Bassui Tokushō | |
|---|---|
| Title | Rōshi |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1327 (1327) |
| Died | 1387 (aged 59–60) |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| School | Rinzai |
Bassui Tokushō (抜隊 得勝; 1327–1387) was aRinzaiZen Master born in modern-dayKanagawa Prefecture who had trained withSōtō and Rinzai Zen-masters. Bassui was tormented by the question "Who is the one that sees, hears, and understands?"[1] This question was also central in his teachings,[2] and still inspires present-day Zen-practitioners.
Bassui was born in 1327 inSagami (today's Kanagawa Prefecture) during a time ofcivil war in Japan. These were the ruling years ofEmperor Go-Daigo, who had begun reclaiming control of the country back from theHōjō clan of theKamakura shogunate. He was abandoned by his mother and left alone in a field, after she had a dream during her pregnancy in which she had a premonition that her baby would be born ademon. A servant of the family retrieved the infant and raised him,[3] though it is plausible his mother left him there knowing the servant would come to get him, making the ritual of abandoning the newborn a formality in which evil spirits were dispelled.
At the age of seven his father died, and Bassui became tormented by the question "What is a soul?", which turned into the question "Who is the one that hears, sees and understands?" These are questions he would struggle with for a good portion of his life. He would pursue this style of inquiry inmeditation, one day realizing that there's nothing that can be called a "soul."[1][4] This insight lifted his burden for a while, but his question was reinvigorated when he read the phrase "The mind is host, the body is guest," realizing that this host must then be the one who hears, sees and understands, but not knowing what exactly this would be then.[1]
When Bassui was twenty he undertook training atJifukuji Temple under a Zen Master Oko, but did not ordain as a monk until nine years before becoming one. Once a monk he would not wear a monk's robes or recite the sutras as everyone was doing, but just practiced meditation.[1]
At the end of his stay at Jifukuji, Bassui sought to find the hermit monk Tokukei Jisha whom he heard lived amongst the mountains. Upon first meeting each other Tokukei appeared taken aback by Bassui's appearance (a shaved head yet regular clothing). Tokukei asked Bassui why he was not wearing his robes, to which Bassui explained he had no need for them. Bassui then expressed the true purpose of his quest, about his desire to attain enlightenment for the benefit of others. This endeared Bassui to Tokukei, and the two developed a strong friendship following this initial encounter.
Around the age of 30 he had a breakthrough, which was confirmed in 1358 by Kozan Mongo, when Bassui was 31 years old. Around this time Bassui finally started to wear Buddhist robes. After spending a year with Tokukei doing intensivezazen, Bassui set out to meet Koho Kakumyo, a renowded teacher who had studied in China underZhongfeng Mingben,[5] and also with the renowned Soto-teacherKezan Jokin.[6] Studying with Koho, Bassui had another, profound awakening, which was confirmed by Koho at the age of 32. After this, Bassui started to wander again, and built a hermitage at Nanasawa.[7]
In 1361, thirty-five years old, Bassui left for a hermitage inKii province but was sidetracked atEigenji temple, where he met the Zen master andhaiku poetJakushitsu Genkō. In 1362 he met the Soto-teacherGasan Jōseki, who recognized Bassui's understanding, but Bassui declined to receive dharma-transmission from Gasan.[8] For many years after this Bassui lived in many hermitages all over Japan, where his reputation as a clear teacher spread by word of mouth.[8]
In 1378 Bassui settled for a bit in Kai province, but by now the audience coming to see him was growing so fast that it became hard to continue living his life as a hermit. So Bassui moved toEnzan, where he founded a temple calledKogakuan at which he lived and taught for the remainder of his life. Bassui never did like referring to Kogakuan as a temple or monastery, however, and would often just refer to it as a hermitage.[9] At Kogakuan,Wadeigassi, "Mud and water", consisted of talks to his students, was recorded, which was published in 1386, a year before his death.[10] He developed a great faith inKannon, thebodhisattva of compassion. In theWadeigassui he refers to Kannon as characterized in theSuramgama Sutra: "He was a person who for every sound he heard contemplated the mind of the hearer, realizing his own nature."[10][note 1]
In 1387 (at the age of 61), as Bassui was sitting inzazen meditation among his followers, he turned to them and said twice to his students: "Look directly. What is this? Look in this manner and you won't be fooled."[10] He then died.
Bassui had a preference for reclusiveness and small hermitages, avoiding the large monasteries. In this, he seems to have been influenced by teachers who had a connection with the Chinese Zen master Chuho Myohon (Zhongfeng Mingben, 1263–1323).[6]
In theWadeigassi, great stress is placed on the question"Who is hearing the sound?", equivalent to seeing into [one's] nature.[11] While not part of any of the great koan-collections, it has repeatedly been treated as such.Yamada Koun, dharma heir ofHakuun Yasutani, used it for his practice after he had completed formal koan-study. It is a practice, or quest, which is also pointed to in older Buddhist sources,[11] 'turning the light within', or'turning back the radiance', seeing one's nature, e.g.sunyata orBuddha-nature.[12]
Bassui was critical of koans, warning that they should only be studied once one had gained some insight in their inherent nature.[13]
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