Wisdom from the "Song of Zazen" by Hakuinzen
By Rev. Taizan Alford (taizan@cloudsinwater.org)
The Song of Zazen by Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768) was one of the first texts that I was exposed to early in my journey with zen around 2011. I sat zazen with a rinzai zen group and we would chant the Song of Zazen along with the Heart Sutra before we did zazen. You can find the entire poem here. Rinzai and Soto Zen are the two remaining branches of zen that came from Japan.
In this time of great suffering and difficulty, I try to point to something with a longer history and depth than just my own experience. I ask myself, what has stood the test of time? The resources that I come back to again again are zazen, music, and nature. I also think of the three treasures: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. I do zazen to try to touch the experience of my own buddha nature so that for a moment in time, I can rest in the oneness of the universe. I can trust in my own true nature. My own wisdom and compassion that I touch for a moment or two in zazen can lead me to know the next right action to take.
Hakuin says: "Those who try zazen even once wipe away immeasurable crimes - where are all the dark paths then? The Pure Land itself is near." Eihei Dogen, the founder of the Soto Zen school, in the Bendowa talks about the value of one person sitting zazen, even for a short period of time, is worth more than all the sands in the Ganges river. I don’t know about wiping away crimes or how many grains of sand there are in the Ganges. But, I do know about feeling like my own practice of zazen could use some improvement. That is one of the reasons that I am such a fan of our longer meditation retreats or sesshins. Sesshins are such a wonderful time to practice together and fortify ourselves with our combined meditative energy.
Again from Hakuin, “Boundless and free is the sky of samadhi. Bright the full moon of wisdom! Truly is anything missing now? Nirvana is here, before your eyes, this very place in the Lotus Land, this very body the Buddha!"
Together, with each other and all beings everywhere we create this place of the Lotus Land. We do this work of enlightenment in community (sangha). Creating a refuge for and with each other.
Shakyami Buddha on the morning of his enlightenment when he saw the morning star said: "I together with all beings and the great earth, simultaneously achieve the way." (Keizan’s Denkoroku, Chapter 1)
