Dear koan divers,
Our winter set of diving sessions begins this Sunday, Jan. 12. Remaining sessions: Jan. 19 and 26, Mar. 2.
We meet at the Creek Bend Zendo, 7528 Jenkin Place
3:00 to 5:00 PM
Everyone is welcome, and no prior koan experience is needed.
Suggested donation: $10
Here we go, with a koan from the new “Hidden Lamp” collection:
Ohashi Awakens in a Brothel
Japan, Eighteenth Century
Ohashi sold herself to a brothel to support her impoverished family after her samurai father lost his position. She served diligently and became a poet and calligrapher, but she was plagued by sadness for her former life. Later she met Hakuin, who advised her that enlightenment was possible in any circumstance. He gave her the koan “Who is it that does this work?”
Ohashi was terrified by lightning. One day, during a violent thunderstorm, she sat zazen on the veranda of the brothel in order to face her fear. A bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of her. She fainted, and when she awoke, she saw the world in an entirely new way. Hakuin later certified her enlightenment.
Ohashi was eventually ransomed from the brothel by one of her patrons, Isso, and they were married. Later, with Isso’s permission, she became a nun and was renowned for her wisdom and compassion. After Ohashi’s death, instead of making the customary memorial tablet, Isso has a statue of Kannon carved in Ohashi’s likeness and donated it to Hakuin’s temple.
Of course you can read the commentary provided in The Hidden Lamp; but I’d like to encourage you to meet the koan freshly, on your own. You can read the commentary later, and I think you’ll find that our collective encounter with it will be rich and full, and might support your own practice of taking this story deep into your meditation and widely into your day and night. As you meet this koan, what question presents itself to your own heart-mind? Sit with that question. This deep research of the heart-mind is something we can offer to each other, so that awakening arises in our midst.
Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday,
Sarah Bender