The Gate to Heaven ; the Gate to Hell … ( 07 / 24 / 2012 )
The Gate to Heaven ; the Gate to Hell … ( 07 / 24 / 2012 )
A warrior came one day to Hakuin , a Zen Master . The warrior was a samurai , a proud soldier of no small reknown , and he asked Hakuin , “ Is there any Hell and is there any Heaven — and if there are , where are their gates ? How can I avoid Hell and enter Heaven instead ?”
Now a warrior typically knows of only two things -- life and death . His life is always at stake ; and he is always in some way gambling against death or preparing to do the same . And this warrior was of the same mold – he had not come to Hakuin to learn any complex spiritual doctrine . He simply wanted to know where the gates were so he could avoid Hell and enter Heaven … And because Hakuin was aware of this , he replied in a way that any warrior could understand … He said , “ Who are you ?”
Now it was a thing of much pride to be a samurai in Japan . It meant being a perfect warrior , a man who would not hesitate a single instant to give his life for the cause . So the warrior replied , “ I am a samurai ; indeed , I am a leader of samurais . Even the emperor pays respect to me .” … And yet instead of responding with the appropriate expressions of reverence , Hakuin actually laughed gently and said , ” You , a samurai ? In this moment you more resemble a beggar .” … Upon hearing this , the samurai ’ s pride was severely wounded and he temporarily forgot what he had come for . Instead , he instinctively unsheathed his sword and moved in to kill Hakuin .
And yet in this moment Hakuin laughed once again and said , “ You have found the gate to Hell … With your sword , with your anger , with your ego ; here opens the gate to your own damnation .”
This was language that the warrior could understand . He paused … He listened … He heard … He understood … And then he bowed and put his sword back into its sheath .
“ And now ”, said Hakuin , “ You have also discovered the gate to Heaven .”
(~ inspired by an unknown source )
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