When the great Japanese Zen reformer, Hakuin Ekaku,
was still a student, he traveled from temple to
temple seeking to deepen his
practice. At one point in his journey, he was joined by two older monks
carrying bundles in which they kept their belongings. They were cynical men
who, when they noticed how earnest their young companion was, were unscrupulous
about taking advantage of him.
One of the men said, “I’m not feeling well, and I’ve
traveled such a long distance. I don’t know if I have the strength to continue
carrying this bundle.”
Hakuin readily offered to carry the bundle as well as
his own, and, as he walked, he was so absorbed in his meditation on the koan Mu
that he was barely aware of the added weight.
Seeing how his partner had fared, the other monk began
to moan, “Ah! We’ve come such a long way, and yet we still have a long journey
before us. And I, too, have become ill! Perhaps you could help me as well?”
Hakuin agreed and took up the third bundle.
Still focused on Mu, he was able to carry all three loads.
Eventually they came to a ferry they needed to board
in order to cross a large lake. Hakuin laid the three bundles down and settled
himself into meditation posture. He was quickly absorbed in a deep samadhi. The
weather turned bad, and soon the boat began heaving badly on the rough waters. Although
other passengers began to moan in agony, Hakuin persisted in his meditation and
eventually, tired from his exertions, drifted gently into asleep. He slept
soundly for hours and only awoke after the boat had docked. When he opened his
eyes, he was assaulted by the smell of vomit. Looking around, he found that his
companions and all the other passengers were lolling about the deck sick
because of the turbulent waters they had run into. Hakuin alone had passed the
journey unfazed.
As he walked down the gangplank steadily while the
rest of the passengers lurched about unsurely, the captain of the ferry
remarked, “You’re quite the young rascal, aren’t you?”
Hakuin was absorbed once more in the koan and went his
way.
Zen Masters of Japan: 229-50, 254, 261]
The
Story of Zen: 170, 188-196, 217, 370, 428, 430, 437, 442
