🕯️The Quote
This earth where we stand is the Pure Lotus Land,
and this very body—the body of Buddha.
— Hakuin Ekaku (白隠慧鶴), Song of Zazen
🕊️ About the Author
Hakuin Ekaku (白隠慧鶴, 1686–1769) was an influential Japanese Zen master, calligrapher, and artist who helped revive the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism (臨済宗) during the Edo period.
Known for expressing profound teachings in direct and accessible ways, he shared Zen wisdom through writings, calligraphy, and bold ink paintings. His Song of Zazen (Zazen Wasan, 坐禅和讃), from which this quote comes, continues to be recited in Rinzai Zen temples today.
💭 Reflection
The lotus grows from muddy water, yet rises above the surface and opens into the light.
Hakuin’s words remind us that the Lotus Land is not necessarily somewhere far away. It can be found here, in the place where we are standing and within the life we are living now.
We may sometimes believe that peace can only be found after our circumstances have changed, or that spiritual awakening belongs to another place or another time.
Yet even in the middle of uncertainty, difficulty, or ordinary daily life, something within us may already be quietly opening.
Perhaps we do not have to search far away for the sacred. Like the lotus, it may already be growing here.
✨ In Practice
You might gently reflect:
・Can you recognize something sacred in the place where you are now?
・What difficult experience has quietly helped you grow?
・What within you may be ready to open toward the light?
Take a slow breath and notice the ground supporting you.
This very place may already hold the beginning of a Lotus Land.
📸 Image
📷 Self-portrait of Zen master Hakuin Ekaku (白隠慧鶴), 1767. Public domain / via Wikimedia Commons.
🌐 Explore More
If this reflection resonates with you, you may enjoy other entries in the Quote Glow series, where timeless words and quiet moments come together to inspire everyday life.
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