I had promised myself to dream up some sustainable and livable world for my son in 2080, but this will have to wait. Today, I learned about the life and philosophy of Ikkyū, a 16th century japanese zen master. It started with a morning podcast with Michael Meade, who was speaking about the Kairos and quoted the monk:

How many times do I have to say it?

There is no way not to be

Who and where you are.

Ikkyū was one of the most unconventional figures in the history of Zen. In the time when Zen was politicized and commercialized (apparently, in 16th century Japan, like in 21st century Turtle Island, people found ways to make profit of everything). Ikkyū was among those who resisted the weaponization of Zen and its contortion into a rigid academic and hierarchical structure and insisted that Zen was a lived and living experience.

From reading his story, it is hard to understand whether Ikkyū was a show-off, a madman or a humble genius. In all likelihood, he was all three. And if I’m honest, Ikkyū sounds more like a mythical archetype, than a real man. There is a number of these fascinating rebellious geniuses: Diogenes, the founder of Hassidism Baal Shem Tov, Ukrainian travelling philosopher Grygory Skovoroda. Jesus of Nazareth could probably be put in the same category. These men remind us that true freedom and enlightment require radical imagination and the courage to break away from the system. Ikkyū also reminded me that one thing I can never stop being is myself.

Other than that, I spent my day checking the updates about ICJ case agains I*rael and reading about western powers bombing Houthis. I’ve been taught to think about Houthis as pirates and terrorists, but now I’m questioning the biases I’d internalized.