Description: Henry closes his Rohatsu series on Hakuin’s Song of Zazen with “l'esprit d'escalier” ("staircase wit”), a French term for thinking of the right repartee just too late, as one is leaving the party.  We learn more about Hakuin’s life and death. Hakuin’s fear, and also his pride, made it difficult for him to settle into really being himself, and seeing through into his intrinsic life and nature. Henry directly equates Haiku’s willingness to face suffering as the key characteristic that made him into great master. We are all called to the hard work of practice, to face both darkness and light, and to embody the one true nature that is shared by all.

Post Image: Tree of Life in Spring, by Hartwig HKD, CC BY-ND 2.0.

Featured Image Credit: #zazen, by toufeeq hussain, CC BY-SA 2.0.