Hakuin Ekaku
Hakuin Ekaku (白隠 慧鶴, January 19, 1686 - January 18, 1768) was one of the most influential figures in Japanese Zen Buddhism. He is regarded as the reviver of the Rinzai school from a moribund period of stagnation, refocusing it on its traditionally rigorous training methods integrating meditation and koan practice.
Biography
Early years
Hakuin was born in 1686 in the small village of Hara, at the foot of Mount Fuji. His mother was a devout Nichiren Buddhist, and it is likely that her piety was a major influence on his decision to become a Buddhist monk. As a child, Hakuin attended a lecture by a Nichiren monk on the topic of the Eight Hot Hells. This deeply impressed the young Hakuin, and he developed a pressing fear of hell, seeking a way to escape it. He eventually came to the conclusion that it would be necessary to become a monk.
Shōin-ji and Daishō-ji
At the age of fifteen, he obtained consent from his parents to join the monastic life, and was ordained at the local Zen temple, Shōin-ji. When the head monk at Shōin-ji took ill, Hakuin was sent to a neighboring temple, Daishō-ji, where he served as a novice for three or four years, studying Buddhist texts. While at Daisho-ji, he read the Lotus Sutra, considered by the Nichiren sect to be the king of all Buddhist sutras, and found it disappointing, saying "it consisted of nothing more than simple tales about cause and effect".
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Visions
by: HakenSpirits of the night
Communicate with me
Their visions of a future
Of what is yet to be
As I see the way I die
And I try to change it
I am running short of time
I'll just sit here waiting
'Til the moment comes around
Like I've been here once before
And I'm questioning the truth
No escaping déjà vu
If I could harness this power
Assume absolute control
Of my visions from a future
No one will ever know
That I've seen the day you die
And I tried to change it
You are running short of time
You'll just sit there waiting
'Til the moment comes around
Like you've been there once before
And you're questioning the truth
No escaping déjà vu
Faces become strangely familiar
Stumbling upon traces of my visions
No I see a shadow of a man
In my silhouette he stands
The wisdom of my premonition comes to life!
I was just a kid back then but now I'm back to take revenge
I sternly look my killer in the eye
I'm out for satisfaction when I'm suddenly distracted
By the silent cries that echo in the streets
My finger pulls the trigger
With my whole life left to figure if the boy I accidentally killed was me
Voices become strangely deceiving
Gravity's pull has zero effect on me
Now the moment's finally here
And it feels like just before
Only now I face the truth
I will have to wait no more
Will this ever end?
I've been through enough
This is the part where I wake up with blood on my hands
Traveling back to where it all began
As for the boy, it pleased me to know
That he'll just wake up nine years old, alone and afraid
He'll live for the day this moment comes around again
Now the moment's finally here
And it feels just like before
Even now I know the truth
I accept my fate no more
I bet you don't remember me
I guess you won't forget
The only way to go
When there is nowhere left to roam
Scenes from someone else's lifetime
Flash like bright lights before my eyes
Scenes from someone else's lifetime
Flash like bright lights in my eyes
From the beginning I never dreamt I was the killer
Over the edge, falling in and out of time
Yeah the moment passed us by
And it felt just like before
As I leave this world behind