This float shows a moment where 7th-8th century Chinese Zen master Dōrin gives a profound Buddhist teaching to Hakurakuten, a famous Tang-dynasty poet. [The Chinese names for Dōrin, Zen and Hakurakuten are Daolin, Ch’an and Bai Letian, respectively.] Dōrin featured some of the “crazy wisdom” and eccentricities Zen is known for; for one, he was known to sit in a pine tree, which we can see when this float is in the July 17 procession. Hakurakuten was a prolific poet, famous for his social conscience and accessibility; in classical China, poetic skill implied some facility with philosophy as well. In this scene the poet asks the Zen master, “What’s the essential meaning of the Buddhist teachings?” Master Dōrin replied, “Commit no evil, do good deeds!” Dismayed at this simple answer, the poet responded, “Even a three-year-old knows this!”
Source: https://www.gionfestival.org/hakurakuten-yama/
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