Who Is Hakuin? Exploring His Life and Cute Zen Paintings!
The father of the restoration of the Rinzai sect, Hakuin Ekaku, was a high priest who is said to be one of the few in 500 years. Hakuin, who was born in Suruga, travelled all over Japan before returning to Suruga to teach, was later praised for his achievements as being comparable to those of Mount Fuji: “There are two great things in Suruga: Mt. Fuji and Hakuin. Despite being such a great Zen monk, Hakuin’s “Zen paintings” have an extraordinary power that overturns the image that many people have of Zen!! In this article, we will unravel the mystery of why people are so fascinated by Hakuin’s Zen paintings.