Tao Te Ching
Ikkyū Sōjun 休宗純
1394 – 1481 CE
Famous trickster, flute player, and bringer of Zen awareness into everyday life
Folk hero, poet, Rinzai heretic and saint, eccentric Zen monk, and one of Japan's most famous flute players; Ikkyū's unconventional approach to Buddhism became a significant influence in popularizing Zen teachings to the general population. A Trickster, he rejected and criticized the religious establishment's hierarchy as well as the popular formalities, rituals, and societal norms of his time. Known as a great calligrapher and sumi-e artist, he also evolved and popularized the Japanese tea ceremony. His teachings emphasized direct, experiential, spontaneous understanding and he took a strong position against celibacy. Going further, he even taught that love and sex furthered people on a spiritual path and he encouraged sex with prostitutes, and either heterosexual or homosexual lovers. A continuous influence on Japanese culture, the popular TV series about him ran for 296 episodes.
Eras
Western
Renaissance (1304 – 1576 CE)Chinese
Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644 CE)Unlisted Sources
Quotes by Ikkyū Sōjun (8 quotes)
“Since I have no mind and no body, I am at home both in the mountains and in the floating world.”
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“Lost in elegant dalliance
And love-talk, we in the Boudoir of Dreams scoff at grim ascetics.”
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“Good friends of the Dharma, so proud,
But a brothel girl in gold brocade has you beat by a mile.”
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“Change base lust into refined love and it is worth more than a mountain of gold.”
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“My life has been devoted to love-play and I have no regrets...
I am not ashamed to have passed my days as a crazy cloud”
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“Lost in dalliance, intimate talk, and orgasmic bliss...
Night after night, we two lovebirds snuggle on the meditation platform”
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“Women are the treasure house of Buddhism. They are the source out of which every being came forth including Buddha and Bodhidharma!”
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