Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
alone bring salvation. Salvation is to be found in a flash of insight. One way to acquire in-
sight is to sit quietly, not a muscle moving or an eyelid blinking, in the presence of a master.
The master will attempt to confuse reason by posing riddles, or koans , such as, “What is
the sound of one hand clapping?” and “Why may a finger slip quietly into water while the
palm is resisted?” While the novitiate meditates, he hopes that “a flash of enlightenment
( satori ) will come and will lead the initiate to the truth beyond reason.” [192]
Simplicity, beauty, and slow, careful movement are the hallmarks of Zen. And they
reflect much that the Japanese value: the hiker who climbs Mount Fuji to sit in solitude
contemplating its snow-covered peak, the archer who uses intense concentration to make
the arrow fly to its mark, the lady who practices graceful movements while following an
ancient ritual to pour tea, and the person who finds beauty in a stone garden that displays a
rhythmic pattern of rocks laid on carefully swept soil.
THE BUDDHA OBSERVED
Statues of the Buddha come in all shapes and sizes, from fat to skeletal, and from giant fig-
ures carved in mountains to tiny heads held in the hand. Heads, hands, and feet veer from
the ordinary. The Buddha's head has four distinctive features. The elongated earlobes re-
mind us that he once wore the earrings of a prince. The bump on top of his head signifies
the Buddha's enormous capacity for wisdom. And the face is always serene, eyes usually
closed in meditation. Centered just above the eyes is a tiny bump, the Third Eye, the cen-
ter of spiritual insight. By tradition, all fingers and toes are of the same length. Seated, the
Buddha is either cross-legged or has one foot bent at the knee, the foot fully on the ground.
When both legs are folded at the knee, the left leg is tucked beneath the right, each foot
resting on the opposite thigh. This is the lotus position, and the lotus bears iconic meaning:
beauty rising out of watery mud.
The devoted often put tiny foils of gold leaf on the Buddha. Placed on the mouth, gold
leaf may help the giver to utter only right speech. When the gold leaf is placed on the fore-
head, the giver may be blessed with wisdom. And when the leaf is placed on the heart, the
donor may live a life of kindness and charity to all whom he or she meets.
Mudras are the characteristic postures of the Buddha. When the right hand is raised
palm out and the left is touching or pointing to the earth, this is the Bhumisparsa, Buddha
calling humankind to witness. It is also the calming proclamation; some choose to see it as
subduing evil. When walking or standing, with one or both palms facing outward, fingers
pointing upward, this is the Buddha dispelling anxiety and fear.
When seated with legs folded and hands in his lap and palms up, the Buddha is medit-
ating (Samadhi). Vitarka is when the raised arm is bent at the elbow, palm out, thumb and
forefinger touching, which signifies that the Buddha is teaching. When seated with fingers
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