In the 1700s,
Zen Master Hakuen's emotional and physical health had seriously deteriorated to the point where he said,
Activity and non-activity had become entirely out of harmony.
My heart began to make me dizzy.
My lungs became dry.
Both my legs felt as cold as if they were immersed in ice.
My ears were filled with the ringing as of the rushing waters of a swift river in a deep canyon.
My liver felt weak,
And in my behavior I experienced many fears.
My spirit was distressed and weary,
And whether sleeping or waking,
I always became lost in wild fancies.
Both armpits were perpetually bathed in sweat,
And my eyes were continually filled with tears.
Having heard rumors of a wise man who possessed the secret of health and long life,
Hakuen sought the assistance of the legendary sage Hakuyu.
Hakuyu,
Seeing that not even the most famous physician would be able to cure Hakuen,
Gave him the secret Nekan meditation we are about to practice.
Listen to what happened to Hakuen,
Who practiced this meditation with great diligence for three years,
And imagine what it may do for you.
At first my main object in carrying out this method was the simple one of health preservation,
But I discovered that my power of understanding was enlightened by it.
The illness,
Which had till that time been practically incurable,
Now began to melt away like frost or snow in the morning sunlight.
Poisonously hard problems,
Difficulties of faith,
Difficulties preventing me from penetrating through to the truth,
And difficulties which hindered the beginning of periods of meditation.
All of them,
Without exception,
Were softened and alleviated together with my bodily sickness,
And they melted away like ice.
And now,
When I have passed the average length of man's life,
I have ten times as much vitality as I used to have when I was only 30 or 40 years of age.
Now my body and soul are both healthy and strong.
Sitting in a chair,
Or lying flat on your back,
Gently press your legs together and silently repeat these phrases to yourself,
Focusing your attention just under your navel or below your feet.
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my original face.
Where are the nostrils on that face?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my true home.
What need of a message from that home?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the pure land of consciousness only.
What need of outer pomp has this pure land?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the Amida Buddha of heart and body.
What sermon would this Amida be preaching?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my original face.
Where are the nostrils on that face?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my true home.
What need of a message from that home?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the pure land of consciousness only.
What need of outer pomp has this pure land?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the Amida Buddha of heart and body.
What sermon would this Amida be preaching?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my original face.
Where are the nostrils on that face?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my true home.
What need of a message from that home?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the pure land of consciousness only.
What need of outer pomp has this pure land?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the pure land of consciousness only.
What need of outer pomp has this pure land?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the Amida Buddha of heart and body.
What sermon would this Amida be preaching?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my original face.
Where are the nostrils on that face?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my true home.
What need of a message from that home?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the pure land of consciousness only.
What need of outer pomp has this pure land?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the Amida Buddha of heart and body.
What sermon would this Amida be preaching?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my original face.
Where are the nostrils on that face?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my true home.
What need of a message from that home?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the pure land of consciousness only.
What need of outer pomp has this pure land?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the Amida Buddha of heart and body.
What sermon would this Amida be preaching?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my original face.
Where are the nostrils on that face?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my true home.
What need of a message from that home?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the pure land of consciousness only.
What need of outer pomp has this pure land?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the Amida Buddha of heart and body.
What sermon would this Amida be preaching?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my original face.
Where are the nostrils on that face?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my true home.
What need of a message from that home?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the pure land of consciousness only.
What need of outer pomp has this pure land?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the Amida Buddha of heart and body.
What sermon would this Amida be preaching?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my original face.
Where are the nostrils on that face?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of my true home.
What need of a message from that home?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the pure land of consciousness only.
What need of outer pomp has this pure land?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the Amida Buddha of heart and body.
What sermon would this Amida be preaching?
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the pure land of consciousness only.
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the Amida Buddha of heart and body.
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the Amida Buddha of heart and body.
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the Amida Buddha of heart and body.
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet,
Full of the Amida Buddha of heart and body.
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet.
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet.
This energy sea,
This tan den,
From below the navel to the soles of the feet.
Gently release the pressure on your legs.
