SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

42 Sōtō Zenbetween two poets is necessary to compose a renga, its essencelies in perfect harmony.Another characteristic form of Japanese poetry is haiku,which despite its brevity, is capable of reflecting the entireuniverse in a split second. The accompanying profound mentalattitude is in perfect accord with the understanding that comesfrom the practice of meditation. The superb haiku by Bash‡ arequite unintelligible without an understanding of Buddhistmeditation practice.Formerly, before entering a tea ceremony room, it wascustomary to play the koto (a kind of musical instrument).Tung-kao Hsin-yueh (J. T‡k‡ ShinÕetsu, 1642Ð1696), whocame to Japan from China during the Tokugawa Period, was anexpert calligrapher, artist and musician. He especially excelledin the playing of the koto and composed twenty-four pieces.The hooded, itinerant priests of the Fuke Zen School developedthe Kaik‡ and K‡k‡ pieces and were renowned for their skill inplaying the flute (J. shakuhachi). The lingering notes of theflute eloquently point toward the profundity of meditation.It goes without saying that pottery received a greatimpulse from the tea ceremony. The founder of Japanesepottery making, Kat‡ Kagemasa, crossed over to China in thecompany of D‡gen Zenji, the First Ancestor of the JapaneseS‡t‡ School. He may be considered a pioneer in Japanesesetomono (pottery).