Hakuin

Japanese Rinzai Zen master, 1686–1769. The single most important figure in the revival of Rinzai Zen, which had grown stale and ceremonial by his time. He systematized koan practice into the curriculum used in Rinzai monasteries to this day. He devised the most famous koan in the world himself: "What is the sound of one hand?" He had a brutal early training and several breakdowns from over-pushing — what he later called "Zen sickness" — and developed gentle bodily practices, especially the "soft butter" visualization, to heal himself and his students. He was also a calligrapher and ink painter of genius; his rough, comic images of Bodhidharma and Hotei are some of the most beloved Zen art ever made. Core teaching: the great doubt must become the great death must become the great awakening. Push the koan with your whole life, not just your head. Key works: *Wild Ivy: The Spiritual Autobiography of Zen Master Hakuin*, *The Essential Teachings of Zen Master Hakuin*, *Song of Zazen* (chanted in Rinzai temples daily).