The gate to Heaven, the gate to Hell … (07/24/12)
A warrior came one day to Hakuin. He was a samurai, a great soldier, 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?”
A warrior knows only two things, life and death — His life is always at stake; he is always gambling; he is a simple man. And this warrior 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 Hakuin replied to him in a way only a 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 moment 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 reverence, Hakuin laughed gently and said, ” You, a samurai? In this moment you resemble a beggar.”
Upon hearing this, the samurai’s pride was hurt, his ego was hammered. He completely forgot what he had come for. Instead, he quickly unsheathed his sword and moved to kill Hakuin.
And yet in this moment Hakuin laughed again and said, “This is the gate to Hell. With your sword, with your anger, with your ego, here opens the gate to your damnation.”
This was language that the warrior could understand. He paused .. he listened … he heard …
… and then he put his sword back into its sheath.
“And now”, Hakuin said, “You have also found the gate to Heaven.”
~ unknown
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