Hyakujo

Hyakujo

About Hyakujo

Hyakujo was the direct heir of Ma Tzu and became most well known for his establishment of the first truly Zen monasteries and his treatise on sudden enlightenment. To understand Hyakujo, the first thing is to understand that enlightenment can only be sudden. The preparation can be gradual, but the illumination is going to be sudden. You can prepare the ground for the seeds, but the sprouts will come suddenly one day in the morning; they don’t come gradually. Existence believes in suddenness. Nothing is gradual here, although everything appears to be gradual; that is our illusion.

Hyakujo introduced a very scientific concept of monasteries. Born in 724, Hyakujo was also known as Pai Chang. As a young boy Hyakujo was taken to a temple by his mother, and upon entering, she bowed to the Buddhist statue. Pointing to the statue, Hyakujo asked his mother, ”What is that?” His mother replied, ”That is a buddha.” Hyakujo said, ”He looks like a man. I want to become a buddha afterwards.

Hyakujo said, even though he was a small child, ”He looks like a man. I want to become a buddha afterwards. If this man could become a buddha, I am also a man. Right now I am too small, but later on, I am going to become a Buddha.

He was always very insistent on working every day. In fact, he was well known for saying, "A day without work is a day without food."

The tradition goes like this: When Pai-chang was old he persisted in working in the fields every day without fail. The monks felt sorry for him. So, they hid his field tools. Pai-chang then observed, "I have no virtue. Why should others work for me?" And so, Pai-chang refused to eat. When the monks finally capitulated and returned to Pai-chang his work tools, Pai-chang made that famous remark, "A day without work is a day without food." This saying became so famous in Zen circles that today, Zen schools are noted for their practice of hard work or labor.

Hyakujo's greatest contribution to Zen was the development of monasteries - where thousands of people gathered together with a single direction, toward what Zen calls The Ultimate Experience. And his motto: "One day without working, one day without food." No holy charity here; work and meditation go hand in hand. He also created the Chinese Tea Ceremony where something so ordinary as drinking tea becomes a meditation.

The language of suddenness

when hyakujo first arrived at chiang-si to pay his respects to ma tzu, ma tzu inquired, ”from where have you come?” ”from the great cloud monastery at yueh chou,” answered hyakujo. ”and what do you hope to gain by coming here?” Asked ma tzu. Hyakujo replied, ”I have come seeking the buddha-dharma.”

To this ma tzu replied, ”instead of looking to the treasure house which is your very own, you have left home and gone wandering far away.

What for? I have absolutely nothing here at all. What is this buddha-dharma that you seek?” Whereupon hyakujo prostrated himself and asked, ”please tell me to what you alluded when you spoke of a treasure house of my very own.” Ma tzu replied, ”that which asked the question is your treasure house. It contains absolutely everything you need and lacks nothing at all. It is there for you to use freely, so why this vain search for something outside yourself?”

The language of suddenness no sooner were these words spoken than hyakujo received a great illumination and recognized his own no-mind. Beside himself with joy, he bowed in deep gratitude. Hyakujo spent the next six years in attendance upon ma tzu..

A Story : When the Soviet Union emerged from the revolution... The capital during the czars’ rule was Petrograd, it was not Moscow. Petrograd was named after Peter, one of the czars. Because of this association, communists changed the capital to Moscow. But before changing it – it took years – they had to function in Petrograd. Just in front of the palace of the czar there was a huge rock that prevented anybody, any vehicle, to pass in front. It was considerately kept there so that nobody passed and disturbed the czar. You could go on any other street but you could not move on the street in front of the palace. The rock was so huge that the communists were worried about what to do with it. It had to be removed, but its largeness prevented all removal.

They called architects and engineers and they all thought about many ways, either to cut it into pieces – but that too was not easy... They were all worried and there was no solution coming out. An old farmer was just leaning on his staff, standing there, watching with all these great engineers, architects, politicians, and when he saw that they were not able to find any solution, he said, ”I am just a farmer and I don’t know anything. I don’t know what engineering is, and what architecture is. I have just heard these words here, but as I understand, you want to remove this rock. It is a very simple thing.” Lenin himself asked, ”You say it is a very simple thing? Please tell us what your idea is.

 He said, ”There is no idea. There is no need to remove the rock. Just dig around the rock and go on digging and taking out the mud from underneath the rock, and then finally force the rock down so it becomes part of the road.” It was so simple, so intelligent, that all those architects and engineers were at a loss because they were thinking in conceptual terms from their books, their university degrees, and this poor man had nothing but a practical intelligence. He said, ”It is such a small thing. Just dig around the rock, then pull out as much mud as you can from underneath the rock and then force it down. It will settle in the hole and be a part of the road. And it is such a beautiful rock, it should not be removed. It will make such a beautiful part of the road in front of the palace.” The farmer’s instructions were exactly followed and the rock is still there in front of Petrograd’s palace. Intelligence is a clarity, intellectuality is a borrowed knowledge.)

Available to existence

Hyakujo became a monk afterwards, when he was twenty years old. He joined a monastery at Yueh Chou, and his first master was called Tao-chih. Tao-chih gave him his first spiritual name which was Hui Hai meaning, Ocean of Wisdom. Hyakujo was not a monk for long before he heard about the great master, Ma Tzu, and went to him.

I do not understand the way the venerable zen master talks,” said tao kung. You are speaking and you say that you don’t have a tongue. You go on teaching about devices and goals, and you say there are no mental activities of any use, and there is no goal either.

Whereupon hyakujo said, ”nor does this old monk understand himself.” He accepted that he does not even understand himself. ”only existence knows what he is using me for. I am absolutely available to existence. If he wants to lie through me, i will lie. If he wants something else to be done through me, i will do it. I have completely dropped myself into the hands of the cosmos.” Hyakujo is saying something of tremendous importance: a master is absolutely absent as far as his individuality is concerned; he is absolutely present as far as his cosmic experience is concerned. And you need to have some intelligence, some heart, to understand it.

The question was asked of hyakujo: ”there is a sutra which says that not to perceive anything in terms of being or non-being is true deliverance. What does that mean?”

Hyakujo responded: ”when we attain to purity of mind, that is something which can be said to exist. When this happens, our remaining free from any thought of achievement is called not perceiving anything as existent. Reaching the state in which no thoughts arise or persist, yet without being conscious of their absence, is called not perceiving anything as non-existent. ”the sutra says, perceptions employed as a base for building up possible concepts are the origin of all ignorance. Perception that there is nothing to perceive – that is nirvana, also known as deliverance.”

Enlightened remained silent

Most of the enlightened beings have remained silent, for the simple reason, that to say the truth is to annoy the whole world. And not to say the truth, one feels like one has betrayed oneself. The situation of an enlightened man is a very difficult situation. He has all the blessings, and all the joys, but there is a problem: he cannot communicate it to those who are moving in darkness, in blindness. And the trouble is, with enlightenment arises great compassion and love spontaneously. So the enlightened person tries to help in every possible way, creates devices, even tells lies to help you to come to the truth. Very few enlightened people are articulate, because that is a totally different expertise. So they remain silent, although their silence becomes heavy on them. They become sad because they cannot communicate. They know the truth, and that somebody is searching for it, but they cannot even indicate the way. They feel helpless. A few people who became enlightened remained silent for a few years, just pondering over the problem of communion. That was the case with hyakujo. He became enlightened, and waited for the right moment when he had found the right words, the right devices which can help somebody.

Nirvana

In search of a lost treasure Hyakujo wrote these sutras after his enlightenment, but before his becoming a master. He himself asked the question. It is a preparation for himself – the homework. He asked the question and he himself answers it, trying to see whether he will be able to answer the questions which are bound to arise when he declares his enlightenment. One of the most difficult things is: what is nirvana? The word ‘nirvana’ has a very special meaning to it. No other religion in the world has ever dared to think of such a thing. ‘nirvana’ literally means blowing away the flame. You have a candle, you blow away the flame – now where, the fish, even Questions to ask.

Are you prepared to answer them, master?” Hyakujo replied, ”yes. The moon is reflected in that deep pond; catch it if you like.” He said, ”whatever I say will be as far away from truth as is the reflection of the moon from the moon itself. I am ready to answer your questions. But remember, you will have to understand, all my answers are as far away from truth as the reflection of the moon in the deep pond is far away from the real moon. My words are only reflections. Don’t cling to them as if they are the very truth.” The group continued, ”what is the buddha really like?” ”if that which is facing the limpid pond is not the buddha, what is it?” Said hyakujo.

Lie down and witness hyakujo said – they were all looking at the limpid pond for the reflection of the moon – ”if those who are looking at the reflection of the moon in the limpid pond, if they are not buddhas, then who can be buddhas? You are witnessing. Just move from the object to the subject – who is looking at the reflection? Or in other words, who is asking the question? If it is not buddha, what is it? This witnessing, this watching, if it is not buddha, then what is it?” Said hyakujo. The monks were puzzled... Everybody will be puzzled if you say that you are a buddha. Just try it on any stranger, ”wait! I think you are a buddha,” and see the response. He will simply freak out, ”are you mad or something? Are you mad or something?” But you are saying the truth. You are revealing his own reality to him. When I call you the buddhas, it is not a metaphor. I really realy mean it.

A wild duck.

  When Great Master Ba and Hyakujô were walking together, they saw a wild duck fly past. Master Ba said, "What's that?" Hyakujô said, "A wild duck." Master Ba said, "Where did it go?" Hyakujô said, "It flew away." Master Ba twisted Hyakujô's nose. Hyakujô cried out in pain. Master Ba said, "Where has it Ever flown away?"

( Verse:

Wild ducks.

Do you know how many?

Baso sees it and talks about it together.

Exhausted is all talk on the sentiments of clouds on the mountains and the moon

over the ocean.

Still he [Hyakujô] didn't understand and said, "It flew away."

He [Hyakujô] wanted to fly away.

But he [Master Ba] held him fast.

Speak! Speak! )

Hyakujô's Clean Rules

Among those many successors, Hyakujô and Nansen were particularly outstanding. It was Hyakujô who first established in the Zen sect the rules for practice known as "Hyakujô's Clean Rules"

These rules for temple procedure are the same prescriptions which Dôgen Zenji later adopted for his own temple. Up to Hyakujô's time there were evidently no such established rules of procedure; people simply gathered and practiced. Hyakujô organized procedure and established the basis of practice which is found in today's temples. It was also Hyakujô who made the famous declaration, "A day without work is a day without eating."

Even when he was well on in years, Hyakujô would take the lead in samu or working meditation which often involved strenuous physical labor. His disciples, concerned about his health, asked that he stop doing samu, but Hyakujô would hear nothing of it. They finally hid his work tools and Hyakujô, left with nothing to do, shut himself up in his cottage. The monks presently discovered that he was no longer eating and this is evidently the source of his now famous statement. Today's koan takes place before Hyakujô's enlightenment.

Diamond Sutra.

I'm sure you all remember the famous story of how Tokusan went to pay a visit on

Ryûtan. On his way there he found a small tea shop where snacks were sold. Since he was

hungry he decided to buy a bean cake or some other small snack. The old woman running the

shop asked him, "What are you carrying in the cart, Your Reverence?" He told her proudly,

"They are the notes and commentaries on the Diamond Sutra." "Is that so?" the old woman

said. "Then I would like to ask you a question. If you can answer it, I'll treat you to a bean

cake. If not, I won't even let you buy one!"

 "Ask me whatever you like," Tokusan said. The old woman said, "I hear that it is said

in that sutra, 'The past mind cannot be caught; the present mind cannot be caught; the future

mind cannot be caught.' With what mind are you going to eat the bean cake?"

 How would you answer? The past mind can't be caught; the present mind can't be

caught; the future mind can't be caught. But in the midst of not catching, it is caught in this

way. Gulp! Ah, that's delicious! Isn't that a perfectly fine answer? If you try to figure it Hekiganroku 

 out, you'll never succeed. But if you show the real fact, it's just as it is. Gulp! Mmmm,

that's good!

 Having received confirmation of his understanding, Hyakujô expressed his deep

thanks to his master, returned to his own quarters and began to sob violently. He was no

doubt beside himself with joy. One of the other monks living in the same quarters asked him

why he was crying. Hyakujô told the monk to go and ask the Roshi. The monk went to

Master Ba's cottage and told him that Hyakujô was crying loudly. "What has happened?" he

wanted to know. "Is that so?" said Master Ba. "Well, go and ask Hyakujô." The monk

returned to the monk's quarters only to find Hyakujô this time wildly laughing. More

perplexed than ever, the monk said to Hyakujô, "A few minutes ago you were crying; now I find

you laughing. What a strange fellow you are!" Hyakujô answered, "Before I was crying, now

I'm laughing." This is the ever-present now. A few minutes ago I was crying, but that's over

and gone. Now I'm laughing. There is only just this present moment.

Hyakujo's contribution

  

Hyakujo: The Everest of Zen

Hyakujo made two great contributions to Zen that served as landmarks of change within the Zen tradition, and which express fundamental elements of living Zen. The first was his treatise on "sudden enlightenment," an understanding that gradual preparation of the soil creates the environment for sudden illumination or understanding to hit like one like lightning after years of searching. 

His second contribution was the creation of monasteries, where thousands of people gathered together with a single direction, a shared deep urgency to become the buddha; where work and meditation went hand in hand; where a climate for realization, an energyfield for enlightenment was generated. He also created the Chinese Tea Ceremony where something so ordinary as drinking tea becomes a meditation.

You have just forgotten who you are

This is immensely significant - to understand that you are not lost, you have just forgotten who you are. And the most hilarious thing is that you are asking others, “Who am I?” Whatever you know about yourself is not you. The knower within you is beyond the reach of your mind, you cannot think about it. You can simply be it.

And the sutra coming from Gautam Buddha says: “It is a remembering.” You must all have felt once in a while. In all the languages of the world the expression, “it is just on the tip of my tongue” exists. A name.you can even see the face, you know that you know the name, it is just on the tip of your tongue, but it is not coming out. And the harder you try, the narrower becomes the space from which the forgotten can again become a recognition.

A point comes. you drop it. One can go only so far, you cannot drive yourself absolutely mad. You just go out for a morning walk, or start digging in your garden and suddenly, out of nowhere, the name is remembered. You had never forgotten it.

Then what was the mechanism that was preventing it from coming to the surface? That mechanism is the whole psychology of the buddhas. The more your mind is full of thoughts, tensions, worries, the further away you are from yourself; the moment the mind is silent you are suddenly centered in your very being.

And there is no other greater ecstasy, no other greater blissfulness, than to know who you are. To know the inner space is to know all. It is unlimited silence, but not dead. It is alive with songs of its own, with dances of its own.

Of course they belong to a totally different stratum.

You see Gautam Buddha sitting in the lotus posture - that is from the outside, a photograph. I see him from inside. He is not sitting in the lotus posture; he is dancing madly. From eternity to eternity his dance goes on and on becoming more and more juicy. More and more flowers start opening in the innermost being - even the silence is fragrant.

It is not something special. Hyakujo is pointing out to his disciple that it is the most natural, simple experience. Just don’t ask to be special and it is yours, just don’t go on a journey of power and it is yours, just don’t even seek it and you have found it. It is your very nature: even if you try to drop it somewhere, throw it somewhere, it is not possible.

There is no way not to be a buddha. Yes, there is a little difference, not worth even calling a difference: a few buddhas are asleep, a few buddhas are awake. Those who are awake were asleep before, those who are asleep now will - in their own time of ripening, blossoming - become buddhas. The difference is not there at all.

A tremendous statement, the sutra of Gautam Buddha says:

“It is not obtained from others. Therefore, when you are enlightened it is just like when you were not enlightened.”