or Hakuin Ekaku
born Jan. 19, 1686, Hara Suruga province, Japan
died Jan. 18, 1769, Hara
Japanese priest and artist who helped revive the Rinzai Zen sect.
After joining the sect с 1700, he became an itinerant monk. He lived in poverty at a time when many priests sought advancement under the Tokugawa shogunate, and he attracted a large following that provided a new foundation for Rinzai Zen. Hakuin taught that direct knowledge of truth is open to all people and that a moral life must follow from religious belief. He used koans to aid meditation and invented the well-known paradox of contemplating the sound of one hand clapping. He is also known as an artist and calligrapher.