Shadows of the moon –Soto Zen Death Poems

               There was a man who was to become known as Dogen Zenji. He left his home and traveled to China and there meets his true master Tiantong Rujing. Master Rujing (1162-1228) is called Tendō Nyōjo in Japanese. He was a member of the Caodong school of Buddhism in China. Dogen meets him when he was living in Jingde Temple on Tiāntóng Mountain in Yinzhou District, Ningbo. He taught and gave dharma transmission to both Dogen and the Soto monk Jakuen. Ruijing’s remains rest in his Stupa which is located at Jingci Temple in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Master Rujing is believed to be the originator of the terms shikantaza and shinjin-datsuraku "casting off of body and mind".  So Says master Dogen.


Rujing’s death poem


For sixty-six years committing sins against Heaven,
Now leaping beyond, while still alive.
Plunging into yellow springs; amazing!
I used to believe life and death were unrelated.

             Death poems have been written by Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Zen monks for centuries. It was an ancient custom in Japan for literate persons to compose such a poem on their death bed.


Dogen’s death poem


Fifty-four years lighting up the sky.
A quivering leap smashes a billion worlds.
Hah!
Entire body looks for nothing.
Living, I plunge into Yellow Springs.

(In Chinese “yellow springs” means the concept of “Yomi” or underworld, this concept of Yomi was later transferred to Japan.)


Kozan’s Death Poem

(Our history relates that a few days before his death, he called his pupils together, ordered them to bury him without ceremony, forbidding them to hold services in his memory. After writing this poem on the morning of his death, he lay down his brush and died sitting upright.)


Empty handed I entered the world.
Barefoot I leave it.
My coming, my going-
Two simple happenings
That got entangled.

(Kozan Ichikyo is usually considered the 2nd founder of Soto Zen in Japan – he died February 12, 1360 CE, at age 77.)



Gesshu Soko’s death Poem

Translation 1.

Breathing in, breathing out,
Moving forward, moving back,
Living, dying, coming, going --
Like two arrows meeting in flight,
In the midst of nothingness
There is a road that goes directly
to my true home.

Translation 2.

Breathing in, out,
forward, back,
living, dying.
Two arrows meet in mid air,
slice and sail on through
into open space.
I turn around.

(Master Gesshu Soko, 1618-1696. Was a Soto Zen reformer who brought attention to Dogen’s writings, after centuries of neglect by the Soto community.)


The Enso as a Death Poem:

"During his last moment, Shisui's disciples requested that he write a death poem. He grasped his brush, painted a circle, cast the brush aside, and died. The circle— indicating the void, the essence of everything, enlightenment—"

The death poem of Basho, one of the greatest haiku poets of all time:


On a journey, ill;
my dream goes wandering
over withered fields.