| Gesshū Sōko | |
| Birth Date: | 1618 |
| Birth Place: | Japan |
| Death Date: | 1696 |
| Religion: | Buddhism |
| School: | Sōtō |
| Zen Master | |
Gesshū Sōko (1618–1696) 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, Ōbaku School of Zen and contributed to a reformation of Sōtō monastic codes. As a result, he is sometimes given the title "The Revitalizer".[1]
He is known for his calligraphy[2] 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.[3]
Gesshū Sōko passed Dharma transmission to Zen Master Manzan Dōhaku who went on to restore the strong master-disciple bond in Sōtō Zen.