Background
Ekaku Hakuin was born on 19 January 1685 the province of Suruga. His posthumous title is Shinki Dokumyo Zenji, and he went by such literary names as Korin, Sendai-o, and Sara Juka Rono.
白隠 慧鶴
Ekaku Hakuin was born on 19 January 1685 the province of Suruga. His posthumous title is Shinki Dokumyo Zenji, and he went by such literary names as Korin, Sendai-o, and Sara Juka Rono.
He entered the priesthood in 1699 under Tanrei of Shoin-ji. He thereafter traveled about, studying with such masters as Bao of Mino and Shotetsu of Takada in Echigo, and in 1708 attained enlightenment under Shotetsu. Dissatisfied with this, he set out to visit Ddkyo Etan (Shoju Rojin), a monk of Shinano noted for the rigor of his religious training. Hakuin spent eight months under Dokyo, devoting himself to strenuous practice, and at the end of the period became his Dharma heir. He then continued his travels about the country, pursuing meditation and other religious practices until he all but injured his health.
He returned to his home in 1717 and took up residence in Shoin-ji, the temple of his first teacher, Tanrei, who by this time was dead.
He devoted himself to restoring vitality to the Rinzai branch of Zen, rescuing it from dry formalism and gaining a reputation for his religious fervor. Soon a number of disciples from different parts of the country had gathered around him.
In his later years he founded a temple on the Izu Peninsula called Ryutaku-ji, but spent his last days at Shoin-ji.
Though he was for a time shttso (chief monk) of Myoshin-ji in Kyoto, he had no interest in positions of eminence but devoted all his energies to spreading Buddhist teachings among the common people.
He is also famous for his paintings and calligraphy, which are frequently tinged with satirical humor. He had many disciples, among whom lorei Enji and Gazan Jito were of particular distinction. Nearly all the teaching lines of Rinzai Zen in Japan today trace themselves back to Gazan Jito.