Letting Go

Tribute to the Life of Zen Master T

Tribute to the Life of Master Tòsui (Tòsui oshò densan) Menzan Zuihò A Child Clutches the Buddha Though an infant, he transcends the causes of secular existence Still unable to tell east from west, already he recognizes the truth He clutches the Buddha, a treasure in his sleeve Hurling away a thousand coins into the dust beneath his feeta As mud sends forth the auspicious lotus and the lotus grows more and more fragrant As stone yields white jade and the jade becomes ever more luminous Henceforth his reflected radiance will impart a perfume He is about to awaken the people of the world lost in their dreams Tribute to the Life of Master Tòsui of Takagamine, on the Northern Outskirts of the Imperial City The Master’s formal name was Unkei, his common name Tòsui.1 He was a native of the castle town of Yanagawa2 in Chikugo Province, the child of a merchant family. His family belonged to the Pure Land sect.3 His father and mother were both devout believers, taking care to see that there were always incense and flowers on their Buddhist altar. The Master’s mother had a strange dream and became pregnant. From the time he was born, the child was fond of Buddhist images, having no interest in other toys. Once, seeing him leave the house with the statue of Amida from the household altar clutched in his arms, his mother ran after him. “Here,” she said, holding out some coins, “take this money instead and give Mother back the Buddha.” “I don’t want those!” the Master replied, throwing the coins on the ground and running off clasping the Buddha to his breast. Things like this happened all the time so that the Master’s parents decided that their child was not suited to becoming a merchant. Therefore, at age seven, he was given up [to become a priest]. He was packed off to Master Igan4 of En’òji in Hizen Province,5 and Igan had the Master’s head shaved. Later, Igan left to become abbot of Ryûchòin in Higo Province.6 The Master was diligent in his studies and quick-witted. From the age of thirteen or fourteen, his cleverness manifested itself. On one occasion, during the rainy season,7 a layman who was a patron of the temple noticed the Master standing on a bridge holding a hollyhock and asked him, “What flower is that?” The Master replied, “Can’t you see it’s a hollyhock?” 45 A Novice’s Sharp-Witted Reply Plucking a flower, he ambles alone over the bridge A layman, happening by, seeks to test his quick wits Instead the novice strikes back and reverses the situation The arrow shot to the east turns and goes back to the west Endowed by heaven, his wisdom encompasses the knowledge acquired from practice in previous lives His accomplishment acknowledged, his wisdom gradually unfolds With a single stroke who can suggest the feeling of a thousand miles? The marvelous feather of his arrow is about to leave far behind the dust of the world The patron said, “If it’s a hollyhock [aoi, also the Japanese word for “blue”], how come the flower is red?” The Master replied, “This is a bridge [hashi, also the Japanese word for “side”], but you’re crossing it down the middle.” The layman was left speechless. ● ● ● From age fifteen or sixteen, without anyone’s telling him to do so, the Master undertook various practices, acting entirely on his own. He would fast for three days; remain standing all night in the garden reciting sutras and dharani; or stay alone deep in the mountains without returning to the temple for as many as two or three nights. At other times, he would practice zazen all day and night on the banks of a large stream. Such things happened on countless occasions, and what others saw and heard of Tòsui led them to wonder at this novice who was so different from ordinary people. Igan, it is said, did not subject the Master to any test of his attainment, simply calling him “madman.”8 ● ● ● Igan once instructed his assembled disciples: “The Buddha admonished his followers that monks must be dedicated above all to freeing themselves from the five desires.The five desires are the desires for sex, food, sleep, fame, and wealth.To free...