Master Deshimaru

Taisen Deshimaru is the Japanese Zen master who introduced the practice of Zen to France and Europe, where he taught and transmitted it from 1967 to 1982. He played a major role in the transmission of Zen Buddhism to the West in the 20th century.

Born in Japan in 1914, he grew up with his mother and his grandfather, a former samurai. In his youth, he met Kodo Sawaki, a great master of Soto Zen, and followed his teaching. He was ordained a monk by him, who asked him to go to Europe and spread the practice of Zen.

He went to Paris in 1967. From then on and until his death in 1982, he taught Zen to many disciples, the oldest of whom is Stéphane Kosen Thibaut.

In 1975, he received the official shiho from Yamada Zenji, abbot of Eihei-ji.

He founded many dojos in Europe and around the world, the main ones in France being the dojos of Paris and Lyon. He also founded the Gendronnière temple and the AZI (International Zen Association).

He is the author of numerous books on Zen.

To learn more, we recommend the following video (you can turn on the English subtitles at the bottom right on the gear wheel):

Biography of Sensei Deshimaru by Master Kosen

We never called him anything other than Sensei, for us, the great Buddha Deshimaru was Sensei, in English the elder, a very simple name, this is how we call the grandfather of the family or the school teacher in Japan. Thus, for all those who knew him, those who were perhaps even more than these children, Sensei means…

It means, perhaps, ninety Buddhas who suddenly incarnate before you in all simplicity. It is as surprising and perhaps as dangerous as winning the lottery, but once a billionaire, you get used to it very quickly and after a few months you find it almost normal and then one fine day without expecting it you find yourself penniless, because you have spent everything, it’s over, all that remains is to recapitulate what you did with this money during the time you were rich.

I remember the ceremony of the burial of Sensei’s ashes at the Gendronnière temple after me and a few disciples had brought his ashes back from Japan, I was asked to give a short speech, and I said this:

Sensei! Where are you now?

In this box, there are bones and ashes.

Those of your knees, of your straight neck, of your hands in zazen.

Stripped of body and mind!

Your body in the earth, your mind in the cosmos and your teaching, your disciples here, there, before you, are not separated, they are in unity.

Then I read a poem composed by our master in the most traditional Zen form:

The long lowing of the stone ox hovers over the fields.

Outside is only emptiness.

The neighing of the wooden horse rings out in the valley.

The mountains have hidden the moon.

This poem that you composed, we cannot explain it with words, but it seems to perfectly suit the situation. And even if we do not have satori, we must continue your teaching.

Sensei’s teaching and its transmission

Sensei used to tell us:

Before becoming a Buddha, you must become a true human being, understand the true specificity of the human being.

In a very old Zen text, it is written:

The real nature of our ignorance is itself our Buddha nature.

This empty and illusory body is itself the body of the law.

Master Deshimaru, even before being a living Buddha, was one hundred percent pure human. He embodied not only humanity in its most joyful and generous aspects, but his friends said of him that he was the last Japanese of an era that had become mythical, that of the Japan of old tales.

He transmitted Zen to us, but also a lot of the popular culture of his country. You cannot imagine how complementary this culture is to French culture, just as the two cerebral hemispheres are essential to the proper functioning of the mind.

A troupe of traveling players was giving an open-air show and the crowd surrounded the trestles where they were performing. Lost far behind the spectators, there was a dwarf who, of course, could neither see nor hear what was happening on the stage. However, every time the crowd laughed and applauded, the dwarf laughed and applauded too; every time the crowd cried and lamented, the dwarf cried and lamented too.

This is an old story that his mother used to tell him when he was little, before he fell asleep. Yasuo Deshimaru was born in 1914, on November 29, in a small village in southern Japan, downstream from the Chikugo River, the one that winds through the Chikushi plain, not far from the city of Saga. It was in the atmosphere of a still very traditional rural Japan that his childhood passed. His father was a small shipowner; he presided over agricultural and fishing companies in the village. He was very authoritarian and dreamed of a brilliant future for his son:

— My son must earn a lot of money and become someone important, why not a minister? Or a big industrialist?

He always regretted that Yasuo attached so much importance to religion and spent so much energy following and helping his master, Kodo Sawaki. Until his last day, he urged his son to become serious and to concentrate determinedly on succeeding socially and earning a lot of money in order to bring honor to his family. At the death of his father, Sensei felt real pain, torn as he was between the desire to fulfill his father’s wish and the visceral need to follow his religious vocation.

He spoke about it to his master, Kodo Sawaki, and expressed to him, as he had already done many times, his desire to become a Zen monk. But, as always, Master Sawaki rebuffed him and, that time, he told him:

— You must not disappoint your father. Concentrate on what he asked you. Zen is not separated from life, you must experience everything: success and failure, wealth and poverty. Perhaps, one day, through your experience – if however you do not sink under the weight of your karma and forget zazen - you will be able to help others.

He then found a management job in a biscuit factory and got married, although he would have preferred the life of a monk. It was just at the birth of his first child, a boy, that the war broke out and Deshimaru, equipped with his master’s rakusu, left for Indonesia.

Deshimaru’s youth and his spiritual awakening

His mother, on the other hand, was the exact opposite of his father: full of compassion and great delicacy, she fervently believed in the Amida Buddha. The Amida Buddha is the one who saves all existences. His compassion is so great that he says:

Even the good will be saved. All the more reason for the bad!

His mother did not spend a single day without praying to him. She was so respected in the village that some wondered if she was not an incarnation of the goddess Kannon. Through her example, she instilled deep religious feelings in her son from childhood.

Yasuo had two older sisters and two younger sisters, he was the only boy among these four girls. As the village, at the time, had no primary school, Yasuo, in his early childhood, was raised mainly by his grandfather, a huge fellow who, although he was already quite old, was of unusual strength. A master in the art of yawara, (a martial form ancestor of judo and jiu-jitsu), he had taught great samurai during the Meiji era. He therefore taught him the basics of his art even before he knew how to write and sent him rolling on the mats without worrying about his small size. With tears in his eyes, Yasuo gritted his teeth and went back to the attack shouting: Obangyaka! (old brigand!). But even when he had become really old, the grandfather still managed to place an ashibarai on him which sent him flying before he crashed heavily on the ground.

It is very difficult for us to understand the Japanese mentality, first of all because Japan is an island (and we know that islanders have always been quite original compared to continentals) and then because this country went in the space of a little less than a century from the Middle Ages and feudalism to the most absolute modernity in a democratic system. Master Deshimaru is one of those men who experienced the transition between these two eras and who were able to adapt to this situation in a quite astonishing way.

The meeting with the drawing teacher

Upon leaving primary school, young Yasuo met a great drawing teacher named Tanahaka Suishi who taught him the art of Japanese sumi-e. For a whole period, Yasuo was passionate about Japanese watercolor. After a few years, as he was his teacher’s favorite student, the latter pushed him to enter the Ueno School of Fine Arts in Tokyo. He was convinced that Yasuo would become a very great painter. But when he had the misfortune to speak of this idea to his father, the latter’s reaction was not long in coming:

— God be my witness! While I am alive, you will never become a painter!

He accompanied his words with a kick:

— Since you are my son, it would be better if you entered a business school right away, because one day you will have to take over from me.

These words devastated Yasuo who understood that it would be impossible for him to realize one of his dearest childhood dreams. His father wanted him to enter a great school, an administration school, or even a military school which, at that time, were free. Yasuo’s father, who had fought valiantly during the Russo-Japanese War, would have liked his son to succeed first in the army…

Master Taisen Deshimaru, abandoning his project to enter the Fine Arts much to his regret, had to take the entrance exam to the Military School. Fortunately, during the medical examination, it turned out that he was nearsighted and he was discharged. The class he should have been part of was decimated on the front during the Second World War. If he had not been discharged, he would have had very little chance of escaping the slaughter, especially since, with his character, he would surely have fought at the outposts, ready to take big risks.

Thus, what had been considered bad luck for the father turned out to be luck for the son. After this failure which had preserved him from the army, the fact remained that the future seemed quite dark to him. He finally humbly presented himself at the Saga high school, wondering anxiously what would become of him. A little later, at his father’s insistence, Yasuo had to resign himself to abandoning his studies in order to help him in his work. They loaded their steamboats with coal at the Mike mines, then they went down the river stopping to deliver it to all the brickyards that were on their way. He worked with very robust dockers who had entrusted him with the responsibility of weighing the bags of coal. Once, during his early days, when he was still uncomfortable in his work, he slipped on the gangway connecting the boat to the bank and fell into the mud. As he was completely bogged down, the dockers had to unite their efforts to manage to get him out of trouble. Soaked, soiled with mud, he lay full length on the bank, wondering if his destiny was not to constantly fall into the mud…

When he saw his cousin Tamotsu again, the latter was in a student uniform and he, in work clothes. This job that his father wanted to impose on him did not please him, but, fortunately, he finally accepted that Yasuo did not want to lead the same life as him at all and to succeed him in business. He then adopted a young boy who could later take over from him, which was then a common custom in Japan. Yasuo was therefore able to resume his studies. The Majima family, a neighboring family from Saga, offered him a room in their house so that he could work there. It was there that his first meeting with Master Kodo Sawaki took place, which was one day to completely transform his life.

Memories of Master Deshimaru

Sensei recounted:

Sawaki, who then lived in the vicinity of Kumamoto, occasionally came down to Saga to give lectures. On those days, he was given my room and I was made to sleep in another room. One day, having noticed this, he called me and said:

— But stay and sleep here!

And he helped me carry my bed and my things into his room. I was then eighteen years old and Kodo Sawaki was about fifty. I was immediately taken under his spell. He was dressed in the most modest way in an old faded brown kolomo and always wore a kind of satchel around his neck. Yet, his majestic appearance commanded respect.

— Deshimaru! he said in a loud voice entering my room. I come to bother you again!

And he took out of his monk’s satchel some sesame cakes. I loved him more and more and admired him, however I could not bring myself to go and listen to his lectures. Zen and zazen were for me part of the forbidden religious activities, because my family belonged to the Jodo shin shu sect. Master Kodo Sawaki himself never breathed a word to me about Zen; we simply had tea and cookies together and slept in the same room.

The discovery of zazen

Master Deshimaru describes his first experience of zazen:

I particularly remember a certain humid and sticky summer night: while we were lying under the mosquito net and I had fallen asleep, I heard him tossing and clapping his hands. That woke me up. It was the mosquitoes: there was an incredible number of them inside the mosquito net. Looking very closely, I saw a big hole in it.

— Oh my! These mosquitoes are really tough! said Kodo Sawaki trying to plug the hole with a pillow.

I didn’t quite see what he was getting at.

— Good! Well there, those who are outside will not enter, at least! But what are we going to do with those who are inside? We can kill them one by one, but I’m afraid that will take all night!

— In my opinion, I said, it would be better to remove the mosquito net and then put it back in place.

— You are right, he said. Let’s go! Ah! Saga is really a city infested with mosquitoes! Fortunately you know how to go about it!

While he held the mosquito net up, I chased the mosquitoes with a fan. Finally, after many pursuits, we were able to readjust the mosquito net. But, once back in bed, I noticed that there were still some inside:

— Master, there are still some!

No answer. He was snoring quietly, and I could no longer sleep.

— It’s incredible! He is more hardened than an inhabitant of Saga!

The next morning, while Kodo Sawaki was washing, a rooster perched on his head and let out a loud cock-a-doodle-doo. To the amazement of young Deshimaru, the master did not try to chase the bird away and remained totally impassive.

Yasuo continued his adolescence, dreaming of the Americas and success by pursuing economics studies, dreaming of purity and ideal by studying Buddhism at the university. Theoretical Buddhism, of course. Although, one fine day, while he was in his third year of these same studies and was following with great interest Professor Asahi’s courses on Buddhist morality, as well as his commentaries on the Mumonkan and the Hekiganroku (essential texts of Zen literature), the latter and one of his friends managed to convince him to participate in a Rinzai Zen sesshin at the Enkaku-ji temple. Although Yasuo, at that time, had the feeling of falling into heresy and betraying the Jodo Shin Shu, he had great respect for Professor Asahi and finally decided to leave for Uinokama instead of going to Saga as he did every weekend. There, he took a little rest before tackling the sesshin. The next day, passing under the great portal, he entered the Korin-ji temple: it was his first sesshin.

Master Deshimaru’s first sesshin

Master Deshimaru describes his harsh experience of a first sesshin:

We were brutally awakened at two o’clock in the morning. I wonder if it wasn’t the habit of kendo training, of which I was a fifth dan at the time, that gave me an involuntarily arrogant attitude. The fact remains that the young monk in charge of giving the kyosaku and monitoring the postures relentlessly attacked my back during the eight days that this sesshin lasted. With redoubled blows of these large kyosakus used in Rinzai Zen, he struck my shoulders which had become red and swollen. For the eight days I had been there, I had not even caught a glimpse of Professor Asahi, nor indeed of any master supposed to be the leader of this sesshin. I was beginning to wonder if this Zen I had heard so much about did not simply consist of being beaten up by young monks.

I was therefore full of doubt when, inadvertently, out of fatigue or distraction, the clumsy and sadistic monk who had been relentlessly attacking me for several days missed his blow and hit me on the head. Then, perhaps this is what they call satori, I forgot everything, and I found myself, I don’t know how, standing with the kyosaku in my own hands, thrashing the young monk as he deserved. Monks were springing up from everywhere and I was sending them flying through the air uttering those loud kwats that the Rinzai appreciate so much. They wanted Zen, they were going to get it!

— Listen to me carefully, all of you! Your Zen has nothing of a religion, it is only violence and fascism! I will never respect you again and I will never practice zazen again in my life!

Yasuo quickly packed his bundle and left temple and mountain behind him. He went to find Professor Asahi who lived at the Joshi-ji temple, told him the whole story, told him of his indignation and explained to him that he had decided to go home. The professor burst out laughing. Since this temple had existed, such a story had never been seen or heard!

The contradictions between spirituality and materialism

You may not know Japanese ramen: they are large bowls of Chinese-style noodles that are eaten in tiny stalls on street corners. You don’t know how delicious it is, especially after eight days of deprivation. Well, Taisen Deshimaru claims that he swallowed seven bowls before being satisfied. For the moment, Yasuo Deshimaru had not found the religious form that could suit him and, although he continued to study with his Buddhism professor, he focused more during the period that followed on his economics studies and his dream of America.

These two worlds that attracted him were so dissimilar, so contradictory: economists rarely take an interest in religious questions; on the other hand, Buddhist masters never take into consideration the economic problems which nevertheless determine the daily life of everyone. Why was it so? Why such an incompatibility? Is our existence not influenced by both? For the teenager he was, it was a crucial question. He could not imagine that the pursuit of a spiritual ideal could force him to turn his back on the advantages that materialist civilization could provide.

He thought that the one who chose the spiritual life was condemned to live alone and feed on rice soup. In the business world, the honesty of such a man would have earned him the worst humiliations and would, moreover, have ridiculed him. On the other hand, the one who sought only success and material enjoyment found himself drawn into a ruthless competition made of calculation, treachery and mistrust where he would ultimately only manage to lose himself. These two worlds seemed incompatible and without communication between them. They coexisted ignoring each other. It seemed to Yasuo that he had known this situation since his earliest childhood, between a father of absolute integrity, but deeply materialistic and a mother who lived only by faith. Even if they lived in apparent harmony, their opinions and their vision of the world were irreconcilable, just as spirituality and materialism are.

At that time of post-adolescence when Yasuo Deshimaru was searching for himself, he felt a very strong desire to know the Western world better. He therefore set his mind to studying the English language very seriously. His American and Japanese teachers were all very strict and he was forced to memorize endless lists of words difficult for a Japanese to pronounce - at that time when English was not heard and spoken in the four corners of the world as it is today. However, Yasuo hung on tenaciously. On Sundays, to stay in the English-speaking atmosphere, he attended the services of the Baptist Church and learned chapters of the Bible. On this occasion, he discovered the Judeo-Christian religion with interest – especially since the pastor’s daughter, who taught religion, but also English, was far from leaving him indifferent.

Yasuo’s quest between tradition and modernity

Young Yasuo took deep pleasure in frequenting this young girl thanks to whom he discovered all of Western culture. From time to time, she organized meetings where she also taught fashionable dances. He was seduced by her brilliant intelligence and a feeling of love soon mingled with the cultural interest he derived from her company. The Japanese world was moving, having been voluntarily closed in on itself for so long. The various political influences shaking the world did not fail to touch some of his professors who, influenced by Marxist ideas, pushed him to read Marx and Engels so that he would be able to participate in their discussions. Yasuo was challenged by these particularly revolutionary theories given the Japanese culture of that time.

However, what shocked him was the exclusively materialistic and unilateral model of society proposed by these revolutionary politico-philosophers. But what about the purely spiritualist principles of Christianity?

I felt incapable, he said, of rallying unconditionally to one or the other of these extremes.

In short, Yasuo soon received his graduation diploma. However, although one of his masters had advised him to continue his studies in economic history, he preferred to enter a company which, with a little luck, would one day send him on a mission to the United States: his dream would then finally be realized. After passing the entrance exam to the Morinaga firm thanks to his good level of English, he started in this new position.

His family was delighted to know him established and able to earn a living, but he, realizing that he had very little chance, in this job, of one day going abroad, saw his days pass in a gloomy and monotonous routine. His cousin Tamotsu, a fervent admirer of Takakusujun Chiro, became president of the new association of young Buddhists, a movement whose mission was not only to stem the fascist waves that were beginning to agitate Japan, but also to reform society on new Buddhist bases. Unfortunately, this movement was dissolved for having allied itself with the Popular Front which, moreover, was going to betray it some time later.

Yasuo became increasingly skeptical about the integrity of the government and all Japanese political movements whatsoever. In truth, his doubts were not unfounded. He learned one day that General Majima – who had formerly been a student at the Saga school where Yasuo had studied, and for whom he had great admiration – had been arrested by the police who suspected him of having participated in the riots of February 26, 1936.

The meeting with Master Kodo Sawaki

This arrest was a terrible shock for him, he could not believe for a moment that Majima could be a traitor. In truth, the general had simply protested against the fascist policy of the Tosheya military clan. The political situation worsened day by day, increasing Yasuo Deshimaru’s anger and feeling of loneliness. Very alien to the environment and mentality of his work companions, he became melancholic and felt dissatisfied. It seemed impossible for him to talk about his fears and anxieties to his colleagues who did not feel concerned by these problems at all.

On the other hand, he hesitated to join the politico-religious association led by his cousin whose sectarianism frightened him a little. As he could not resolve his dilemmas, everything tasted like ashes to him. He felt little interest in girls, wine, superficial amusements or a possible salary increase. He thought that he could never devote his existence to business. The life he led therefore seemed more or less meaningless to him. So, how was he going to live if neither the ordinary pleasures and desires of life nor integration through work satisfied him?

He felt extremely and deeply alone. He had read in the Bible this sentence: It is not good that the man should be alone. He would have liked to meet a companion, but the time had probably not yet come for him. It was around this time that he received a letter from General Majima’s wife – how strange destiny is – suggesting that he go visit Master Kodo Sawaki who lived in the Soji-ji temple, near Soromi. He had become godo there (the godo is the person in charge of teaching zazen and the discipline of the monastery). He followed her advice, thinking that perhaps Kodo Sawaki would help him solve all the problems that tormented him.

First visit to the Zen temple

Taisen Deshimaru recounts his first visit to the Soji-ji temple:

I arrived, he said, in front of the great portal that guarded the entrance to the temple grounds. Inside, one could see very large pine trees, immense and imposing, whose high tops plunged into the clouds. They hid the main building. The most perfect cleanliness reigned in this temple, unlike the streets of the surrounding neighborhood, dusty and littered with rubbish. I took off my shoes as soon as I entered and asked for my way. Several monks dressed in long black robes were waiting for visitors behind a counter. Timidly, I asked them if I could meet Master Kodo Sawaki. A silent young monk immediately guided me through the long corridors to the godo’s room. The atmosphere was peaceful. It was the middle of autumn, the sparrows were chirping in the garden among the orange chrysanthemums. I announced myself timidly at the door and Sawaki, who was waiting for me, immediately shouted in his deep voice:

— Come in!

I opened the sliding door and found Master Kodo Sawaki in the zazen posture, motionless, calm and strong, like a dragon ready to pounce. Very surprised, I stared at him. He did not move. I announced myself again. He did not make a movement and did not even cast a glance, but, in the same full and strong voice, he threw at me:

— Wait a bit! Majima told me you would visit me, I was impatient to see you.

Finally, a few moments later, he turned around and scrutinized me from the depths of his almond eyes which were bright and shining. I could not say anything, but I devoured him with my eyes. He was about fifty-five years old. Although I had already met him when I was younger, it was only at that moment that I felt his strength with such acuity, and the communication that was established between us was like a huge wave sweeping away all my ruminations of the moment, instantly. Having left the zazen posture, he firmly crossed his arms in the sleeves of his habit. He seemed solid as a mountain, but a universal sweetness emanated from him. He simply asked me for news of my work.

— It’s not going the way I want, I replied.

— Aren’t you too difficult and too proud?

These words full of warm interest touched me to the depths of myself. He was right.

— I think of myself a bit as the rooster of Saga, I told him.

— Ah, you remember that story too! he said, bursting out laughing. But I have the impression that roosters are not the only ones to climb on my head. Men also like to do the same!

I had the impression that this remark was addressed to me and, suddenly, I no longer wanted to talk to him about what was bothering me. He told me:

— Visit me whenever you want, you are welcome here.

I eagerly accepted this invitation, then he told me that on Sundays he organized a zazen session in which I could participate.

— But I warn you, it hurts the legs, he told me.

— Oh, I know, I already did zazen at the Enkaku-ji monastery when I was a student, I told him.

And I told him what had happened there.

— What a savage are you? he said. You are an unbearable kid, you must have been very difficult to raise. Don’t worry: here, in my dojo, I am the one who gives the kyosaku, and I will not knock you out. On the other hand, I am extremely strict about the posture.

— What do you mean? I would like you to show me how to sit.

Learning the zazen posture

Master Deshimaru continues:

First of all, Master Kodo Sawaki seemed not to have heard what I was asking him. Yet, a minute later, he took a zafu which he placed in front of me:

— Sit down, I’ll show you.

— What? There? Right now?

— Yes yes!

I was beginning to regret my words. I felt like I was taking an exam. Tense and nervous, I therefore had no other recourse than to sit down as I had been taught at Enkaku-ji. He examined me for a moment then remarked:

— Your posture is correct and full of energy, but your hands are badly placed. You must put your left hand on your right hand and join the two thumbs. You must also tilt your pelvis well forward, then completely straighten your spine.

— I understand.

— It’s not a question of understanding, you will have to try like this countless times before naturally arriving at this posture. Well, excuse me, now I have to go lead zazen. To keep you waiting, I leave you these fruits: these persimmons are for you. I’ll be back in an hour or two.

He peeled a persimmon for me himself then, heading towards a shelf, he pulled out two or three dusty books with old bindings to which he added a filthy notebook.

— I think you like reading. You’d better read this. It will change you from your classic nonsense.

I had just read in Takiguchi Yudo:

Usual literature is almost always boring, often it uses devious and obscure means to transmit a very simple message. Rarely does one find enriching content in it.

Before he left the room, I asked him if I could participate in the zazen session. He firmly refused, claiming that my legs would hurt and that there was no point in rushing, which of course further fueled the desire I had to try. Then I found myself alone, completely at ease, in this room where so many old books on Buddhism were piled up. I was surprised that a man of such modest appearance could have read so much. I tasted the persimmon fruit he had so kindly offered me, but it was so bitter, so acrid, that immediately my taste buds seemed paralyzed. I wondered if the master had done it on purpose and had wanted to make fun of me, but, impressed by his kindness, I tried the second persimmon anyway. It seemed much sweeter to me, perhaps my tongue had gotten used to it. I carefully chose a third one which seemed riper: Ah! finally! that one was really delicious. By dint of trying, I had found it anyway. The fourth was at least as good. Then I turned to the books the master had left me. I started with his notebook.

Immediately, I came across remarks that struck me with their depth. Here are some excerpts that have stayed in my mind.

Maxims of Kodo Sawaki

Zazen is apprehending something of the Buddha’s mind, through experience. Zazen is radically changing our own mind. Zazen is a fundamental revolution of our life. Zazen is being reborn, it is discovering a new life. Zazen is passing under a triumphal arch. It is the greatest victory of our life. True zazen is the great door to penetrate the secret of Buddhism. And zazen is itself the secret and essence of Buddhism.

Zazen is itself satori (enlightenment). Satori is nothing but the practice of zazen. Zazen is neither austerity nor mortification. It is the true access to happiness, peace, freedom. Zazen is the recreation of oneself, and it is the understanding of the true self. Zazen is neither a reasoning, nor a theory, nor an idea. It is not a knowledge to be grasped by the brain, it is solely a practice. Zazen is not a dialectical game nor a philosophical concept. Zazen is supreme wisdom. It is finding the true freedom of our mind. Zazen is man’s breakthrough towards the ultimate and his possibility of experiencing the response of the ultimate. Zazen is the transmission of the true spirit from master to disciple. It is a direct transmission, an immediate communication from mind to mind, from being to being.

Zazen is the abandonment of our whole ego. It is the forgetting of our ego. It is the total renunciation of this ego. Because we can only find everything by abandoning everything. Zazen is merging with the whole universe. Reflect, analyze your spiritual needs, turn to the fundamental and supreme requests of man. Zen is a new life. Zen allows us to adapt to our environment, not to let ourselves be overwhelmed by it. We must not let ourselves be dominated by our history nor by the society in which we live, but under no circumstances must we ignore it or be unable to harmonize with it.

Zen allows us to go to the end of our solitude; the lonely man must be able to discover to the most intimate part of himself. As the Shodoka expresses it so well, he advances alone, he who is emancipated. A holy man needs nothing. He who has reached his true self advances with great strides, no one is superior to him, he feels one with the universe.

Reflections on Zen and happiness

Master Deshimaru continues:

I felt in perfect agreement with all these sentences. What can give man the greatest happiness? Science, philosophy, wealth, love? Assuredly, man can find happiness in various ways, but only inner awakening can provide him with true happiness, only this awakening relieves pain and appeases anxieties. Those who covet or run after external happiness will never be satisfied – even if they reach the highest positions of responsibility, even if they meet the most beautiful women, even if they are the richest – if they do not accept to lose or demote without regretting anything, if they cannot find joy in the greatest simplicity – in the breath of the wind, for example.

Some think that when they are in love, religion is no longer necessary for them, but everything changes, nothing remains stable or stops, every trace of anything disappears and no one is eternal. It is these changes that create our loneliness. We must understand that this world of relativity and change is infinite.

I was completely absorbed in reading the books Kodo Sawaki had left me.

A paradoxical teaching of Kodo Sawaki

When the master returned, he immediately noticed all the missing persimmons and seemed surprised by my gluttony. He then suggested that I rinse my mouth with something better. It was a bottle of rice brandy that he pulled from an old newspaper:

— It comes from the best vintage. A certain Koga sent it to me. Don’t tell anyone, because you are the first one I’m going to let taste it. But be careful not to drink too much, because it’s a very strong alcohol. It would be better if you didn’t end up dead drunk in the street!

He told me this while pouring me a full tea bowl of this 45° alcohol.

— Oh my, master, but that’s way too much to rinse my mouth!

— Shut up! Here, you have nothing to say.

He handed me the bowl filled to the brim.

— Good. And now, bottoms up! Kanpai!

I didn’t know what to do with this overflowing cup. I was a little suspicious, because I thought he was playing a trick on me.

I slowly brought the cup to my lips then swallowed it all at once, remembering the famous liter of sake I had swallowed all at once when I was younger, exasperated by my comrades who had made fun of me telling me I wasn’t a man if I didn’t drink alcohol.

The result had been that I had fallen into a coma and ended up in the hospital.

— You see you drank it, Kodo told me. How about another bowl?

— Ah no no no, thank you. This alcohol, it’s really way too strong… No no no, that’s enough!

— Come on, you’re tough enough to absorb a second kanpai, he said smiling.

I complied, but, while he was putting his bottle away, my stomach suddenly ignited like a furnace. My face was on fire.

— I want to thank you for letting me taste this delicious brandy, I said, in a funny state.

— Above all, don’t tell anyone! he repeated to me.

It seemed my stomach was going to explode. I had to leave this temple as quickly as possible, otherwise the monks were going to carry me dead drunk to the door. I therefore took leave of the master who told me:

— Come back next Sunday, I will show you zazen.

The koan of the brandy

Master Deshimaru recounts the end of his adventure:

Why had he encouraged me to drink when alcohol was forbidden to anyone who wanted to attain the wisdom of the Buddha? The effect of this brandy was beginning to be felt. I vaguely waved my arms to greet him and my head was already spinning when I opened the door to go out. But he called me back and handed me the books he had wanted to lend me, accusing me of impoliteness for not having taken them. I apologized and hurried towards the exit which was at the very end of the corridor.

No matter how fast I tried to go, I was gradually losing all control. After a while, I realized that I had my back to the exit. Then, suddenly, I remembered my beautiful brand new shoes that I had forgotten at the entrance. I rushed in that direction, making the decision to carry them to the master’s room next time. I furiously searched the box where all the shoes were piled up before finding mine. Now, I had to go to the great portal… but where could it be?

Staggering and reeling, I started singing at the top of my lungs. My legs were giving way under me, I was increasingly drawn towards the ground. Beware of the temple monks if they discover me, it’s going to cause a terrible scandal! I absolutely must find a solitary corner where no one sees me! I finally lay down heavily under a pine tree, behind some brush. My heart was pounding.

— He played another good trick on me, this master. Now I have broken the rules of Buddhism. And then now, my clothes are all dirty. I should get up, but…

Finally, I made a great effort, but only managed to straighten my neck. In order to regain my senses, I started breathing deeply as in zazen. I then noticed that my behind was wet. I had sat on a fresh dog turd. That was the end of my clothes! I tried to wipe myself with a handkerchief, but I couldn’t get rid of this horrible smell. I shouldn’t be seen in such a state for anything in the world! Finally, I managed to get back on my feet, staggering, stinking, blood rushing to my head, fleeing the gaze of passers-by.

I left the Soji-ji temple and hailed a taxi. The taxi driver gave me a knowing smile:

— Here’s at least one who starts his day well! You are lucky to be able to get drunk in the morning!

So I told him my misadventure, which made him laugh a lot.