Bankei Zen

by Peter Haskel

  20. The katsu!, referred to previously.

  21. Yüan-wu K’o-ch’in (J: Engo Kokugon, 1063–1135) and Ta-hui Tsung-kao (J: Daie Sōkō, 1089–1163), Rinzai masters of the Sung dynasty who were key figures in the development of koan study in Zen. Yüan-wu is known primarily for the koan collection Blue Cliff Record (CH: Pi-yen lu). His disciple Ta-hui advocated a vigorous, dynamic, non-conceptual approach to koan study, emphasizing particularly the koan Mu. The leading lines of Japanese Rinzai Zen today trace their descent from Yüan-wu and his heirs.

  22. Bankei’s question is rhetorical: “Since the Zen teachers before the Sung dynasty (960–1280) didn’t use koans,” he asks, “why do I have to?” Although Yüan-wu and Ta-hui were leading early exponents of Koan Zen, the actual use of koans probably predates them. Nevertheless, Bankei is accurate in observing that Koan study represented a later development and was not employed by the majority of masters of the so-called golden age of Chinese Zen in the Tang (618–906) and Five Dynasties (907–960) periods.

  23. Nan-yüeh Huai-chang (J: Nangaku Ejō, 677–744). A disciple of the Sixth Patriarch, referred to previously. The episode mentioned by Bankei appears in the Ching-te ch’uan-teng lu (The Ching-te Era Record of the Transmission of the Lamp), a collection of Zen biographies completed in 1004.

  24. The stole worn over the Buddhist priest’s robe. It is draped over the left shoulder and gathered under the right armpit. The kesa’s color and size may vary according to the sect and the particular occasion for which it is worn.

  25. A temple in the village of Hitaki in Gifu Prefecture. Bankei held a training period there in 1692.

  26. Otherwise unknown.

  27. The Kanzanji is a Rinzai temple, originally located in the city of Osaka and now moved to another site in the Osaka municipal district. Jiton (n.d.) was the disciple of the Kanzanji’s abbot Reigan Sokei (d. 1696), who had studied with Bankei under Dōsha and became his traveling companion afterward. Bankei was a frequent visitor at the temple.

  28. In present-day Nara Prefecture.

  29. The Óbaku sect Zen Master Ryūkei Shōsen (1602–1670). Though he served as abbot of the Myōshinji, Ryūkei abandoned his position in the Myōshinji line to become the disciple of the Ming Zen Master Yin-yüan, referred to previously.

  30. Bankei’s disciple Keiō Soboku (d. 1691).

  31. Bokuō Sogyü (d. 1694), successor of Bankei’s original teacher Umpo.

  32. The Myōshinji. Umpo and his disciples Bokuō and Bankei were members of the Shōtaku-ha, a Myōshinji teaching line founded by the Zen Master Tōyō Eichō (1429–1504). The Myōshinji annually rotated its abbacy among the Zen masters of its principal lines. Bokuō assumed the abbacy in 1671, and Bankei, in 1672.

  33. Jōshōjin. To dedicate oneself to a life of constant religious practice, abjuring all worldly impurities. In Japan, the expression shōjin may refer specifically to the avoidance of meat-eating, and certain Buddhist temples are famous for their shōjin ryōri, or vegetarian cuisine.

  34. A well-known expression from the Lin-chi lu, sometimes translated as “a man of no affairs,” or “a man who has nothing to do.” It describes the free and easy spirit of the enlightened man, who has no problems, no entanglements, nothing further to seek. Having realized that originally, just as he is is buddha, there is nothing more for him to bother about.

  35. Bizen is an old province now included in Okayama Prefecture. In the winter of 1689–1690, Bankei held a brief training period at the Sanyūji, a temple in the town of Okayama in southwestern Bizen.

  36. A neighboring province to Bizen, also now included in Okayama Prefecture.

  37. Now an area of Okayama city, referred to above.

  38. The school of Nichiren, previously mentioned.

  39. Referring to Bankei’s initial experience of enlightenment in 1647, described in the Sermons.

  40. Bankei’s retreat in Akō, in present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was here that Bankei spent two years of grueling practice before realizing enlightenment.

  41. The eye which illumines all things.

  42. “I” here and in the sections that follow refers to Bankei’s heir, Itsuzan Sonin (or Sojin, 1655–1734), the compiler of the Hōgo.

  43. A quotation from the Analects, in which Yen Yuan praises his teacher Confucius.

  44. The former religious name of Bankei’s disciple Daien Ryōkō (1624–1706).

  45. A mountainous district in present-day Nara Prefecture. See Introduction, p. xxvi.

  46. Dokushō Shōen (1617–1694), a monk of the Ōbaku school, who became a Dharma heir of Yin-yuan. His temple was located in Saga, west of Kyoto.

  47. A Japanese nightingale.

  FROM THE GYŌGŌ RYAKKI

  1. Fudō (SKT: Acala) is a wrathful Buddhist deity particularly popular in Japan. The Ryōmonji’s Fudō Hall was erected in 1676.

  2. Oshō is a general term of respect for Buddhist monks, similar to “Reverend,” but may have the added meaning of teacher or abbot. Sekimon Somin (1642–1696) was a Dharma heir of Bankei who became the third abbot of the Ryōmonji.

  3. Tenkyū Shihaku (d. 1722). A disciple of Bankei.

  4. A letter of this period (1692) addressed to Bankei from Lord Kyūgoku’s wife indicates that Bankei was suffering from pains in the feet which prevented him from standing.

  5. That is, Itsuzan Sonin, the compiler of the present work. The others are Bankei’s disciples Reigen Shūin (1653–1718) and Taikei Sokaku (d. 1719). These three, sometimes referred to as the “three jisha (attendants),” served as Bankei’s close attendants during his last years.

  6. Located in Hamada, referred to previously.

  7. A sub-temple on the grounds of the Nyohōji.

  8. This refers to the religious name assigned by a Buddhist priest, who customarily writes out the characters of the name himself. Buddhist names are given to both monks and laymen on particular occasions, such as joining the priesthood or becoming a lay disciple.

  POEMS

  1. The Tang dynasty monk Tsung-mi (780–841) divided Zen into five different grades leading from the lowest to the “highest” truth, which consisted in realizing one’s original buddhahood.

  2. An expression used in Zen to describe the world of enlightenment.

  3. The religious name of Bankei’s disciple Katō Yasuoki, daimyo of Ōzu. See also Bankei’s advice to the Layman Gesso on the art of combat, pp. 138–139.

  4. Now the town of Mitsu in Hyōgo Prefecture.

  5. The four physical constituents of the body. See Hōgo, fn. 3.

  6. The Lotus Sutra compares the life of sentient beings in the world of delusion to the situation of children at play in a burning house, oblivious to the flames about to consume them.

  7. “Self (J: mi) here includes both mind and body.

  8. Tathagata. See Sermons, Part I, fn. 10. This verse includes a kind of play on words between the expressions “ . . . as it was when you came into the world” and “thus-come one” (a literal translation of the term tathagata), which contain the same characters in different order.

  9. That is, which are not innate.

  10. J: Niō. Twin guardian demons of ferocious mien, often placed at the entrance to Buddhist temples in Japan. Bankei implies that rather than trying to become a “shrine buddha” wrapped in sanctity, the student should manifest the dynamic spiritual power symbolized by the Deva Kings. Suzuki Shōsan (1579–1655), another Zen master active during the early Tokugawa period, was known for urging his students to imitate the attitude of the Deva Kings rather than practice a quiet introspective form of meditation. See Introduction, p. xx.

  11. That is, original mind is not something that exists outside, but your own true identity. On another level, this implies that, for the enlightened, true self alone remains, with all dualism dissolved, as in the Buddha’s supposed pronouncement at birth: “In heaven and on earth, I alone am to be revered!”

  12. Bankei is apparently addressing his audience here: “I am passing you my precious teac
hing,” he seems to say; “accept it, don’t miss your chance! It is fragile as a rare tea bowl, so receive it with your ‘soft,’ resilient mind. Receive it stiffly and it will smash and come to nothing.”

  LETTERS

  1. Hamlets in Akō, the site of Umpo’s temple, the Zuiōji.

  2. Umpo is probably referring to an expression that appears in the Linchi lu, “The man on the summit of a solitary peak” The actual meaning of this phrase is uncertain, but in Japan it has some times been interpreted as a metaphor for the enlightenment of the pratyeka buddha in contrast with that of the Mahayana bodhisattva—the realm of “tathagata Zen” as opposed to that of “patriarchal Zen,” referred to below. Umpo’s use of these expressions is somewhat ironic, and what he seems to be affirming, above all, is an attitude of determined independence.

  3. Unidentified.

  4. The term “patriarchal Zen” became popular during the Sung dynasty to describe the method of sudden and complete enlightenment reputedly transmitted by the patriarchs of Zen, beginning with Bodhidharma. This was contrasted with the “gradual” approach of progressively eliminating defilements, which was dubbed “tathagata Zen.”

  5. The buddhas of the past, the buddhas of the present, and the buddhas who are yet to come, i.e., all enlightened beings.

  6. See Introduction, p. xxvii.

  7. Following the text in Bankei kokushi no kenkyū, p. 102.

  8. A traditional Buddhist death robe made from seven pieces of material.

  9. Apparently a popular saying. The actual meaning seems to be that when you go back to your hometown you should put on all your finery—that is, after you’ve made it, go back to the village and show off; but Bankei has given the expression an interesting twist.

  10. Ki (CH: ch’i) is a kind of vital force, the dynamic physical manifestation of mind. The concept of ki remains important in many Chinese and Japanese martial arts.

  11. That is, the mirror mind which clearly reflects all things.

  “WORDS AND DEEDS”

  1. A temple of the Pure Land sect in Bankei’s native village of Hamada. Early education for boys in pre-modern Japan frequently occurred at such terakoya, or temple schools, classrooms set up in the local Buddhist temple where young men were taught the basics of reading and writing. Bankei reportedly studied at the Daigakuji together with his friend and future patron Sasaki Nobutsugu, but disliked the course of study and eventually dropped out. See Introduction, pp. xxiii.

  2. Tadayasu (d. 1661), Bankei’s older brother, had become head of the family after his father’s death, succeeding to his medical practice.

  3. A river located in what is now Hyōgo Prefecture.

  4. These were traditional stone shrines containing alcoves in which images and gravestones could be placed, the alcoves being frequently large enough to accommodate a person. Bankei’s abortive suicide attempt described here was said to have occurred at the family temple, the Hamada Saihōji. Bankei’s father was buried at the Saihōji, which had been originally restored by Bankei’s middle brother Juden (n.d.), a Pure Land priest. The stone shrine of the story is still preserved at the temple.

  5. 1624–1643. Fujimoto suggests the events described here occurred in 1636, when Bankei would have been fourteen.

  6. For the Saihōji, see above, fn. 4. Jukin was the teacher of Bankei’s middle brother, the Pure Land Priest Juden.

  7. See Sermons, Part I, fn. 7. Because of Kūkai’s fame in Japan, as both a religious teacher and calligrapher, works of art were frequently attributed to him. According to a legend still current in Bankei’s native area, the statue was of Kannon rather than Fudō.

  8. Angya, “traveling by foot,” is the pilgrimage during which the Zen monk leaves his teacher’s temple and travels, practicing Zen and visiting various masters to test and broaden his understanding. See Introduction, p. xxiv.

  9. A town in present-day Gifu Prefecture.

  10. That is, enlightenment.

  11. A pack-driver from Seki who reportedly took Bankei on his unsuccessful journey to visit the Zen Master Gudō in 1648. He subsequently returned with Bankei and erected a hut for his use in Seki’s Kitta district.

  12. Ōmi is an old province, included in present-day Shiga Prefecture.

  13. An old province included in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture.

  14. A Buddhist shrine belonging to the Asakusadera, a well-known Tendai temple in Tokyo. Its principal image is a horse-headed Kannon. The episode related here is said to have occurred during Bankei’s visit to Edo in 1655, when he was thirty-three. According to contemporary descriptions of Edo, colonies of beggars and other social outcasts had established themselves in the Asakusa and Shinagawa districts of the city. They were formed into a guild of sorts, with a chief for each district who reported in turn to a general commander of all the city’s beggars.

  15. See Introduction, p. xxvi.

  16. That is, Bankei.

  17. A hermitage established for Bankei by Lord Matsuura in a suburban mansion that served as his principal headquarters. Lord Matsuura later erected a temple on the site, the Tenshōji.

  18. In present-day Gifu Prefecture.

  19. An old unit of Japanese coinage.

  20. Bankei quotes a passage from the opening of the Great Learning.

  21. Lu (J: Ro), the state in which Confucius was born, located in present-day Shantung Province.

  22. That is, the truth of Zen, which Bodhidharma is said to have carried from India to China.

  23. The opening lines of the Confucian’s poem derive from the Mean (Chung-yung), which, like the Great Learning, was a classic particularly revered by Neo-Confucianism. The verse is said to express the manner in which all living things delight in manifesting their own inborn natures.

  24. Nakabori Sukeyasu (n.d.), headman of the village of Shimomura, was an old family friend, having originally assisted Bankei’s father in settling in the Aboshi area. See Introduction, p. xxiv. Sukeyasu was the great-grandfather of Daitei Zenkei (d. 1788), compiler of the Itsujijō, from which this episode is drawn.

  25. Now the town of Yamazaki in Hyōgo Prefecture.

  26. A man-eating demon of fearsome aspect.

  27. Mount Grdhrakūta, where the Buddha is said to have delivered the Lotus Sutra.

  28. Fujioka Kenshitchi (n.d.), a minor official serving under Lord Katō. He was assigned to look after Bankei during his visits to Ōzu.

  29. A renowned military strategist of the early Tokugawa period. He died in 1651.

  30. The monk is quoting a famous passage in the Amitābha sūtra, a popular text in Pure Land Buddhism.

  31. A town in present-day Shiga Prefecture.

  32. A type of altar consisting of multiple Buddhist images grouped together, often miniature images of a particular Buddha, such as Amitābha. The altar in question is a famous attraction of the Jōgōdō, a temple in what is today Ōtsu city in Shiga Prefecture.

  33. (942–1017). An early devotee of Pure Land Buddhism. The Eshinin was the name of his retreat at Yokawa on Mt. Hiei, the headquarters of the Tendai school.

  34. That is, the nembutsu (see Sermons, Part I, fn. 7).

  35. The Jizōji, Bankei’s temple in Kyoto, mentioned previously.

  36. A bodhisattva who himself becomes an icchantika, one who is incapable of realizing enlightenment, in order to save those who are irredeemable.

  37. An old province in what is now the Osaka municipal district.

  38. (668–749). A popular early Japanese Buddhist practitioner. He was greatly revered by the Emperor Shōrnu (r. 724–749), who conferred on him the title “bosatsu,” or bodhisattva.

  39. Along with mantra (J: shingon), dharani constitute the sacred formulas that play an important role in Buddhist practice and ritual. Generally speaking, dharani are longer, mantra shorter, but the expressions are often used synonymously. Although particularly associated with Esoteric Buddhism, mantra and dharani became familiar features of Chinese Buddhism generally. They became popular in Chinese Zen temples
during the Sung and Yuan dynasties and similarly found their way into the Zen monasteries in Japan, where many are still included in the liturgy.

  40. The five cardinal crimes are patricide, matricide, killing an arhat (a class of enlightened beings), disrupting the harmony of the Sangha, and shedding the blood of a buddha. The ten evil acts are killing, stealing, lechery, lying, being double-tongued, speaking in jest, slander, covetousness, anger and foolishness.

  41. Buddhist scriptures describe the tortures endured by sinners condemned to eight hot and eight cold hells.

  42. Nusa, Shinto offerings, generally made of rope, cloth or paper. In this case, Bankei is apparently sending a gift of candles to a local shrine.

  43. Figures buried with the dead. In the Mencius, Confucius is quoted as saying that the use of these figures led to the pernicious practice of burying alive retainers to accompany their deceased lord to the grave.

  44. Toki, the meal offered to Buddhist monks on the occasion of a funeral service.

  45. A close disciple of Bankei, Yūhō Soen died during the early part of the Ryōmonji training period of 1690, at which this sermon was delivered. His age at death is unknown.

  46. The hospital quarters for sick monks in a Zen temple.

  47. The Japanese pronunciation of the Sanskrit word acarya, meaning teacher or master. In Zen, it is often used simply as a respectful term of address for monks.

  48. In Shingon Buddhism, the letter a symbolizes the eternal underlying reality of the universe, personified as the cosmic Buddha Mahāvairocana. This is expressed in the formula ajihompushō, “[That which is symbolized by] the letter a is originally unborn.”

  49. Gessō was the religious name of Bankei’s samurai patron Katō Yasuoki, mentioned previously. Bankei’s reply seems to suggest that for a samurai like Lord Katō, it was as unseemly to give way publicly to anger as to tears.

  50. The editor of the Itsujijō, Daitei Zenkei.

  51. Ryōzan is the “mountain name” for the Saishōji, Daitei’s temple in Edo.

  52. A former student of Tao-che who later became Bankei’s disciple. His dates are unknown.