Ikkyū

Ikkyu (一休宗純 Ikkyū Sōjun) (1394–1481) was an eccentric, iconoclastic Japanese Zen Buddhist priest, poet and calligrapher. He was born as an illegitimate son of Emperor Go-Komatsu and was forced to become a priest in his childhood. He has been thought as one of the influential figures in establishing the Japanese tea ceremony as a master of  Murata Jukō,  and esteemed as such, but their historical interaction is now in question.

Quotes

 * South of Mount Sumeru Who understands my Zen? Call Master Kido over- He's not worth a cent.
 * . Encounter with Zen: writings on poetry and Zen, 1981. p. 66.


 * Natural, reckless, correct skill; Yesterday's clarity is today's stupidity The universe has dark and light, entrust oneself to change One time, shade the eyes and gaze afar at the road of heaven.
 * As quoted in Ikkyū and The Crazy Cloud Anthology : A Zen Poet of Medieval Japan (1986) by Sonja Arntzen.


 * Studying texts and stiff meditation can make you lose your Original Mind. A solitary tune by a fisherman, though, can be an invaluable treasure. Dusk rain on the river, the moon peeking in and out of the clouds; Elegant beyond words, he chants his songs night after night.
 * "A Fisherman" in Wild Ways : Zen Poems (2003), edited and translated by John Stevens, p. 37.


 * From the world of passions returning to the world of passions: There is a moment's pause. If it rains, let it rain, if the wind blows, let it blow.
 * As quoted in The Essence of Zen : Zen Buddhism for Every Day and Every Moment (2002) by Mark Levon Byrne, p. 28.


 * It has the original mouth but remains wordless; It is surrounded by a magnificent mound of hair. Sentient beings can get completely lost in it But it is also the birthplace of all the Buddhas of the ten thousand worlds.
 * "A Woman's Sex" in Wild Ways : Zen Poems (2003), edited and translated by John Stevens, p. 74.


 * Eight inches strong, it is my favourite thing; If I'm alone at night, I embrace it fully - A beautiful woman hasn't touched it for ages. Within my fundoshi there is an entire universe!
 * "A Man's Root" as quoted in Mishima's Sword : Travels in Search of a Samurai Legend (2007) by Christopher Ross, p. 195.


 * In all the kingdom southward From the center of the earth Where is he who understands my Zen? Should the master Kido himself appear He wouldn't be worth a worn-out cent.
 * Japanese Death Poems. Compiled by Yoel Hoffmann. ISBN 978-0-8048-3179-6

Disputed

 * Having no destination, I am never lost.
 * Attributed to Ikkyu in Nine-headed Dragon River : Zen journals, 1969-1985 (1986) by Peter Matthiessen

Quotes about Ikkyu

 * Ikkyū Zenji is the most remarkable monk in the history of Japanese Buddhism, the only Japanese comparable to the great Chinese Zen masters.
 * Reginald Horace Blyth, Zen and Zen Classics : Twenty-five Zen Essays (1970).


 * His "mad" behavior was perhaps his way of disrupting the corrupt and feeble Zen he saw around him.
 * Peter Matthiessen, Nine-headed Dragon River : Zen journals, 1969-1985 (1986).