was a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk and poet who had a great impact on the infusion of Japanese art and literature with Zen attitudes and ideals. He is perhaps best known for his radical approach to Zen, which included breaking Buddhist monastic precepts and his stance against celibacy.
Ikkyà « was born in 1394 in a small suburb of Kyoto. It is generally held that he was the son of Emperor Go-Komatsu and a low-ranking court noblewoman. His mother was forced to flee to Saga, where Ikkyà « was raised by servants. At the age of five, Ikkyà « was separated from his mother and placed in a Rinzai Zen temple in Kyoto called Ankoku-ji, as an acolyte. The temple masters taught Chinese culture and language as part of the curriculum, a method termed . He was given the name Shuken, and learned about Chinese poetry, art and literature.
When Ikkyà « turned thirteen he entered Kennin-ji in Kyoto to study Zen under a well known priest by the name of Botetsu. Here Ikkyà « began to write poetry frequently that was non-traditional in form. He was openly critical of Kennin-ji's leadership in his poetry, disheartened with the social stratum and lack of practice he saw around him. In 1410, at the age of sixteen, Ikkyà « left Kennin-ji and entered the temple Mibu-dera, where an abbot named Seiso was in residence. He did not stay long, and soon found himself at Saikin-ji in the Lake Biwa region where he was the sole student of an abbot named Ken'o. It seemed Ikkyà « had finally found a master that taught true as Ikkyà « saw it. Ken'o was sporadic in his teaching style and was a strong believer in the supremacy of . In 1414, when Ikkyà « was 21, Ken'o died. Ikkyà « performed funeral rites and fasted for seven days. In despair Ikkyà « tried to kill himself by drowning himself in Lake Biwa, but was talked out of it from the shore by a servant of his mother.
Ikkyà « soon found a new teacher in a master named Kaso at Zenko-an, a branch temple of Daitoku-ji. Kaso was much like Ken'o in his style. For years he worked hard on assigned and made dolls for a local merchant in Kyoto. In 1418 Ikkyà « was given Case 15 of the ("The Gateless Gate", a famous set of 49 ), known as "Tozan's Three (or 60?) Blows", which depicts Tozan becoming enlightened when Ummon rebukes him for wandering from one monastery to another. One day a band of blind singers performed at the temple and Ikkyà « penetrated his while engrossed in the music. In recognition of his understanding Kaso gave Shuken the Dharma name Ikkyà «, which roughly means 'One Pause'.
In 1420, Ikkyà « was meditating in a boat on Lake Biwa when the sound of a crow sparked . When Ikkyà « told Kasà  of his experience, Kasà  replied, "This is the enlightenment of a mere arhat, you're no master yet." Ikkyà « responded, "Then I'm happy to be an arhat, I detest masters." Thus, Kasà  declared, "Ha, now you really are a master." Kasà  confirmed Ikkyà «'s great enlightenment and granted him . However, when presented with his inka, Ikkyà « threw it to the ground and stomped off. Kasà  retained the inka for safekeeping, but when Ikkyà « learned of this, he tore it to pieces. Later, when his disciples had it pieced back together, Ikkyà « burned it completely.
Ikkyà « came up against the jealousy of Yoso, a more senior student who eventually came to run the monastery. In Ikkyà «'s poems, Yoso appears as a character unhealthily obsessed with material goods, who sold Zen to increase the prosperity of the temple.
Ikkyà « could sometimes be a troublemaker. Known to drink in excess, he would often upset Kaso with his remarks and actions to guests. In response, Kaso gave to Yoso and made him Dharma heir. Ikkyà « quickly left the temple and lived many years as a vagabond. He was not alone, however, as he had a regular circle of notable artists and poets from that era. Around this time, he established a sexual relationship with a blind singer, Mori, who became the love of his later life.
Ikkyà « strove to live Zen outside of formal religious institutions. However, the à Ânin War had reduced Daitokuji to ashes, and Ikkyà « was elected to be its abbot late in life, a role he reluctantly took on. This firmly placed him at the head of one of the most important Zen institutions. However, Ikkyà « refused to give formal sanction to any of his disciples, stating his intent thus: "I have never given inka to anyone. ... So if after I'm gone, someone comes claiming to have my inka, you should report him to the authorities and prosecute for criminal misconduct. That's why I'm telling everyone the facts by way of a written testament." Toward the end of his life, Ikkyà « told his disciples:
<blockquote>After my death some of you will seclude yourselves in the forests and mountains to meditate, while others may drink saké and enjoy the company of women. Both kinds of Zen are fine, but if some become professional clerics, babbling about 'Zen as the way,' they are my enemies. I have never given an inka, and if anyone claims to have received such a thing from me, have him or her arrested!</blockquote>
In 1481, Ikkyà « died at the age of 87 from acute ague.
Ikkyà « felt a close connection with the Chinese Chan master Linji, for whom everyday ordinary activities expressed the buddha-nature. Linji said, "Shit and piss and just be human; when hungry, eat; when tired, sleep; make yourself the master of every situation!" According to Yanagida Seizan, this represents a recognition of the "fundamental value of the human being." Ikkyà « was inspired by such an attitude, taking it to include sexual needs as well. "If you are thirsty," Ikkyà « said, "you dream of water; if you are cold, you dream of a warm coat; as for me, I dream of the pleasures of the boudoirâÂÂthat's my nature!" Ikkyà « also took seriously Huineng's teaching that "outside of licentiousness, there is no true Buddha-nature." For Ikkyà «, sex was a form of spiritual practice. He regarded sex in light of the nonduality of desire and bodhi, and it also served as a means for him to test his own sense of enlightenment as well. According to John Stevens, "For Ikkyà «, the passions were the anvil on which true enlightenment is forged." That Ikkyà « regarded sex as a religious rite is also exemplified by his insistence on wearing monk's robes when entering brothels. Ikkyà « wrote that sex was better than sitting in meditation and working on koans:<blockquote>Rinzai's disciples never got the Zen message,<br />But I, the Blind Donkey, know the truth:<br />Love play can make you immortal.<br />The autumn breeze of a single night of love is better than a hundred thousand years of sterile sitting meditation . . .<br /><br />Stilted koans and convoluted answers are all monks have,<br />Pandering endlessly to officials and rich patrons.<br />Good friends of the Dharma, so proud, let me tell you,<br />A brothel girl in gold brocade is worth more than any of you.</blockquote>
Ikkyà « frequented brothels as a means of deepening his satori and applying Zen to daily living. As Covell and Yamada point out, this resembles the tenth Ox-herding stage in which Hotei mingles freely with everyone, going beyond the duality between the saintly and common person. Ikkyà « praised "pavilion girls" who, unlike priests whose minds were filled with philosophical dialectics, existed in a state of no-mind, facing the present moment immediately and without calculated thinking or regrets. This was to act free of the logically-structured mind. Ikkyà « also came to embrace the view found in Esoteric Buddhism that the real Buddha is none other than one's own body. Thus, when he practiced Zen, he practiced with the body as well as the mind. Such a tantric attitude, which also draws on the language of alchemy, can be seen in the following:<blockquote>A sex-loving monk, you object!<br />Hot-blooded and passionate, totally aroused.<br />But then lust can exhaust all passion,<br />Turning base metal into pure gold.<br /><br />The lotus flower<br />Is not stained by the mud;<br />This dewdrop form,<br />Alone, just as it is,<br />Manifests the real body of truth.</blockquote>
Ikkyà « is one of the most significant (and eccentric) figures in Zen history. To Japanese children, he is a folk hero, mischievous and always outsmarting his teachers and the . In addition to passed down oral stories, this is due to the very popular animated TV series .
In Rinzai Zen tradition, he is both heretic and saint. He was among the few Zen priests who addressed the subject of sexuality from a religious context, and he stood out for arguing that enlightenment was deepened by partaking in love and sex, including lovers, prostitutes and monastic homosexuality. He believed that sex was part of the human nature, and therefore purer than hypocritical organizations and worldly pursuits. At the same time, he warned Zen against its own bureaucratic politicising.
Usually he is referred to as one of the main influences on the Fuke sect of Rinzai zen, as he is one of the most famous flute player mendicants of the medieval times of Japan. The piece "Murasaki Reibo" is attributed to him. He is credited as one of the great influences on the Japanese tea ceremony, and renowned as one of medieval Japan's greatest calligraphers and artists.
Ikkyà « wrote in -style classical Chinese, which was employed by many contemporary Japanese authors. For instance, the "Calling My Hand Mori's Hand" poem.
Ikkyà « is also connected with a Hell Courtesan, who became his disciple.