{"id":6358,"date":"2019-01-17T10:32:30","date_gmt":"2019-01-17T17:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/?p=6358"},"modified":"2019-01-17T10:32:30","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T17:32:30","slug":"hakuin-the-monkey-is-reaching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/17\/hakuin-the-monkey-is-reaching\/","title":{"rendered":"Hakuin – The monkey is reaching"},"content":{"rendered":"

The monkey is reaching
\nby Hakuin<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

English version by Norman Waddell<\/font><\/p>\n

The monkey is reaching
\nFor the moon in the water.
\nUntil death overtakes him
\nHe\u2019ll never give up.
\nIf he\u2019d let go the branch and
\nDisappear in the deep pool,
\nThe whole world would shine
\nWith dazzling pureness.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a> \u2014 from Essential Teachings of Zen Master Hakuin<\/a>, by Norman Waddell<\/font><\/p>\n


\n\/ Image by NinjaRisu<\/a> \/<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n

Hakuin paints for us an elaborate picture. First, we have the moon. It is reflected in water. A monkey hangs from a branch above the water, and it yearns for the moon that it sees reflected in the water. The monkey continually reaches into the water to grasp the moon, but the prize eludes his grip. He has constructed for us a Zen allegorical image.<\/p>\n

Who is the monkey? Well, we are. Or, more specifically, it is the busy, grasping mind \u2014 the monkey mind. It is that chattering, erratic aspect of the awareness that we most often identify with.<\/p>\n

The moon, as I have often pointed out, is a common representation in Zen poetry of enlightened awareness.<\/p>\n

So the monkey, the mind, is seeking enlightenment, though it fails to understand what it is really grasping at. It just notices something shiny, and desires to possess it. The mind is not truly reaching for enlightenment; instead it grasps at a mere reflection of that light in the water below it.<\/p>\n

What is this water? It can be understood as the world of manifest reality. It reflects the light of enlightenment. In fact, that is the world\u2019s purpose. But while it appears to be real, it is fleeting, changing, ultimately intangible.<\/p>\n

The monkey mind never tires of grasping at what shines and shimmers in reflection. This is partly because, in addition to the moon, the monkey sees itself reflected as well \u2014 and it loves its own face.<\/p>\n

Hakuin laughs and gives us the solution: The monkey mind must let go of the branch it clings to and \u201cdisappear into the deep pool\u201d of reality. The monkey\u2019s fall represents the insight that the way is not attained through effort but through supreme yielding. When the mind stops grasping at reflections and, instead, fades into stillness, only then does the whole world shine \u201cwith dazzling pureness.\u201d In other words, the mind can never possess enlightenment; it can only lose itself within it. When it finally yields itself, then enlightenment is discovered everywhere.<\/p>\n

Have a beautiful day!<\/p>\n


\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>Recommended Books: Hakuin<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/center>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zen Poetry: Let the Spring Breeze Enter<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nEssential Teachings of Zen Master Hakuin<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nWild Ivy: The Spiritual Autobiography of Zen Master Hakuin<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nSecrets of the Blue Cliff Record: Zen Comments by Hakuin and Tenkei<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nThe Zen Koan<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n
\n\"Hakuin,<\/a><\/td>\n\nHakuin<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Japan (1686 \u2013 1768) Timeline<\/a>
\nBuddhist<\/a> : Zen \/ Chan<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/a><\/em><\/td>\n

<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

The Zen master Hakuin Ekaku, sometimes called Hakuin Zenji, was born Sugiyama Iwajiro in a small Japanese coastal village at the foot of Mt. Fuji.<\/p>\n

When he was seven years old, Hakuin heard the reciting of a Buddhist sutra that described the terrors of hell. This so frightened the boy that he resolved to become a monk, in order to avoid such torments.<\/p>\n

Though his parents opposed his decision, Hakuin took monastic vows at the age of 15.<\/p>\n

He studied the Buddhist scriptures intensely, but was deeply shaken by reading of the painful death of a famous Chinese Chan master. The young Hakuin lost his faith in the Buddhist path for a while, hiding himself in the study of literature.<\/p>\n

But, at the age of 22, he had his first experience of satori or enlightenment when he heard a sentence from a Buddhist scripture being recited.<\/p>\n

After that, he dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the full realization of Nirvana, unshakable peace.<\/p>\n

At this time, Zen Buddhism had become the court religion and, in its preeminence, lost much its inner spiritual vitality. Hakuin is credited with saving the tradition from its decline virtually single-handedly, returning Zen to its rich spiritual essence.<\/p>\n

He organized koan training (authoring the famous koan, \u201cWhat is the sound of one hand clapping?\u201d) and re-emphasized the zazen practice of sitting meditation.<\/p>\n

Hakuin\u2019s reforms were highly effective, as seen by the profound impact Zen has in the world of spiritual practice today.<\/p>\n

More poetry by Hakuin<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The monkey is reaching by Hakuin English version by Norman Waddell The monkey is reaching For the moon in the water. Until death overtakes him He\u2019ll never give up. If he\u2019d let go the branch and Disappear in the deep pool, The whole world would shine With dazzling pureness. \u2014 from Essential Teachings of Zen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1065,2040,1066,2237,419,118],"class_list":["post-6358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poetry","tag-hakuin","tag-hakuin-ekaku","tag-hakuin-zenji","tag-monkey","tag-moon","tag-zen-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6358"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6359,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6358\/revisions\/6359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}