened everyday to Hyakujo expounding the law and afterwards left with the crowd. One day he stayed behind. Hyakujo asked him who he was. The old man replied saying, 'Once in the time of Eashobutsu (a Buddha before ShakyameniJ there was a teacher named Boko [a Mister So and So] living on this mountain. A student of his asked him, 'Can a man of great training fall into the chain of Karma or not?' Boko said, lNo, he does not fall into the chains of Karma." Then,after this Boko died;he was reincarnated five hundred times as a fox. Now, I ask you for the sake of this Boko, say the word of enlightenment that he may be liberated from his fox body.' Hyakujo said, 'The man of great training does not ignore Karma.' At this the old - «5 man was immediately enlightened and revered Hyakujo. ... d. *'Water buffalo"refers to a koan of Isan's in which he confronts his students with the problem: "Suppose, a hundred years after I die, a water buffalo comes to the parochial houses with an inscription on his left flank saying 'Monk Isan'. Then, if you say 'This is Isan,' it is still a water buffalo, if you say 'It is a water buffalo.' then it is still Monk Isan. If you say, 'What kind of a thing is this?', then you understand."^ e. Rinzai, when asked for further explanation of his "Four Points of View" provided comments for each one and these are given at the end of each of Ikkyu's poems for the sake of comparison, Kudu's cotwnenHW Os): 9 & % q The shining sun, breaking forth, the earth is spread with a brocade of flowers,* On the child hangs hair as white as thread. w f >i % if • A. * $ if l| * ftfl *L*^ * * i. & 4 Mfif . datsu kyo fudatsu nin Rinzai no jison tare ka tekiden shufu mekkyaku su katsuro hen boai chikujo furyu no tomo kyokuroku Ssokuvjo myori no zen Taking away the object, not taking away the subject Who, among Rinzai's descendents received the true transmission? 4My teaching will be lost in the hands of blind donkeys Ia Straw sandals, bamboo walking stick, I'll be a friend of wind and stream* 29 Monk's chairs, wooden beds, you can have your Zen of name and ... c.d. profit. a, "My teaching will be lost in the hands of blind donkeys" is a quote from the Rinzai o»oku. At the occasion of this remark, Rinzai was sick and close to death. Re had called his favorite disciple to his bedside and asked what he would say after Rinzai was dead to someone who came and asked,"\rfhat was Rinzai's teaching?" The disciple shouted, whereupon Rinzai 7 said, "You see my teaching will be lost in the hands of blind donkeys." This is one of the paradoxes of Rinzai Zen., for according to tradition, Rinzai's Zen was transmitted to that pupil, yet the story seems to indicate otherwise. b. "Monk's chairs, wooden beds" - These pieces of furniture are associated with high-ranking monks. The portraits of famous monks usually show them seated in a chair. Wooden beds were considered more luxurious than traditional rope ones because they were usually ornate. c. "Name and profit"is a classic expression which denotes all desire after personal aggrandizement and wealth. The word ri or "profit" has had a decidedly pejorative connotation ever since Mencius in the opening passage of his book so soundly berated the King of Wei for even mentioning it0 It certainly has that sense here. d. Rinzai'8 comment for the same "Ppint of View": n l i ^ it 4 /l The King's commands already carried out all over the country, The general outside the frontier brings an end to smoke and dust. 30 U5J If t *. I il it # ifc tt'ii ft /$ A. L A if itf K £ if & a <9 & M ninkyo gudatsu ehiei kisho mi chanten Hei)Fun shin o zetsu shite wato madoka nari yarai mekkyaku su shijin no kyo kei wa oru shufu hakuro no mae Taking away both subject and object a b The pheasant takes for cover, the tortoise is scorched, one is obstructed. Revolts in Pin and Fen, belief is cut off yet people chatter. Night comes and the poet's inspiration dies avay. Q Before white frost, the cinnamon tree lies broken, autumn wind. a. "The pheasant takes for cover" refers to a story about a forest fire g in which a pheasant plays a heroic but desperate part. It is a metaphor for a distressing situation. b. "The tortoise is scorched" refers to the ancient custom of obtaining 31 oracles by patting a hot iron to a tortoise shell and then interpreting the cracks thereby produced. In times of distress, oracles are frequently sought. c. "One is obstructed" means the oracle is bad; one cannot do what one wants to do. The line as a whole is suggesting a time of misfortune. d. "Revolts in Pin and Fen belief is cut off". This is a direct quote from Rinzai's comment on the same opinion, (see following). The commentary to the Rinzai's Roku says that Pin and Fen were two provinces of the T'ang empire who revolted against the dynasty under the leadership of Go Gensai (Wu Yuan-chi) % L lw .9 The meaning of Rinzai's comment seems to be that belief or trust in humanity is extinguished by the treacherous revolt of Pin and Fan. That is, it is no longer possible to believe that human order can prevail forever. This is an ironic contrast to the previous prose poem of Rinzai's where human order, the King's way, looked to be permanent. e. Rinzai's comment for the third "Point of View". # ft ifc ft if k - * The revolts of Ron and Fan cut off belief, He is alone, staying in one corner. (16) A. A A r- 4 | it H it ^ & tf i ii to & * ^ % ninkyo gufudatsu iu nakare sairai sen hanmon to inbo shushi ni kokun ari tada hito no Sojo ga katsu o wa su ni yotte chodan su kindai nippo no kumo Not taking away subject or object Don't say bring on some more moneyI Brothels and sake-shops have their own merit. It's just for that people talk of Sojo'sa thirst: Breathtaking, music from the koto stand, clouds at sunset.^ a. Sojo's thirst - Sojo is a famous character of the Han dynasty. His full name is Shiba Sojo (Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju) He was a man of high rank and served as an official from time to time, but he -tVius, was extremely fond of reading books and drinking wine and'1 never kept a position for long and was always poor. One day he fell in love with a lord's daughter Bunkun ^Wen-chun) ^- . He won her love by playing to her night after night on his Koto, ^hence the reference to the Koto in the fourth line). However, he was still too poor to support his newly- won wife, so he sold his carriage, one of his few remaining possessions and bought a wine shop. The wine shop was a financial success and content with his wife and his !koto, Sojo never had to want for wine again. b. Rinzai's comment for the fourth "Point of View." £ f f it if Jt i& i! 33 The King goes up to his treasure house In the field an old man sings "Rinzai's Four Points of View" can be interpreted in two ways, either as four ways of conceiving reality or four stages of attainment in the course of enlightenmento Suzuki is of the opinion that they are four ways of stating reality which are at the same time independent from one 11 another and connected to one another. Suzuki lays emphasis on the understanding of the word nin A ; he maintains that it is not "man" in any absolute sense nor an individual man but rather "subject" in intimate relationship with and opposition to "object" kyo \ while the terms datsu and fudatsu ~& ^ correspond to "negating", 12 "taking away", and "affirming", "not taking away". Suzuki also says that since Rinzai left these four phrases with only the four sets of oblique comments for explanation, it always has been and is very unclear what Rinzai himself exactly meant by these "Four Points of View." He concludes that it is for each person who undertakes to study the "Four 13 Points of View" to make hxs own commentary as Suzuki himself has done. Thus, with encouragement and aid from Suzuki Daisetsu, I have humbly attempted a commentary of my own for these evasive "Four Points of View" and Ikkyu's poems, which are no more straightforward. The first of the "Four Points of View", "Taking away the subject, not taking away the object" denotes a state in which the object is affirmed and the subject is negated. This really amounts to the affirmation of the substance or reality of the object as opposed to the non-substance and unreality of the subject,, In the human world, the subject is always 34 "I" or the ego-self, while the object is the world at large, the objective universe. Here then,it is a case where the "I" has no real substance to it while the world at large does. Thus, in Rinzai's comments the field brocaded with flowers represents the objective world or nature which with its ever-renewing cycles is full of substance and reality^while the image of the child with white hair denotes the "I", the ego-self, which when it dies is gone and so has no real substance. In Ikkyu's poem, Hyakujo and Isan represent two "I,Ms who have certainly passed away? their names live by the stories connected with them, but it is certain that no monks are dwelling in the temples where they used to live. There is only the yellow leaves and autumn wind, Ikkyu's images for the objective world of nature,win complement Binzai's spring field of flowers. It is interesting that although the view that objects possess real substance is a false view in Buddhism, in this context it leads toward the negation of ego. That is, the idea of the absolute reality of the objective universe leads to a realization of how small and ephemeral the ego is in comparison, and this tends towards a sense of egolessness which is a step in the right direction so far as Buddhism is concerned. Thus, this point of view can be looked on as a stage in attaining enlightenment. The second "Point of View" designates the situation where the subject is affirmed and the object is negated, that is, subject is regarded as real and object is regarded as unreal. This conception approaches a kind of absolute idealism; indeed, Ui describes this "Point of View" as the opinion "that the entire world is merely a reflection of one's own consciousness. Kinzai's comment for this one seems to refer to Confucianism. His 35 meaning is hard to grasp here, but perhaps he is pointing at the Confucian tendency to regard ideas like jen \z~ "Benevolence," i_ "Justice," and wang-tao %- "the Way of the King,"as more real or having more substance than the objective world. Certainly the attention of the Confucians was centered on ideas, and this quite altered their perception of the objective world. Ikkyu, in his poem, on the other hand, takes the opportunity to brandish forth his own self-confident ego, by asserting, as he does often, that he with his simple habits has inherited the true transmission while other monks bewitched by the fame and gain of the objective world go their way to perdition. Ikkyu asserts himself, his "original nature" and,thus, sees through the illusions of the objective world. Although it is not essential to the interpretation of Ikkyu's poem, it should be noted here that this "Point of View", too, corresponds to a stage in enlightenment because it implys an awareness of the intimate connection between subject and object. The subject is in a sense creating the object^and, thus, the two are in the end one. The third "Point of View" presents the situation where both subject and object are negated. In the language of the Lankavatara sutra this state is known as pudgaladharmanairatmya (here ho has the same meaning as kyo ifj ) "the egol essness of both the individual 15 soul and external objects". In other words, there is "no self-substance l6 in anything." This is regarded as a state of true enlightenment because duality is finally transcended, and all things are realized to be void. This is the point of view which has popularly gained Buddhism a reputation for nihilism. This negative statement of the non-dual truth of the 36 universe presupposes, however, that the opposite positive statement is also true since nothing can be absolute not even negation. However, certainly both Rinzai's comment and Ikkyu's poem have a gloomy aspect about them. Rinzai'8 comment for this "Point of View" seems to be in ironic contrast to the last one where the King's way was followed and all was in peace; here, revolts in Pin and Fan cut off belief in all things, the subject ceases to act. Ikkyu makes a collage of images of distress and suffering in the human, animal, and plant worlds, bad luck for the pheasant and everyone; men aren't dependable, but no one learns; even the poets inspiration is ephemeral; autumn brings death, destruction and cold. Under such circumstances,who wouldn't welcome the extinction of subject and object. The fourth "Point of View" happily presents the positive expression of the non-dual truth' subject and object are both affirmed as real. As was mentioned in the previous discussion of the third "Point of View", the negative expression presupposes that the positive expression is also true°. unreal and real, when duality is transcended^are the same. This is the final goal of Mahayana Buddhism, to come back to the world and act in the world but cleansed of false notions by the process described. Rinzai's comment describes a situation where all seems as it should, the king in his treasure house and the old man singing in the field. Ikkyu's poem emphasizes the fact that from this enlightened point of view there is merit in brothels and sake-shops too. He also advocates living at each moment and not worrying for the future. So, if you have only a little money now, don't worry about spending it on wine for who knows what to• morrow may bring, luck like Sojo's perhaps. This is Ikkyu's way of saying 37 "Live in the eternal now." (7) * A t * On -f ii Kido Osho o san su Ikuo no juin yo mina somuku hoe o hoge shite haai no gotoshi Rinzai no shoden itten nashi itten no fugetsu gin kai ni mitsu Praising Monk Kido b The master of YH-wang revolted in every way against the world, Abandoning his habit as though it were a broken sandal, Rinzai's correct transmission, not a single point. Whole sky, wind whistling moon, fills a singing heart. a. ,' H Eighty-five years Not even knowing the Patriarchs, Rowing with elbow, serving, going, 17 Erasing my tracks in the Great Void. be "Yu-wang"- This is one of the many mountain temples that Kido served at. He was supposed to have been the Master of Yu-wang for a three year 18 period starting in 1258. Ikkyu often found encouragement and consolation in studying the teachings and exploits of the great Zen masters of the T'ang and Sung periods. He felt particularly close to Kido Osho since there was some similarities in their life styles. Ikkyu sometimes signed himself as, "Ikkyu Sojun, the seventh generation of Kido." It will also be remembered that he mentioned Kido in his death poem, "if Kido comes, he's not worth half a penny." This sounds disrespectful,but it is really like a joke between soulmates. Kido, only wanting to obscure his tracks in the void had no intention whatsoever to be remembered as worthy. Thus, Ikkyu's poem is actually a kind of backhand compliment. This poem praising Kido is more straightforward. Ikkyu praises him for being such an "homme revolte" and so marvelously detached from his status as a monk. He could discard his habit as if it were a broken sandal. Kido didn't even know about the Patriarchs, how much less concerned must he have been with the fine points of the correct transmission 39 of Rinzai, something which was probably debated at great length in the temples that Ikkyu was accustomed to. Ikkyu finishes the poem with an image from nature, the moon on a windy night which symbolizes the free spirit of Kido. Thinking of him,Ikkyu is filled with poems. (9) *> #[ I ;f f f £ & $3 * A ?$ % ^ I - °% & @ Ik hi f IL 4 | * ika nam ka kore Rinzai ka no ji, . QoSo en iwaku gogyaku rai o kiku kisen no ikkatsu tetsuchi kuzuru gogyaku ganrai noso ni ari tori shun^pu seien no yube hansei hahsui shu jo no gotoshi What is it like, the Rinzai sect? Ihe Fifth Patriarch lecturing said, "the five sins, and one hears thunder." Just at the threshold^ one shout and the iron cage crumbles. The five sins are in monks since the beginning. Peach and plum, spring wind, a beautiful feast at evening: Half sober, half drunk, sake's like a rope. 40 a. "The Fifth Patriarch"- Gunin (Hung-jen) >1« is the Fifth Patriarch of the Zen sect and lived during the T'ang dynasty in China. All the patriarchs before the Sixth Patriarch have a somewhat legendary existence and therefore definite dates are not available. He was reported to be the first Zen patriarch to have a very large following,, However, his fame is somewhat overshadowed by the pre-eminence of the Sixth Patriarch. \i „ anJ one. ,, b. The Five SinsAhears thunder - These are a list of five crimes against Buddhism which are supposed to without fail send one to infernal punish• ment. In order of ascending seriousness they are: to kill one's father, to kill one's mother, to kill an arhat (an enlightened man), to draw blood 19 from a Buddha, and to cause dissension within the Order. I think, however, that here the Five Sins are not to be taken too literally but rather as a metaphor for man's propensity to do evil. "To hear thunder" is to be shocked into an awareness of the nature of sin. Ikkyu seems to equate it with Rinzai*s shouting. c0 "The threshold" refers to the point in time which is right for attaining enlightenment. Rinzai was famous for shouting at the right time to push his students to sudden enlightenment. At the breaking point, all distinctions between good and evil, sin and virtue, are dispelled and the iron cage that such dualistic thinking produces collapses. All monks are chained by the notion of sin. Rinzai's katsu has also been compared to "Vajra's 20 precious sword", thus^it is capable of cutting the rope of attachment to the spring evening feasts and over-indulgence in wine. Above all, the special characteristic of Rinzai's Zen is complete liberation. (10) +• n L t ?? & •% i*« «? $ f « A. c a i- g -V + * i n $ n - f i ? M ^ * «. i i» 4. ika nam ka kore Vomon shu, en iwaku koki senjaku kaki kaze atataka ni shite shundai ni ugoku hachiju jo in shi seki hiraku ichiji kan, sankutai ikubaku hito ka ganri ni koai o tsuku What is it like, Unmon's sect? He lecturing said, "The red flag sparkles and flashes"** The fine flag in the warm wind moves above the spring dais, Eighty people or more, the master begins his lecture. c d One word barrier, three phrase body of knowledge : How many people have red specks in their eyes? a. Unmon Bunen (Yun-men Wen-yen) ^ fl was a monk of the Late T'ang dynasty (died 9^9). Seppo Gizon (Hsueh-feng I-ts'un) 42 ^ was his master. Seppo broke Unmon's leg by closing a 21 door on it, and the resulting pain enlightened him. He was founder of the Unmon sect which,however, was never brought to Japan. b„ The red flag sparkles and flashes is a koan of Unmon's about the 22 nature of enlightenment. c. ''One word barrier"- This refers to a story in which Unmon is involved. It goes, "At the end of the summer, Suigan said to a gathering, 'For one gammer now, I have been explaining the Dharma to you students„ See, do I still have eyebrows?' \People who falsify the Dharma are supposed to get leprosy, one of the first signs of which is the loss of eyebrowsTj Hofuku said, 'Robbers have false hearts.* Chokei said, ' your eyebrows are growing.' Unmon said, l!lkantl (barrier).0 This came to be known as, "Unmon's one word barrier." It is believed Unmon meant something like "There's a trap here." d. "Three phrase body of Knowledge"refers to three famous phrases of Unmon's. The first being kangai kenkon, l^l "box and lid, heaven and earth; the second, setsudan shuryu, (5v >«Ll /^cutting off, everything flows;" and the third, zuiha chikuro, ft. it ii. >L ''following waves, chasing waves." A clear explanation of these phrases which in themselves are koans is a thorny problem indeed. I have decided to follow the lead of l/umoulin and take as a guide his interpretation of the commentary on these three phrases by Engo Kokugon. Accordingly, the meaning of the first is "True Reality, True Emptiness is the marvelous existence in each perception, each cognition, completely evident and unequivocal." The second phrase means, "True Reality defies understanding or expression in words. When all appearances suddenly come to a rest, the passions are destroyed." And the third means, "The knowledge of reality gained through outside objects is said to be like the characterizing and knowing of the earth from its germs or a man from his words. (That is, 24 appearances are completely relative; ....)" Many of Ikkyu's poems seem to be composed like collages; the connection, s between the lines are not based on any logical or rational kind of continuity. One line simply evokes the next, sometimes by way of complement, sometimes by way of contrast, sometimes by way of random association. This is a poem of this type. The subject of the poem, "What is it like Unmon's sect?,"unifies the poem, the content of the poem being bits and pieces of what Ikkyu knows about Unmon. The red flag calls into Ikkyu's mind the image of a spring meeting of monks under banners, Unmon presiding, enlightening the gathering with his characteristically laconic teaching. Since this is not Rinzai, however, Ikkyu feels moved to criticize this sect, so the last line, "How many people have red specks in their eyes?" has a pejorative sense, meaning how many people have received this teaching and still remain unenlightened. (11) : •h w L \L t ft fa «L *i, * Jdf #j 1 >t %r 44 Ika nam ka kore Igyo shu, en iwaku danbi koro ni yokotau Ejaku wa shaka Reiyu wa ushi himo sabutsu mata furyu kohi michi tayu chokei no kaku bansei no seimei koyv> no aki ••ft What is it like, this Igyo sect? He lecturing said, "a cut down stone marker lying on it s side on the old road." b —c Ejaku became a monk, Heiyu became a cow; A Buddha covered with hsdr £$ Also delightful. Old stone marker, the road stops, man of the long valley.** 10,000 generations of names, autumn's yellow leaves. a. Igyo (Wei-yang) sect - During the T'ang dynasty the Zen sect was split into North and South. The Igyo sect was one of the Five houses, of the Southern branch. The sect was co-founded by Isan Reiyu (Wei-shan Ling-yu) i* %_ and Ryozan Ejaku (Yang-shan Hui-chi) $f between the years 806 to 820. The Igyo sect was not long-lived however, and by the beginning of the Sung dynasty, in 960, it was 25 amalgamated into the Rinzai sect. b. Ejaku-The aforementioned Ryozan Ejaku was born in 814 and died in 890. As a youth of fifteen he wanted to leave his family home and become a monk but he was denied permission from his parents. At the age of seventeen he cut off two fingers to impress his parents with the earnest• ness of his intention and was finally allowed to go.^ c. Isan Reiyu (see poem 13 for biographical information and the story of 45 the cow.) d. ''man of the long valley"- in the Sotei jien (Tsu-t'ing shih-yuan) )tj Isan is described as having been "born in the long 27 valley of Fukushu (Fu-chou)" This poem is another collage poem, this time the subject being the Igyo sect. This sect was already long extinct by Ikkyu's time and the second part of the title about the old stone marker lying on the road refers to this fact. Whenever Ikkyu mentions Isan, the next reference is to a cow, since Ikkyu's favorite story in connection with Isan seems to have been the story of the water buffalo reincarnation. Here again, Ikkyu expresses his amusement at the idea of a Buddha covered with hair. The third line harks back to the fact that the Igyo sect is no more. The fourth line is very similar to the last line of poem 13, the image being autumn leaves expressing the relentless passing away of generations of people and leaves, the classic Buddhist theme of impermanence. (12) I £ * iSL A H % - $ A t h L # # #- 46 ika nam ka kore Hogen shu en iwaku junnin yo o okasu itteki no Sogen, itteki fukashi junnin nyonyo yo chinchin seizan manmoku kore nan no ho zo kashu nao hoshin o manabu ga gotoshi What is it like this Hogen sect , he lecturing said, "The watchman breaks into the night." One drop at the source of the Ts'ao,** one drop deep. The watchman raises a row,but the night is silent and deep. Verdant mountains fill everyone's eyes, what kind of law is this? It is like the ugly women studying to frown. a. The Hogen (Fa-yen) sect was a sect of the late T'ang dynasty and Five Dynastj^js period. It was founded by the Hogen Buneki (Fa-yen Wen-i) jC- 885-958, a very learned man who brought Zen closer to a form of sutra Buddhism than any other of the great T'ang Zen masters b. "One drop at the source of the Ts'ao river" - There is a story about Hogen in the Sha shi tsukin (Shin shih t'ung chien) $f ^ ifL -4f«. which goes as follows: "Master Shokoku asked Hogen, 'What is it like, one drop of water from the Ts'ao river?' Hogen said, 'It is one drop of water from the - 29 Ts'ao river.' Shokoku hearing this was immediately enlightened. ..." The other story which helps to elucidate the meaning of this reference, is one from the Dento Roku, (Ch'uan teng lu) which records that "In the year 502, there was a monk named Chih-yao who sailed in a boat until he 47 VIM - cVlot> reached issssfea and the waters of the Ts'ao river. Ue had heard of the excellent taste of this water and said that at the upper reaches of this river there was fine land. Accordingly, he built a mountain temple there and called it Pao-lin. Many years after, the Sixth Patriarch Eno (Hui- nengj lived and taught there. Thus, water from the river Ts'ao is also a metaphor for the Zen teachings of the Sixth Patriarch c^ In this poem, the watchman represents the unenlightened person. This is made clear in the second line by the contrast between the watch• man, blindly clattering about in the night and the night itself which is infinitely deep and calm and would appear so to the watchman if he could only still himself for a moment. One is reminded of Tokusan (T&» shan) "/vc i* who attained sudden enlightenment when his master blew 31 out the candle, and Tokusan experienced the deepness of the night. It will be remembered that Ikkyu also experienced his enlightenment at night. Hogen's words of enlightenment to Shokoku make up the first line of the poem. The meaning of this line is similar to Blake's "to see the world in a grain of sand," or the passage from the Lankavatara sutra which says that knowing one dharma is to know the 10,000 dharmas. In essence^ it means that by thoroughly penetrating one thing, one can understand all things. The last three lines, however, seem to criticize Hogen. It appears that Ikkyu feels either Hogen or his followers couldn't perceive essential truths for making too much noise. It will be remembered that Hogen brought Zen closest to a form of Sutra Buddhism,and it may be to this that Ikkyu is refering. The third line contrasts with the second by being an image of day rather than night; ihtke-dayi-b^such people do not 48 understand. The fourth line refers to the story of the ugly woman who copied a famous beauty's frown, only to make herself more ugly. The implication is that Hogen mimics true Zen but only makes himself ridiculous. (8) & < *$ ® ft q It £. M k '<' M 4 - fL •f * M f ?i f jfi f& >t U & A it* Daito Kokushi gyojo no sue ni daisu «laito o kakage okoshite itten ni kagayaku iranyo homare o kisou hodo no mae •fusan suishuku hi to no kisuru nashi Daigo kyohen ni niju nen Inscri-p-tion {or the storya of the behavior of Daito Kokushib Raise up high the great lamp,0 let it light the whole sky, The phoenix carriages'* compete to praise before the Dharma Hall, e Wind-eating, water-dwelling , no one remembers f The twenty years he spent around Gojo Bridge. a. story - The character is matsu "the end", but here it is an 49 abbrieviation for jt£ j^. beginning and end, meaning a story. b. Daito Myocho Kokushi A it # ti D if was the founder of Daitokuji. He died at the age of fifty-six in 1337. c. "The great lamp"is a literal translation of Daito's name. I think it is in this sense that Ikkyu meant it to be taken here. d. "Phoenix carriages"means "important" people. e. uVind-eating, water-dwelling'-'is a conventional phrase for describing the life of a very poor person or beggar. f. "Gojo Bridge"is a bridge over the Kamogawa in Kyoto. Daito lived in a temple close to there named Unkoji and begged at the bridge during 33T that time. " So it is with men who become famous, people often forget the time they spent in obscurity. In Ikkyu's time, Daitokuji was such a large and wealthy temple, the celebrations for its founder were lavish and attracted many of the most powerful people in the country. However, few of these people bothered to remember that part of Daito's greatness was due to the fact that he had spent twenty years begging around Gojo J Bridge. Ikkyu remembers it. (311, 312, 313, and 314) prose introduction: ilk f & t %i h f«# M h % f 50 % & h & ± 1 L M JL & ^ *q H t il /A 4 *1 h % fL L )k >L % i % ft /§ 1 & Good and evil have never been confused. In this world, those who do good are all friends of Shun, and those who do evil are all friends of Chieho^ The pheasant is always attacked by the hawk, the rat is always bitten by the cat, this is innate in them and decided beforehand. The way in which all living creatures take refuge in Buddha's Virtue and escape sinking into birth and death is also like that.0 Therefore, I made poems and instructed a gathering with them. a. Shun = The legendary Emperor Shun, one of the triumvirate of model rulers, Yu, Yao and Shun. b. Chieh - the cruel last ruler of the Hsia Dynasty who was as infamous for evil as Shun was famous for good. c. They also have this capacity for goodness innate in them. 1311) | Hi to L * & ft % H) £ IB 0 ifc. I f >$ % k A !J 1 18. A % i\ yochi somyo moto jinen ion gorai kyu innen terashi miru Basel zangetsu no akatsuki Meiko no kikan Bakai no mae Eagle and pheasant, rat and cat, are originally so of themselves; Since time immemorial the ancient lav of karma. To see the moon remaining at dawn at Hua-ch'ing, — b c Was Genso's reminder of what happened at Ma-wei. a. "Hua-ch1ing"was a palace built by the T'ang Emperor Genso (Hsuan-tsung) "Kin. for his favorite concubine Yokihi (Yang-kuei-fei). The line as a whole seems to allude to the line in PbjChu-i's poem "The Long Grief"; i J * h h % K & 35 "At the temporary palace, see the moon, color of a wounded heart," This line describes Genso still in exile at a temporary palace after Yokihi is dead, looking at the moon. b. "Genso's reminder"- The T'ang Emperor Genso was so infatuated with the concubine Yokihi that he shamefully neglected the affairs of state. Because of this neglect and also the lavish amounts of money Genso spent in building palaces and gardens for Yokihi, the country was close to financial ruin. An officer of high rank in the army, Anrokuzan (An- lu-shanj, seeing his opportunity started a revolt which at first was very successful and swept him into the capital. The Emperor and his court were forced to flee with the remnants of the Imperial army. At Ma-wei, however, the army refused to defend the Emperor until he killed Yokihi whom they considered as primarily responsible for the decline of the country. Thus, to save the dynasty, Genso was forced to kill Yokihi himself. This pacified his troops. His son then set himself up as Emperor in another part of the country and gradually won back their losses. Genso was eventually called back to the capital and lived the rest of his life in lonely retirement with only the memories of the former happy times with Yokihi to comfort him. c. As mentioned above, Ma-wei was the place where Yokihi was killed. (312; A I it A : t t & i % />'L> 1 * t t- & >f kagen^mi tarebito ka ryodatsu su akunin wa chinrin shi zensha wa datsu su furyu aisubeshi koan madokanari Tokusan no bo Rinzai no katsu Past, present, and future, who comprehends it? Bad people sink, good people are released; Pleasure is lovable, the koan is complete: a b Tokusan's stick, Hinzai's shout. a. "Tokusan's stick"- The Zen master Tokusan Senkan (Te-shan Hsiian- chien) ifL- b 2 WL was noted for his use of the stick in Zen teaching, He is recorded as saying to a group of his followers, "Whether a person can explain or not, he receives thirty blows with the stick," This gives some idea of the extent to which Tokusan used his stick. b. "Rinzai's shout"- The Zen master Rinzai Gigen was equally famous for shouting at the right occassions. (313) & A M k ^ k it % 4 * i i ^ \\ * il iL k furyu no shifun mata kosho Tomyo no Nyorai dancho o ikansen shinnu kore Bakaisen ka no haku rikon no senjo fuso ni takuseraru Elegant in her powder and rouge; Even a Supremely Enlightened Buddha would be touched. See she is the spirit from the spring of Ma-wei: The beauty's departed soul was banished to Japan, perhaps. 54 1 £.' at 2 f £ I * f %- t % ft shinjin sadamarazu ka to shin to yokkai no shujo kushin ni shizumu shumu sansho rokujikko gokku raushiki Bakai no kami i Body and mind cannot be separated into temporary or real. In the world of desire, everyone sinks into suffering. Bittersweet dream, past, present and future, sixty kalpas,a The kalpas are void and formless, the spirit of Ma-wei. a. kalpa - a Buddhist measurement of time, qualified in such poetic ways as, "The period required for a celestial woman to wear away a ten-mile cubic stone if she touched it with her garments once every three years^" •30 which means that it is a very long period of time. Ikkyu in these poems and prose passage reflects on the nature of karma, the Buddhist concept of cause and effect. In the beginning it seems quite simple: good acts bring good effects, bad acts bring bad effects, and certain things are set; the eagle always attacks the pheasant, the cat always bites the rat. Nothing leads one to reflect on the laws of 55 karma so much as examples of people in lofty positions falling from grace at a single blow,, So, in the first poem Ikkyu thinks of Yokihi, who had risen so high in the world that the mothers and fathers of China began to wish for girl babies rather than boy babies so that they could follow her example. However, no sooner was she at her zenith than by fate in the guise of the Anrokuzan rebellion, she was cut down. Genso too, was in the same position, having found a woman who pleased him more than anything in the world, he was forced to kill her the next moment. The second poem brings the resolution to this seemingly untenable situation; all is as it should be, only false thinking makes it seem otherwise and there is always Tokusan's stick and Rinzai's shout to jolt one out of that. The third and fourth poem present a positive and negative attitude towards the world and,more particularly, the situation ©f Genso and Yokihi. They correspond roughly to the last two of Hinzai*s "Four Points of View", the positive and negative way of stating the truth of the universe. The third poem presents the positive attitude. Ikkyu delights in beauty and is optimistic for since great beauties like everyone else are reincarnated time and time again into the world; maybe Yokihi will be reincarnated in Japan next time. This attitude is one that sees the whole world as a stage and players, playing out dramas forever,that if they are not real, are beautiful. The fourth poem presents a negative attitude to the same situation, all the world is a dream, not real, and no one can escape suffering unless they escape the dream altogether. In essense, the universe is void and ..fQfinless; there you will find the spirit of MarwaJ. 56 (73) I ft <5 f I * f lb tfC * A 4 & * ^ ^ if i 4 ii- f. fli * *f iii *v ft ushi irui kochu kore waga so no wa kyo ni yori mata kyo wa no ni yoru shussho bokyaku su raiji no michi shirazu tonen ta ga uji no so The Cow Come amohg the beasts to teach, this is what I have done. The perceiver depends on the perceived; the perceived depends on perceiver. We are born and forget the path which we came; No one knows in those times what monk's name I had. ^ ^§ 39 teacher's being born as an animal in order to explicate the dharma. b. "perceiver" - The character no in this context is almost equatable with the idea of teacher. In this sense, it is often paired with sho ft\. Thus, noke ht> iLi is the teacher who transforms and shoke is the student who is transformed. Another way of conceiving this is in the terms of subject and object, no being the subject and kyo t% being the object. 57 Here,I chose perceiver and perceived because it is a case of Ikkyu's seeing the cow which occassions this poem. In this poem, Ikkyu again embellishes the theme of Isan's koan about coming back as a cow. It seems to have been a koan he found endlessly amusing. In this poem the cow speaks in the first person. The circumstances surrounding this poem will explain why. The story goes that Ikkyu one day visited the house of a lay temple supporter. In an enclosure he noticed an old cow and wrote the preceding poem which he then hung on the end of the cow's horn, just as though it was a poem the cow might say. . The next day the cow died and when the owner of the cow saw Ikkyu,he teased him, saying "Your poem killed my cow." and Ikkyu laughed.^ The second line refers to the fact that to the farmer the cow was just a cow but to Ikkyu it was a memory of Isan and a vehicle for reflecting on the nature of karma. Hence,what was seen depended on the seer, and the seer,Adepended on what was seen for his inspiration. (18) i fk ($ > i >% n. ff <»- )% :* V) H 1 ff % i 'ft % t c t 58 Ganto senkyo no zu, nisha Esho igo sogyo o yaburu ichidan no furyu kajisei to o mawashite imada inin no te to nasu o omowazu token tsuki ni sakende yo san ko This is the first of two poems entitled: Picture of Ganto living on a boat ^two poems) After Hui-ch1angk, monks were abolished. A little more graceful, how about it. Sculling the oar, you wouldn't believe it was by human hand; A cuckoo cries at the moon, midnight. a. Ganto Zenkatsu ^Yen-t'ou Ch'uan-huo ) master of the T'ang dynasty, died in 887 at the age of sixty. He was eighteen at the time of the great persecution of Buddhism and became a 41 ferryboat man until the persecution was over. b. The persecution of Buddhism was started in the fifth year of the 42 Hui-ch'ang era, 845. One would expect a Buddhist monk to find any persecution of Buddhism unfortunate. This was not so with Ikkyu however, who found many pompous robed priests just as odious as the T'ang Emperor did. • "What could be a more delightful and appropriate occupation for a Buddhist monk than that of a ferryman. It will be remembered that Buddha's law is often refered to as a ferryboat for crossing to the shore of enlightenment. 59 The cuckoo calling through the moonlit night over the water, is reminiscent of the conditions surrounding Ikkyu's own enlightenment. (362) & ^ f$ H h * i i f i « H % h L K Honen Shonin o sansu Honen tsutaekiku katsu Wyorai anza su renge jobon dai chisha o shite ninyudo no gotoku narashimu ichimai no kisho mottomo ki naru kana *•* ft Praising Saint Honen Honen, I heard, was a living Buddha; Peacefully sitting on the highest rank of the Lotus dais, Teaching learned men as though they were nuns and lay followers.** — c Honen's One Sheet Document, how marvelous! a. Honen 1133 - 1212 was the founder of the Jodoshu, Pure Land sect, of Buddhism in Japan. It is a form of Buddhism which focuses its attention on the most compassionate of the Buddhas, Amida„ 60 b. That is, at least in the case of the nuns, as though they were illiterate. Co "Honen's One Sheet Document"contains the essence of his doctrine. "The method of final salvation that I have propounded is neither a sort of meditation, such as has been practised by many scholars in China and Japan, nor is it a repetition of the Buddha's name by those who have studied and understood the deep meaning of it. It is nothing but the mere repetition of the "Namu Amida Butsu" without a doubt in his mercy, whereby one may be born into the Land of Perfect Bliss.... Those who believe this, though they clearly understand all the teachings Shaka taught throughout his whole life, should behave themselves like simple- minded folk, who know not a single letter, or like ignorant nuns or monks whose faith is implicitly simple. Thus,without pedantic airs, they should 43 fervently practise the repetition of the name of Amida, and that alone." It may seem strange to read a poem written by a Zen monk praising the Pure Land sect founder, since Zen and the Pure Land Sect are usually considered to be opposed in doctrine. Actually, the Pure Land Sect and Zen have a common point in their distrust of the scholastic or intellectual approach to Buddhism; Zen is always emphasizing the inadequacy of words to convey the doctrine while the Pure Land sect merely considers intellectual knowledge misleading. Historically as well, there have been incidents in which Zen and the Pure Land sect have been linked. One of the candidates for Sixth Patriarch, Chih- hsien, had a disciple Ch'u-chi who leaned toward the Amidist tradition, and his disciple in turn became a prominent teacher in the Pure Land 61 school. However, it is not that Ikkyu is praising Honen's doctrine here, but rather Honen's overwhelming genuineness, as compared with some of the phoney Zen monks with whom Ikkyu was acquainted. (20) u M n it &f &. fa ^ ' h # f ft ft Ni So o sansu Taito konko zenji nashi danpi no kyoden hito shirazu tada yurusu nanzan dosen ga fude atakamo tsu^sho ni shinsui o orosu ga gotoshi Praising the Second Patriarch From China, now and since old times, there are no Zen masters. No one knows the legend of Danpi; c Only Nanzan Dosen's story is allowed: Just as if a needle had been applied to a painful spot. a. The Second Patriarch Keika (Hui-k'o) C- $L % *\ was supposed 62 to have been born in 487 and died at the age of a hundred and seven in 593. He received his transmission at the age of thirty-two from the 45 First Patriarch Bodhidharma. (see following story) b. "Danpi"is a nickname for the Second Patriarch and means "cut off arm". The story of how he got his arm cut off which is also the story of his enlightenment, according to the Humonkan (Wu-men-kuan), is as follows: "Daruma sat staring at the wall, the second Patriarch stood in the snow and [finally after a long time, to prove his earnestnessj cut off his arm, saying, 'My mind is not yet pacified, please master pacify my mind.' Daruma said, 'Then bring out your mind and show it to me.' The Second Patriarch said, 'Whenever 1 look for my mind I can't find it.' 'There,' 46 said Daruma, 'I have pacified your mind.'" and the Second Patriarch was immediately enlightened. c. Nanzan Dos en (Nan-shan Tao-hsuan) ^ J-i jjL i 596-667, was the founder of the Nanzan Eisshu sect in China. He rewrote the story of how the Second Patriarch lost his arm in the Zokukosoden (Hsu-kao s«*\^ c-U'oan) and apparently, at least as far as we can tell from the poem, it was quite current in Japan at Ikkyu's time. His version of the story is as follows: "The Great Patriarch Keika met robbers and had his arm cut off. Controlling his mind with Buddha's law, he didn't feel any pain; with fire he burned the wound, and bound it up with cloth. As though he had been on his way begging, he didn't tell anyone. Later, a priest named Ein (Lin) also met robbers and had his arm cut off. He shouted through the night; Keika came and tended his wounds, and begged food to give to him. Kin got angry with Keika's clumsiness. Keika said 'You 63 have rice cakes in front of you, -why don't you wrap them up?' Rin said, 'I've lost an arm, don't you know?1 Eeika said, '1 don't have an 47 arm either, what is there to get angry about?'" ' Ikkyu obviously prefers the traditional Danpi story, because it is the closest to the truth of Zen. Nanzan Dosen's version is typical of the glowing accounts of famous monks in the face of hardship; it is an edifying story in the conventional sense of the word, but not condusive to pushing the mind beyond its conventional limits. Yet, it is particularly this kind of story which people prefer; the idea of a monk going so far as to cut off his arm for the sake of a few words of enlightenment, strikes a painful spot in most people. The metaphor of the needle in the last line must refer to the technique of acupuncture. Thus, the Danpi story is like the acupuncture needle which, though it hurts, cures. Danpi's act, itself, though painful cured him of his uneasy mind. There is also a certain amount of scholarly evidence to support the opinion that the legend which tells of the Second Patriarch cutting ©ff his arm is perhaps the true story. Ui Hakuju argues this way, first by citing an inscription recorded by Horin (Fa-lin) m 572-640, which has this version of the story and definitely pre-dates / 48 Nansan JDosen's version. Then he quotes two manuscripts from Tun-Huang, the P'u-t'i-ta-mo-nan-ta'un-t'ing-shih-fei-lun^ % ^ $?> !_ f ife and the Leng-ch" ieh-shih-tsu-chi^ M» £f fL iLS which both record the version where the Second Patriarch cuts off his own arm. Thus the textual evidence for this story is substantial. Suzuki,too,is of the opinion that this story is the true one, and 64 he backs up his argument with psychological reasoning. He maintains that, as this was the culmination for Keika of many years of seeking for enlightenment through scholastic sutra Buddhism which had always left him unsatisfied, even such a drastic act was understandable. In amother place, Suzuki, again reflecting on the story of Danpi, feels that maybe it is too much that Keika should be standing in the snow as well at the time, and perhaps this detail was added to make it a good 52. story. However, his essential acceptance of the story remains unchanged. Ui, also provides a psychological argument to support his view that the Danf>i story is the true one. It is really an argument against those who cannot accept the story on the basis of common sense. He says people like that, modern scholars, simply cannot imagine what such a "desire 55 to seek the way" is like because they do not feel it themselves. This is close to what Ikkyu meant when he said that the Danpi story hits a 54- painful spot in people. ' (25, 26, and 27) f P '> % £ Kido Osho santibengo Monk Kido's three sayings of enlightenment "Three sayings of enlightenment" (literally "three turn-around words") have been recorded for many of the great Zen monks. Ikkyu wrote poems for the sancfcengo of the masters, Joshu, Daito, Shogen, and Kido. These of Kido, I found the most interesting. The three sayings of Kido are titles for the three poems. (25) 6 Ik t fl * 0 i J» i t ft f # I ]|: t < t & i- * A i$ f t * 4 * kogan imada akiraka narazaru tei, nani ni yotte ka koku o motte fuko to nashite tsuku ga^_byo rei cho ue imada mitazu nyojo nojkogan mite mo no gotoshi kando ichi ya koromo o amou i raki senju an ni genjo One's own eyes not yet clear, how with empty space make cotton breeches to wear? a Painted rice-cakes, cold stomach hungry, never full; Born from woman with eyes of flesh seeing as though blind. In the cold halls, one night, think of clothes: Figured gauze, a thousand folds, in the darkness appears.*' 66 a. A metaphor for unreal things which bring no satisfaction. b. It was impossible to render the double sense of this in translation, Genjo also means hirvana, the sudden appearance of things as they are.55 (26) i-j ih h ¥ k & i it. * i % ii JL L L %r & 5 e k- %• JtL i * f chi ni "kakushite, ro to nasu tei, nani ni yotte ka shako o tori sugizaru nanigoto zo shunjyu kyo imada kiwamarazu jinshin wa mottomo kore kakuhai no kyu tendo jojushi, jikoku metsusu hi wa nagashi rakuka hijo no uchi Divide the earth, make a cage, how is it that you penetrate but do not pass through? How is it that in spring-revelry, my interest is never exhausted? People's minds are just like the bow in the guest's cup. Heaven attained, Hell is destroyed. Long day amid falling flowers, willow fluff. a. There is a story about a man who went to visit a friend and took a cup of wine. In the cup, he saw a snake but said nothing and drank the wine. When he left he felt very ill and attributed it to the snake in the cup. He didn't visit that friend for a long time. Finally he had occassion to go again. His friend asked him why he had stayed away so long. He told the friend about the snake in his cup and his illness. The friend gave him another cup of wine; he sat in the same place and saw another snake in his eup„ He told his friend who pointed to a bow on the wall that was decorated with a snake design and was reflected in his cup.^The snake was not real, and yet the man had become ill. xV The bow in the guest's cup"is a metaphor for the illusions that man's mind is prey to. (27) x # % ft $ i if If- ft X k L ^ fe AS *f ii * it % i s.«. >t kai ni irite isago o kazouru tei, nani ni yotte ka shinbo tojo ni ashi o tsumadatsu do o satsushi isago o kazoete fukaku ko o tatsu shinpo ni ashi o tsumadatete jinzu o genzu sanzo ga shari rau^no no kan tokai no jison Tentaku no kaze Go to the sea and count the sand, how do you stand tiptoe on the head of a needle? Scatter the earth and count the sand, it builds up great merit, Stand tiptoe on the point of a needle and paranormal powers appear, Among the mountain monks, there is no one of ability, The son of the Eastern Sea is of Kido's style. a. The son of the Eastern Sea means Ikkyu. ¥. Poems of Criticism about other monks If there seems to be a rather large number of poems criticising the clerical society, it should be remembered that the Einzai sect was in a state of severe decline.. Ikkyu, although from the standpoint of conventional morality he appeared to be a prime example of moral decadence, was actually the only one who had the spirit of the ancient masters, true Zen. This was first and foremost, Ikkyu's own opinion, so deeply convinced was he of the rightness of his own perception. From this firm base of self-confidence, a quality much in evidence among the masters of old as well, he attacks the monks for their petty concerns and petty quarrels brought about by narrow egotism, and their preoccupation with the propagation of the "name" of Zen - its power of influence in secular affairs - and the "profit" of the Zen, When we consider that Ikkyu was involved with the Zen as an institution for practically his whole life, it is no wonder that he should be moved quite often to pen off violent tirades, if only to somehow ease his own mind. The poems presented here are some of the milder tirades. (74) •ft 4? % .fe * - 4 & if *>k $ A it -ft ^ f/f ft fa # % L K 1 ft /f f * % 70 a keigei o tsuru ni narete warai ichijo deisha ni ho o kishirite hanahada hobo awaremubeshi seitei ni sondai to shosu tenka no noso mina Shiyo The froga Accustomed to fishing for whales, I had to laugh £At the frog,1 thrashing through the mud so busily. They are pitiable, those at the bottom of wells, calling themselves great; All the patch-cloaked monks under heaven are just like Shiyo^. a. ufrog"- The frog at the bottom of the well is well known in China and Japan as an aphorism for narrow-minded people; people who boast and consider themselves important simply because they are blind to the rest of the world. b. Shiyo (Tzu-yang) whose official name was Koson Jutsu (Kung- sun Shu) Mi ib ( ? - 36) was a figure of the Han Dynasty. He became King of Szechwan and rather pretentiously called himself emperor. He spent much money building palaces but his reign was short; in the end, he was assassinated. Ma-Yuan, in a History of the Later Han Dynasty, says of him "Shiyo was just a frog at the bottom of the well".1 This is one of the famous incidents of the use of this expression. Ikkyu always keeps his mind on the great truth, which is here likened to a whale while all the other monks occupy themselves with the superficial aspects of the doctrine, busy like frogs thrashing through mud. One is reminded of the Toba Sojo animal scroll which parodies monks by painting them in the forms of frogs, rabbits, and monkeys. (75) A. ^ ii *- /V tf. ft < x « p % & fr # n * it shakuhachi isshi no shakuhachi urami tae gatashi fuite koka saijo no gin ni iru jujigaito ta ga uji no kyoku zo Shorin mooka chiin o zessu Shakuhachi* Music from the shakuhachi, sorrow difficult to bear. Blowing into the barbarian flute,** a song at the frontier; At the crossroads, whose piece does he play? Among the students of Zen , I have few friends. 72 a. Shakuhachi - This is a bamboo flute with fingering holes which has a very shrill sound. There was a kind of wandering,mendicant monk called komuso who played the shakuhachi as he went about begging. It is perhaps one of these monks that Ikkyu hears go by. b. Barbarian flute - koka is a whistle made out of a reed with no holes for fingering. This is a primitive instrument that was used among the barbarians on the borders of China. c. The expression here is "the students of Shorin" (Sha-lin), Shorin waa the temple of BohdhijDharma, thus it means students of Zen. This is a description of Ikkyu's loneliness. He hears an umfamiliar song played on a shakuhachi at the crossroads, and he imagines that he is at some frontier post in China hearing the strange music of the barbarians. The poem as a whole is reminiscent of many T'ang poems on the subject of lonely duties at frontier outposts. A further implication is that the people who occupy the temples, like Yoso and his company, are little more than barbarians so far as Ikkyu is concerned. (76) & % $ fa i i Affi. 1 # f i A. 73 kairai ippo tojo ni genshin o genzu aruiwa oko-to ka-shi aruiwa shomin moknzen shin no mokuketsu o hokyakn shite chijin wa yonde honrai no hito to nasu Puppets On the shelf, appear whole bodies, Sometimes they are transformed into kings and nobles, sometimes commoners, Forgetting that before their eyes there are really only wooden sticks, Idiots call them real people. The point of this poem is that just as the audience at a puppet theater are tricked into taking puppets for real people, so the laity of the Zen church were deceived into accepting fake monks as real monks. (101,108) Prose introduction: i\ f L it ii if i_ f f i t & $ % ta t % * f $ A •! 4 4 L h L A I f1 it * f I i M M i ^ * # i- ii f h t i *k t IL ± % q q L $ t % A ftt 1 # ih i ti if t f 1$ & % * In the sutumn of the year 1447, there was a monk at Daitoku temple who,for no reason, committed suicide. Scandal-loving monks made slanderous reports to the officials. So, in connection with this calamity five or seven of my fellow monks were imprisoned. This was sufficient to cause great trouble within my school. At that time, people were noisily spreading rumours about it. I listened to them and that very day disappeared into the mountains. The reason for my leaving was that I simply couldn't bear it. It chanced that a scholar should come by here, himself just from Kyoto, and he has informed me of the various things going on at the temple. I found it all the more impossible to bear my grief. I made poems expressing my grief. As this happened to occur on the ninth day of the ninth month, I made nine poems. £l have chosen to translate two of these poems, the second and the ninth.} (101) tff & f i * 1 & |if Ullf 75 % t J% 1 t L % hazu ware seimei nao imada tsutsumazu sanZen gakudo jinro o chozu Ryozan no shobo chi o harat^te metsusu omowazariki Kao no jujo takakaran to wa I am ashamed my name and fame are not yet obscured; Practising Zen, studying the way, dusty troubles grow long; The true doctrine of Ryozan is swept from the earth and destroyed: Unexpecte3]y/, the King"of Demons^ has grown a hundred feet high. a. Ryozan is an abbreviation for Rycjusan "Holy Eagle Mountain" which is a translation of the Sanskrit name of the mountain Grdhrakuta. This mountain is located in Rajgirof modern Bihar. It gets its name from the fact that it has the shape of an eagle. Shakymuni is said to have preached there and?hence, its connection with the "true doctrine."^ b0 The king of Demons here means something like the devil in Christianity, but, since Buddhism is essentially a non-dualistic philosophy, that is, one which emphasizes a transcendent truth encompassing both good and evil, the King of Demons does not have the unique character of being in absolute opposition to good as does the Christian devil. Ui's dictionary says of him "The kind of devil who is the lord of the six heavens in the world of desire. Together with his followers, he hinders people from adhering to the Buddhist religion." 76 (108) % A fa k) iL K { i| * * H US *f A., 4 # I * * # - i *f (fit. fugai no shosan midarete kumo ni iru shoho wa shu o uagokashi mata gun o odorokasu liinkyo kikan ware e sezu dakuro issan yotte kunkun. The wind outside, pines and cedars in confusion enter clouds. Elsewhere, everywhere, crowds move and people are suprised in groups. The workings of humanity I do not understand; One cup of cloudy sake and I'm drunk. a. Cloudy sake means unrefined sake, poor quality and perhaps even home-made. These poems and the prose passage record the incident over which Ikkyu is supposed to have resolved to starve himself to death in protest. As can be seen, Ikkyu himself makes no direct reference to the idea of suicide. However, it is obvious in these poems that it was a deeply depressing situation for him. The poems graphically express his feeling of helplessness before such overwhelming manifestations of evil and 77 corruption within the church. In the first poem, he uses the image of a devil a hundred feet high to express the magnitude of the evil he sees. In the second poem, a storm in nature symbolizes the political storm at Daitokuji. (130) f t * 1k t h if n t $ fa iiihfi - V $ # & >tj^ jisan Kaso no jison Zen o shirazu Kyoun menzen tare ka Zen o toku sanju nenrai kenjo omoshi ichinin katansu Shogen no Zen Self-praise The descendents of Kaso don't know Zen, Before Mad Cloud's face, who would explain Zen? For thirty years, heavy on my shoulders, — b I have carried the burden of Shogen1s Zeno 78 a. Kaso - It will be remembered that Kaso was Ikkyu's master, (see introduction) b. Shogen' - Shogen Sogaku (Sung-yuan Ch'ung-yo) ^ |t was a Emzai master of the Sung Dynasty A died 1209 at the age of seventy- 4 one. This poem is directed principaly at Yoso who was the senior descendant of Kaso with whom Ikkyu was in bitter conflict for many years. (134, 135 and 136) Eri no to ni shimesu san shu Three poems to show to a meeting of monks (134) f t 4 1 - it. n » * ** M * I jL 0 A ix - i °t rakuchu ku ari Ikkyu no mon koko u arasou seitei no son chuya kokoro ni oku genjikyaku 79 zehi ninga issho kamabisushi In the midst of harmony there is trouble in Ikkyu's school. Each frog a fighting for respect at the bottom of the well; Day and night,busy thinking about details of the scriptures; Right and wrong, myself and other**, fussing away a whole life. a. See poem 7k The Frog. b. Myself and others - Dor the enlightened monk the distinction between right and wrong, myself and other, is extinguished. U35) koan sanji kitatte mei rekireki kyokin kanpa sureba an konkon onzo shi shi ni itaru made bokyakushi gatashi doban no chugen ji kon ni sakarau Involved in the koan, it comes distinct and clear. Breaking into the heart, blackness is dark, dark. There are resentments that until death are difficult to forget: The sincere reproofs of fellow monks grates the ears. 80 (136) 4 4 « ft f- ^ * if it i A. |, 9 55 itazura ni soshi no gonku o gakutokushite sbikijo wa Tozan ge va kenju miyo, miyo, hinpin ta no hi o kosuru o chi o fukunde hito ni haku sono kuchi kegaru In vain do you learn the words and phrases of the old masters. Knowledge is like the tusks of Tozan,** sown swords. See them, following one upon another, bringing up the faults of others. Whoever holds blood in his mouth to spout out at others, his mouth is polluted. a. "words and phrases of the old masters"- Most of the teachings of the T'ang and Sung Zen masters are recorded in laconic saying and anecdotes such as one one finds in the Mumonkan. These verbal teachings consist mainly of key words and phrases which serve as touchstones for a certain kind of conciousness which wo,s not meant to be intellectually rationalized. b. "Tusks of Tozan'7- Tozan is a mythical mountain in hell, a mountain 5 of sharp edges. 81 These three poems are interesting because they are examples of the kind of lessons Ikkyu gave to his followers. All three poems are quite severe in tone, but perhaps the third one especially so. The first poem is simple enough; it admonishes preoccupation with the letter off the scriptures which only leads to occasion for dispute. The second poem is a description of the faulty understanding of a koan. Intellectual• ly it may appear clear, but,deep in the heart, resentments that are difficult to root out remain. When this is the case, then even the well-meant council of friends is annoying. The strong imagery in the third poem emphasizes the dangers of purely verbal knowledge which is turned as a sword against others. Akizuki Ryumin is of the opinion that these criticisms were leveled particularly at Yoso's handling of koan instruction within d — — Daitokuji. Apparently Yoso was allowing students to get by with mere intellectual understanding of the koana and in fact setting up a kind of "koan mill" much as we call some of our educational institutions "diploma mills." (179) { 1 M 4 Mf 4 f 1 * I If if £. t if >*- it ft ii )% <. 82 Yoso no Daiyuan ni daisu sanrin wa fuki (jjosan wa otorou tada jashi nomi arite, shoshi nashi ikkan o totte gyokaku to naran to hossureba koko kindai gyaku fu fuku An inscription for the hermitage of Yoso Daiyu (the second of two poems on the subject) The temples are wealthy, but the Five Mountains are degenerating, There are only false masters, there are no true masters? 1 would like to take a fishing rod and go fishing: But these days, on the rivers and lakes, a contrary wind blows. a. vVThe Five Mountains"are the five primary temples of the Rinzai sect. Here, they symbolize the Rinzai sect in general. This poem is very similar to the two poems directed against Yoso that were cited in the introduction. Before Yoso, Ikkyu always emphasizes "simple things", straw sandals, bamboo walking stick, a life of plain pleasures, as compared to the life of wealth and ostentation that Yoso pursued in the temple. Here the fishing rod and going fishing symbolize the simple life that Ikkyu is so fond of, while the contrary wind represents the tide of the times toward degeneration which Yoso and other monks are swept up in. VI. Ikkyu's Love Poems Among Ikkyu's poems that deal predominantly with love, two kinds can be distinguished. There are those poems that concern love in general, ranging from simple longing for the company of the brothels, to philosophical reflections on eros in a large sense. And,there are those poems addressed to Lady Mori which deal with his particular and personal love for her. (89 and 90) These two poems come under the title: j* % =- n Sankyo ni shu Dwelling in the mountains (89) M 1 A &i & t ilL £ inbo jissai kyo kiwame gatashi shiite kuzan yu^koku no uchi ni ju su kokyo kumo saegiru sanman ri chosho mimi ni sakarau okuto no kaze VI. Ikkyu *s Love Poems Among Ikkyu's poems that deal predominantly vith love, two kinds can be distinguished. There are those poems that concern love in general, ranging from simple longing for the company of the brothels, to philosophical reflections on eros in a large sense. And there are those poems addressed to Lady Mori which deal with his particular and personal love for her. (89 and 90) These two poems come under the title: Sankyo ni shu Dwelling in the mountains (89) ii f ft £ % % M 1 id & £ f Jf ll £ $ t t' # £ f 1 i% )% Inbo jtlssai kyo kiwame gatashi shiite kuzan yu^koku no uchi ni ju su kokyo kumo saegiru sanman ri chosho mimi ni sakarau okuto no kaze 84 Ten years spent in brothels, elation difficult to exhaust. Now, forced to live amid empty mountains, gloomy valleys, 30,000 miles of cloud spread between here and those delightful places; The wind in the tall pines around the house grates upon my ears. a. a rhetorical exaggeration (90) H L L Ifyoun wa shin ni kore Daito no mago kikutsu kokuzan natazo son to shosen Omou mukashi soka unu no yube furyu no netasho kinson 0 toseshi koto 0 Mad cloud is truly the descendant of Daito.8 Demon caves, black mountains, what is there to revere here? I remember a former time's songs on the pan pipe, evenings of b cloud-rain, c Youthful pleasures, draining the golden cask. a. Daito Myocho Zenshi, a Einzai priest, founder of Daitokuji. See poem 8. 85 b. "cloud-rain1' - One of Ikkyu's most frequent metaphors for lovemaking is "cloud-rain", a metaphor which comes from a Chinese story about the King of Ch'u. The King of Ch'u^while traveling in Kao T'ang, dreamed he met and made love with the spirit of Wushan(Sorceress's Mountain), He pleaded with her to stay with him;but she insisted on leaving saying that in the morning she became a cloud on the south side of the mountain,, and in the evening she became the rain. In the morning, the King saw that this was so and built a shrine for her there. Thereafter in China, the phrases, "the dream of Wushan", "the cloud ofWuslian", "the rain of WusJnart" or "cloud-rain", all came to be metaphors for the relationship 1 between men and women. e„ a polite expression'for drinking a lot of sake. The situation described in these poems is aelf-evidleht.; Ikkyu has been forced by what circumstances we know not, to retreat to a mountain hermitage. He has no romantic sentiments toward these' "gloomy valleys" and "black mountains"j on the contrary, they only arouse in him, an acute longing for the warm company, drink)and song of the brothels. One might think that such shameless longing would be unworthy of a Zen monk and that Ikkyu's Zen would seem more valid if he welcomed this forced retreat to the mountains as an opportunity for rest and meditation away from the "dusty" world, but Ikkyu says no, just as he is, he is the true inheritor of Daito's Zen. It is interesting how the treatment of natural images in these poems differs from that of the more traditional genres of Japanese poetry, notably the waka or uta. What waka poet would dare to say that the wind 86 in the pines grated, his ears. Wind in the pines is always musical in the waka world, such extreme emotions were not encompassed within the gentle sensibility of traditional Japanese poetry. Not only was there no place in traditional genres for extreme and violent emotions; philosophical or intellectual thought did not come within that framework either. ThiSj perhaps, was one of the basic reasons why Ikkyu chose to express his most profound and intense subjective moods and thoughts in Chinese forms rather than Japanese ones; the range of possible emotions, ideas^and subject matter was simply wider in Chinese poetry. The reader will perhaps bring up the case of the doka attributed to Ikkyu which are in waka form and which deal exclusively with Buddhist themes. These poems, however, although they are in basic thirty- one syllable form, represent an entirely different genre. They are not really poetic in the same sense as the waka in that they are not concerned at all with the expression of a subjective state of mind, nor with the poetic description of nature, nor even with the manipulation of subtleties of language. The basic concern of these <&oka is to express in as simple and comprehensible a language as possible the fundamental tenets of Buddhism. That is, they are in essence didatic, "old saws" of the Buddhist faith. Blytb, •' in the preface to his translation of Ikkyu's doka, states that doka in general are of little poetical value and the Ikkyu's doka in particular portray "a man of deep sincerity, too 2 honest perhaps to be a great lyrical poet." However,it is precisely in his Chinese poems that his genius as a lyrical poet is revealed. 87 (94) This poem has a prose introduction which tells the story that is the background to the poem: 4 1 3- * 4- it 4t # ^ 1 £ n *- 4t $ % it % it if Once a long time ago there was an old woman, who for twenty years supported the head of a hermitage. Usually, she sent a sixteen year old girl to bring meals and serve him. One day, she told the girl to embrace him and ask him, "Right at this moment, what is it like?" She did so and the monk said, "I feel like an old whithered tree leaning against cold stones, during the three months of winter when there is no warm weather. The girl returned and described what had happened'. The old women said, "For twenty years I have been supporting a phoney." Then she chased him out and burnt the hermitage down. £ $ k A # ;| >1 # fl H f U U ^.H U ih i t t I # 88 robashin zoku no tame ni kakehashi o kasu shojo no shamon ni nyosai o atau konya bijin moshi ware ni yakuseba koyo. haru oite sara ni nikobae o shozu The old woman's intention was to make a ladder for that rascal; So, to the "celibate" monk, she gave a girl bride. Tonight, if a beautiful woman promised herself to me, Spring's w_ithered old willow tree would put forth new shoots. The issue here is the authenticity of the monk's purity. Ikkyu obviously concurs with the old woman's opinion that the monk was probably seething inside with erotic interest in the young girl but because of slavery to lifeless conventions, denied his true feeling and gave the stereotyped, expected verbal response. Clinging to anything whatsoever, even the laws of conventional morality is contrary to the practise of Zen; therefore, the monk was a phoney and a scoundrel. The "ladder" here is a metaphor for the girl that the old woman wanted to give the monk. The implication is that the girl represented a way by which the monk might rise to new realms of awareness. {lkk) i A. t ® t >i 89 A i & $ °t °b % i g. K % it I Inbo ni daisu bijin no unu aiga fukashi roshi rozen rojo no gin ware ni hoji sofun no kyo ari tsui ni kajushashin no kokoro nashi Inscription for a brothel A beautiful women's cloud-rain, love's deep river: Up in the pavilion, the pavilion girl and the old monk sing. I find inspiration in embraces and kisses, Thus, I don't think at all of abandoning my body as though it were a heap of fire.a a. kaju - The meaning for kaju "accumulation of fire" here, is to be found in the Nirvana Sutra 4 in the line, "Regarding one's body as though it were an accumulation of fire, this is called self-righteousness" TEhat is, regarding the body as though it were a heap of fire, a dangerous thing, is the correct view. This regarding one's body as though it were a heap of fire represents the orthodox pejorative view of sex in Buddhism,, The idea behind this point of view is that a man striving for spiritual develop• ment must harness all his energies toward that end. In other words, it 90 is not that sex is in itself evil or sinful but that the vital energy which is the essence of sex, once expended in physical union,is then lost to the man who would use it to strive upward for union with god. Edward Conze in a discussion of monastic celibacy says of this: "Meditation and sexual intercourse have in common the goal and the force that they use. For the simple reason that one cannot use the same force twice, complete suppression of sexual behavior is indispensable to success in 5 _ meditation." This point of view is the most prevalent in Hinayana Buddhism and coupled there with a disdain in general for experiences of the phenomenal world', thus, sex came to have darker and darker connotations there. This belief is shared also by some sects of Hinduism. The story of the holy man who has amassed through years of austerities immense spiritual powers and is then tricked by some beautiful women into pouring forth all his power in one night's communion which leaves him wasted and forlorn, an ordinary being again, is very common in India. This is the kind of situation that this term implies. However, this is not a universal point of view in Buddhism. On the contrary, the Mahayana doctrine of the "great delight", which has already been discussed in Chapter III, sees in the sexual experience a profound experience of the non-dual nature of the universe. This more affirmative attitude not only towards sex but towards all phenomena is based on the equation of nirvana and samsara which is close to the core of Mahayana Buddhism. Thus, it was no contradiction for Ikkyu to assert the dignity and validity of the sexual experience. However, in this particular poem, Ikkyu's reason for defending sensual love is not founded on any philosophical rationalization at all but rather on the quality of the experience itself. In point of fact, his experience was elating, energy-giving not exhaustingj therefore, he could not see the sense of the old point of view. (255) The second of two poems depicting an arhat going to a brothel. . S A a a >*) & A % % i% £> *J > x A £ <_ H y% 4 L A SL £_ tf i f %b ?fc f rakan inbo ni asobu no zu shutsujin no rakan butsuji ni tozakaru hitotabi inbo ni itte daichi o hatsusu fukaku warau Honju Ryogon o tonauru o shikkyakusu shonen furyu no ji Picture of an arhat reveling in a brothel Emerging from the dust,*1 the arhat is still far from Buddha; Enter a brothel once and great wisdom happens. I laugh deeply at Manjusri chanting in the Surahgama Sutra; Lost and gone are his youthful years of pleasure. a. "Arhat"originally meant simply a monk who had attained enlightenment. However, later, a3 the two schools of Hinayana and Mahayana diverged, it came to be more associated with the individual enlightenment attained through the rigourous imitation of the historical Buddha,Shakyamuni, emphasized by the Hinayana school. Thus, in Mahayana Buddhism the term came to have a slightly pejorative meaning. b. "Dust"is the common Buddhist metaphor for the mundane world. c. In the Surangama Sutra, Ananda, an arhat, while on his way begging, is lured into a brothel. This is the occasion for the Buddha to give a special sermon and teach Manjusri a transcendental mantra to chant by which he can cure Ananda of his sensuality. Im this poem Ikkyu's equation of the act of love with some kind of transcendental experience which generates wisdom is made more explicit. Ignorant of such experiences, the world-disdaining arhat has still a long way to go before he attains a total realization of ultimate truth. (263) if 0 ii fh £. # 1 I It H % ^ i £ i 93 Shi ni iwaku Inpu kakoku sobo no urei kimi miyo shokyu ka no su ni ari rei ni shitagatte kyuga shuon no yube gyokuhai ya ya iku shunju zo The Book of Songs says c LasUvious ways, the sorrow of losing house and country. The lord sees the fishhawk on the other bank of the river; Following example, the court lady receives her lord's favor in the evening: A jeweled cup, night after night, how many springs and autumns. This poem alludes to the first poem in the Book of songs, "Kuan cries the Fish Hawk"." This love song tells of a lord's infatuation with a young girl. The image of the girl haunts him night and day, and he is not satisfied until he has her. Ikkyu's poem superimposes upon this original theme another theme common in Chinese love stories, that of a ruler neglecting and losing his country for the excessive love of a woman. Perhaps the best known story of this kind is the legend of the love between the Emperor Genso and his concubine Yokihi. It was a story which fascinated Ikkyu. Ikkyu reading the first poem of the Book of Songs was reminded of the folly of over-ardent love among people in responsible positions. Yet, the predominant tone of the poem is not a moralistic one. Rather, it evokes a mood of philosophical reflection on the sadness inherent in the transience of all worldly things. Such excessive love can only run a short course. Yet, it is its very fleeting 94 quality which in some ways gives such a love its special charm, much as it is the fleeting quality of the cherry blossoms which makes them so breathtakingly beautiful. (264) 4$ A a *i fj h i '*$ $f 4 J. #. ie- €. % JU- ii if %- b.tt *l .# # if * ft 1 i -it i 4 A zokujin inbo monzen ni shi o gi*\jite kaeru roshi mushin kare ushin shi ni insu shikaku iro nanzo insu shukuu nishi ni haru shoka no kure tajo aisubeshi mon ni yotte ginzu A layman reciting a poem before the gate of a brothel and then returning A girl in the pavilion has no mind but he has mind. A poet overflowing in poems, how his desire overflows too. After the long rain, clear in the west, a little song at sunset; So much feeling, lovable, the man leaning on the gate and reciting. 95 a. This translation may seem a little stilted, but the only way to hint at the double sense of the line was to render it as literally as possible. On the one hand, the courtesan is mindless in the sense that she has no thought or doesn't care about the man singing at the gate, while he "has mind" in the sense that he has the courtesan and his own unfulfilled desires in mind. On the other hand, mushin, • , "no mind" comes so often in Zen writings as a description of the enlightened person that it is hard to ignore that sense of the expression. Take for example Tokusan's statement, Only when you have no thing in your mind and 6 no mind in things are you vacant and spiritual, empty and marvelous." ° Ikkyu may be saying then, that the courtesan, by virtue of the mindless performance of her dharma^is enlightened while the man at the gate still has his mind muddled by words and ideas which pour ceaselessly forth in poems. However, I think this should be taken as light and playful irony 6A the part of Ikkyu. This vignette seems to be a scene witnessed by Ikkyu either from inside a brothel or from the street as a passer-by. Ikkyu pokes fun at the poet for reciting poems about love outside the brothel. Yet, it is obvious that Ikkyu sympathizes very strongly with the poet; Ikkyu, after all, was as full of poems as anyone. The description of the evening sky after the long rain adds a lyrical touch which rounds out this graceful poem. * Love poems to Lady Mori The love poems to and about the blind girl Mori are quite surprising. They are witnesses to a tender love. It is strange enough that it should be a Zen monk writing these poems, but that it should be a profligate Zen monk over seventy years of age experienced in all the wiles of debauchery is all the more incredible. It is obvious that this love preoccupied his heart for the last years of his life. Even his farewell to the world poem (death poem) refers to Mori and his unforgotten love for her. There is practically no biographical information about Mori aside from that in Ikkyu's poems. He calls her Lady Mori in places, but this almost certainly does not correspond to any real rank. She was most likely simply an attendant attached to the temple of Shuonan in Takigi. She seems to have sung professionally; singing was a common profession for blind people in Japan. There is one portrait of her at the.Shuonan; the painting is primarily a portrait of Ikkyu, but she appears in the lower half kneeling on a mat with a small hand drum. (548) Prose introduction: it 4t 0 # 46 it JL 97 In the second year of Bunmei ^1470), during the eleventh month, the fourteenth day, I traveled to Yakushido and listened to the blind girl's love songs. So, I made a poem recording it. fate. I % % *f f I it I ft % % ftf % $ f fa % & ^ k % t*. 1 yuyu katsu yorokobu yakushido dokuki benben kore waga harawata gizan kansezu sesso no bin ginji tsukusu genkan shuten no nagaki o I traveled leisurely to Yakushido and rejoiced there; Still, a poisonous spirit lingers in my viscera; Ashamed I am, not to be concerned with my hoary hair; Singing till exhaustion, severe cold, the melancholy note rings long.*1 a. This is Yakushido at Sumiyoshi.9 b. The character for melancholy should be but in all editions of the Kyounshu^the character printed is Pf-, "autumn". However, it is explicitly stated in the prose passage that the season is winter; thus, it obviously must stand for some other character. The closest character in sound and form to it is melancholy which, moreover, occurs very 98 frequently in other poems of Ikkyu. Ikkyu usually uses it to express moods of bittersweet sadness and that seems to suit the tenor of this poem as well. This is the first poem with a definite date which makes reference to Mori. It is reasonable to think that this might be one of his first encounters with iAovi because the next poem dated 1471 records their first real confession of love for one another. It seems Ikkyu was a bit reticent at first to act on his inclination; he is a little ashamed to feel the rising of desires that make a mockery of the wisdom and dignity which should accompany his white hair. It is not clear here whether "poisonous spirit" refers to sexual desire or just to the various ills that an aging body is subject to. (549) Prose introduction: • t % % D * £" * f & ft % W * 1L t) & $ I lodged for some years in a small dwelling in Takigi. The attendent Morijhearing of my appearance and manner, already had feelingSof longing toward me. I too, knew of it, but remained undecided until now, the spring of Shinbo (l47l), I have met her by chance in Suniiyoshi and questioned her about her previous feelings. She agreed and complied with me. So I made a small poem recording it. •ii- # $ i & * f. i f- t- % & f if if! .*{/ Sf fi omou mukashi Shinen kyoju no toki oson no biyo kiite aiomou tanen kyuyaku sunawachi* bojite nochi nao aisu gyokukai shingetsu no sugata I recall the old times living at Takigi, we You heard of the renown of the king's descendenta and^loved.' K. After the old promise had been many years forgotten, Still all the more I love the form of the new moon on jeweled stairs. a. This refers to Ikkyu's royal birth. b. New moon on the jeweled stairs is an allusion to a poem of Li Fo "The jewelled stairs repine". P ft & 1L L M % # if 1 *. a i 100 On the jeweled stairs grows white dew All night long sinking.into thin silk sheets. Pull down the crystal curtains, JO The clear night, look at the autumn moon. In this poem the autumn moon stands also for a woman's face behind the crystal curtain; thus, in Ikkyu's poem the new moon refers to Mori. This poem seems to indicate that there were relations between Mori and Ikkyu before this time. The prose passage is not explicit as to the exact nature of these relations, mentioning only that they knew of one another and that Ikkyu was indecisive in his actions. However, the "old promise" may refer to former relations with Mori. (54U) § ff % & U ft fe. it t %L I L ft- 101 Shinko koshi ni noru .p-anyo no mo jo shibasliiba sliunyu su utsuutsu taru kyokin yoshi urei o isuru ni samo araba are shujo no kyosen suru koto o' aishi miru Shin ya ga bi furyu Lady Mori rides in a cart In the phoenix cart, the blind girl often goes on spring outings. When my heart is oppressed, she likes to comfort my melancholy. Even though most people make fun of her, I love to see Mori, so fair a beauty she is. Perhaps Mori was called on in the spring-to entertain at wealthy people's hana mi "Flower-viewing" and so was brought there in a cart. Ikkyu, at any rate, embellishes the scene and makes it a royal phoenix cart. There is also an indication in this poem that people did laugh at the relationship between ikkyu and Mori, but, if this was so?it is also obvious by this poem that Ikkyu wasn't perturbed. (5k6) > "jj ft A % & \% **, k $ U t %. & ->& 1 t ft # i I- The first day of the ninth month, my attendant Mori borrowed a paper Kimono from a village priest to protect herself from the cold, so light 102 and pretty, lovable. I made a poem saying it. it f d i 4i # « & * & | £ # § *4 t » I # If tt & jH'ftj ryosho no fugetsu shinto o midaru ikan sen soshi shin jo no aki shumu chonn hitori shosha tari yaso ga shishu mata furyu Fine evening, wind and moon, in my heart confusion. How will our love fare as autumn comes over us? Autumn mist, morning cloud, alone so delicate and fair^ Even in the paper sleeves of a country priest, charming. Due to their poor circumstances Mori is forced to borrow a paper kimono from a country priest in order to ward off the approaching cold. Paper kimonos were the cheapest, coarsest form of outer garment to be obtained; thus, Ikkyu's praise of Mori's beauty in this humble garb is -a. tantamount to someone praising the beauty of/tgirl in blue jeans. Yet, there is no doubt that the praise is sincere, Ikkyu really did find Mori endlessly charming in no matter what costume. The tone of anxiousness and uncertainty in the first two lines gives the poem a touching quality. 103 (544) *9 % ft * 1 f H 1 .if *t I A. .1 % % Pi ^ &. % s. 4r Jfc £4 * ? .Miroku asan o yakusu mo Shin yaya ginshin ni tomonau hitei no eno shigo arata nari arata ni yakusu Jison san'e no akatsuki honkyo kobutsubanpan no haru Promise to be born in the time of Miroku Blind Mori every night accompanies me singing; Under the covers, mandarin ducks,** intimate chattering always new: Promise anew to meet in the dawn of Miroku. Here at the home of the old Buddha all things are in spring. a. Miroku Jison - the Buddha of the future who is supposed to appear 5,670,000,000 years after Shakyamuni's death.11 b. u Mandarin ducks"who take only one mate for a lifetime are a common symbol for fidelity in China and Japan. c. The expression here is really "the dawn of Miroku's three meetings," 104 which refers to the time of Miroku's future enlightenment when he will speak three times to countless numbers. I left the "three meetings" out for the sake of brevity. Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho records a passage that describes the "intimate chattering" of Genso and Yokihi. In the middle of the night when no-one is around they talk of rebirth, "if in the air, 13 then as birds, if on the land, then as two branches of one tree." Here, Ikkyu and Mori likewise made promises for future lives. (543) € fa ;* £ tr fl A i & £ H waga te o yonde Shin shu to nasu waga te Shin no te ni izure zo mizukara shinzu ko wa furyu no shu hatsubyo gyokukei no ho o ji su katsu yorokobu waga eri no shu 105 Calling my hand Mori's hand My hand, how it ressembles Mori's hand. I believe the lady is the master of loveplay; If I get ill she can cure the jeweled stem: And then they rejoice, the monks at my meetings, a, AChinese metaphor for the male sexual organ. It appears Mori was of great help keeping Ikkyu in good spirits with other monks during his later years. This poem is unusual in the Kyounshu. because it is one of the few poems that deviate from the seven character line. Here the six character line seems to suit the light and whimsical mood of the poem. (537) 11 % t $. % Ift # I % % if i±- bijin no insui o suu Rinzai jison Zen o shirazu shoden shinko katsuro hen unu sansho rokujikko go shufu ichiya hyakusen nen 106 This poem is the third poem of three poems under the title: Sipping a beautiful woman's lascivious fluids Rinzai's descendent's don't know Zen. Correct transmission of the truth, this is to a blind donkey. Cloud-rain, past, present and future 60 kalpas, Autumn wind, one night a 100,000 years. a. An allusion to a saying of Rinzai, see poe^ U4-)nste a.<• Rinzai's descendents don't know Zen, the true teaching is with blind donkeys; but Ikkyu is a blind donkey so he has the true teaching, yuch is the assertion reiterated again and again throughout the Kyounshu. Ikkyu's confidence was never shaken as regards his grasp of Zen. The second half of the poem deals with love's ability to make time relative. While making love, past, present and future, sixty kalpas of time might seem instantaneous, yet one night spent thus could seem a hundred thousand years longo In other words, while making love, ikkyu had the sense of "eternity in an instant;- a phenomenon which is closely associated with some mystical states. So here again, ikkyu makes explicit the connection he personally felt between the enlightenment of Zen and the experience of love. (542) i & & t t & f 107 A >l u f is RJ bijin no in, snisenka no ka ari Sodai masa ni nozomubeshi sara ni masa ni yozubeshi hanya gyokusho shumu no aida hana wa hokorobu ikkei baiju no moto ryoha no senshi yokan o meguru A beautiful woman's dark place has the fragrance of a narcissus KingCU'Ws hill,** one must regard from afar and moreover climb. Middle of the night, on the jeweled bed amid bittersweet dreams, The flower opens under the branch of a plum tree, Delicately the narcissus revolves between thighs. a. The Chinese character here is simply yin of yin-yang, the two principles, female and male respectively of the universe. Extended from this cosmic meaning the character is also used to denote the female sexual organ. b. KingCWWs hill - refer to the first explanation of "cloud-rain" poem 90. This is one of Ikkyu's more simply erotic poems. This elegant and allusive imagery must come from the vocabulary of Chinese eroticism. However,A symbolic meaning of the reference to the Plum tree may be related 108 to traditional Japanese poetic imagery, The Plum tree is usually thought of there as old, gnarled and enduring, so Ikkyu may have chosen it particularly to refer to himself. (538 and 539) Prose introduction: i * k 4 * M i i $ «f ifc t # t fe * t. t # The blind girl Mori's feelings of love are very strong. She is about to die from not eating; full of sorrow, I made poems saying it. (538) iL ft t t % f % Hyakujo joto shinse sho su hansen Enro katte amasazu mojo ga enka roshi o warau Sodai no bo'u teki shosho tari 109 In Hyakujo's hoe, my trust is extinguished. Rice money, the Old Man of Hell is never generous. The blind girl's love songs laughed at by the pavilion girls. Chu's hill, evening rain drips lonesomely. (539) L ift. # If « * k ii £ ® ii i $i # miyo, miyo, Kehando ri no Zen sekinen Hyakujo kakuto hen yayu ransui su gabei no tei Bnro menzen hansen o ikan sen See, see, the Zen in sickness.a Long ago there was nyakujo and his hoe. Night's intoxicated revelry beneath painted screens. Facing the Old Man of Hell, how about some rice money. a. The expression in Chinese is "Nirvana hall" which is the hospital 15 in Zen temples,but Ikkyu is using it here to refer to sickness. The exact situation surrounding these poems is not known. It must 110 be the trials of war that have caused their distress. It is clear from the prose passage that the immediate problem is Mori's nearness to death from lack of food. The phrase used here usually means to fast to death rather than starve to death', thus, it probably indicates that due to a shortage of food Mori is refusing to eat lest Ikkyu should starve. The poems are very explicit about a lack of money to buy food. In his anxiety Ikkyu reflects on two things; one, on Hyakujo, the T'ang master who was the first to draw up a set of temple rules for Zen monasteries, his most basic rule being "a day of no work, is a day of no eating". Hyakujo -; - " ' was supposed to have refused to eat when he got too old to do a day's work. Now, during this particular time of no eating, the rule no longer makes sense to ikkyu; there is nothing for Ikkyu to do with a hoe. No eating is not always a result of no working. Then Ikkyu is reminded, perhaps even a little remorsefully^ o"f the many previous years of pleasure and plenty in the brothels. The third lines of both poems conjure up pictures of the brothels; in the first poem he imagines how the brothel harlots would laugh at the blind girls naive songs, and in the second poem he remembers the drunken evenings in gavtdy surroundings. (550; L if. 1 k & >t Ill ki shibomi ha ochite sara ni haru o kaesu ryoku o choji ban a o shojite kyuyaku arata nari Shin ya ga|shinon mo shi bokyakuseba muryo oku go chiknsho no mi The tree budded leaves that fell but once more round comes springe- Green grows, flowers bloom, old promises are renewed. Mori, if 1 ever forget my deep bond to you, Hundreds of thousands of kalpa_^s without measure, may I be born as a beast. In this poem Ikkyu simply asks to be reincarnated countless times as a beast if he ever forgets his love for Mori. The poem has a charming simplicity about it. Ikkyu is like an old tree which has dropped its leaves,yet once more spring comes round, and he is revived. This could be a poem of reunion between Ikkyu and Mori, "old promises" seems to indicate this. (1049; i & tm 4 iL % & it. & *jr %L it I t- k It is late autumn, the season of giving winter clothes. For this reason I had some new clothes cut and gave them to my late blind attendent Mori. Thus, I aided unfinished ties in the other life and said: 6 & & If 1 f I « * C fl[ ft haku hatsu zan so hachi ju nen ginji nozorau yoyo heki un no ten tajo no en zensai o tsugunawaseraru danjisu sansho koen o yakusu I remain, white haired old monk of eighty years. Singing, looking up every night to blue sky and clouds. Sad mandarin duck, redeeming former debts, Snap fingers at present and future, the promise to love again. There is no record of what happened to Mori,but it must be concluded from this poem that she died before Ikkyu. Under what circumstances or from what cause we know not; however, it is possible that the situation described in poems 538 and 539 actually lead to her death. In this poem, written when Ikkyu was eighty, she is already dead,and he is bringing an offering of winter clothes to her grave as a token of his unforgotten ties to her. 113 (1060) i *f fa * ft $ & - 11 ii £. ft -ft ** *j A 9 * * it * f n > 1 jisei no shi junen hana no shita hoiuei o osarau ichidan no furyu mugen no jo sekibetsusu chinto jinyo no hiza yoru fukakushite unu sansho o yakusu Farewell to the world poem Ten years ago, under the flowers, I made a fragrant alliance, One step more delight, affection without end. I regret to leave pillowing my head on a girl's lap. Deep in the night, cloud-rain, making the promise of past, present and future. Neither of these two last poems appear in the Kokuyaku Zanshu Sosho or the Ikkyu Oaho genshu. They appear only in the Yamanto Bunkakaikan edition of the Kyounshu which, however, is the most recent and comprehensive of the editions of the Kyounshu. This poem,then, can stand with the "South of Mt. Sumeru, who meets my Zen" poem as a leaving 114 the world poem. How different in character the two poems are. The one has the ring of traditional Zen death poems, extremely confident, almost defiant, going to meet death in a warriors manner. The second is so gentle and nostalgic, fondly remembering back rather than going forward zealously; Ikkyu even expresses regrets to leave rather than a total break with the ties of this world. Strangely enough, however, both are typical of Ikkyu at different times in his life. To call one more true than the other would be impossible,for it would deny the man as a whole. No man is endlessly strong; it is from these poems where Ikkyu honestly, with no thought as to whether it was appropriate for a Zen monk or not, expresses his feelings of attachment and longing that one can see a complete man composed of both weak and strong. And this ability, to without criticism accept whatever one feels as real and valid, is a mark of true enlightenment. It is in fact, to trust in one's Buddha nature. VII. Footnotes Introduction 1. H. H. Blyth , "Ikkyu's Doka," The Young East, II. 2 to III. 9, 1952-54. 2, Kaneko Matabee and Nishioka Shin, "Kyounshu chukai," Kokubungaku, (Kansai Daigaku Eokubungaku Kai). no. 21-28, 1958-1960. II. Historical Background 1. Karaki Junzo, Chusei no bungaku, pp. 233-34. 2. Ibid., pp. 227-28. 3. This does not necessarily apply to all the T'ang masters; a difference may be noticed here between the Northern and Southern schools of Ch'an. The Southern schools taking Hui Neng (who himself declined invitations to the capital) as the Sixth Patriarch, on the whole followed his example. The Northern schools on the other hand were quite closely associated with the capital. Thus when the persecutions of Buddhism came, they were more vulnerable to attack while the Southern schools survived better simply by virtue of being more out of the way. It is also interesting that the Soto sect of Zen should choose to follow the Southern school in this respect, while also adopting the concept of gradual enlightenment, a concept associated with the Northern school. III. Biographical Information and Comment 1. This resume is based principally on the account in Takashima Daien's Ikkyu Qsho den. 2. Takashima Daien, 3. Ibid., P- 58. 4. Ibid. 5o Ibid., P. 59. 6. Ibid., P- 60. 7. Ibid., PP<, 60-61. 8. Ibid., P- 62. 9. Ibid., P- 64. 10. Ibid. » P,< 67. 116 11. Ibid., p. 69. 12. Ibid., p. 72. 13. Ibid. 14. Ibid., p. 80. 15. The red thread symbolizes attachment to physical desire. Morohashi Tetsuji, Daikanva fjitent v. VIII, p. 947. 16. Takashima, op_. cit. pp. 82-83. 17. Ibid., p. 86. 18. Ibid. 19. Ibid., p. 89. 20. Ibid. 21. Ibid., p. 93- 22. Ibid., p. 95. 23. Ibid., p. 96. 24. Ibid., p. 100. 25. Ibid., p. 101. 26. Ibid., p. 103. 27. Karaki Junzo, Chasei no bnngaku, p. 246. 28. Suzuki Daisetsu, Outline of Mahayana Buddhism, p. 352. 29. As quoted by Ibid., p. 351. See also Etienne Lamotte, L'Enseignement de Vimalakirti, p. Ill and Shuo wu kuo ch'eng ching, Taisho shinshu daizokyo, v. XIV, p. 559a, I. 1. 30. Suzuki, op. cit., p. 357. 31. Heinrich Zimmer, Philosophies of India, p. 555. 32. John Shawcross, The Complete Poetry of John Donne, p. 97. 33. Ibid., p. 344. IV. Philosophical Poems 1. Rinzai roku, in v. XI of Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho, Chinese p. 5. 2. Suzuki Daisetsu, Zen shiso shi kenkyu, v. Ill, p. 425. 3. Kaneko Matabee and Nishioka Shin, "Kyounshu chukai," KoknTbungaku, no. 22, p. 60. 4. Oda Tokuno, Bukkyo dai.jiten, p. 1472. 5. Kaneko, op_0 cit., pp. b0-6l. 117 6. Ibid., no. 27, p. 73. 7. Rinzai roku, in v. XI of Kokuyaku genahu sosho, Chinese p. 29. 8. Kaneko, op. cit., no. 22, p. 62. 9. Rinzai roku, op. cit., kokuyaku, p. lOn. 10. Morohashi Tetsuji, Paikanwa .jiten, v. VIII, p. 175. 11. Suzuki Daisetsu, Zen shiso shi kenkyn, v. Ill, p. 424. 12. Ibid., pp. 424-25. 13. Ibid., p. 425. 14. Ui Hakuju, Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary, p. 288. 15. Suzuki Daisetsu, Studies in the Lankavatara Sutra, p. 419. 16. Ibid., p. 360. 17. Kaneko Matabee and Nishioka Shin, "Kyounshu chukai," Kokubungaku, no. 21, p» 6l. 18. Ibid. 19. Kaneko, op_. cit., p. 63. 20. Suzuki Daisetsu, Zen shiso shi kenkyn, v. Ill, p. 475. 21. Heinrich Dumoulin, Ruth Sasaki, The Development of Chinese Zen, p» 29. 22. Kaneko Matabee and Nishioka Shin, "Kyounshu chukai," Kokubungaku, no. 21, p. 63. 23o Hekigan roku, v. VII of Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho, Chinese p. 30. 24. Dumoulin, op_. cit., p. 30. 25. Kaneko Matabee and Nishioka Shin, "Kyounshu chukai," Kokubungaku, no. 21, p. 64. 26. Ibid. 27. Ibid. 28. Ibid., p. 65. See also Philip Yamplosky, The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, p. 62. 29. Dumoulin, op. cit., p. 31. 30. Kaneko, op. cit. 31. Dumoulin, op_. cit., p. 8. 32. Kaneko, op_. cit., no. 21, p. 62. 33. Ibid. 34. Kyounshu, in v, IX of Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho, kokuyaku p. 72n. 35. Takagi Masakazu (ed.), Haku kyo i (p*o-Ghii-i), v. XIII of Chukoku shi.i in senshu, p. 103. 118 36. After the description in P'o Chu-i's aforementioned poem and more particularly, Morohashi Tetsuji, Daikanva jiten, v. XI, pp. 672-73. 37. Heinrich Dumoulin, The Development of Chinese Zen, p. 47, citing Goto Egen, Bk. VII, Dainihon zokuzokyo, p. 116. 38. Ui Hakuju, Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary, p. 175- 39- Jimbo Nyoten, Zengaku jiten, p. 53. 40. Mori Keizo, Ikkyu Osho zenshu, p. 5. 41. Kaneko, op_. cit., no. 22, p. 64. 42. Ibid. 43. As translated by Eev. Coates and Eev. Ishizuka in Honen, the Buddhist Saint, p. 728. 44. Philip Yampolsky, The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, pp. 42-43. 45. Kaneko, op_. cit., no. 23, p. 72. 46. Mumonkan, in v. XI of Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho, Chinese, p. 19. 47. Nanzan Dosen, To koso den, v. LXXVII of Kokuyaku issai kyo, pp. 9-10. Original Chinese, Hsu kao seng ch^jian, Taisho shinshu daizokyo, v. L, p. 552b, 11. 22-29- 48. Ui Hakuju, Zenshu shi kenkyu", p. 37. 49. For this one see also, Yanagida Seisan, Shoki Zenshu shisho no kenkyu, p. 103- 50. Ui, op. cit., p. 38. 51. Suzuki Daisetsu, Zen shiso shi kenkyu, v. IV, p. 215. 52. Ibid., v. XVIII, p. 199. 53. Ui, op_. cit., p. 39.. 54. There is also a sutra reference to the cutting off of arms as an offering to Buddha which may have been in Keika1s mind when he cut off his own arm. It is in the Lotus Sutra; a Bodhisattva says to a gathering, "I threw away both arms and necessarily attained the Buddha's golden body." (MiftQ fa lien hua ching, Taisho shinshu daizokyo, v. IX, p. 262a, 11. 4-5.) 55. Kyounshu, in v. IX,of Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho, p. 6n. 56. Kaneko Matabee and Nishioka Shin, "Kyounshu chukai," Kokubungaku, no. 23, pp. 76-77. 119 V. Critical Poems 1. Morohashi Tetsuji, Daikanwa jiten, v. III, p0 797. 2. Oda Tokuno, Bukkyo daijiten, p. 1794a. 3„ Ui Hakuju, Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary, p« 195. 4. Kaneko, op. cit., p. 74. 5. Morohashi, op. cit., v. II, p. 190. 6. Akizuki Kyumin, Zefrmion no iryu, p. 314. VI. Love Poems 1. Morohashi Tetsuji, Daikanwa jiten, v0 XII, p. 16. 2. B. H. Blyth , "Ikkyu's Doka," The Young East, v. II. 2, first page of the article. (Page numbers are missing from the xerox copies of the articles.) 3. Morohashi, op_. cit., v. VII, p. 364. 4. Mochizuki does not record this meaning for kaju but rather itB use as a metaphor for the illusive nature of existence, alatacakra, fire circle. (Mochizuki, Bukkyo daijiten, v. Ill, p. 2952bJ. However, I feel it is obvious that this is not the meaning here. 5. Edward Conze, Buddhism: its essence and development, pD 59. 6. Charles Luk, The Surafxgama Sutra, p. 2. -j Kuan-ying, Shih ching i chu, pp. 1=3. 8. Heinrich Dumoulin, The Development of Chinese Zen, p. 48, citing Bento Eyo, Bk. XX: Dainihon zokuzokyo, p. 378. 9. Kyounshu, in v. IX of Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho, kokuyaku, p. llln. 10. Takabe Toshio, Rihaku (li p'o), v. VIII of Chugoku shinin senshu, p. 97. See also Pu-Tung-liua, Li ffeJ shih, p. 47. 11. Oda Tokuno, Bukkyo daijiten, p. l689a. 12. Mochizuki, Bukkyo daijiten, v. 5, p. 4990c. 13. Kyounshu, in v. IX of Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho, p. llOn. 14. Ikkyu's comparison of_his hand to Mori's hand may be an allusion to the koan called Oryu no sankan "Oryu's three barriers," the second question of which is, "My hand how does it ressemble Buddha's hand?" See Mochizuki, Bukkyo daijiten, v. I, p. 360c. 15. Jimbo Nyoten, Zengaku jiten, p. 1128. VIII. Bibliography Editions of the Kyounshu used Ito Toshiko (ed.) Kyounshu shohon no kogo ni tsuite, fu koi kyounshu- U t % tl * 9 & & "> * T , ftf k I It t I , jjo. 41 of the series Yamato Bunka A . Kyoto: Yamato Bunka Kaikan, 1964. Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho kankokai (comp.) In vol. IX of Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho 13 ^ % . Tokyo: Kokuyaku Zenshu Sosho Kankokai, 1921. Mori Keizo (comp.) & >ft . Ikkyu Osho zenshu ^ -f* . Tokyo: Koyukan, 1899. Works in Buddhist collections (by title) note: Chinese characters appear for the name of a collection the first time it appears. Hekigan roku 3? Jff^ & (Pi-yen-lu). Engo Kokugon (comp.) ^ h in (Yuan-wu K'o-ch'in). In vol. 7 of Kokuyaku 2enshu sosho if % %. % . Tokyo: Kokuyaku Zenshu Sosho Kankokai, 1921, 121 Hsu, kao seng ch^uan £f & $a $ . By Nan-ahan Tao-hsuan ^ ilL ^ . In vol. L of Taisho shinshu daizokyo ^ it ijf *^ «, Tokyo: Taisho Tssaikyo Kankokai, 1926, •i, Jp. To koso den Jt W " $ 1? . By Nanzan Dosen. Vol. LXXVII of Kokuyaku issaikyo Tokyo: Daito Shuppansha, I960. Mia-Q fa lien hua ching 4 f it (Lotus Sutra). In vol. IX of Taisho shinshu daizokyo. Tokyo: Taisho Issaikyo Kankokan, 1926. Mumonkan ll (¥u men kuan). Mumon Ekai (comp.) (Vu-men Mui-k1ai). -In vol. XI of Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho. Tokyo: Kokuyaku Zenshu Sosho Kankokai, 1921. Rinzai roku i (Lin chi lu). Ezen (comp.) S (Hui-jan) In vol. XI of Kokuyaku Zenshu sosho. Tokyo: Kokuyaku Zenshu Sosho Kankokai, 1921. Shobo genzo ^ & $L ^ , By Dogen l£ ^ . In vol. LXXXI of Nihon koten bungaku taikei # lh i Tokyo: Ivanami Shoten, 1965. Shuo -wu kou ch'eng ching (Vimalaklrti Sutra). In vol. XIV of Taisho shinshu daizokyo. Tokyo: Taisho Issaikyo Kankokan, 1926. 122 General Reference Works (by author) Akizuki Hyumin Zenmon no iryu if n 9 1 Tokyo: Chikuma Shobo, 1967. Blyth , R. H. (trans.)- "Ikkyu's Doka," The Young East, II 2 to III 9, 1952-54. Coates, Rev. H. and Rev. R. Ishizuka. Honen, the Buddhist Saint. Kyoto: Chionin, 1925. Conze, Edward. Buddhism: its essense and development. New York: Harper Torchbook, 1959. Dumoulin, Heinrich and Ruth Sasaki. The Development of Chinese Zen. New York: The First Zen Institute of America, 1953. Jimbo Nyoten *f \% 4» . Zengaku .jiten *f ¥ % . Tokyo: Muga Sanbo, 1915. Fu Tung-hua ^comp.) \% %• f . Li ;£o shih £ & . Shang Hai: Shangjwu Yin Shujcuan, 1925- % -3 - yC 7x£ #1Hi $ ® Kaneko Matabee and Nishioka Shin * < ' , ^f l• "Kyounshu chukai" & ^ % & % , Kokubungaku %• published by Kansai Daigaku Kokubungaku Kai ( §f ^ ^ 4- ^ ^ £ ), no. 21-28, 1958-1960. Kawamura Sadashizu ") H . Iklcyu Zen.ji hyakuwa ^ fa it m Tokyo: Kyuko Kakkan, 1924. 123 Keene, Donald. "The Portrait of Ikkyu," Archives of Asian Art, XX, 1966-67. Hong Kong: Wan^li Shu^jtien, 1959. Kubo Masashi 1 4 ^ , Ikkyu Zen.ji rongo "~ $f £f $ ^1 Tokyo: Kyosaisha, 1939. Luk, Charles. The Surangama Sutra. London: Rider and Company, 1966. Lamotte, Etienne. L'Enseignment de Yimalaklrti. Louvain: Publications Universitaires, 1962. Mochizuki Shinkyo J . Bukkyo Dai .jiten Kyoto: Se^kai Seiten Kanko Kyokai, 1932, reprint 1955. Murata Taihei U & ^ f . Jjingen Ikkyu ^ SJ " ^ . Tokyo: Chobunsha, 1968. Morohashi Tetsuji Daikanva jiten # ^* If t Tokyo: Daishukan Shoten, 1958. Nakamura Tokusuke *f 44 ^* ^ . Iklcyu Osho ^ & • p $ ^ Tokyo: Seiyodo, 1910. Oda Tokuno •% & $ flb . Bukkyo dai jiten & ^ $1 $ . Tokyo: Daizo Shuppansha, 1954. 124 Ono Tatsunosuke ^ ft i£ ^ . Nihon no Bukkyo Q i> 9 4^ . Tokyo: Shibundo, 1952. Ozaki Y. "Tales of Ikkiu," Japan Magazine, I, 3 (April 1910). Shawcross, John T. The Complete Poetry of John Donne. New York: New York University Press, 1968. Stryk, Lucien and Takashi Ikemoto (trans.). Zen Poems, Prayers, Sermons, Anecdotes, Interviews. New York: Anchor Books, 1963. Suzuki Daisetsu Zenshiso shi kenkyu. 1" u ,Cl ^ff 'fei . Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 19b8. -* Outlines of Mahayana Buddhism. London: Luzac and Company, 190?. — The Lankavatara Sutra; London: Houtledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., 1959. Studies in the Lankavatara Sutra. London: George Eoutledge and Sons Ltd., 1930. -o Essays in Zen Buddhism, First Series. London: Luzac and Company, 1927. Essays in Zen Buddhism, Second Series; London: Eider and Company, 1950. -• Essays in Zen Buddhism, Third Series. 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Yampolsky, Philip (trans.). The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. New York: Columbia University Press, 1967. Yanagida Seizan ^ & ^ t Shoki Zenshu shisho no kenkyu ^tj _ _ fa . Kyoto: Hozokan, 1967. Zimmer, Heinrich. Philosophies of India. New York: Meridian Books, 1956.