Gesshū Sōko

Who was Gesshū Sōko?

Gesshū Sōko was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher and a member of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan. He studied under teachers of the lesser known, and more strictly monastic, Obaku School of Zen and contributed to a reformation of Sōtō monastic codes. As a result, he is sometimes given the title "The Revitalizer".

He is known for his calligraphy as well as his poetry, including his death poem:

Inhale, exhale

Forward, back

Living, dying:

Arrows, let flown each to each

Meet midway and slice

The void in aimless flight --

Thus I return to the source.

Gesshū Sōko passed Dharma transmission to Zen Master Manzan Dohaku who went on to restore the strong master-disciple bond in Sōtō Zen.