Topic: the monkey is reaching

[nichi]

The monkey is reaching
For the moon in the water.
Until death overtakes him
He'll never give up.
If he'd let go the branch and
Disappear in the deep pool,
The whole world would shine
With dazzling pureness.


~Hakuin
17th Century Japan


Here is an article I received in my email about this poem and poet, written by Ivan Granger:

The Zen master Hakuin Ekaku, sometimes called Hakuin Zenji, was born in a small Japanese coastal village at the foot of Mt. Fuji.

Though his parents opposed his decision, Hakuin took monastic vows at the age of 15.

He studied the Buddhist scriptures intensely, but was deeply shaken by reading of the painful death of a famous Chinese Chan master. The young Hakuin lost his faith in the Buddhist path for a while, hiding himself in the study of literature.

But, at the age of 22, he had his first experience of satori or enlightenment when he heard a sentence from a Buddhist scripture being recited.

After that, he dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the full realization of Nirvana, unshakable peace.

At this time, Zen Buddhism had become the court religion and, in its preeminence, lost much its inner spiritual vitality. Hakuin is credited with saving the tradition from its decline virtually single-handedly, returning Zen to its rich spiritual essence.

He organized koan training (authoring the famous koan, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?") and re-emphasized the zazen practice of sitting meditation.

Hakuin's reforms were highly effective, as seen by the profound impact Zen has in the world of spiritual practice today.

---

This is such a fascinating teaching poem. But what is really being said?

Hakuin Zenji paints for us an elaborate picture. First, we have the moon. It is reflected in water. A monkey hangs from a branch above the water, and it yearns for the moon that it sees reflected in the water. The monkey continually reaches into the water to grasp the moon, but the prize eludes his grip.

Who is the monkey? Well, we are. Or, more specifically, it is the busy, grasping mind. It is that chattering, gibbering aspect of the awareness that we most often identify with.

The moon, as I have often pointed out, is a common representation in Zen poetry of enlightened awareness, ripened or full awareness.

So the monkey, the mind, is seeking enlightenment, though it fails to understand what it is really grasping at. It just notices something shiny, and it desires to possess it. It is not truly reaching for enlightenment; instead it grasps at a mere reflection of that light in the water below it.

What is this water? It can be understood as the world of manifest reality. It reflects the light of enlightenment. In fact, that is its purpose. But while it appears to be real, it is found to be fleeting, changing, ultimately intangible.

The monkey mind never tires of grasping at what shines and shimmers in reflection. This is partly because, in addition to the moon, the monkey sees itself reflected as well -- and it loves its own face.

Hakuin laughs and gives us the solution: The monkey mind must let go and "disappear into the deep pool" of reality. The monkey's fall represents the insight that the way is not attained through effort but through supreme yielding. When the mind stops grasping at reflections, when it fades into stillness, only then does the whole world shine "with dazzling pureness." In other words, the mind can never grasp enlightenment. When it finally gives up and gets out of the way, then enlightenment is discovered to have already come about.

If he'd let go the branch and
Disappear in the deep pool,
The whole world would shine
With dazzling pureness.

Poetry Chaikhana

[Michael]

The monkey is reaching
For the moon in the water.

yep

[Zamurito]

:::smiles:::

[Jahn]

When the nun Chiyono studied Zen under Bukko of Engaku she was unable to attain the fruits of meditation for a long time. 

At last one moonlit night she was carrying water in an old pail bound with bamboo. The bamboo broke and the bottom fell out of the pail, and at that moment Chiyono was set free!

In commemoration she wrote a poem:

In this way and that I tried to save the old pail
Since the bamboo strip was weakening and about to break

Until at last the bottom fell out
No more water in the pail!
No more moon in the water!


Zen Flesh, Zen Bones
By Paul Reps, 1957.

[nichi]

This world
A fading
Mountain echo
Void and
Unreal

Within
A light snow
Three Thousand Realms
Within those realms
Light snow falls

As the snow
Engulfs my hut
At dusk
My heart, too
Is completely consumed

~Ryokan
18th Century Japan