SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

124 Appendix I: The Gist of Sōtō Zendescriptive of Gautama Buddha: Mushi dokugo, i.e., enlightenmentaccomplished by oneself without relying upon a teacher. *In the poem a harmony is achieved between opposites, and itmay be viewed as a direct attestation of sudden enlightenment.Along with the renga described above, are the haiku which aresimilar in content. The profound haiku produced by the masterBash‡ (1644Ð1694 C.E.) are quite unintelligible without understandingthe meditation practice which produced them. In abrief passing moment the true form of all things can be seen.Such is haiku, poetry influenced by the meditation practice ofthe poet. In summary, the ultimate goal of the artist is to beenlightened by himself, to have his work express his religiousunderstanding spontaneously.Tea was introduced into Japan in 1214 C.E. and at firstwas used chiefly as a medicine. The tea ceremony was begun byMurata Shuk‡ (142lÐ1502 C.E.), and reached its zenith with themaster Sen-no-Riky‰ (1522Ð1591 C.E.). The influence of Zenon the four principles of the tea ceremonyÑ harmony, respect,purity and serenityÑis obvious at first glance. The etiquette ofthe classic tea room owes a great deal to the spiritualceremonies of Buddhism in their skillful combination of thesimple with the profound. The founder of Setoyaki pottery,Kat‡ Kagemasa, journeyed to China in the company of Great* See footnote p. 41.