#PABATAI JIKAN
Jikan (自閑) is a Zen dharma name meaning "noble silence," "ordinary silence," or "silent one," most notably given to singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen upon his ordination as a Rinzai Zen monk. It signifies a state of "Spacious Spontaneity" or the stillness between thoughts, emphasizing a quiet, unhurried, and natural mode of being. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
Key Interpretations of Jikan:
- Noble/Ordinary Silence: Often interpreted as "Silent One" or "Noble Silence," representing a, perhaps ironic, retreat from his life of words and song into the quietude of monastic life.
- Silence Between Thoughts: Described as the mental space between two thoughts or desires, fostering a state of perfect calm, creativity, and inner stillness.
- Spacious Spontaneity: Derived from the Sino-Japanese characters: 自 (ji), meaning natural/spontaneous, and 閑 (kan), implying a spaciousness or unhurried state.
- Devotion: The name fits with the, sometimes called, "bhakti yoga" approach of finding calm in a teacher's presence. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
Leonard Cohen was given this name in 1996 by his teacher Joshu Sasaki Roshi at the Mount Baldy Zen Center.
