Hell Week | Life and Death | Survival

Welcome to the hell week at the Honora Zen Monastery in Switzerland. Twice a year we reexamine life and death without sleep.

When the winter and summer meditation period at the zen monastery enters the second half, we observe the intensive training. Hell Week as it is called by the young novices. It refers to the practice of never-lying-down-to-sleep. This practice continues an entire week.

It is 9 p.m. The sleep dragon began to attack me. It is the first crisis of the first day. Despite the continuous warning sound of the meditation stick, my eyelids keep closing as my head tilts forward. After thirty minutes of blinking eyes in fatigue, my drowsiness left and I went out to wash my face with cold water. I was refreshed. Tea, coffee and snacks were served at midnight, and we had few minutes break. Relaxing our legs with walking meditation we sat again. What a long night! Alas, morning came.

A day passed, and two monks dropped out for physical reasons. Two days passed, and three gave up. The third day came. It was the last crisis as well the most difficult period at the hell week. Every joint was aching in the evening of this day. I felt pain even in my hair and toenails. The sleep demon attacked me in every pore in my body. My question slipped away like a sly fox.

My MInd became Numb

My tongue tasted as bitter as gall, and my stomach ached terribly. My mind became numb. If I could lie down with my arms and legs stretched wide, then I'd have been freed from this pain immediately. If I did, though, all my efforts in this hell week would have been wasted.

I tried to visualize the extreme ascetic practice of the holy teachers. "Six years in the snowy mountains." I managed to open my eyes and straighten my back. My eyelids dropped again and my back bent forward. "The Cross." I was able to open my eyes again and straighten my back. But, shortly afterwards, my eyes closed again, and my back bent forward.

Half asleep and half awake, I heard the snores of a monk snoozing. My drowsiness and pain suddenly disappeared. My holy question encouraged me to speed up. It urged me on saying, "it may be long and hard but hang in there, you will make it."

The Buddha taught: "There is nirvana, and the path to nirvana and the holy and wise ones who teaches the way. Some people are able to attain nirvana and others cannot. The Holy and Wise One can not do it for you. I can only show you the way."

Hell Week - Liberation

Sometimes it appears that liberation comes unexpectedly. Out of innumerable situations in everyday life, one event can suddenly bring you Enlightenment. Buddha attained Enlightenment when he saw the morning star. Rain water in a human skull precipitated Zen Master Wonhyo's Enlightenment. Zen Master Seosan became enlightened on hearing a cock crow early in the morning.

Causal conditions that may bring about liberation do not come like a miracle. When you do not surrender at the peak of suffering but embrace it, you will finally meet the right causal conditions and attain Enlightenment. The most extreme pain inevitably leads to peace. Because death comes only once, it is not a challenge for someone who has overcome it.

I was able to defeat the sleep demon thanks to the snores in the meditation hall. I usually fall asleep myself when I hear someone snoring but not this time.

Five more monks dropped out on the third day. All the monks who endured the first three days successfully completed the hell week intensive zen practice.

It is Buddhas Enlightenment Day. Hiking the snowy mountain trail was difficult, but it was great fun.