Great Waves

image from: www.richard-seaman.com

In the early days of the Meiji era there lived a well-known wrestler called O-nami, Great Waves.

O-nami was immensly strong and knew the art of wrestling. In his private bouts he defeated even his teacher, but in public was so bashful that his own pupils threw him.

O-nami felt he should go to a Zen master for help. Hakuju, a wandering teacher, was stopping in a little temple nearby, so O-nami went to see him and told him of his great trouble.

“Great Waves is your name,” the teacher advised, “so stay in this temple tonight. Imagine that you are those billows. You are no longer a wrestler who is afraid. You are those huge waves sweeping everything before them, swallowing all in their path. Do this and you will be the greatest wrestler in the land.”

The teacher retired. O-nami sat in meditation trying to imagine himself as waves. He thought of many different things. Then gradualy he turned more and more to the feeling of waves. As the night advanced the waves became larger and larger. They swept away the flowers in their vases. Even the Buddha in the shrine was inundated. Before dawn the temple was nothing but the ebb and flow of an immense sea.

In the morning the teacher found O-nami meditating, a faint smile on his face. He patted the wrestler’s shoulder. “Now nothing can disturb you,” he said. “You are those waves. You will sweep everything before you.”

The same day O-nami entered the wrestling contests and won. After that, no one in Japan was able to defeat him.

(Nyogen Senzaki & Paul Reps, "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones")

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quote:

As long as you make direct contact in any given situation, you will become the thing and the thing will become you.

(Tsai Chih Chung, "The Book of Zen Freedom of The Mind")

Gelombang Besar

Di era Meiji awal, hiduplah seorang pegulat terkenal bernama O-nami, Si Gelombang Besar.

O-nami sangatlah kuat dan menguasai seni gulat. Di panggungnya sendiri ia begitu kuat, bahkan gurunya pun ditaklukannya, tetapi di arena publik dia begitu kikuk sehingga muridnya sendiri pun mampu melemparnya.

Lalu O-nami pergi menemui guru Zen untuk meminta bimbingan. Hakuju, guru Zen pengelana, kebetulan tinggal di sebuah kuil yang berada di dekatnya. O-nami datang menemui dan menceritakan masalah besar yang dia hadapi.

"Namamu adalah Gelombang Besar," kata sang guru, "tinggalah di sini malam ini. Bayangkan kamu adalah ombak besar. Kamu bukan lagi pegulat yang penakut. Kamu adalah gelombang yang sangat besar yang menyapu bersih semua yang ada di hadapannya, menghanyutkan semua yang menghalangi jalannya. Lakukan ini dan kamu akan menjadi pegulat terbesar di daratan."

Sang guru beristirahat. O-nami duduk bermeditasi mencoba membayangkan dirinya adalah sebuah gelombang. Mula-mula pikirannya berlari ke sana kemari. Kemudian secara bertahap dia mulai merasakan gelombangnya. Ketika malam semakin larut, ombaknya semakin besar dan besar. Ia menyapu bersih bunga di dalam vas, bahkan patung yang berada di kuil itu. Sebelum fajar, kuil sudah hilang tinggal ombak yang sudah surut di lautan yang luas.

Pagi harinya, sang guru menemui O-nami yang sedang bermeditasi, dengan senyuman di wajahnya. Dia menepuk bahu si pegulat, "Sekarang tak akan ada lagi yang mengalahkanmu," katanya. "Kamu adalah gelombang itu. Kamu akan menyapu bersih semua yang ada di hadapanmu."

Pada hari yang sama, O-nami melakukan pertandingan dan menang. Sejak itu, tak satupun di Jepang yang mampu mengalahkannya. 

(Nyogen Senzaki & Paul Reps, "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones")

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kutipan:

Sepanjang engkau mengadakan hubungan langsung dengan setiap situasi, engkau akan menjadi benda itu dan benda itu menjadi engkau.

(Tsai Chih Chung, "Zen Membebaskan Pikiran")