On Ittengo

2 June 1975 · Haiku Zendo, Los Altos

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Ittengo -- one turning word. To the one who passed away you leave this word. That person still continues to be with you, showing a more true, more clear figure of who he was for people. There will be a returning response which is pretty important for everyone. Ittengo has a powerful effect, turning effect, like the wind blows very strong, and you can stop that flow of wind with one word and let it go, change direction. If there is strong attachment which you cannot control, Ittengo has great power to cut it off. This is mutual attachment. If you are the one who passed away, you utter the word.

← Hōtō, Spring 1975 — shorter piecesOn Zazen, Ambition, and Experiencing O →
Life and Death as Inseparable  Compassion and Suffering  Ritual, Liturgy, and Ceremony  Ancestors and Time