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Ikkyū
_by_Ikkyu_Sojun_(1394-1481),_Muromachi_period,_15th_century,_ink_on_paper_-_Tokyo_National_Museum_-_DSC05844.JPG) Ikkyū (一休宗純, Ikkyū Sōjun, February 1, 1394 – December 12, 1481) was an eccentric, iconoclastic Japanese Zen Buddhist monk and poet. He had a great impact on the infusion of Japanese art and literature with Zen attitudes and ideals.[1] He is perhaps best known for his radical approach to Zen, which included breaking Buddhist monastic precepts and his stance against celibacy.[2] BiographyChildhoodIkkyū was born in 1394 in a small suburb of Kyoto. It is generally held that he was the son of Emperor Go-Komatsu and a low-ranking court noblewoman.[1] His mother was forced to flee to Saga, where Ikkyū was raised by servants. At the age of five, Ikkyū was separated from his mother and placed in a Rinzai Zen temple in Kyoto called Ankoku-ji, as an acolyte.[1][3] The temple masters taught Chinese culture and language as part of the curriculum, a method termed Gozan Zen. He was given the name Shuken, and learned about Chinese poetry, art and literature. Training and enlightenmentWhen Ikkyū turned thirteen he entered Kennin-ji in Kyoto to study Zen under a well known priest by the name of Botetsu. Here Ikkyū began to write poetry frequently that was non-traditional in form. He was openly critical of Kennin-ji's leadership in his poetry, disheartened with the social stratum and lack of zazen practice he saw around him. In 1410, at the age of sixteen, Ikkyū left Kennin-ji and entered the temple Mibu-dera, where an abbot named Seiso was in residence. He did not stay long, and soon found himself at Saikin-ji in the Lake Biwa region where he was the sole student of an abbot named Ken'o. It seemed Ikkyū had finally found a master that taught true Rinzai Zen as Ikkyū saw it. Ken'o was sporadic in his teaching style and was a strong believer in the supremacy of zazen. In 1414, when Ikkyū was 21, Ken'o died. Ikkyū performed funeral rites and fasted for seven days. In despair Ikkyū tried to kill himself by drowning himself in Lake Biwa, but was talked out of it from the shore by a servant of his mother. Ikkyū soon found a new teacher in a master named Kaso at Zenko-an, a branch temple of Daitoku-ji. Kaso was much like Ken'o in his style. For years he worked hard on assigned kōan and made dolls for a local merchant in Kyoto. In 1418 Ikkyū was given Case 15 of the Mumonkan, ("The Gateless Gate", a famous set of 49 kōan), known as "Tozan's Three (or 60?) Blows", which depicts Tozan becoming enlightened when Ummon rebukes him for wandering from one monastery to another. One day a band of blind singers performed at the temple and Ikkyū penetrated his kōan while engrossed in the music. In recognition of his understanding Kaso gave Shuken the Dharma name Ikkyū, which roughly means 'One Pause'. In 1420, Ikkyū was meditating in a boat on Lake Biwa when the sound of a crow sparked satori. When Ikkyū told Kasō of his experience, Kasō replied, "This is the enlightenment of a mere arhat, you’re no master yet.” To this, Ikkyū responded, “Then I’m happy to be an arhat, I detest masters.” Thus, Kasō declared, “Ha, now you really are a master.”[4] Kasō confirmed Ikkyū's great enlightenment and granted him inka. However, when presented with his inka, Ikkyū threw it to the ground and stomped off. Kasō retained the inka for safekeeping, but when Ikkyū learned of this, he tore it to pieces. Later, when his disciples had it pieced back together, Ikkyū burned it completely.[5] Ikkyū came up against the jealousy of Yoso, a more senior student who eventually came to run the monastery. In Ikkyū's poems, Yoso appears as a character unhealthily obsessed with material goods, who sold Zen to increase the prosperity of the temple. VagabondIkkyū could sometimes be a troublemaker. Known to drink in excess, he would often upset Kaso with his remarks and actions to guests. In response, Kaso gave inka to Yoso and made him Dharma heir. Ikkyū quickly left the temple and lived many years as a vagabond. He was not alone, however, as he had a regular circle of notable artists and poets from that era. Around this time, he established a sexual relationship with a blind singer, Mori, who became the love of his later life. Ikkyū strove to live Zen outside of formal religious institutions. However, the Ōnin War had reduced Daitokuji to ashes, and Ikkyū was elected to be its abbot late in life, a role he reluctantly took on. This firmly placed him in one of the most important Zen lineages. However, Ikkyū refused to give formal sanction to any of his disciples, stating his intent thus: “I have never given inka to anyone. . . . So if after I’m gone, someone comes claiming to have my inka, you should report him to the authorities and prosecute for criminal misconduct. That’s why I’m telling everyone the facts by way of a written testament.”[6] Toward the end of his life, Ikkyū told his disciples:
In 1481, Ikkyū died at the age of 87 from acute ague. Non-celibacyIkkyū felt a close connection with the Chinese Chan master, Linji, for whom everyday ordinary activities expressed the buddha-nature. Linji said, "Shit and piss and just be human; when hungry, eat; when tired, sleep; make yourself the master of every situation!"[8] According to Yanagida, this represents a recognition of the "fundamental value of the human being."[9] Ikkyū was inspired by such an attitude, taking it to include sexual needs as well. "If you are thirsty," Ikkyū said, "you dream of water; if you are cold, you dream of a warm coat; as for me, I dream of the pleasures of the boudoir—that's my nature!"[10] For Ikkyū, sex was a form of spiritual practice. He regarded sex in light of the nonduality of desire and bodhi, and it also served as a means for him to test his own sense of enlightenment as well.[11] According to John Stevens, "For Ikkyū, the passions were the anvil on which true enlightenment is forged."[12] Ikkyū wrote that sex was better than sitting in meditation and working on koans:
Ikkyū also came to embrace the view, found in Esoteric Buddhism, that the body is the real Buddha. Thus, when he practiced Zen, he practiced with the body as well as the mind.[14] Such a tantric attitude, which draws on the language of alchemy, can be seen in the following:
LegacyIkkyū is one of the most significant (and eccentric) figures in Zen history. To Japanese children, he is a folk hero, mischievous and always outsmarting his teachers and the shōgun. In addition to passed down oral stories, this is due to the very popular animated TV series Ikkyū-san. In Rinzai Zen tradition, he is both heretic and saint.[16] He was among the few Zen priests who addressed the subject of sexuality from a religious context, and he stood out for arguing that enlightenment was deepened by partaking in love and sex, including lovers, prostitutes and monastic homosexuality.[2][16][17] He believed that sex was part of the human nature, and therefore purer than hypocritical organizations and worldly pursuits. At the same time, he warned Zen against its own bureaucratic politicising.[2] Usually he is referred to as one of the main influences on the Fuke sect of Rinzai zen, as he is one of the most famous flute player mendicants of the medieval times of Japan. The piece "Murasaki Reibo" is attributed to him. He is credited as one of the great influences on the Japanese tea ceremony, and renowned as one of medieval Japan's greatest calligraphers and sumi-e artists. Ikkyū wrote in Kanbun-style classical Chinese, which was employed by many contemporary Japanese authors. For instance, the "Calling My Hand Mori's Hand" poem.
Ikkyū is also connected with a Hell Courtesan, who became his disciple.[19] In popular culture
See alsoNotes
References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ikkyu.  Wikiquote has quotations related to Ikkyū.
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