Hakuin Ekaku and the Revival of Rinzai Zen in Japan
Hakuin Ekaku’s Journey from Struggle to Zen Enlightenment
In this article, we explore how Hakuin Ekaku (白隠慧鶴), the Zen master who revitalized Zen in Japan, ultimately completed his enlightenment.
Hakuin Ekaku (1686–1769), a profoundly influential Zen monk of the mid-Edo period, is regarded as the restorer of the Rinzai school. Originally, Rinzai Zen was one of the five houses of Chan Buddhism in C…