| Gesshū Sōko | |
|---|---|
| Title | Zen Master |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1618 Japan |
| Died | 1696 |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| School | Sōtō |
Gesshū Sōko (1618–1696) was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher and a member of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan. He studied under teachers of the lesser known, and more strictly monastic, Ōbaku School of Zen and contributed to a reformation of Sōtō monastic codes. As a result, he is sometimes given the title "The Revitalizer".
He is known for his calligraphy as well as his poetry, including his death poem:
Inhale, exhale
Forward, back
Living, dying:
Arrows, let flown each to each
Meet midway and slice
The void in aimless flight --
Thus I return to the source.
Gesshū Sōko passed Dharma transmission to Zen Master Manzan Dōhaku who went on to restore the strong master-disciple bond in Sōtō Zen.
References
- ^ "Still Point - Newsletter of Dharma Rain Zen Center". XXV (1). Portland, Oregon. January–February 2000.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Stevens, John. Sacred Calligraphy of the East, third edition.
- Hoffmann, Yoel (1986). Japanese Death Poems: Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death. Tuttle Publishing.