'Come. Come. Seiza!' encouraged Sensei Yamada as they hovered at the
entrance to the Butsuden, the Buddha Hall, located on the east side of the
courtyard.
Sensei Yamada beckoned them in. He was perched on a raised dais at the
rear of the hall, sitting upon a small round zafu cushion, which in turn was
set upon a larger square zabuton. He wore a simple robe of charcoal blue
and sea-green and sat cross-legged, one leg resting upon the other, his hands
gently laid in his lap, the tips of his fingers touching. He reminded Jack of a
genial toad on a lily pad.
The afternoon light fingered its way into the hall through slatted
windows, catching smoky trails of incense and giving Sensei Yamada's grey
wispy beard the appearance of a finely woven spider's web. The air was
heady with the scent of jasmine and sandalwood and Jack soon felt calmed
by the aroma.
The class settled themselves upon cushions set out in semi-circular rows.
Jack found a zabuton near the front with Akiko, Yori and Kiku. As Jack
made himself comfortable, he saw Kazuki and Nobu enter last and sit at the
back of the class. Kazuki caught Jack's eye and shot him a venomous look.
'Please. Sit as I do,' gestured Yamada.
There was much shuffling as all the students rearranged themselves to
mirror Sensei Yamada's pose.
'This is a half-lotus position. Good for meditation. Encourages the
circulation of your ki. Everyone comfortable?' he enquired and then took a
long measured breath. 'Now in front of each you is a gift to welcome you to
my Zen class.'
Jack looked at the small wooden object at his feet. It appeared to be a
small egg-shaped doll but with no arms or legs. Painted in a vivid red, it had
a bright surprised face with a black moustache and beard, though its white
eyes had been left blank.
'Can anyone tell me what it is?' asked Yamada.
Kiku raised her hand.
'It's a Daruma Doll. It's modelled on Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen.
You write your name on its chin and fill in one of its eyes with black ink
while making a wish. Should the wish come true, you colour in the second
eye.'
'Yes, that is what it is, but it is much more than that,' said Yamada,
lightly pushing the Daruma Doll that sat in front of him.
The doll lolled to one side, slowed, then rolled the opposite way and
slowed, before continuing the motion in smaller and smaller sways.
The class waited patiently for Sensei Yamada to continue, but the old
man appeared to have fallen into a trance. Only when the doll had
completely stopped moving did Sensei Yamada look up, blinking as if
surprised they were all still there.
'So who can tell me what the "Nine Views" are?' he continued,
apparently unaware he had not explained his last statement.
Nobody raised a hand.
Sensei Yamada waited.
Still no one offered an answer. Still Yamada waited, as if the answer was
simply needing to settle in the minds of his students, like dust on an old
book.
Finally Kiku tentatively raised her hand.
'Yes, Kiku-chan?'
'Is it the nine rules to achieve enlightenment?'
'Not exactly, Kiku-chan, but a worthy summation,' said Yamada,
obviously pleased with her effort. 'It is an ascending sequence of nine
stages, or views, that a samurai needs to pass through during meditation.
Proper understanding of the Nine Views leads ultimately to satori,
enlightenment.'
An enigmatic smile appeared on his lips and his eyes sparkled like
sunlight on a stream. Jack felt himself being drawn in to the old man's gaze,
as if he were a leaf floating upon that same stream.
'This meditation process is called zazen. The aim of zazen is sitting and
opening the hand of thought. Once your mind is unhindered by its many
layers, you will then be able to realize the true nature of things and thereby
gain enlightenment.'
Sensei Yamada's voice was the sound of a babbling brook, the hum of
bees in summer and the soft tenderness of a mother all rolled into one. So
while Jack did not really understand what the sensei was talking about, he
drifted effortlessly along with the hypnotic ebb and flow of the old man's
speech.
'Today we will practise zazen on the Daruma Doll. We will meditate for a
stick of time,' he said, lighting a short length of incense that would measure
their progress.
'The first "View" is to adopt the proper meditative posture, as you are all
doing now – seated, legs folded, back straight but relaxed, hands on top of
one another, eyes half-closed.'
Everyone re-settled themselves into position.
'The second "View" is to breathe from the hara. Aim just above your
navel. This is your centre. Breathing should be slow, rhythmic and calm.
Mokuso,' he said, beginning the breathing meditation.
Jack concentrated on his breathing, but he found it difficult to shift his
breath from his chest down to his stomach.
'From the hara, Jack-kun. Not the chest,' said Yamada softly.
How on earth could he tell? thought Jack, astounded. He re-focused on
his breathing, trying to push out his stomach rather than raising his chest.
Sensei Yamada let the whole class slow their breathing for several
minutes.
'The third "View" is to soothe the spirit. Let go of any trivial thoughts,
distracting emotions or mental irritations. Imagine they are snow in your
mind. Let them all gradually melt away.'
Jack became aware that his mind was crammed with thoughts. They
buzzed in his head like wasps – Kazuki, the rutter, Dragon Eye, Akiko,
home, Masamoto, his father, Jess… He tried to calm his mind but as he
pushed one thought away, another instantly took its place.
'The fourth "View" is fulfilment. As your worldly thoughts dissipate,
begin to fill your body with ki. Envisage yourself as an empty vessel. Pour
in your spiritual energy as if it were honey. Let it fill you from the bottom
of your feet to the top of your head.'
Still struggling to clear his head, it was impossible for Jack to concentrate
on this next stage. He found his mind constantly being dragged away by
random thoughts.
'The fifth "View" is natural wisdom. When one is calm, undisturbed and
at peace, things can be seen in their true light. This naturally leads to the
development of wisdom.'
Sensei Yamada's mellifluous voice continued to lull everyone into a
dreamlike state. He let them float for a while longer before continuing. Jack
was still trying to clear his mind so that he could fill himself with ki and
once again experience the energy he had stumbled upon during the bokken
test.
'For today, we will remain at this fifth "View" and begin with a basic
koan, a question for you to answer for yourselves. Focus your attention on
your Daruma Doll and start it rocking. We all know what it is, but what is
it?'
It was clear Sensei Yamada didn't want to hear an answer to his koan, but
only for them to ponder on an answer. Unfortunately for Jack, he was still
unable to focus properly and no solutions were forthcoming. The Daruma
Doll still looked like a Daruma Doll, its sightless eyes as blank as Jack's
answer.
Jack's mind wandered from the doll, thoughts flickering like shadows
until the incense stick had burnt through and Sensei Yamada chimed,
'Mokuso yame!'
Everyone ceased their attempts at meditation and there was an audible
sigh of relief now that the task was over.
'Well done, everyone. You have just learnt an important ideal of
bushido,' said Sensei Yamada, a smile of contentment spreading across his
face as if the answer to the koan was as clear as daylight.
Jack still didn't understand what the sensei was talking about. He glanced
around and saw that many of the other students also had confused
expressions on their faces. Enlightenment had clearly not graced them
either. Kiku and Yori, however, appeared quite satisfied with their
experiences.
'Tonight I want you all to continue your meditation upon the doll. See
what else you can learn from it.' Sensei Yamada nodded sagely, suggesting
there were many more truths to be discovered from the wooden toy. 'The
key to the art of Zen is daily regularity, so discipline yourself to meditate
every morning and night for half a stick of time. Soon you will see life for
what it is.'
He bowed, signifying the lesson was over. The students got to their feet
and, bowing, departed with their Daruma Dolls in hand.
Jack shook the blood back into his legs and went to join Akiko, Kiku and
Yamato.
'Remember to paint in the first eye and make a wish!' Sensei Yamada
cheerily called after them, remaining perched upon the dais of cushions,
still the genial toad on a lily pad.
Emerging from the dim Butsuden into the main courtyard, Jack had to
shade his eyes against the winter sun, which had dipped low in the evening
sky.
'So, what was that all about?' asked Saburo, who came shuffling down
the Butsuden steps behind them.
'I don't know,' replied Yamato. 'Why not ask Kiku? She seems to know
everything.'
'You are supposed to work it out yourself,' said Kiku, over her shoulder.
'I still don't get it,' said Saburo. 'It's just a wish doll.'
'No, it's not. It's more than that,' responded Kiku.
'That's exactly what Sensei Yamada said. You're just repeating his
words. I reckon you don't have a clue either,' challenged Saburo.
'Yes, I do,' she replied primly and refused to say any more.
'Will someone tell me what he meant?' pleaded Saburo. 'Akiko?
Yamato?'
They both shrugged.
'I would ask you, Jack, but you probably don't even know what Zen is.'
He was right. Jack didn't know. He had hoped someone would tell him,
but hadn't dared ask for fear of appearing even more stupid.
'Seven times down, eight times up,' said a tiny flute-like voice.
They all turned to see Yori coming down the steps towards them.
'What?'
'Seven times down, eight times up. No matter how often you are knocked
down, get up and try again. Like the Daruma Doll.'
They all stared at Yori in bewilderment.
'Sensei Yamada taught us a vital lesson in budo. Never give up.'
'Why didn't he just tell us that?' said Saburo.
'That's not the way Zen works,' said Kiku, clearly annoyed at Yori for
revealing the answer. She turned to Jack as if offering the explanation for
his benefit. 'Zen emphasizes the idea that ultimate truth in life must be
experienced first-hand, rather than pursued through study.'
'Sorry?' said Jack, desperately trying to grasp the concept.
'Sensei Yamada is meant to guide us, not instruct us. You are meant to
discover the answer for yourself. If Sensei Yamada had just told you the
answer, you wouldn't have understood its true meaning.'
'I would have!' interrupted Saburo. 'It'd have saved me a lot of brainache too!'
That night, Jack lit a short stick of incense and sat cross-legged in the halflotus position in his room, contemplating the red doll. He pushed it over and
watched it wobble. Then he waited patiently for enlightenment.
A stick later, an answer wasn't forthcoming, so he lit another and poked
the Daruma Doll again. Its gentle movement started to lull him. He pushed
it once more and, without anyone there to distract him, Jack felt himself
drift. The doll continued to sway.
Jack's posture relaxed… His eyes half-closed… His breathing slowed…
His mind calmed… His thoughts became less chaotic… His body gradually
filled with a soft warm glow… ki… Then a single thought burnt bright in
his mind.
He knew what to wish for.
Jack painted in the first eye.