Bankei

Bankei Yōtaku (c. 1622–1693), commonly known simply as Bankei, was a Japanese Zen master of the Edo period. He is noted for his emphasis on the immediacy of enlightenment and for teaching in plain language accessible to laypeople, rather than through ornate scholastic discourse.

Life and career: The details of Bankei’s early life are sparse. He pursued Zen training within the Rinzai tradition and began publicly teaching in his thirties. He traveled widely across eastern Japan, delivering talks to monks and lay followers alike, often in marketplaces and temple courtyards. His approachable style helped attract large audiences and contributed to the spread of Zen beyond monastic settings.

Teachings: Bankei stressed that enlightenment is not a distant attainment but the realization of one’s own original mind, which he described as the unborn mind. He taught that ordinary, everyday awareness is Buddha-nature and that spiritual realization occurs in daily activity, speech, and thought. He distrusted rigid ritual and ornate doctrine, urging students to awaken here and now.

Legacy: After his death in 1693, his teachings were compiled by students in collections such as The Record of Bankei and other texts circulated under the name Bankei Zen. He is regarded as a key figure in the popularization of Zen in Edo-period Japan and as a representative of a movement within Zen that spoke directly to lay audiences. Today, Bankei is remembered for balancing rigorous insight with a straightforward, humane teaching style.