Hakuin Ekaku: “Song of Meditation”

Audience

The original audience of this ode included first of all the Buddhist monks whose goal in life is to achieve nirvana and spiritual awakening. Hakuin cast “Zazen Wasan” in the form of an ode, both lyrical and rhythmical, to make it more pleasing and memorable to chant. Laypeople, burdened by suffering and sometimes confused about the meaning and the necessity of living, also had a strong desire to discover the true way to happiness. Zen Buddhism, like Buddhism in general, holds as its central doctrine a view of the material world as empty or illusory, of all earthly and human activities as fruitless effort, and of life itself as recurring cycles of rebirth. Therefore, “Zazen Wasan,” like other similarly memorable Buddhist theories and texts, has ultimately appealed to all people in search of a happier and more carefree way of life.