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3 NO LONGER PROPERTY
SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRAROF
Y
 ENSO
Zen Circles of Enlightenment

Audrey Yoshiko Seo

Foreword byJohn Daido Loori

CQ
Weatherhill
Boston & London
2007
Weatherhill
An imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Horticultural Hall
300 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
[Link]

©2007 by Audrey Yoshiko Seo

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publisher.

98.756 5 432.1
First Edition
Printed in Singapore
This edition is printed on acid-free paper that meets the American
National Standards Institute z39.48 Standard.
Distributed in the United States by Random House, Inc., and in Canada
by Random House of Canada Ltd
Interior design and composition: Greta D. Sibley & Associates
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Seo, Audrey Yoshiko.
Enso: Zen circles of enlightenment / Audrey Yoshiko Seo; foreword by
John Daido Loori.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8348-0575-0 (hardcover: alk. paper)
1. Zen calligraphy. 2. Circle—Religious aspects—Zen Buddhism.
3. Enlightenment (Zen Buddhism) 4. Priests, Zen—Biography. I. Loori,
John Daido. II. Title.
NK3633.5.846 2007
704.9'48943927—de 22
2006049114
: For Stephen Addis,
who patiently weathers the storms.
 Contents

Foreword xi

Acknowledgments —xvii

Introduction 1

1. Alone Am the Honored One - Torei Enji 20

2. I Alone Am the Honored One - Torei Enji 22

3. Autumn Moon - Gasan Jito 24

4. Autumn Moon : Inzanlen 26

5. Katsu - MokuraiSd6en 28

6. No Space in the Ten Directions - Hakuin Ekaku 30

7. Peace - TakujiKosen 32

8. Sakyamuni and Maitreya - Bankei Yotaku 34

9g. Unborn - Yamada Mumon 36

10. Not One Thing - Ryonen Gens6 38

 11. Bamboo - DeiryiKutsu 40

12. Rice Cake - RydchiNyoryu 42

13. Toilet - SOSaibai 44

14. What Is This? - Fukushima Keid6 46

15. What Is This? - Daidd Bunka 48

16. Dog - KasumiBunshd 50

17. [Link] - Nantenbo 52

18. True Emptiness - Ungo Kiyo 54

19. Board - KosetsuSoryu 56

20. Wind and Bamboo - Shibayama Zenkei 58

21. Barriers - DaikyuEbo 60

22. Barriers + JiunSonja 62

23. Cultivating Skill - ChthoSou 64

24. Pine - DeiryuKutsu 66

25. Baking Pan - Setsudd Nyoun 68

26. Every Shape, Every Form - Keiji Dorin 70

27. Cake - Shuns6 Joshi 72

28. Eat This - Fukushima Keido 74

29. I Alone Am the Honored One - Torei Enji 76

viil CONTENTS
30. I Alone Am the Honored One - Torei Enji 78

31. EnsoOin Enso - Nantenbo 80

32. What Is This? - Shuns6 Joshu 82

33. Abiraunken - Jiun Sonja 84

34. Oxherding - Mamiya Eisht' 86

35. Nothing Lacking - Yamada Mumon_ 88

36. Nothing Lacking - Taikan Monju 90

37. Enter into the Faith - HataEgyokyu 92

38. Enter from Here - Hoshino Taigen 94

39. Board - Chtho Sou 96

40. Catch It! - Nantenbo 98

41. Autumn Moon : Inzanlen 100

42. Rice Cake - MoritaGoyt' 102

43. Mochi - Nantenb6d 104

44. Mochi - Yamamoto Gempo 106

45. Fancy Words - Godo Soken 108

46. Nothing Else - Torei Enji 110

47. Smiling Circle - Ishikawa Bokugyt’ 112

48. Dream - Deiryu Kutsu. 114

CONTENTS 115%
 49. Endless Purity - Dairy Sojo 116

50. Great Peace - Nakagawa Soen 118

51. What Is This? - Kaizan Sokaku 120

52. What Is This? - Torei Enji 122

53. Mouse - Okada Kid6 124

54. Universe Lingers - Ranzan Shoryt’ 126

55. Mu - Kojima Kendo 128

56. Triangle - Fukushima Keid6 130

Epilogue 133

Table of Names 135

Table of Significant Texts 137

Biographies ofArtists 139

Notes 159

Select Bibliography 165

x CONTENTS
 Foreword

AS A SYMBOL, the circle expresses the totality of our being. Whether in sun
worship ceremonies, in mythological stories, or in religious art, the circle points
to the most vital aspect of our existence—its ultimate wholeness. Throughout
the ages and in widely differing cultures, from Stone Age communities to tech-
nologically advanced societies, the circle has always evoked feelings of calm and
completeness. In his commentaries on our collective unconscious, Carl Jung re-
ferred to the circle as the “archetype of wholeness.”
Our connection to the circle is in some ways obvious. We are embedded in
the circularity of the horizon. We live on a sphere that, with other spheres, circles
around the sun, in the vast celestial dome. We are enamored with the moon. In
art, we highlight an abstract circle’s many natural forms—the ring, the sphere,
the wheel. We create halos that float above saints’ heads, and perform ritual cir-
cle dances.
In Buddhism, there are many examples of the use of the circle. The teach-
ings of the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, are referred to as the turning of
the Dharma Wheel, the wheel of reality. In Zen, this metaphor is taken a step
further. It is said that when the Dharma Wheel turns, it turns in both direc-
tions. In Tibetan Buddhism there is the intricate practice of creating mandalas,
circular representations of the universe and all of its aspects, used as a device
for concentrating the mind. And there is the Zen enso.
The ens6 is perhaps the most common subject of Zen calligraphy. It sym-
bolizes enlightenment, power, and the universe itself. It is a direct expression of

al
thusness or this-moment-as-it-is. Enso is considered to be one of the most
profound subjects in zenga (Zen-inspired painting), and it is believed that the
character of the artist is fully exposed in how she or he draws an enso. Only a
person who is mentally and spiritually complete can draw a true one. Some
artists practice drawing an enso daily as a spiritual exercise.
Although the form of the ens6 is quite simple, its essence is difficult to
grasp or define. On one hand, it is just a circle painted with one brushstroke, in
a single breath. On the other hand, it is the representation of the totality of the
great void. Some say that the enso has no fixed meaning. Others insist that it
encompasses and conveys a continuing and ceaseless action through all time.
When an enso painting is viewed, it communicates and can be appreciated on
various levels, depending upon the spiritual maturity of the viewer.
The enso ranges in shape from perfectly symmetrical to completely irregu-
lar, with brushstrokes either thin and delicate or broad and massive. Many
enso paintings include a short text in prose or verse called san. San are com-
posed either by the artist or someone commenting on the image as a way of
deepening and clarifying the religious or spiritual content of the work. Enso
paintings act as visual and poetic koans—apparently paradoxical statements,
questions, or demonstrations that point to or suggest the nature of reality.
They reflect the artist’s understanding that, at their best, words and images
cannot express the truth completely. In attempting to assist others in realizing
the true nature of reality, rather than explaining, the masters point, and point
as directly as they can.
The importance and vitality of direct pointing within religious practice
and training are especially accented and refined in Zen Buddhism. Bodhi-
dharma, the founder of Zen, defined the tradition as follows:

A special transmission outside the scriptures,

With no reliance on words and letters,

xii FOREWORD
 A direct pointing to the human mind,
And the realization of enlightenment.

Direct pointing takes many forms in Zen. Significant among them, and most
relevant to this book, is the way the arts function to bring insight to the tradi-
tional koans that form the backbone of much ofZen teaching. For hundreds of
years, the enso has provided monastic and lay practitioners of Zen with guid-
ance into unraveling the intricacies of the knotty questions put forth by the an-
cient masters. Sometimes, the enso appears in the koan stories themselves.

Master Xuansha saw his student Gushan coming and drew a

circle on the ground.
Gushan seeing this said, “People cannot get out of this place.”
Xuansha said, “I guess you do things in a donkey’s womb and
horse’s belly.”
Gushan said, “Master, what about yourself?”
Xuansha said, “People cannot get out of this place.”
Gushan said, “You said so and I said so. So what’s wrong
with me?”
Xuansha said, “I have got it but you haven't.”
Gushan said, “You said so and I said so. So what’s wrong
with me?”
Xuansha responded, “I have got it but you haven't.” What is the it
that he has and how did he know that Gushan did not have it?

The ancient marriage of art and religion in Zen traces its roots to the birth of
Zen tradition in China. When Buddhism first arrived in China from India dur-
ing the first century c.£., it encountered indigenous Taoism with its deep appre-
ciation of nature and the arts. Taoism’s accent on simplicity intermingled with

FOREWORD Mel A
the complex metaphysics of Indian Buddhism, tempering its philosophical ten-
dencies. The result was a very direct and pragmatic kind of Buddhism—Zen.
During this early history, Zen was influenced by the refined practices of Chinese
poetry, painting, and calligraphy. The Tao ofPainting, written around 500 C.E., is
a classic canon on the art of painting as a spiritual path. In it, the action of no ac-
tion is set forth as a cardinal aspect of the true creative process. The mind is si-
lenced, the self gets out of the way, and the work is allowed to express itself.
Unlike the modern approaches of teaching art in schools, the traditional
Taoist method led artists to undergo rigorous periods of apprenticeship under
renowned masters, spending years learning how to uncover and express the
energy, or chi (Japanese ki) of a mountain, bamboo, or a plum blossom. Zen
borrowed freely from these teachings and eventually developed a very particu-
lar style of painting, calligraphy, and poetry.
During the Sung dynasty in China (960-1279 c.z.), the Zen arts of paint-
ing and poetry reached their highest stage of development with the emergence
of a novel phenomena—a new class of painter-priests and poet-priests who
were not only accomplished artists but also Zen monastics and even masters of
the tradition. At the same time, Zen monasteries became magnets for secular
artists who were interested in clarifying the relationship between their deep
spiritual yearnings and creativity.
When Chinese Zen first traveled to Japan in the thirteenth century, the arts
followed and became quickly integrated into the culture of Zen. During the
Kamakura period (1200-1350 c.g.) these arts developed into chado (tea cere-
mony), bamboo flute, landscape gardening, noh (drama), ceramics, kyudo
(archery), and most important, shodo (painting and poetry). Do means “way,”
and these arts are referred to as “ways” because they are all-encompassing dis-
ciplines of polishing the artist’s understanding of him or herself and the nature
of reality. Together, these disciplines became known as the “artless arts of Zen.”
They transcended technique, and were primarily used as tools for communi-
cating the Zen truth.

Rey FOREWORD
 The Zen arts distinguish themselves from other kinds of Buddhist art in
that they are not iconographic. Their aim is not to deepen the devotees’ experi-
ence of religion. They are not used in worship ceremonies or as part of prayer.
They are not even meant to create a sense of openness, awareness, or sensitivity
to spiritual teachings. Zen art, as sacred art, is a direct expression of the ineffa-
ble. It helps to transform the way we understand ourselves and the universe. It
makes visible the invisible.
In the traditional Zen arts, paintings and calligraphy functioned as visual
discourses, while poetry with its live words communicated the essential word-
lessness of Zen. D. T. Suzuki, in speaking of these unique forms said: “The arts
of Zen are not intended for utilitarian purposes, or for purely aesthetic enjoy-
ment, but are meant to train the mind, indeed, to bring it into contact with ul-
timate reality.”
In Ensé: Zen Circles of Enlightenment, Audrey Yoshiko Seo has collected
some of Zen history’s most relevant and admired ens6, to which she has added
biographical information on the artists, artistic commentary on the work, and
in many cases she has also provided a sketch of the spiritual context that can
help readers to appreciate the teachings that the particular piece of art embod-
ies. This collection is another important step in the transmission of the Dharma
from East to West, and especially in clarifying the pivotal role the arts played in
Zen Buddhism and can continue to play as Buddhism spreads in the West.
There is a rich cultural, literary, and artistic heritage that comes with Zen
Buddhism that we have yet to discover. Now that the roots of Buddhist train-
ing and practice have been established on these shores, the time has come to
appreciate the other aspects of our Dharma legacy. Audrey Yoshiko Seo’s book
is an important part of this process that promises to further nourish the evolu-
tion of the buddhadharma in the West, as well as deepen our understanding of
the artless arts of Zen.
All of this notwithstanding, ultimately we should appreciate that the enso
has no reason or point for its existence other than itself. It exists perfectly and

FOREWORD XV
completely, and is aesthetically gratifying for its own sake. The ens6 is its own
merit and its own reward. It has no cause outside itself and provides no effect
other than itself. The fruit of the ens6 is the ens6.
Encountering two monastics who challenged his understanding, Zen mas-
ter Yangshan drew a circle in the air, showed it to them, and then threw it over
his back, over his shoulders. Then he stretched out his arms and asked them to
return the circle. The two monastics were dumbfounded and did not know
what to do. Yangshan advised them saying, “The Way is not easy; you should
study the buddhadharma diligently.” He then bowed and left.

John Daido Loori

Tremper Mountain
Summer 2006

xvi FOREWORD
 Acknowledsments

IN 1969 THE JAPANESE ZEN MASTER Shibay wrote Zenga

Zenkei ama
no ens6, a large-format book with full-page reproductions of ens6 by a wide va-
riety of Japanese Zen masters dating back to the fifteenth century. Shibayama
Roshi was a great connoisseur of Zen painting and calligraphy, and was partic-
ularly fond of works by the master Hakuin Ekaku, as well as being a skilled cal-
ligrapher in his own right. Shibayama Roshi’s appreciation of and enthusiasm
for Zen brushwork is readily apparent in his introduction to the book as well
the texts that accompany each ens6 image. While he was planning his book, his
publisher suggested merely having close-up photographs of the circles them-
selves, cropping out the rest of the composition, including the calligraphic in-
scriptions which accompanied the enso. Shibayama Roshi refused, explaining
that the inscriptions were crucial to the meaning and teaching of each circle. It
was vital to him that readers encountered the whole experience of the image,
which, as a totality, is a reflection of each master’s Zen mind.
I am grateful to Shibayama Roshi for this first exploration into enso, and to
his successor, Fukushima Keid6o Roshi of Tofuku-ji, for his continued assis-
tance over the past fifteen years in my study of Zen art.
All projects are the result of the collective contributions of many people.
This project is no exception. I would like to thank Yoshio Arimura, Etichi
Maezawa, Ishinosuke and Michikazu Mizutani, Daisaburo Tanaka, Shunichi
Yabumoto, Takashi Yanagi, Hiroshi and Harumi Yanagi, and Shigehiko Yanagi

Xvil
in Japan for providing access to ens6 in Japanese collections. I would also like
to thank Belinda Sweet for her constant enthusiasm for this project and access
to images in private American collections. It should be noted that most ens6
paintings are in private collections, so I am very grateful to all the collectors
who allowed me to reproduce their works. At Shambhala, I would like to thank
Peter Turner and David O’Neal for believing in this project and helping it to
come to fruition, also my copyeditor Ben Gleason, and Hazel Bercholz and
Greta D. Sibley & Associates for the book and cover art.
I am also grateful to David Mesker for the Robert Frost poem; and to my
sister Hilary, and my parents Eddie and Alice Seo. My father, in particular, as-
sisted in finding information on the number zero. And lastly, much thanks to
Carole Lieu because ALAGs have to stick together.

LVI ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 Introduction

Just this one circle,

no monk in the world can jump out.!

CIRCLES HAVE FASCINATED us throughout history. They are complete,

perfect, and whole, yet at the same time they remain mysterious, indefinable,
and haunting. When a courier was sent to the Florentine painter Giotto
(12662-1337) to obtain an example of the painter’s work for Pope Benedict, the
painter created a perfect circle in red [Link] the courier asked the painter if
this was the only example of his work he was to receive, Giotto explained that
the image was “enough and too much,’ and asked that it be sent to the Pope to
see if he would understand. The drawing was delivered, and the Pope immedi-
ately realized Giotto’s talent.
In the hands of Japanese Zen masters, the perfection lies elsewhere. Zen cir-
cles, ens6 (Ch: yiian-hsiang), are symbols of teaching, reality, enlightenment,
and a myriad of things in between. Seemingly perfect in their continuity, bal-
ance, and sense of completeness, and yet often irregular in execution, enso are
at once the most fundamentally simple and the most complex shape. They
seem to leave little room for variation, and yet in the hands of Zen masters, the
varieties of personal expression are endless. Enso evoke power, dynamism,
charm, humor, drama, and stillness. How and why is such a simple shape used
to convey the vast meanings and complexities of Zen? As Helmut Brinker ex-
plains, “The circle is the symbol of the shapeless, colourless essence of all be-
ings, the ‘original countenance before birth, of which is said in the Gateless
Barrier, ‘even when one paints it, it is not painted.”

Early Buddhism

Circle imagery in Indian philosophy has had many connotations, including

representing the sky, the atmosphere, and emptiness. Early Indian culture is
also credited with the development of zero as we know it in mathematics, the
earliest example of which is found on a Jain cosmo-logical work dated 458 c.z.,
but evidence suggests the use of zero in Indian culture as early as 200 B.c.£.°
Although earlier uses of zero are found in Mayan and Babylonian civilizations,
they were used merely to mark an absent numeral, but the Indian zero actually
served as a numeral in itself and functioned in the processes of addition, sub-
traction, and multiplication as we know it today. The early Indian zero, which
was first represented as a dot, bindu (the point from which all things emerged,
in other words, the creation of something from nothing), gradually developed
into a small empty circle referred to as sunya, which also had greater philosoph-
ical implications, representing the void. The word sunya is only one of many
Hindu words for zero. Other Hindu words meaning zero translate as “sky”
(vyant), “space” (kha), “complete” (parna), and “canopy of heaven” (gagana),
among others.’
Various expressions for space or vacancy seemed to be something that In-
dian people felt needed great definition and distinction, and the association
with the empty circular form has been closely intertwined with them from early
on.° This circle was eventually transmitted to China as well as absorbed into
the Arabic mathematical system where it was translated as as-sifr, also meaning

2 DN RO DU Cr PON
“empty” or “absent,” and from which the English word “cipher,” meaning
“nothing,” is derived. Current mathematicians are engrossed in the origins and
study of zero, and the issue has even penetrated popular culture including the
comic strip Dilbert.
Similarly, in ancient China, heaven was represented by a circle that rotated
while the earth remained motionless. The sun and moon were associated with
the motion of heaven, which remained silent, while the emergence of life was
associated with earth. Ancient Chinese shamans used divination to communi-
cate with clan ancestors who circled through the heavens. In Taoism, a perfect
circle is used to symbolize the hunlun, the “undifferentiated matter out of
which the cosmos was formed.”® These ideas of completeness and natural cycle
of birth and death continued to develop and were gradually absorbed into
Buddhist thought.
The use of circle imagery in Buddhism goes back to a legend about the his-
torical Buddha Shakyamuni (born circa 563 B.c.g.). According to the Zen
Master Yun-men, just after his birth, the Buddha raised his hand, pointed to
heaven, and walked seven steps in a circle proclaiming himself the honored
one. Circumambulation of holy sites such as stupas was also an early Buddhist
practice. Despite these references, early Buddhist ideas were less focused on
circular symbols than on the void. This ideal was most fully developed by the
thirteenth patriarch of the Indian lineage, Kapimala (second-third century),
who is included in the Denkoroku of the Japanese master Keizan Jokin (1268-
1325). Keizan’s commentary in Kapimala’s chapter states, “When you strike
space it echoes, and thus all sounds are manifested; transforming emptiness to
manifest myriad things is why shapes and forms are so various. Therefore you
should not think that emptiness has no form, or that emptiness has no sound.
When you furthermore investigate carefully on reaching this point, it cannot
be considered void and it cannot be considered existent either.”’
The thirteenth patriarch passed his teachings on to Nagarjuna, the Naga King,

iN RO DU Gl LON 3
who invited the thirteenth patriarch for a visit and presented him with a wish-
fulfilling jewel. Nagarjuna then asked, “This is the ultimate jewel in the world;
does it have a form or is it formless?” Kapimala replied, “You only know of hav-
ing form or not; you do not know that this jewel neither has form nor is form-
less. And you do not yet know that this jewel is not a jewel.” At this, Nagarjuna
became enlightened, and eventually became the Fourteenth Patriarch.®
Nagarjuna is traditionally considered to be the primary author of the Pra-
jhaparamita-sttra (Sutra of Transcendental Wisdom), the oldest portion of which
dates to the first century B.c.£., and on which Mahayana Buddhist thought is
based. In this siitra the idea of the void (Skt.: shiinyatda), representing “empti-
ness” or “nothingness” is developed beyond earlier writings. Further, the text
also develops the idea of thusness (Skt.: tathagata), the ultimate state of existence
and of being, bringing these two aspects into a perfect state of enlightenment.
“Thusness is this matchless, perfect enlightenment. And this thusness neither
increases nor decreases.’ This stitra also includes the Mahaprajnaparamita-
hridaya-sutra (Heart Sutra), which contains the passage,

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form;

Form is nothing but emptiness, emptiness is nothing
but form;
That which is form is emptiness, and that which is
emptiness is form.
The same is true for emotion, conception, activation,
and discrimination.!°

Later, a monk named Kanadeva visited Nagarjuna and was allowed to share
the master’s teaching seat in front of a group of faithful. Nagarjuna manifested
the form of the full moon, and Kanadeva told the crowd, “This is the teacher
manifesting the essential form of the enlightened nature to show us. How do

4 INTRODUCTION
we know? Because signless, formless absorption is like the full moon; the mean-
ing of the Buddha nature is wide-open clarity.” '' As Kanadeva finished speak-
ing, the sphere disappeared; as it reappeared, Nagarjuna stated,

Body manifests the full moon symbol

To represent the body of all Buddhas.
The teaching has no such shape;
Thereby we discern it is not sound or form.”

Kanadeva eventually became the fifteenth patriarch.

In the Prajhaparamita-sttra, Nagarjuna developed his premise of relativ-
ity: that all things exist only by virtue of their opposites, and that all things are
only relative and thus without essence, in other words, empty. The ideals set
forth in the Prajhaparamita-sttra through Nagarjuna gradually filtered into
Zen. The idea of “thusness” is recognized in Zen as enlightenment in daily life
and the appreciation of simple, ordinary experiences and objects, as well as the
idea of being in the moment without distractions.

Chinese Zen

In the “ten directions” there are no images;

In the “three worlds” all traces have gone.'?

Bodhidharma (ca. 470-5432; J.: Daruma) was regarded as both the twenty-
eighth Indian patriarch following Shakyamuni, and the first patriarch of the
East Asian Zen sect. He traveled to the Liang court of Emperor Wu in southern
China to expound his teachings, but they were not understood. He then went
to Lo-yang in northern China, where he lived in the Shao-lin monastery and

PN ROD Gr LOxN 5
eventually transmitted his teachings to the second patriarch, Hui-k’o (487-593).
Bodhidharma was later given the posthumous name Enkaku Daishi, literally
“Round Enlightened Great Teacher.’ 4
Hui-k’o’s own disciple, Chien-chih Seng Ts’an (d. 606), known as the third
patriarch, is traditionally viewed as the author of a long poem called Hsin-hsin
Ming, “Precepts of the True Heart,” which includes the well-known lines,

Round and perfect like vast space,

nothing lacking, nothing in excess.

The idea of form and no form permeated Zen thought and was fully inte-
grated by the eighth century, as was the existence of teachings based on myste-
rious symbols such as circles. Although there are no known extant images of
circles brushed by early Chinese masters in ink, Zen texts are full of references
to masters forming invisible circles in the air, or drawing them on their hands
or in the dirt. National Teacher Nan-yang (d. 775) is especially credited with
popularizing the use of circles in Zen teaching.
One story, recorded in the Ching-te Cl’uanteng Lu (Ching-te Era Record of the
Transmission of the Lamp), compiled in 1004, recounts how Nan-yang watched
one of his disciples draw a circle on the ground, stand before it, and bow. Nan-yang
asked the monk if he wished to become a Buddha. The monk responded, “I cannot
rub my eyes.” His response suggests that his eyes were still clouded and that he is
unable to attain enlightenment represented here by the circle.!°
Circular figures were used to symbolize the nature of enlightened conscious-
ness or the “original countenance before birth.”'® Nan-yang is said to have
received the secret teachings based on sacred symbols directly from the sixth
patriarch, Hui-néng (638-713). Nan-yang’s disciple, Tan-yiian (n.d.) later re-
counted that Nan-yang passed the secret teachings on to him and instructed,
“Thirty years after I have died, a young monk will come from the South and

6 UN-T RO DUGMON
revive this teaching. At that time, pass the teaching on to him; don’t let it end.
I transmit it to you to uphold and preserve.”'” There are numerous stories of
Zen masters in Nan-yang’s lineage utilizing these teaching methods.
For example, Nan-yang’s disciple, Nan-ch’iian (748-834), also received the
meanings ofthe sacred symbols and utilized them in his teaching. One ofthese
instances is recounted in “Nan-chiian Draws a Circle,” case 69 of the Blue
Cliff Record. In the koan Nan-ch’iian accompanied two monks, Kuei-tsung and
Ma-yu, to visit Nan-yang. Halfway along their journey, Nan-ch’tian stopped
and drew a circle on the ground and stated, “If you can say something, I will
continue on with you.” Kuei-tsung sat down in the middle of the circle. Ma-yu
made a deep bow. Nan-ch’iian said, “I will not go on.” Kuei-tsung responded,
“What’s in your mind?” This famous episode was captured in ink by the Japa-
nese Zen master Sozan Genky6 (1799-1868) (fig. 1).
In another example, case 33 in the Blue Cliff Record, Ministry President
Ch’en Tsao paid a visit to Tsti-fu. Seeing Ch’en Tsao approaching, Tsii-fu drew
a circle (in the air). Ch’en Tsao said, “My coming here like this has already
missed the point. Even more so now that you have drawn a circle!” Tsti-fu
closed the door to his room.
During this same period, another Chinese Zen master became closely asso-
ciated with teaching through the use of circles. Ma-tsu (709-788) was a dis-
ciple of Nan-yiieh (677-744), the senior pupil of Hui-néng and a dharma
brother to Nan-yang. Ma-tsu left few writings, but he has become one of the
most influential Chinese Zen masters through the numerous accounts that re-
flect his direct Zen training and teaching. He is known for saying, “The Way is
formless; how can we see it well?” ®
One day, a monk went to visit Ma-tsu. Ma-tsu drew a circle with his staff
and said, “If you enter here, I will strike you. If you don’t enter here, I will strike
you.” The monk entered the circle. Ma-tsu hit him. The monk said, “Master,
you can’t hit me.” Ma-tsu leaned on his staff and walked away.!?

INTRODUCTION a
“Nan-chiian, Kuei-tsung, and Ma-yu Visit National Teacher
Nan-yang” by Sozan Genkyo (1799-1868).
 In another story, perhaps even more significant because it reveals the use of
an enso brushed in ink on paper, Ma-tsu sent a letter to the monk Kinzan. In
the letter he drew an ens6; Kinzan opened the letter, added a painting within
the ens6, and sent it back to Ma-tsu. National Teacher Nan-yang heard this
story and commented, “The respected servant of the master was bested by Ma-
tsu,”?° implying that Kinzan may have thought he was being clever by adding
the image to the ens6, but in essence he was merely filling in the void instead of
letting it be empty. Besides teaching his pupil a lesson, Ma-tsu may have given
birth to one of the first painted ens6.
Two generations later, the master Kuei-shan (771-853) was asked for a Bud-
dhist verse by Wei Chou. Kuei-shan replied, “To try to express this from person
to person is foolish, how much more if you try to put it on paper.” Wei Chou
then asked Kuei-shan’s disciple Yang-shan for a verse, but he drew an ens6 on a
piece of paper and said, “To understand this with thinking is second best; to
understand this without thinking is third best.”!
Kuei-shan was significant not only for these stories, but also because he was
the primary teacher of Yang-shan (807-883 or 814-890), the monk whom Na-
tional Teacher Nan-yang predicted would appear thirty years after his death,
and to whom he entrusted Tan-yiian to transmit the secret teachings.
Tan-yiian gave the teaching to Yang-shan but afterward Yang-shan burned
the text, explaining, “After examining it, I fully comprehended its meaning.
Then there was no use keeping the text.” Tan-yiian replied, “Even so, when
transmitting this to disciples, people of future times won't believe it.” Yang-
shan then offered to make another copy of the text.”
A monk later asked Yang-shan, “What was the patriarch’s idea?” The master,
with his hand, drew a circle in the air within which he wrote the character “Fur
(Buddha). The monk was silent.”°
Other stories are more mysterious, but testify to the importance of the cir-
cle to represent that which is beyond words. In one, a monk came to practice
under Yang-shan, and asked, “Does the master recognize written characters?”

EN RO DIU Car 10 Ni 9
 Yang-shan said, “I recognize some.” '
The monk then drew a circle in the air and acted as though he presented it
to Yang-shan.
Yang-shan acted as if to use his sleeves to erase it.
The monk then made another circle in the air and presented it to Yang-shan.
Yang-shan received the circle with both hands and then threw it behind him.
The monk then stared at Yang-shan. Yang-shan looked down.
The monk then walked in a circle around Yang-shan. Yang-shan hit the
monk with his staff.
The monk then went out.”*
In a similar encounter, a monk asked Yang-shan, “Do you know written
characters?”
Yang-shan said, “Enough.”
The monk then circled him once to the right and said, “What character is this?”
Yang-shan drew a cross on the ground.
The monk circled him one to the left and said, “What character is this?”
Yang-shan changed the cross to the mystic infinity symbol of well-being.
The monk drew a circle and held it up with his hands like a titan holding
the sun and moon, and said, “What character is this?”
Yang-shan drew a circle surrounding the mystic infinity.
The monk then posed like Rucika [an asura, one of the gods of the upper
existence].
Yang-shan said, “Right so it is. You keep it well.”*
During the ninth century, while all forms of Buddhism were under intense
persecution in China, only the Zen sect continued to flourish. During the tenth
century, Zen developed into five traditions, known as the “Five Houses.” The
oldest of these “Houses” is Kuei-yang, derived from the names of Kuei-shan
and his disciple, Yang-shan.*° The next two, the Ts’ao-tung (J.: Soto) and Lin-
chi (J.: Rinzai) eventually emerged to form the two major schools of Zen that

10 INTRODUCTION
continue to this day. From the Ts’ao-tung sect emerged the doctrine of Five
Ranks, which combined the ideas of the Prajnaparamita-sttra with native Chi-
nese philosophy of the I Ching to express the fundamental identity of the ab-
solute and the relative. This development is visually represented by a series of
five circles, ranging from completely filled to empty, thus reflecting the stages
of practice leading to enlightenment.’
It should be noted that references to circles in Zen are not limited to male
monks. The Chinese Zen nun Yi-k’uei (1625-1679), a dharma heir of Hsing-
kang, included this passage in a poem entitled, “Summer Retreat,”

I watch unmoved as waves recede and Dharma

gates fall into disrepair,
I draw a circle on the ground within which
I will hide myself away.
Suddenly the summer begins to draw to
a close, and fall comes again;
It is only recently that I have mastered the art
of being a complete fool.”*

Circles were certainly an important symbol in both Chinese Zen and Taoist
thought, but despite the numerous stories of masters using circles in teaching by
making them in the air or drawing them on the ground or on paper, so far there are
no known extant examples of ens6in ink on paper by early Chinese Zen masters.
When Zen Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the thirteenth century by
Myoan Eisai (1141-1215) and Dogen Kigen (1200-1253), who transmitted the
Rinzai and Sétd sects respectively, the circular symbolism was also transmitted
to Japan. However, in Japan not only did the stories of Chinese masters using
circles become important, but the concrete image of the enso became increas-
ingly prominent.

INTRODUCTION il
Japanese Zen

The round mirror hung high, it clearly reflects all;

Colored paints in all their beauty cannot depict it completely.”

Enso-zo

The use of circle imagery became increasingly significant in formal portraits of

various Zen masters, becoming standard beginning in the fifteenth century,
and became known as ens0-zo (circle portraits). In these images, the master is
shown as if contained within a painted “halo” or round window frame within
the larger format of the composition. One of the earliest examples is a set of
portraits contained in an album depicting twenty-eight patriarchs, each one
shown as a bust portrait contained within a round “frame.”*° The series of por-
traits begins with the first patrarich, Daruma (Bodhidharma), covered in a red
robe. Oddly, none of the portraits is labeled with any kind of identification. Al-
though these painted circular “halo” forms are prevalent in Buddhist paintings,
of bodhisattvas, arhats, buddhas, and other holy figures, these “halos” surround
only the figure’s head and shoulders; the rest of the body appears outside the
circle, clearly delineating itself as a “halo.” In Zen portraits, however, the entire
portion of the represented body is completely contained within the circle.
Another example of an ensd-z6 from this period depicts three abbots of
Tofuku-ji: Enni Ben’en (1202-1280), Zozan Junkt (1233-1308), and Daido
Ichr'i (1292-1370). The three masters are shown in half-torso portraiture,
grouped together within a painted circle.*! Compositionally, Enni Ben’en, the
founder of Tofuku-ji, is positioned slightly above the other two masters; Z6zan,
Enni Ben’en’s own disciple, to his lower right, and Daido, who was Z6zan’s

12 LN T ROD
Gr tl ON
pupil, to his lower left. Thus, the portrait not only depicts the abbots of the tem-
ple, but also the continuation of the lineage from master to disciple. As Helmut
Brinker notes, the use of circular symbolism does not end with the frame
around the figures, but is a recurrent theme in the use of the term en (circle) in
the masters’ names. Not only is Z6zan referred to by his posthumously given
honorary title, Enkan Zenji, “Master of the Round Mirror,” but he was also con-
sidered to be an incarnation of Enzt Daishi, “Great Master of Circular Penetra-
tion,” one of the names of the Bodhisattva Kannon. Enni Ben’en’s name can be
translated as, “The Differentiating Round of the Encircled You.”
Symbolically, there is also a question of whether the Zen masters are simply
framed by the circle, or if they are instead reflected in a round mirror. The Daien
Kyochi (“Great Round Mirror Wisdom’) refers to a stage of perfect enlighten-
ment that resembles a clear mirror reflecting all phenomena in their truest, most
complete state.*’ Yet what is reflected in a mirror is ultimately not real.

When a mirror reflects a face, it may be perfectly distinct, but this is an

image (lit. a “shadow of the form” )manifested in space, and there is not
any “thing” within the mirror. .. . One should understand by this de-
tailed consideration that mirror and face fundamentally do not exit or
enter or go or come. This is the meaning of Tathagata.

Several portraits of the great Japanese Zen master Ikkyt Sojun (1394-1481)
show his figure enclosed in a circle. On one of these portraits, dated 1471, in
which he considers himself a spiritual incarnation of an earlier Chinese Zen
master, he inscribed,

In this great circle

the whole self is presented
and Hsu-t’ang’s true face is revealed.”

INTRODUCTION 13
 Again, the idea of one’s true self appearing within the circle or mirror is
significant; Ikkyu declares in his inscription that not only does his true nature
reveal itself in the reflection, but also that of his revered spiritual ancestor.*°
Portraits of Zen masters and patriarchs painted within circles continued into
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Japan, notably portraits and self-
portraits of the Zen master Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768), whose own ens6 ap-
pears on page 30.

Oxherding Pictures

The use of a circular frame and ultimately an empty circle in painting gained
great significance from the depiction of the parable of the Ten Oxherding Images
(J.: jagyuzu). In Buddhism, the oxherding theme goes back to Indian traditions.
The Ekottaragama (J.: Zoichi Agongyo), a Hinayana Buddhist text, describes eleven
ways of tending cattle and compares them to the various responsibilities of a
Buddhist monk.*’ In Zen, the parable of oxherding seems to have emerged in
China as early as the eighth century when, in a koan, the Zen master Pai-chang
(720-814) compared the search for enlightenment to searching for an ox while
riding on its back.** During the eleventh century, illustrations accompanied the
texts of the “Ten Oxherding Poems” in woodblock printed books. The first
painted images related to the poems also emerged during this time, but it was the
woodblock printed examples that were brought back to Japan by Japanese monks
during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
In particular, images associated with the monk Kuo-an (ca. 1150) became
increasingly popular in Japan. While some Chinese versions promoted a more
“gradual” process to enlightenment, in Kuo-an’s version of the parable, the
stages of enlightenment are divided into ten distinct steps leading to “sudden”
enlightenment (See plate 34 for the stages). Eventually painters of numerous

14 EN TROD
UC DLON
artistic schools found inspiration in the parable and painted oxherding im-
ages, many of which were contained within round compositions similar to the
format used in ensd-z6. The circular format may have been utilized because, as
Helmut Brinker notes, “the circle as a geometric figure without beginning or
end includes the elimination of all opposites into absolute unity, ie., the ‘true
void’, Jp.: shinku. It points to the deep ‘insight into one’s own essential nature’
and symbolizes the fundamental character—devoid of shape and colour—of
all living beings, simply but significantly alluded to in Zen painting by the
empty ground.”*?
Within the oxherding parable, the eighth stage, in which both the oxherd
and the ox are forgotten (all desire is eliminated, all religious thoughts have be-
come void), is traditionally represented by an empty circle. Thus, the circular
motif in Zen associated with the void, or an elimination of dualistic logic, not
only continued as Zen gained stability in Japan during the thirteenth and four-
teenth centuries, but the idea of an empty circle was visually established and
associated with the fully enlightened mind.
The oldest extant set of oxherding images in Japan is attributed to the artist
Shabun (active ca. 1423-1460) and is housed at Shokoku-ji in Kyoto.*° Proba-
bly not so coincidentally, the earliest known extant enso in Japan also comes
from this period (see fig. 2). Dated 1455 by the Daitoku-ji Zen master Yoso Soi
(1376-1458),*! the circle is positioned rather austerely in the composition, slight
in presence, but not weak. Yos0’s inscription sits to the circle’s lower left read-
ing, meireki reki (obvious, obvious) in crisp, easy-to-read script, followed by an
extended signature and date. If this was one of the first enso created in Japan, it
is ironic YOsO chose this phrase to accompany it.
The creation of ens6 was continued by Daitoku-ji masters during the early
Edo period (1600-1868) such as Takuan Soho (1573-1645) and Kosetsu Soryu
(1595-1666; see plate 19), and then became increasingly popular with Zen mas-
ters in the Hakuin lineage such as Torei Enji (1721-1792; see plates 12920,.30;

CN RO DUCT 1 ON 15.
Enso by Yos6 Soi (1376-1458).

46, 52) and Shuns6 Joshu (1751-1839; see plates 27, 32). As ens6 became a stan-
dard expression in Japanese Zen art, each Zen master imbued the gesture of the
brush with his or her own Zen experience, teachings and Zen mind. As a result,
the seemingly simple shape of the circle becomes a fascinating expression of
individuality displaying variations in ink tones, brushstroke thickness, shape
of the circle, and even the positioning of where the circle begins and ends. The
American Zen master Robert Aitken wrote:

Zen teachers like to draw circles. Sometimes they draw them around
from right to left, sometimes around from left to right. These circles can
represent emptiness, fullness, or the moon. Or they can represent the
practice. The circle that goes around from right to left—against the path

16 INT ROD UIE 1 ON

 of the sun on the sundial—represents the hard way ofpractice before any
glimmer of understanding appears. When it goes around from left to
right, following the path of the sun, it represents the easier way of prac-
tice after a glimmer opens the Way. But both before and after the glim-
mer, the practice requires investment and conscientious diligence.”

As the creation of ensOincreased, so did the variation of themes and inscrip-

tions accompanying the circles. Although some ens6 appear without inscrip-
tions, most include some phrase or verse reflecting an aspect of Zen teaching,
sometimes from a Zen koan, sometimes a standard Zen phrase, and sometimes
the master’s own words. As Shibayama Zenkei wrote, “In that brief expression
of an idea, you see the writer’s spirit. That is the implicit flavor of Zen. ... The
choice of the inscription comes from that; the choice of the inscription is an ex-
pression of spirit. As a Zen person, my heart is pulled ways I can’t explain. The
flavor of an enso without an inscription, to me, is like flat beer.’
Most broadly, enso represent the vast qualities of the universe, conjuring up
its grandness, limitless power, and natural phenomena. But enso6 can just as
easily represent the void, the fundamental state in which all distinctions and
dualities are removed: “Outside—empty, inside—empty, inside and outside—
empty.’“* Very often enso depict the moon, symbolizing enlightenment, but
can also represent the moon’s reflection in water, symbolizing the futility of
searching for enlightenment outside oneself. Less philosophically, enso can
simply represent everyday objects such as a dumpling, rice cake, or basket. Yet
even these seemingly mundane references are meant to cut to the heart of Zen
teachings. In the Blue Cliff Record, case 77, a monk asks Master Yun-men,
“What is a teaching beyond Buddhas and Patriarchs?” Yun-men replies, “A
sesame bun.”
Whatever the inscription or representation, the Zen master is creating a vi-
sual experience and encounter for the viewer—with the circle, the phrase, and

PME RO Dw GCL LON MOTE

the master’s Zen mind. It is also a reflection of the master’s lineage and all the
teachings that have been transmitted from master to disciple through this sim-
ple circular gesture. Shibayama explains, “A circle is a window, it is peace, si-
lence, perfection, and harmony. It is whole and unified. In contrast, angular
forms represent conflict, agitation, and excitement. They suggest omission, un-
evenness, the partial and the particular. The two concepts oppose each other.
However, to look at a Zen ens6 from this point of view is an absurd mistake. A
Zen enso is drawn round, but the circle’s center conceals angles and within a
four-sided angle is concealed a circle. The circle and the angle both conceal one-
ness. Within the center of the ens6, truth reveals the life and soul of the ordi-
nary circle and angle. This is the superior, absolute circle.’*
Over the centuries, enso have become an important symbol of Zen itself, a
simple ink trace interpreted in myriad ways from deep esoteric meanings to
mundane aspects of the everyday. But in this apparent contradiction of inter-
pretations lies the underlying complexity of Zen, from its seemingly enigmatic
koans and incomprehensible stories, to its direct, matter-of-fact approach to life.

A monk asked, “What about when there is neither a square nor a circle?”
Chao-chou said, “Neither square nor circle.”
The monk said, “When things are like that, what about it?”
The master said, “Either square or circle.’*°

18 LN T RO Dawe TTOIN
; ENSO
 1. I Alone Am the Honored
One

TO R21) EON) Inetpel 72 = 1 Oe

Torei is considered by many to be the king of ens6. He created numerous ex-

amples, each visually different and powerful in its own way. Here, the ink of
Torei’s dynamic brushstroke breaks apart as it circles around revealing the
paper beneath, a technique called “flying white.” This quality enhances the ges-
tural expression of the ens6, imbuing it with a sense of heightened movement
and energy as it dominates the compositional space, almost nudging the inscrip-
tion to one side.
The inscription says, “Tenjo tenka yuiga dokuson,’ which can be translated as,

In heaven above and the earth below,

I alone am the honored one.

These words were spoken by the historical Buddha Sakyamuni at his birth.
Torei used this phrase on most of his ens6 images, in Zen it also refers to a
phrase from case 57 in the Blue Cliff Record collection of koan in which a monk
said to the Zen Master Chao-chou (Josht), “The true Way is not difficult, sim-
ply refrain from discriminations and distinctions. But, what are discrimina-
tions and distinctions?” Chao-chou replied, “In heaven above and the earth
below, I alone am the honored one.” The monk then stated that this too was a
matter of discrimination and distinction, to which Chao-chou replied, “You
boor! Where are discrimination and distinction?” The monk could not answer.
Ink on paper. 13 x 17 in. (33 x 45.1 cm). Private Collection.

20
 2. I Alone Am the Honored One

TOREI ENJI- *, 1721-1792

The fact that Torei is known as the “King of Ens6” is due not only to the fact
that he did large numbers of them, but more the result of their huge visual va-
riety. No two enso by Torei are the same, as can be seen from the examples in
this book. In this case, Torei created a dark, lush circle the upper two-thirds of
which bleed into the paper, producing a fuzzy, smoky quality, richly dense and
mysterious. Next to the image, Torei places his familiar inscription, “In heaven
above and the earth below, I alone am the honored one.”

Ink on paper. 12% x 21% in. (31.5 x 55.5 cm). Gitter-Yelen Collection.
 3. Autumn Moon

GAS tAONG it Onmss 172 7 - 1 7

Accompanying his ens6, Gasan’s inscribes the first two lines of a poem by the
Chinese poet Han-shan. The full poem says,

My heart is like the autumn moon,

pure as a blue-green pool.
No, this comparison sucks;
How can I explain?

Little is known about Han-shan, but it is generally accepted that he lived

during the T’ang Dynasty (618-907) as a recluse in the T’ien-t’ai Mountains in
southeast China. All the information we have comes from the three hundred-
odd poems that have been collected into a volume that bears the name Han-
shan (Cold Mountain) a reference to the area where he lived. It is unlikely that
Han-shan ever became a Buddhist monk officially; however, he was closely as-
sociated with the Zen master Feng-kan (J.: Bukan), as well as Shih-te, a kitchen
sweeper at a nearby temple. In Zen Buddhism, Han-shan and Shih-te are often
used to represent the pure, unfettered nature of Zen.
Gasan’s circle sits in the space quietly, almost demurely, somewhat slight in
brushstroke. In contrast to the quiet containment of the enso, Gasan’s calligra-
phy runs in two lines of free running script, the brushstrokes within each char-
acter (and often two or three consecutive characters) linked together in fluid,
continuous movements of the brush.
Ink on paper. 12/4 x 18 in. (31.5 x 46 cm). Private Collection.

24
 4. Autumn Moon

PZ
AN TEN] ©1754
loi Z

Like Gasan, Inzan borrows the poet Han-shan’s famous verse, “My heart is like
the autumn moon,’ however, unlike his teacher, Gasan, Inzan does not include
the second line of the poem, “pure as a blue-green pool.” Inzan brushed nu-
merous ens6 in his lifetime, and often inscribed them with Han-shan’s poem.
Visually, the ens6 is quite charming. Whereas most Zen masters begin their
enso with the brush in the lower left, Inzan begins this enso rather high and
circles down and around to the right. It is interesting to compare Inzan’s work
to Gasan’s. And whereas Gasan’s enso was slender and refined, Inzan’s ens
is thick and fleshy, dominating the composition with its wonderfully robust
shape.
It is also interesting to compare how Inzan and Gasan each write this first
line of the poem; Inzan’s characters each stand independently, and most of his
brushstrokes are also distinct. In particular, the character for moon at the bot-
tom of the line is intriguing. Gasan links the brushstrokes together in a con-
tinuous fluid motion, but maintains the rectangular structure of the written
character. Inzan’s moon, on the other hand, takes on a slight crescent shape,
and the curved tip at its top echoes the tip at the beginning of his ens6.
Ink on paper. 13 x 17% in. (33.1 x 44.4 cm). Belinda Sweet Collection.

26
 5. Katsu

MOKURAI SOEN « 1854-1930

Next to his large circle Mokurai writes the character katsu followed by two
pairs of terse dashes which serve as repeat marks, thus the phrase reads, katsu,
katsu, katsu!
Katsu is a Zen shout without any specific meaning, often used by Zen mas-
ters to punctuate an exchange or interaction with a disciple. According to Zen
tradition, the first use of one these shouts was by the Chinese Zen master Ma-
tsu (709-788) who was also known for his unconventional, often very physical,
teaching methods such as pinching his disciples’ noses or shoving them to the
ground. In one famous exchange with his disciple Pai-chang, Ma-tsu gave a loud
“katsu!” at which Pai-chang experienced a great enlightenment. Pai-chang later
said he was deaf for three days from the power of Ma-tsu’s shout.!
Master Lin-chi, who used these great shouts repeatedly in his teaching, made
them famous. The Record of Lin-chi opens with a passage in which a monk asks
Lin-chi, “What is the essence of Buddhism?” The master gave a “katsu!” The
monk bowed, and Lin-chi said, “This one can hold his own debate.”?
Considering the spiritual power and intensity associated with these shouts,
it is ironic that Mokurai chose to write his katsu in a rather unassuming and
modest manner next to the large enso.
Ink on paper. 11% x 19 in. (29.7 x 48.3 cm). Private Collection.

28
aCyc-qfi
 6. No Space in the Ten Directions

HAKUIN BKAKU « 1685-4765

Not only is Hakuin considered the most important Zen master of the past five
hundred years for his ability to spread Zen throughout Japan both geographi-
cally and socially, but also for his prolific production of Zen texts, calligraphy,
and painting. Ironically, despite producing thousands of calligraphic and painted
works, including innovative subjects which he introduced to the Zen oeuvre, he
only painted a few enso.
Here he inscribes his enso with the phrase, “No space in the ten directions,
not one inch of great earth.” The phrase is from a koan in which a monk asks
Master Pa-ling, “Are the views of Zen masters the same or different from what
is taught in the stitras?” Pa-ling answered, “When a rooster is cold, it flies up
into a tree; when a duck is cold, it dives under the water.” In the twelfth century
a Chinese monk, Wei-chao, added a verse to this koan,

A branch of plum blossoms is enshrouded by rain,

The golden one smiles without speaking.
A bright moon shines on the Water Dragon Palace,
While the moon and stars dance and laugh, dance and laugh:
No space in the ten directions, not one inch of great earth.°

Hakuin’s ink was rather wet and his brushwork quite loose, causing the cal-
ligraphic characters to become solid masses of ink next to his egg-shaped ens6.
Ink on paper. 13 x 21% in. (33 X 54.9 cm). Private Collection.
 7. Peace

PAR
U TU KOS EN -~* 7176
0 1.6.3 3

Takuji is one of the most important Japanese Zen masters because today vir-
tually all Japanese Rinzai sect teachers can trace their lineage back to Hakuin
through either Takuji or his contemporary Inzan, both disciples of Hakuin’s
dharma heir Gasan Jito.
Beside his somewhat diminutive enso Takujt has written,

I live in this world in peace

because the devas are always complete in peace.

Devas are celestial beings that live in a heavenly realm, the reward for previous
good deeds. Takuji’s ens6 may reflect the devas’ sense of completeness, unity,
and serenity, but his calligraphy, which dominates the space, is rather contrary
with its almost awkward angles and elongated brushstrokes in his favored tone
of gray.
Ink on paper. 124 x18/4 in. (31 x 47 cm). Private Collection.
 &

8. Sakyamuni
and Maitreya
BAN KE IY O THK U "0 1622-2
= 165103

While almost all ens6 are created with a single stroke of the brush, the Zen
master Bankei was known for his two-stroke circles that provide a variation on
the traditional form. The shape is still round and complete, suggesting unity,
but now instead of a single stroke circling around to form the whole, two
sweeps of the brush must come together from different directions and meet at
two points in order to create the sense of completion and absoluteness. The
idea of two aspects coming together to serve another is echoed in the inscrip-
tion, “Sakyamuni and Maitreya Are Servants.”
Bankei’s inscription mentions two of the most important and revered fig-
ures in Buddhism: Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha, and Maitreya, the Bud-
dha of the future. But here they are given a Zen twist and referred to as mere
servants of another. The inscription refers to case 45 in the Gateless Barrier in
which the Zen master Hoen of Tozan states, “Sakyamuni and Maitreya are ser-
vants. But whom do they serve?” In his comments on the koan, Shibayama
Zenkei wrote, “You know your own thing best yourself. Nothing can be more
certain. If you see, what you see is yourself; if you hear, what you hear is your-
self; if you think, what you think is about yourself.”*
Ink on paper. 114 x 21/4 in. (28.5 x 53.3 cm). Private Collection.

34
 9. Unborn

YAMADA MUMON + 1900-1988

Mumon was one of the most prominent Zen masters of the later twentieth cen-
tury, influential through both his teaching and his art. His calligraphy reveals a
unique personal style imbued with a playful, charming quality usually repre-
sented by thick, fleshy brushstrokes and softly rounded characters.
Here his ens6 sits in the center of the composition while the four-character
inscription dances playfully around it. The first two characters to the right of
the circle read, “Not born”; the second two characters to the left of the ens
read, “Not know.” The two phrases reflect the primal core of Zen. “Not born”
or “unborn” (fushd) is a reference to the Zen master Bankei (1622-1693), who
preached that vigorous Zen training would lead to a state of mind/heart in its
purely unadulterated form. During an early bout with tuberculosis, Bankei re-
solved to die. He wrote,
I felt a strange sensation in my throat. I spat against a wall. A mass of
black phlegm, large as a soapberry, rolled down the side. . . Suddenly
just at that instant. .. . I realized what it was that had escaped me until
now: All things are perfectly resolved in the Unborn.
The second phrase, “Not know” is a reference to the story of the Zen patri-
arch Daruma’s meeting with the Chinese Liang-Dynasty emperor Wu in the
year 520. During their encounter, the emperor asked Daruma what merit was
gained from endowing temples and monasteries, to which Daruma answered,
“no merit.” The emperor then inquired about the basic principle of doctrine.
Daruma replied, “vast emptiness, nothing sacred. Who then now stands be-
»«

fore me?” asked the emperor. Daruma replied, “fushiki” (usually translated as
“T don’t know,” but literally meaning, “not know” or “not knowing”).
Ink on paper. Dimensions unknown. Private Collection.

36
ea:
 10. Not One Thing

RYON EN GENS O « 1646-1711

Hui-néng was a lay disciple of the Zen fifth patriarch, Hong-jen (601-674), at
the monastery on Mount Huang-mei, where he worked in the kitchen chop-
ping wood and operating the rice mill. One day Hong-jen announced that it
was time for him to select a successor and ordered everyone to write a poem
expressing the Zen mind. The monastery’s leading monk, Shen-hsiu (6067-
700), wrote a poem comparing the human body to the Bodhi tree and the
mind to a mirror that must be continuously cleaned to be free of dust.
One day an acolyte passed through the threshing room talking about this
poem. Hui-néng asked the boy to take him to where the poem was written. He
then asked him to write as Hui-néng composed his own poetic response:

There is no such thing as a tree of satori,

No such thing as a clean mirror;
Originally, there was not one thing.
So where would the dust settle?

Hong-jen recognized a much deeper understanding of Zen in Hui-néng’s poem,

and bestowed upon hima robe and a bow! (the signs of the dharma transmission).
Ryonen has written,

When you understand yourself fully,

there is not one thing.
Ryonen’s ens0 is not only a rare example of an enso by a female Zen master, but
also is the earliest known enso by a master of the Obaku sect. The rough qual-
ity of the brushstroke is juxtaposed against the almost perfect shape of the cir-
cle creating an edgy balance between elegance and energy.
Ink on paper. 11% x 22 in. (29 x 56 cm). Private Collection.

38
 11. Bamboo

DEIRYUKRUTISU (KANSHU SOJUN) «1895-1054

In this ens6, the Zen master Deiryt paints two dark stalks of bamboo and some
heavy leaves that shade his inscription, “Leaf after leaf in the pure wind.” Here
the dark, rich ink of the bamboo is framed by the beautiful fuzzy gray ink of
the ens6, and the wet, irregular nodes of the bamboo contrast with the light
shimmering quality of the circle.
The line is borrowed from “Cold Emerald,” a Chinese Sung-Dynasty poem
on bamboo by the poet Po Yu-ch’an (b. 1194). In Zen, the phrase is often
expanded to the couplet:

As I see you off at the gate, there are tall bamboo.

Just for you, their leaves are raising a pure wind.

The painting of bamboo has long been highly appreciated within the ink
painting tradition, and some artists developed not only a personal affinity for
the subject, but also a deep intuitive understanding of its spirit. The Zen
scholar D. T. Suzuki wrote of this relationship:

To become a bamboo and to forget that you are one with it while draw-
ing it—this is the Zen of the bamboo, this is the moving with the “rhyth-
mic movement of the spirit” which resides in the bamboo as well as in
the artist himself. What is now required of him is to have a firm hold on
the spirit and yet not to be conscious of the fact. This is a very difficult
task achieved only after long spiritual training. Zen, in fact, has given ex-
pression to it in the following phrase: “One in All and All in One.” When
this is thoroughly understood, there is creative genius.°

Ink on paper. 12% x 13 in. (32.4 x 33 cm). Private Collection of Rusty and Lia Rushton.
 12. Rice Cake

RYOCHU NYORYU « 1793-1868

The symbolic power of circles has long fascinated people, and in Zen it is no
different except for the chance to break away from concrete meanings and
overly ambitious speculation. Thus, while Zen ens6 have been interpreted as
representing the void, the universe, and unity, they can just as easily represent
the moon, the rim of a basket or a humble rice cake. Ryocht here writes, “Eat
this and have a cup of tea, asking the viewer not to worry about the philosoph-
ical implications of the image, but to merely relax and have a snack.
This down-to-earth, everyday attitude is enhanced by the quirkiness of Ry6-
chi’’s lopsided ens6 and the accompanying calligraphy, which dances in uneven
columns with a delightfully childlike abandon. The two aspects of the enso’s
brushwork—solid black on the right, and broken ink on the left—are mirrored
in the brushwork of the calligraphy, which switches back and forth from solid
to broken, adding to its playful energy. The overall impression of the image is
one of being in the moment, having fun and releasing worldly concerns.
Ink on paper. 11% x 24 in. (30.2 x 61 cm). Private Collection.
a8
Shaw
+
p
 13. Toilet

SOu SATB
AT « ND.

Zen masters often created works of art that they presented to their lay follow-
ers in recognition of breaking through a koan or experiencing an enlighten-
ment. In this scroll, Master Saibai explains that a lay follower named Kiriyama
has penetrated Hakuin’s koan “the sound of one hand,” and the sixth patriarch,
Hui-néng’s “original face.”
eel ds

According to the Sutra of Hui-néng, the sixth patriarch asked the monk
Hui-ming, “When you do not think of good and do not think of bad, what was
your original face?” At this, Hui-ming became enlightened. Later, the Japanese
Zen master Mydcho Shtho (Daitd Kokushi, 1281-1337) gave a sermon to the
empress Hanazono in which he discussed the idea of one’s original face,

Sitting in either the fully locked position or the half-locked position,

with the eyes half-shut, see the original face which was before father or
mother was born. This means to see the state before the parents were
born, before heaven and earth were parted, before you received human
form. What is called the original face will appear. That original face is
something without colour or form, like the empty sky in whose clarity
there is no form.’

The inscription also notes that Kiriyama experienced his enlightenment

when he went to the toilet; he then rushed to his master and demonstrated his
new understanding, at which point Saibai painted the enso.
Written recognition of a follower’s achievements was not a part of formal
monastic training, but Zen masters would often create works such as this for
lay followers.
Ink on paper. 364 x10% in. (93.4 x 27.3 cm). Private Collection.

44
 14. What Is This?

FUKUSHIMA -KEIDO «= 19:33-

Enso have provided an enormous amount of fascination, allowing people to

speculate and ponder their meaning. Although interpreted in many ways—as
representing the universe, the void, or a cake, the Zen master Fukushima sim-
ply asks, “kore nan zo?” (“What is this?”) leaving the viewer to ponder the spir-
itual or commonplace possibilities. In this radiant ens6 the contrast in ink
tones, both within the circle itself and in comparison with the calligraphy, cre-
ate a striking composition. The ens6 itself glows from the rich inner brush-
stroke and the pale gray halo of fuzzy ink that surrounds it.
Ink on paper. 13% x 23 in. (33.5 x 58.5 cm). Private Collection.

46
 15. What Is This?

DAID O BU NIKA «+ 1680-4752

Daido is known for his bold brushwork, in particular the use of thick, weighty
brushstrokes that seem to penetrate into the surface of the composition and
infuse the work with a certain dynamic power.
The dynamic gesture of the ens6 is carried through to the calligraphy to the
left, which basically just says, “What?” a variation on the usual “What is this?”
In a sense, the terseness of Daido’s question suggests a directness and straight-
forwardness in keeping with the boldness of his brushwork.
Ink on paper. 16% x 204 in. (41.7 x 51.5 cm). Private Collection.

48
 16. Dog

KASUMI BUNSHO - 1905-8998

Bunsho playfully paints an image of a dog carrying a scroll of the Lotus Sutra
as he crosses a bridge. Next to the dog Bunsho has written, “wan, wan, wan”
(the sound of a dog barking) three different ways. First he uses Chinese char-
acters that mean “peaceful and harmonious fortune,” then he uses Japanese
kana characters, which are pronounced “wan,” followed by a pair of repeat
marks.
Bunsho often painted images or wrote calligraphy within his ens6, which
are known for their variation in ink tones. The dog is an important image in
Zen associated with case 1 in the Gateless Barrier, “Chao-chou’s Mu,” in which
a monk asks the Zen master Chao-chou, “Does a dog have the Buddha nature?”
to which Chao-chou responds, “mu.”

Ink on paper (detail). 43% x 12% in. (111.5 x 32.4 cm). Private Collection.

50
 17. Mr. Moon

NANTENBO (TOJU ZENCHO) «+ 1839-1925

Nantenbo inscribes this enso with the phrase, “Otsuki san, ikutsu, jusan
nanatsu.” This is a verse from a popular children’s song asking, “Mr. Moon,
how old are you? Thirteen? Seven?” The song is a well-known folk song known
throughout the country and mentioned in numerous publications by the Edo
period (1600-1868). One publication from 1831 noted that the origins of the
song date to the 1400s.
The composition has a wonderfully loose, childlike quality, with the enso
appearing in a slightly wobbly manner and Nantenbd’s calligraphy mixing rich
dark, strokes with dry strokes of flying white. Particularly striking is the col-
umn of the inscription that reads, “ikutsu ju san.” The line begins with the bold
“?” character, composed of two thick but terse strokes of the brush angling out
in each direction. The third character, “tsu” mimics the round shape of the
enso and slightly frames the following two characters, “ju san” which are writ-
ten with short vertical and horizontal dashes of the brush.
Ink on paper. 12% x 24 in. (32.3 x 61 cm). Private Collection.

52
 18. True Emptiness

ENEGiO: “KT
Y O8gF 15796
2 1.6.500

The Zen master Shibayama Zenkei wrote that an enso without an accompany-
ing inscription was, to him, “like flat beer.”® While most ens6 images include a
calligraphic inscription, many do not, including this wonderful example by
Ungo Kiyo. Since Zen paintings, including ens6, are representational teachings,
a means of conveying a master’s Zen mind and experience, a Zen phrase seems
fitting alongside an ensd. However, the inscriptions often provide concrete im-
agery with which to associate the ens6, and as one Zen phrase suggests, this is
unnecessary.

True emptiness is without form,

mistakenly we create something to grasp.°

Ungo allows his enso—which begins at the top of the circle, swings around,
and ends back at the top—creating a little dimple, to speak for itself, including
only a two-line signature to the left of the circle.
Ink on pap
paper. 10% x 19/4 in. (27 x 48.8 cm). Private Collection.

54
 19. Board

KOSETS U “SORRYUy-* 15:9 5866.6

Here the enso and signature of the Daitoku-ji Zen master Kdsetsu has been
carved into a wooden board. After being carved, the ens6 and characters were
painted white, and over time the board has taken on a rich patina and wonder-
fully worn quality, possibly from being hung outside in the elements. Kosetsu
included no inscription, but the image suggests the Zen phrase, “Outside of this
there is nothing.”
Paint on carved wood. 10 x 17 in. (25.4 x 43.2 cm). Private Collection.

56
 20. Wind and Bamboo

SHIBAYAMA ZENKEI »* 1894-1974

Wind and bamboo are recurrent themes in Zen poetry and literature. Phrases
such as, “Pure wind, bright moon,” and “With a plum tree we get also the light
of the moon, but without bamboo we lack the sound of autumn,” abound in
the koan and Zen-phrase collections. Here Shibayama has written,

Beyond the wind,

listen to the bamboo.

“Beyond the wind” generally refers to the realm beyond the illusory, mate-
rial world, while listening to the bamboo is a reference to the fact that some
species of bamboo grow so quickly that if one listens carefully, you can actually
hear them growing.
Shibayama brushed a simple, understated circle before his four-character
inscription. The first three characters are spaced evenly in one column, but
Shibayama then elongated the character for “bamboo,” drawing it down the
length of the second column like a tall stalk of the hardy grass.
In Zen, the bamboo, along with the plum and rock, represent the “Pure
Ones” (sansei). The three friends are also admired in literati circles for their
endurance: the plum is able to bloom even during an early spring snow, the
pine remains green through the harshness of winter, and the bamboo is able to
spring back into shape from under the weight of snow. They represent the ele-
mentary, unbroken forces of nature and thus also symbolize the Zen monk
who remains steadfast and determined in his training, unaffected by the temp-
tations and forces of the outside world."
Ink on paper. Dimensions unknown. Private Collection.

58
 21. Barriers

DAD KY 0 BB O® <7 15 31794

The Zen master Shibayama Zenkei referred to this work as the yokozuna
(grand champion in sumo wrestling) of ens6.!” This spectacular circle appears
larger than life with its surface of heavy, luminous ink broken by slight uneven
patches and small speckles. The rich radiance of the ens6 is offset by the rough
inner and outer edges of the brushstroke, and is balanced by the elongated,
jagged, angular quality of the calligraphy to the left, which says,

If you penetrate one barrier,

there is another.

The inscription is not a traditional Zen phrase, and may be Daikyi’s own
saying. The phrase reveals the continuous state of Zen training and practice;
that one must constantly work to deepen one’s understanding. As a result, even
if one Zen barrier is penetrated, there is always another, as one koan leads to the
next. This enso represents the ongoing process of training and enlightenment.
Ink on paper. Dimensions unknown. Hofuku-ji, Okayama.

60
 22. Barriers

JRUN SONJA *. 1718-1804

Although Jiun was a Shingon monk, he often painted images associated with
Zen, including figures seated in meditation. He was also fond of ens6, and
brushed them often, inscribing different inscriptions over them. Here he
writes, “How many people can pass through?” This phrase refers to the Zen
ideal of passing through the numerous barriers that obstruct a practitioner’s
path to enlightenment. The barriers can be illusions of the material world,
which must be broken down, or they can be obstacles established within Zen to
help the practitioner break through dualistic distinctions, as a result, koan are
sometimes referred to as kan (barriers) through which practitioner must pen-
etrate and pass through. There is even a Zen phrase that says, “A square peg
passes through a round hole.’
Jiun’s ens6 are usually somewhat wispy in terms of their brushwork, en-
hanced by their thinness and the abundance of flying white. But this quality
imbues the circles with a nervous energy, an agitation and unsettled quality
unique to Jiun that often makes the enso seem like they might fly off the page
at any moment.

Ink on pap
paper. 25% x 10'4 in. (64.6 x 26.7 cm). Collection of y Sylvan Barnet and William Burto.
 23. Cultivating Skill

GHUHO SOU «© 1759-13338

With his enso and inscription the Zen master Chtho strikes at the heart of
Zen. Next to his circle he write two characters, saku ma, followed by two repeat
marks. “Saku ma saku ma” means to cultivate skill or training, so Chuho is
encouraging viewers to continuously strive to deepen their skill and training,
thus ultimately deepening their Zen experience and understanding.
Chuho was from the long and distinguished line of Daitoku-ji Zen masters,
many of which were noted calligraphers, and whose works were often dis-
played during the tea ceremony. Chthé studied calligraphy with the Shingon
master Jiun Sonja, and his calligraphy here shows some similarity to Jiun’s in
the terseness of brushstrokes and blunt quality of the characters. This also
creates a rather playful, childlike appearance that is enhanced by the smudgy,
imperfect quality of the enso.
Ink on paper. 134 x 22/4 in. (33.6 x 57.1 cm). Private Collection.

64
 24. Pine

DEIRYU KUTSU (KANSHU SOJUN) « 1895-1954

The twentieth-century Zen master Deiryt was known for his multitoned gray
enso, within which he often wrote his inscriptions. Here the circle fills the com-
position and in bold contrasting black ink Deiryt has written “Pine Longevity,
Cloud Leisure,” perhaps wishing for the viewer a life long like pine trees and
leisurely like clouds.
Visually, the terse angular strokes of the first two characters, “pine” and
“longevity” suggest a certain stability and fortitude, while the second two char-
acters, “cloud” and “leisure” reflect a softer, gentler curving quality, particularly
the “cloud” character, which is allowed to sweep down into the center like a re-
verse enso, unifying the space. The composition is also tied together by the fine
streak of black ink on the left edge of the ens6, which harmonizes and balances
the light and dark tones of the work.
Ink on paper. 12% x 14/4 in. (31.5 x 36.2 cm). Private Collection.

66
 25. Baking Pan

Sei S~U DOO N YOAPN 19) 1971.6

=1 7-70

Setsud6 was known mainly as a waka (Japanese style) poet. Here he applies his
elegant calligraphy to an ens6 image. The inscription reads,

Like a baking pan,

worldly passions
are consumed by flame.

Although most enso images are brushed on horizontal formats, some Zen
masters utilized long vertical compositions, a format particularly effective in
Setsud6’s work because it enhances the fine, spidery running brushwork of his
calligraphy. He writes his poem in kana script, the traditional Japanese syl-
labary, instead of the Chinese characters that Zen masters traditionally (but
not exclusively) use. The light, floating calligraphy is then anchored and con-
trasted at the bottom by the comparatively rough ens6 that adds a sense of rest-
less energy.
Ink on paper 374 x 10/4 in. (94.5 x 26.7 cm). Private Collection.

68
tae ET PRET
 26. Every Shape, Every Form

KiGsl
J UORDsO RN este
1 750) 4

Keiju put so much emphasis and energy into brushing this large enso that he
actually had to compress it slightly on the top and bottom to fit onto the paper.
Unusually, there is no inscription aside from the name of his temple, Tenryu-
ji, his age of seventy-eight, and his signature, “Keiji wrote this,” but perhaps
the large circle by itself reveals the essence of Zen. A popular Zen phrase says,

Every sound is the Buddha’s voice,

every shape is the Buddha-form.'°

Ink on paper. 16 x 26 in. (40.6 x 66 cm). Dated age 78. Private Collection.

7 Oo
 27. Cake

SHUNSO JOSHU « 1751-1839

In his inscription Shuns6 invites the viewer to “eat this and drink some tea”
suggesting that the ens6 represents a rice cake or some other round snack. Sur-
prisingly, snack foods play a rather large role in Zen writings, and there are nu-
merous references to sesame cakes, dumplings and other treats.

Over the mountains hangs the moon—Yun-men’s dumpling

Behind the house, steeping in the pines—Chao-chou'’s tea.’

Similarly, there are also numerous references to drinking tea,

Chao-chou asked a newcomer monk. “Have you just come?” “Yes,” replied
the monk. “Then have a cup of tea,” said Chao-chou. He said to another
monk, “Have you come recently too?” “No,” said the monk. “Then have
a cup of tea,” said Chao-chou. The chief monk, Inju, said, “Why do you
offer tea toa monk who has come recently, and to one who hasn't in just
the same way?” “Inju!” said Chao-chou. “Yes?” said the Inju. “Have a cup
of tea!” said Chao-chou.””

Dated age eighty-six, this enso was done relatively late in Shunso’s life, yet
the circle and the calligraphy both display great spirit and vitality.
Ink on pap
paper. 11 x 20% in. (28 x 53 cm). Dated age
8 86. Private Collection.
 28. Eat This

PUK
U Spi M-A “RK EBM1D'O “. 193.2>

Zen transcends cultures and language.

Ink on paper. 48 x 13% in. (122 x 34.1 cm). Private Collection.

74
 29. I Alone Am the Honored One

TORE Nis. elWZ Oe

Here Torei uses his familiar inscription, “In heaven above and the earth below,
IT alone am the honored one,” placed next to a solid, evenly inked ens6. In con-
trast to the sense of movement and energy found in other ens6 by Torei, this
one demonstrates its power through a sense of weight and stability. The circle
itself is not perfectly round, nor is its outer edge smooth, and this slight varia-
tion in shape and break in the ink around the edge keeps the image from be-
coming stagnant despite its massive presence.
Ink on paper. 16% x 21'/ in. (43 x 54.5 cm). Private Collection.

76
 30. I Alone Am the Honored One

TOREI ENJ1I « 1721-1792

TOrei was a maverick in Zen. Tenacious and determined, he endured physical

setbacks during his training and eventually received the dharma transmission
from Hakuin, who remarked, “I have more than one hundred pupils, but none
is superior to Torei.”'® In art, his untrammeled style is bold and individualistic
even by Zen standards.
While writing inscriptions within enso became a popular practice in the
twentieth century, during the Edo period it was still quite uncommon. Torei
was, as often the case, the exception. Here he boldly writes, “In heaven above
and the earth below, I alone am the honored one” in the center of the circle.
The ens itself is also quite dramatic and unusual: full of dynamic energy from
the twisted strokes of flying white, it appears almost square in shape and may
be composed of two brushstrokes instead of the traditional one. This enso
brings to mind the phrase,

The great square has no outside,

the great circle has no inside.'®

Ink on paper. Dimensions unknown. Private Collection.

78
 31. Enso in Enso

NAN
UE BLO LT OJ-0 &2-E NOHUs) 18359-1935

Nantenbo was one of the most influential and innovative Zen masters of the
early twentieth century, both in his teachings and his art. In painting, he exper-
imented with new themes and revitalized traditional ones with his original
conceptions. In this small ens6, Nantenb6 not only playfully places the inscrip-
tion inside the circle, but also includes two smaller ens6 within the inscription,
which reads,

Born within the enso of the world,

the human heart must also
become an enso.

Ink on paper. 8'4 x 7 in. (20.9 x 17.8 cm). Dated age 84. Hosei-an Collection.
wed
1
% i ;
wa RK Ne
oe
?7
_,
ike
 32. What Is This?

SHUNSO JOSHU. * 1751-549

Shunso received the dharma transmission from Suid Genro, and thus was a
dharma descendent of Hakuin. Like both Hakuin and Sui6, Shuns6 was a noted
painter, producing powerful images of the Zen patriarch Daruma and other fa-
mous Zen teachers. Here Shunso fills the composition with a large ens6, then
to the left, in fine, somewhat jagged brushwork, inscribes, “kore nan zo?” (“what
is this?”).
By having the ens6 dominate the space, Shuns6 allows the viewer to concen-
trate on the image, considering its spiritual, philosophical, or mundane possibil-
ities without having the question, “what is it?” overwhelm the experience.
Ink on paper. 19.5 x 22 in. (49.5 x 55.8 cm). Private Collection.
 33. Abiraunken

pruN SON JA-*.1718 1304

Jiun has inscribed his enso with five Sanskrit (J.: bonji) characters that read, a
bi ra un ken (Skt.: a vi ra hum kham). The phrase is a mantra associated with
Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana), the Great Radiant Buddha, but it is consid-
ered to be a universal prayer within Buddhism. The five characters mean earth,
water, fire, wind, and the void, but each also represents an important step
within the journey to attainment (Skt.: samadhi).

A: earth. Represents creativity and growth. A is the base syllable for all
words; it is the root of all speech and life. It represents the original, unborn
nature of the universe, and thus the innate desire for enlightenment.
Bi: water. The washing away of impurities, allowing full concentra-
tion in practice.
Ra: fire. The burning or destroying of obstructions to enlightenment.
Un: wind. The sweeping away of dust (impurities) and afflictions of
the mind.
Ken: sky, space, the void. Represents the dharma realm, the final at-
tainment of enlightenment.

Thus, the mantra as a whole encompasses the practitioner’s journey from a de-
sire for enlightenment to the final attainment.”°
Jiun was a Shingon monk, but he often combined elements of Zen in his
work, as is seen here. He was a skilled in bonji and utilized it frequently in cal-
ligraphic scrolls. His use of this inscription with an enso here is innovative yet
appropriate, considering the mantra’s meaning.
Ink on paper. 47'4 x 16/4 in. (120 x 41.9 cm). Private Collection.

84
 34. Oxherding

MAMUYA EBISHU, = 18717 —-[Link]

Here Eisht depicts a scene from the classic Zen story, the “Ten Oxherding Pic-
tures,’ which has its origin in eleventh century China. The complete series of
images compares the gradual path to enlightenment to a herding boy’s search
for his missing ox. The ox represents the Buddha nature within all sentient be-
ings, and the boy represents the practitioner seeking enlightenment. The ten
stages are as follows:
i Jingyu: Looking for the ox.
Kenseki: Seeing the tracks of the ox.
Kengyu: Seeing the ox.
Tokugyui: Catching the ox.
Bokugyu: Herding the ox.
Kigyi kika: Returning home with the ox.
Bogyti sonjin: The ox forgotten, the self remains.
Ningyt gubo: Both the self and the ox are forgotten.
eee
pe
eeeHenpon gengen: Returning to the fundamental, back to the source.
See,
=6 Nitten suishu: Entering the city to help others.
In this image, Eishu has depicted the fifth stage, the boy herding his ox, perhaps
the most symbolic scene. The inscription says,
Arriving on the higher plain,
entering the cloudlike smoke and existing.
The delicate lines of Eishii’s painting and use of subtle colors enhance the
intimate scene and relationship between the boy and ox. Particularly delightful
is the way the boy looks directly at the viewer as the ox looks at the boy. Thus
everyone becomes involved in the experience.
Ink and color on silk. 14% x 19% in. (36.5 x 48.5 cm). Private Collection.

86
 35. Nothing Lacking

YAMADA MUMON + 1900-1988

Mumon brushed this enso on a shikishi, the small cardboard poem card that is
often inscribed and given away as gifts. Above his almost perfectly round circle
he has written, “Nothing lacking, nothing in excess,” a phrase from the Chinese
text Hsin-hsin Mingby the T’ang-Dynasty master Chien-chih Seng-ts’an (d. 606),
the third Chinese Zen patriarch.”!
Within the four-character inscription, the first character on the far right
and the third character from the right are both read Mu and can be translated
as “no,” “not,” or “nothing.” Mumon adds variety to this short inscription by
writing the two Mu characters differently. In this first example, he simplifies the
structure of the character using only two dots and two brushstrokes. In the other
example, he transforms the character with a more complicated cursive style.
Ink on pap
paper. 10’4 x 9% in. (27.8 x 24.7 cm). Private Collection.

88
 36. Nothing Lacking
2 ATC AIN. MOON JU, © 17.66 ipa?

Like Yamada Mumon, Taikan uses the phrase from Chien-chih Seng-ts’an’s
text, Hsin-hsin Ming, “Nothing lacking, nothing in excess.” However, Taikan in-
cludes the previous line of the text,

Round and perfect like vast space

Nothing lacking, nothing in excess.
Ink on paper. 12 x 21% in. (30.6 x 53.5 cm). Private Collection.
 37. Enter into the Faith

HATA EGYOKU ,« 1896-1985

Hata Egyoku’s light touch with the brush is evident in both ens6 and his callig-
raphy. His circle begins in the lower left and swings around, tilting ever so
slightly as it reaches the upper right corner of the composition. Although the
streaks of flying white give the ens6 a sense of movement, there is a sense of
weightlessness to it. The lightness of the circle is enhanced by the crisp brevity
of Egyoku’s calligraphy, the lines of which seem to dart down the page with a
minimum of effort,

In the ten directions, the knowing person

Enters into the faith.

The ten directions refer to the four cardinal directions plus their midpoints
and up and down, and represent the vastness of the universe.
Ink on paper. 134 x 24% in. (34 x 62.8 cm). Dated age 87. Private Collection.
 38. Enter from Here

HOSHINO TAIGEN (SAISHOKAN) « 1865-1945

Taigen has brushed a rather tightly compressed, energetic ens6 next to which
he has written, “Enter from here.” Interestingly, Taigen has not written his in-
scription in the usual vertical columns, but has instead written his characters
from right to left in two horizontal lines. Thus, the first two characters are on
the top, and the second two below, ending in the character, ire, “to enter,’ which
he elongates and drags toward the lower left corner of the composition.
In his preface to the Gateless Barrier, Zen master Wu-men wrote,

Gateless is the great Tao,

There are thousands of ways to it,
If you pass through this barrier,
You may walk freely in the universe.”
Ink on paper. 17'2 x 11% in. (44.5 x 29.8 cm). Girvin Corporate Collection.

914
 39. Board

GH UH'O- SO U “s (177.5.9
= asaco

Calligraphies by Zen masters were often carved into wood signboards, which
were then hung on temple structures, sometimes as artwork, but more com-
monly to designate specific halls or buildings. Here an ens6 by Chtho is carved
into a massive wooden board. Other than Chtho’s signature there is no in-
scription. However, at the center of the board the surface is conspicuously
scratched and worn from being hit repeatedly with the small wooden mallet
used to call the monks into the dining hall.
Carved wood. 14% x 22% in. (37.2 x 57.4 cm). Private Collection.

96
 40. Catch It!

NANTENBO (TOJU ZENCHU) + 1839-1925

“If you want this moon, I'll give it to you, try to catch it!” This playful haiku,
which Nantenb6 has written below his ens6, is a reference to the Zen teaching
of not seeking truth outside one’s own self. Zen masters often refer to a story in
the Mahaparinirvana-sutra of a monkey who tries to reach for the reflection of
the moon in the water. The moon represents truth or enlightenment. The
monkey’s actions—reaching and grasping—reflect the Zen practitioner’s
search for truth outside the self, which will never be attained, just as the mon-
key will never grasp the moon. The monkey, as well as the practitioner, must
realize that they are already in the midst of truth; already having within us
what we seek outside is a fundamental Zen teaching.
Nantenb0’s ens6 ripples, appearing like a reflection of the moon rippling in
a pool of water. It brings to mind a Zen phrase which states,

Moon reflects in the water,

The water reflects in the moon.”4

Ink on paper. 51/4 x 12% in. (130.9 x 31.5 cm). Dated age 86. Private Collection.

98
as
 41. Autumn Moon

PN ZA NO GEIN 95 17504
1 8 TF

Inzan produced numerous examples of ens6, and stylistically they tend to fall
into two categories: thick and fleshy, or rather thin and quirky. While brushing
this circle, Inzan’s brushstroke seems to have broken slightly in the lower right,
and it is unclear whether or not he actually lifted his brush and completed the
enso with a second stroke, or if he merely turned his brush slightly to get back
on course. To the left, Inzan inscribed the first two lines of Han-shan’s poem,

My heart is like the autumn moon,

pure as a blue-green pool.

The Zen master Dégen also wrote a Chinese-style poem, “Direct Mind See-
ing the Moon, Sixteenth Night” in which he makes reference to the autumn
moon.

Contemplate on the sixteenth-night koan.

When the body moon tries for fullness, mind moon starts to fade.
If you have a clear idea of moon, a moon will be born.
But how can mid-autumn moon be grasped? ”°
Ink on paper. 13 x 17% in. (33 x 44.4 cm). Private Collection.

100
moe
 42. Rice Cake

MORITA GOYU,.* 1834-1915

The Soto master Goyt has inscribed his enso with the phrase,

A painted rice-cake
does not satisfy hunger.
This is a well-known saying, but it also refers to a famous sermon first pre-
sented in 1243 by the Soto patriarch Dégen. In his lecture, eventually published
in the Shobogenzo, Dégen states that, “an ancient Buddha said, ‘A painted rice
cake does not satisfy hunger.” ”° Dogen then continues to explain that the ma-
terials used to paint a rice cake are the same as those used to paint mountains
and waters, and that furthermore, a rice cake is all-inclusive the same way that
a painting is all-inclusive and that the dharma is all-inclusive. To search for
something beyond is pointless.

If you say a painting is not real, then the myriad things are not real. If
the myriad things are not real, then the buddha-dharma is not real. As
buddha-dharma is real, a painted rice-cake is real .... The entire phe-
nomenal universe and the empty sky are nothing but a painting. . . . Be-
cause the entire world and all phenomena are a painting, human
existence appears from a painting, and Buddha ancestors are actualized
from a painting. . . . Since this is so, there is no remedy for satisfying
hunger other than a painted rice-cake.’

Goyu’s wonderfully wobbly, lopsided ens6 reminds us that not all perfect
circles are round, and that the painted imperfection reflects the true nature of
all things.
Ink on paper. 31 x 12/4 in. (78.7 x 31.7 cm). Private Collection of Rusty and Lia Rushton.

102
 43. Mochi

NANTENBO (TOJU ZENCHU) «© 1830-1925

On a folding fan, Nantenbo has drawn an enso and written, “Is this mochi, is
this cake, or the rim of a basket?”
Mochi is a pounded sticky rice cake and, like other Zen masters, Nantenbo
here opens the possibilities for the viewer to ponder what the circle might rep-
resent. However, everything he suggests is a common everyday object, nothing
special, nothing profound. However, at a deeper level, while a basket has a lim-
ited capacity, an enso is unending.
The enso here is quite pronounced compared to the slivers of calligraphy
that are almost hidden within the folds of the fan. The folds also give the circle
an unusual sense of depth and dimension.
Ink on paper. 11% x 24 in. (30.2 x 61 cm). Dated age 82. Private Collection.

104
 44. Mochi

YAMAMOTO GEMPO « 1866-1961

Gemp6 inscribes his enso with a phrase similar to the one Nantenbo used on his
fan, “Is this mochi, is this cake, or the rim of a basket?” However, instead, Gempo
writes, “Is this the moon, is this cake, or the rim of a basket?” Gempo uses a
playful mix of kata kana, hira gana, and kanji in his inscription, enhancing the
carefree, everyday feeling of his work. Gemp6 was 94 years old and nearly blind
when he created this image, but the joyous quality of the brushwork surpasses
any physical limitations he may have felt.
In fact, in the second line of the calligraphy he originally forgot the charac-
ter no; realizing this, he simply squeezed it in between two characters so that it
is nestled charmingly between them.
Ink on paper. 16% x 217% in. (42 x 55.2 cm.). Dated age 94. Private Collection.

106
 45. Fancy Words

GGODO-SOKEN ©0176-1635

Although some Zen masters, especially in the twentieth century, wrote inscrip-
tions within their ens6, the placement of a dot in the center of the ens6 goes
back to at the least the seventeenth century in Japan. The meaning of this dot
is unclear, but the Edo-period Zen masters Torei Enji and Takuan Soho both
created enso with dots. Like Takuan, G6d6 was a master of the Daitoku-ji line
and he continued this tradition by placing a dot at the center of his circle. Next
to the enso Godo fills the rest of the composition with a four-line phrase that
reads, “Fancy words fade like dew.”
Ink on paper. 17/4 x 357 in. (44 x 90.2 cm). Private Collection.

108
 46. Nothing Else
TOR Bl 8 Nl 017 Qo7 Oe

Here Torei brushes a large enso and puts a single dot in its center. The mean-
ing of this dot is unknown; does it transform the ens6 into something else? Per-
haps it is beyond explanation and intellectualizing, as the inscription states,
“The image presents itself—nothing else.”
In his diary of the Zen practice, Mr. P. K.,an American former businessman,
wrote on December 1, 1953,

At my first dokusan [private interview between a Zen master and a dis-

ciple] Harada-roshi drew a circle with a dot in the center. “This dot is
you and the circle is the cosmos. Actually, you embrace the whole cos-
mos, but because you see yourself as this dot, an isolated fragment, you
don’t experience the universe as inseparable from yourself... . You must
break out of your self-imprisonment, you must forget philosophy and
everything else, you must put your mind in your hara [stomach, core]
and breathe only Mu in and out.... The center of the universe is the pit
of your belly!”78

In this large powerful image, Torei contrasts the gray, liquid quality of the
enso with the dark, dry quality of the inscription above. Ever playful and inno-
vative, Torei drags the brushstroke of the final character of the inscription
down into the side of the ens leading to his signature below.
Ink on paper. 434 x 21% in. (109.8 x 55 cm). Gitter-Yelen Collection.

1110
 47. Smiling Gitele

ISHIKAWA BOKUGYU «+ 1841-1920

In this energetic image, the Soto Zen master Bokugyt plays on the form of the
enso by repeating the motif in his calligraphic inscription. Bokugyi rounds
the shapes of many of the characters, and also creates a circular shape from the
character for “circle” in the first column, which is usually rectangular. The in-
scription reads,

Look at this smiling circle,

it is my monastery.”

Ink on paper. 29 x 29% in. (73.6 x 74.2 cm). Private Collection of Rusty and Lia Rushton.

id
 48. Dream

DEIRY.U KUTSU (KANSHDU SOJUN) ~~ 1805-1954

In this enso Deiryt writes the single character “Dream” (J.: Yume) within a
sweep of gray ink that fills the composition. Deiryu’s ens6 are rarely formed
from a single tone of gray or black ink; they are almost always rimmed with a
slightly darker shade of gray that gives the circle some dimension and enhances
the gestural sweep of the brush. Within these large gray circles Deirya often
placed his inscriptions in rich black ink, occasionally utilizing a large bold sin-
gle character such as “Dream” or writing a longer four-character Zen phrase
such as “Pine longevity; cloud leisure.”
The character “Dream” was also a favorite of Deiryii’s, as he wrote it, both
within ens6 and as a single character on a scroll. The use of the character
“Dream” by Zen masters is quite common and probably reflects the illusory
quality of life that Zen seeks to understand. Ironically, the Chinese pronuncia-
tion of the character is “Mu,” the same as the central concept in Zen. Thus, it is
also possible that Zen masters are making a pun that life is not only illusory,
but also “Mu.”
Ink on paper. 12% x 13% in. (32.2 x 34 cm). Ginshii Collection.
 49. Endless Purity

DAIRYU SOJO + 1694-1751

Dairyu was a teacher to the daimyé and tea master Matsudaira Fumai, and his
association with tea continued to be strong. This enso was given to the Urasenke
tea master Awakami Fuhaku (1728-1809), to whom Dairyd had also given the
Zen name Koho, which is inscribed on this work. The main inscription reads,
“The great circle mirrors the wisdom of endless purity.”
Dairyt has playfully impressed his seal in the center of the ens6.
Ink on paper. 10'4 x 1814 in. (26 x 47 cm). Private Collection.

116
 50. Great Peace

NAKAGAWA SOEN «+ 1907-1984

Soen lived through much of the turbulence of the twentieth century but main-
tained his sense of humanity, as well as his sense of humor for which he was
noted. His many experiences motivated him to find common ground between
Eastern and Western philosophies and he spent much of his life traveling be-
tween Japan and the West in his efforts.
Within this small but powerful enso, Sden simply states, “Under heaven,
great peace.” The distribution of Sden ’s calligraphy is delightful; he begins
with the small character, “ten” (heaven), in the upper right, then, instead of
moving down vertically, he places the second character, “ka” (under), which he
has deconstructed into three dots just to the left. He then not only places the
third character, “tai” (great), prominently in the center of the circle, but also
writes it much larger than the previous characters. The final character, “hei”
(peace), is then placed directly below, and to the left S6en signs his work.
Curiously, S6en must not have had his carved stone seals with him when he
made this work because instead of making the usual red seal impressions, he
has simply made two red ink smudges with his fingertips giving the work an
even more personal touch.
Ink on paper. 10/4 x 94 in. (26 x 23.5 cm). Private Collection.

118
 51. What Is This?

KAITBAN. SOK AKU: 2176902646

In Zen texts there are numerous examples of masters asking questions such as
“What is this?” “What?” or “Who is it that is asking me?” It is a means of bring-
ing forth the true realization of the practitioner. This is exemplified in the Blue
Cliff Record, case 51, “Hstieh-féng’s “What Is This?” In this koan, two monks
visit Hsiieh-féng at his mountain hermitage. Hsiieh-féng goes out to greet
them at the gate and says, “What is this?” The monks simply reply, “What is
this?” Hstieh-féng turns around and returns to his cottage. In effect, by simply
repeating the question, the monks had not demonstrated a full realization, and
thus Hstieh-féng was disappointed. *°
While many Zen masters have asked, “What is this?” with their ens6, Kaizan
asks not only “What is this?” but also “Where is it?” thereby deepening the
viewer's contemplation. If questions such as “What is this?” are meant to bring
forth a practitioner’s true realization, then asking “Where is it?” turns the expe-
rience back to the practitioner’s sense of self and true nature.
Ink on paper. 24 x 13% in. (61 x 34.7 cm). Private Collection.

120
 52. What
Is This?

PORE ENI Ts ty 21-17

oe

Although Torei brushed numerous ens6, all seemingly different in appearance,

energy, brush quality, and shape, he usually used the inscription, “In heaven
above and the earth below, I am the honored one.” However, here Térei writes,
“What is this?” a phrase traditionally associated with ens6 images.
Torei’s enso is brushed in gradations of gray ink, broken by bits of flying
white. There is a roughness and sense of spontaneity in the circle that carries
over into the calligraphy, which is written in a running script that tilts and
dances down the side of the ens6. Térei then signs the work with his signature,
two red seals, and his kad, a personal cipher that resembles a seated meditating
figure within a clamshell-shaped frame.
Ink on paper. 12/2
x 20/4 in. (31 x 52 cm). Private Collection.

12.2
 53. Mouse

OKADA K1IDO * 1902-1688

This large, fuzzy, gray ens6 is painted on a freestanding screen at Hofuku-ji

temple in Okayama. The mouse in the center of the circle is a reference to a leg-
end associated with the temple. According to the story, when the painter Toyo
Sesshii (1420-1506) served as a novice at Hofuku-ji, he had little interest in
temple duties or practice, instead preferring to paint. One day the Zen master
of the temple took young Sesshi into one of the temple halls and tied him to a
large pillar as punishment for neglecting his temple duties. When the master
returned later in the day, he found Sesshi crying, with a mouse at his feet. The
master assumed Sesshu was crying because of the mouse so he stepped forward
to shoo the mouse away. As he moved closer, however, he realized that the
mouse was not real; Sessht had painted it on the floor with his tears. At this re-
alization, the master understood Sesshi’’s true calling, and allowed him to pur-
sue his painting freely. The temple has since been associated with mice and, as
a result, the Zen masters who have resided there have traditionally painted them.
Okada’s mouse looks out at us directly—is it curious about us? The mouse’s
large round features and tones of gray ink wonderfully echo the enso in which
it sits. In particular, the concentric circles of the mouse’s head and its promi-
nent ears are visually well suited to the ensd from which it peers.
Ink on paper. 43 x 37/4 in. (109.2 x 95.2 cm). Hofuku-ji, Okayama.

124
ry ait yk tims
 54. Universe Lingers

RANZ AN S HrOR VU «51.713 =17.0 2

Ranzan’s beautifully full, rich ensd dominates the space. To the left he writes,
“The universe lingers, Ibow my head.” This phrase is a variation on a Zen cou-
plet, which says, “The universe smiles, I bow my head. Human beings come
and go, but the reality of Buddha nature remains.”*!
Ranzan begins his circle near the top and moves it carefully down and
around, giving it a slightly different sense of balance than most ens6, which
usually begin in the lower left portion of the circle. The ens6 reveals a great
sense of confidence and directness serving to reinforce Ranzan’s message of the
humble and transient quality of human life compared to the vastness of Bud-
dhist law.
Ink on paper. 21% x 14 in. (55.2 x 35.6 cm). Belinda Sweet Collection.

1280)
Pru ee
we,
 55. Mu

KOJIMA KENDO. + 1898 —1:905

Here the Zen nun Kojima Kendo brushes a dynamic circle in the center of a
shikiki, a square poem card. Within the circle she simply writes the character
“Mu” and to the left she signs the work, “Kendo, 97” referring to her age. She
was bedridden and in the final year of her life when she brushed this defiant
circle, striking directly at the heart of Zen with a bold form that does not quite
join at the end.
“Mu” is referred to in the central koan of Zen training, “Chao-chou’s Mu”
in which a monk asks the Zen master Chao-chou if a dog has the Buddha na-
ture, to which Chao-chou simply replies, “Mu.” This koan, case 1 in the Gateless
Barrier, is usually one of the first given to novice monks as they begin their
training. For many Zen practitioners “Mu” represents the central barrier in
Zen practice, and is in fact often referred to as the “gateless barrier of Zen.” Zen
master Wu-men wrote of “Mu” in his koan commentary,

Those who have passed the barrier will not only see Josht [Chao-chou|
clearly, but will go hand in hand with all the Masters of the past, see
them face to face. ... Cast away your illusory discriminating knowledge
and consciousness accumulated up to now, and keep on working harder.
After a while, when your efforts come to fruition, all the oppositions (such
as in and out) will naturally be identified.

Ink on paper. 10%x9% in. (27.2 x 24 cm). Dated age 97. Private Collection.

128
 ry

56. Triangle
PUtK'U:S HIM AK ET DO: 61/0/33— >

Ink on paper. 45% x 13 Yin, (116.5 x 34 cm). Private Collection. -

Even
this
1S
a.
Circle

Japan
Ke ide
 Epilogue

We dance round in a ring and suppose,

But the Secret sits in the middle and knows.

—Robert Frost

WHILE THE CIRCLE is deeply imbedded in the philosophical and spiritual

beliefs of Asia, we are equally fascinated with this mysterious shape in the West.
and ma-
Artists, philosophers, and mathematicians have pondered, theorized,
nipulated the shape questioning its powerful appeal and searching for hidden
secrets. In his 1841 essay “Circles,” Ralph Waldo Emerson considered the spiri-
tual connotations of the circle,

The eye is the first circle; the horizon which it forms is the second;
It is
and throughout nature this primary figure is repeated without end.
d
the highest emblem in the cipher of the world. St. Augustine describe
and its cir-
the nature of God as a circle whose center was everywhere,
sense
cumference nowhere. We are all our lifetime reading the copious
of this first of forms.

Book: The
Less philosophically, Sally Levitt Steinberg, author of The Donut
the appeal of
Whole Story in Words, Pictures and Outrageous Tales, described

M358)
doughnuts, “The answer is not in their taste; it’s about their shape. The circle is
so universal, and the doughnut is very appealing physically and metaphori-
cally. ... It transcends mere food appeal.”*’ Perhaps like Yun-men’s dumpling!
Whatever the appeal to people throughout the world, only Zen has created a
specific genre of art in which a dynamic circular gesture stands as a singular
symbol representing more than words can ever say.

aya EPILOGUE
 Table of Names

THERE IS OFTEN CONFUSION about the names of Chinese Zen mas-

ters and texts, since they are sometimes written in Wade-Giles romanization,
sometimes in Pinyin spelling, and sometimes in Japanese pronunciation. In
the text the names are given in Wade-Giles, and the table below shows the other
romanizations.

Chinese (Wade-Giles) Chinese (Pinyin) Japanese

Chao-chou Ts’ung-shen Zhaozhou Congshen Joshu Jushin

Ch’en-tsao Chenzao Chinso

Chien-chih Seng-ts’an Jianzhi Sengcan Kanchi Sosan

Han-shan Hanshan Kanzan

Hong-jen Hungren Konin

Hsiieh-féng Xuefeng Seppo

Hui-k’o Huike Eka

Hui-néng Huineng Eno

Kuei-shan Ling-yu Gueishan Lingyou Isan Reiyt

Kuei-tsung Chih-ch’ang Guizong Zhichang Kisu Chijo

Kuo-an Shih-yuan Guoan Shiyuan Kakuan Shien

Neo)
Chinese (Wade-Giles) Chinese (Pinyin) Japanese

Ma-tsu Tao-i Mazu Daoyi Baso Doitsu

Ma-yu Pao-ch’é Mayu Baoche Mayoku Hotetsu
Nan-ch’tian P’u-ytian Nanquan Puyuan Nansen Fugan
Nan-yang Hui-chung Nanyang Huizhong Nan’yo Echt
(Cha Kokushi)

Nan-ytieh Huai-jang Nanyue Huairang Nangaku Ejo

Pai-chang Huai-hai Baizhang Huaihai Hyakujo Ekai
Shen-hsiu Shenxiu Jinsha

Shih-te Shide Jittoku

Tan-yiian Ying-chén Danyuan Yingzhen Tangen Oshin

Tsii-fu Ju-pao Zifu Rubao Shifuku Nyoho
Wu-men Hui-k’ai Wumen Huikai Mumon Ekai
Yang-shan Hui-chi Yangshan Huijji Kyozan Ejaku
Ytin-men Wen-yen Yunmen Wenyan Unmon Bun’en

136 TABLE OF NAMES

 Table of Significant Texts

Chinese (Wade-Giles) Chinese (Pinyin) Japanese

Pi-yen lu Biyan lu Hekiganroku

(Blue Cliff Record)

Hsin-hsin Ming Xinxinming Shinjinmet

(Precepts of the
True Heart)

Ching-te chuanteng lu Jingde chuan-deng lu Keitoku dentoroku

(Ching-te Era Record
Transmission of the
Lamp)

Lin-chi lu Linchi lu Rinzairoku

(Record of Rinzai)

Wu-men-kuan Wumenguan Mumonkan

(Gateless Barrier)
 Biographies of Artists

Bankei Yotaku (Rinzai sect, 1622-1693). Bankei became a monkat the age of sev-
enteen under Unpo Zenjo of Zuid-ji in Ako. He traveled, visiting many Zen
teachers, and eventually achieved enlightenment at the age of twenty-six. After
traveling for several more years, Bankei visited the Chinese monk Désha Chogen
at Sofuku-ji in Nagasaki in 1650 and received his certification. Bankei also re-
ceived the dharma transmission of the Rinzai teacher Boku Sogyu of San’yu-ji
in Okayama (Bokué was an elder disciple of Umpo). In 1672 Bankei was named
abbot of Myéshin-ji in Kyoto. Bankei attempted to reach out to as wide an audi-
ence as possible, traveling constantly and spreading the tenets of Fusho Zen (Un-
born Zen), often at large public meetings. Fusho Zen was based on the idea that
vigorous Zen training would lead to a state that he called the state of the “un-
born” (fush6). This state was the mind/heart in its purely unadulterated form.
sion
Chithé Sou (Rinzai sect, 1759-1838). Chaho received the dharma transmis
Chaho stud-
from Sokudo Soki, the 406th abbot of Daitoku-ji. During his youth,
the
ied calligraphy with the Shingon monk Jiun Sonja. In 1807, Chuho became
Daitoku-ji.
418th abbot of Daitoku-ji and head of the Hoshun-in subtemple of
After retir-
The next year he served a term as abbot of Tokai-ji in Edo (Tokyo).
nine on
ing, Chaho devoted himself to tea and calligraphy. He died at seventy-
the eighth day of the twelfth month of 1838.
ed Daido
Daido Bunka (Rinzai sect, 1680-1752). The death of his father prompt
nineteen, he
to begin studying Buddhism at the age of fifteen. When he was

1319
became a monk, first studying under the Obaku monks Choon and Tetsuun,
and then, upon the recommendation of Tetsuun, practicing under Setsugai
and Reigen, pupils of Bankei. Daido then went to Keirin-ji in Kai province (Ya-
manashi) to study under Master Toho. At the age of twenty-five he secluded
himself in a small cottage and, after practicing in seclusion for six years, he
reached enlightenment. Later, with the monk Yoshun Shudaku, Daid6 went to
Oita and studied under Kengan Zen’etsu. Daido was among those specifically
chosen to convey Kengan’s teachings. Daido traveled widely, once visiting It-
suzan, a pupil of Bankei. Eventually, at age forty-one he became head of H6jo-
jiin Tamba province. His teaching methods were so severe that he came to be
called “Oni Daidd” (Demon Daid6) of Tamba.

Daikyit Ebo (Rinzai sect, 1715-1774). In the spring of his fifth year, Daikyu
began his religious training serving the priest Jikudeno of Shofuku-an in Kino-
mura. In the winter of 1720 he took part in a meeting at Tofuku-ji monastery
conducted by Zokai Etan of Hofuku-ji in Bitcha. The meeting was attended by
more than seventeen hundred monks. From that time, Daikyi became Z6kai’s
attendant. In 1733, Zokai died, and Daikyti became the pupil of Zokai’s succes-
sor, Itsud6 Eko. At the age of twenty-three, Daikyd traveled to Hyuga in Kyushu
to study under Kogetsu Zenzai. After four years with Kogetsu, during which he
achieved enlightenment, he left on pilgrimage with his brother monk, Kaigan
Chitetsu. While they were staying at Yogen-ji in Yodo near Osaka, they hap-
pened to see a poem by Hakuin hanging on the wall of the temple. The poem
impressed them so much that he and Kaigen immediately went to visit him. At
first refused entry, Daikya so admired the teachings of Hakuin that he perse-
vered and eventually was allowed to join Hakuin’s assembly. In the following
year, Daikyt was appointed Hakuin’s attendant, and later received Hakuin’s
certification of enlightenment. Later Sui, one of his fellow monks said: “Among
our old master Hakuin’s disciples, only Torei stole all the dharma treasures and

140 BLOG RAPA TES @ OOF SARL

is hs
only Daikya penetrated deeply to the dharma source.” Daikyti succeeded It-
sudo at Hofuku-ji at the age of forty-one. During his twenty years at Hofuku-ji
he conducted over thirty meetings to lecture on Zen texts. In the spring of 1774,
Daikyd fell ill and passed at the age of sixty.

Dairyii Sojo (Rinzai sect, 1694-1751). Dairya became the eighth head of Gyokurin-
in and opened Nanmyo-an. In 1741, he became the 341st abbot of Daitoku-ji.
Dairya was a teacher of the daimyé and tea expert, Matsudaira Fumai.

Deiryi Kutsu (Kansha Sojun; Rinzai sect, 1895-1954). As a teenager, Deiryu

was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis and predicted to live only to the
age of twenty-five. As a result, he left school and entered Kaisei-ji in Nishi-
nomiya in 1911. At Kaisei-ji he attended the master Nantenbo, always accompa-
nying him on his journeys. In 1913, Deiryd left Kaisei-ji and in 1921 went to
Enpuku-ji, where he received the dharma transmission from Kozuki Tesso.
Deirya became head of Rinzai-ji in Taiwan in 1927 and two years later became
the head of Kensho-ji in Kumamoto Prefecture. In 1932, he returned to Kaisei-
ji in Nishinomiya as abbot. From 1937, Deiryt served as master of the Zen
training center at Enpuku-ji. He died at Enpuku-ji in 1954.

Fukushima Keido (Rinzai sect, 1933-). Fukushima entered Hofuku-jiin Okayama

at the age of fourteen, beginning his training under Okada Kido of the Tofuku-
jilineage. After high school, Fukushima attended Otani University in Kyoto, study-
ing Indian and Chinese Buddhism. During his graduate studies in Zen Buddhism,
Fukushima wanted to gain further firsthand understanding of Zen practice, so
He
he began training at Nanzen-ji temple in Kyoto under Shibayama Zenkei.
com-
trained under Shibayama for ten-and-a-half years. In 1968 Fukushima
to the
pleted his koan training and the following year accompanied his master
his
United States for the first time. In 1970 he returned to Hofuku-ji to assist

lG
ROAGe Ha Ej OVP 1 Suis
ALR 141
EEO
first master, Okada. Then in 1973 Fukushima spent a year at Claremont College
in California as a guest lecturer on Zen. In 1980 Fukushima was appointed Zen
master of Tofuku-ji monastery in Kyoto where he revitalized the training pro-
gram. In 1991 Fukushima was appointed kancho (abbot) of the Tofuku-ji sect.
In 1990 Fukushima began a series of yearly visits to the United States to spread
Zen culture and teachings to American audiences.

Gasan Jito (Rinzai sect, 1727-1797). Gasan became a monk under Gessen Zenne
of Koken-in, Miharu. At the age of sixteen he began a pilgrimage that took him
to over a score of Zen teachers including Korei Gyo6 of Manju-ji in Oita,
Suigan Jushin of Daiko-ji in Miyazaki, and Daido Bunka of H6jo-ji in Tamba.
All of these teachers, like Gessen, belonged to the teaching line of Kogetsu Zen-
gai. Gasan then returned to Gessen, but later, after an interview with Hakuin
Ekaku at Torin-ji in Edo, he went to Shdin-ji, where he studied with Hakuin and
his disciple Torei Enji. He lived for ten years at Rinsh6-in in Edo. After the death
of Gessen at the Toki-an in Nagata, Gasan succeeded him as abbot. He was one
of the leaders in propagating the Zen of Hakuin. After his death in the first
month of 1797, at the age of seventy-one, the emperor gave him the posthu-
mous name Daiho Myoki Zenshi. His disciples included Inzan Ien and Takujii
Kosen, known as the “Two Gates” under Gasan because present-day Rinzai priests
generally all trace their teaching lineages back to Gasan, and thus to Hakuin,
through either Inzan or Takuju.

Godo Soken (Rinzai sect, 1761-1835). Little is known about God6 except that he
was a Zen master of the Daitoku-ji line.

Hakuin Ekaku (Rinzai sect, 1685-1768). At the age of fifteen, Hakuin became a
monk under Tanrei Sdden of ShOin-ji, in Hara, from whom he received the
name Ekaku. Soon after he became an attendant of Sokud6 Fueki of Daisho-ji

TA 2 BLOGRAPHIES* OR ART ESWS

in neighboring Numazu. When Tanrei died two years later, Hakuin stayed a
short time at Daish6-ji and Zens6-ji in Shimizu, and then set out on pilgrim-
age. But he became disappointed at his lack of progress, and decided to study
poetry and Chinese literature with Bao at Zuiun-ji in Ogaki Mino. Later, he re-
solved once again to devote himself to Zen and resumed his pilgrimage, travel-
ing around Mino, west to Harima province, and also to the northern part of
the island of Shikoku. At the age of twenty-four, while he was attending a lecture
meeting at the Eigan-ji in Takada, Echigo, he went off by himself to meditate
alone in a hall at the back of the temple. In the middle ofthe night, hearing the
sound of a bell from a distant temple, he achieved enlightenment. Another
monk visiting Eigan-ji at the time, named Déju Sokaku, told Hakuin of his
master Dokyo Etan (also known as Shdju Réjin), who lived in a small country
temple in liyama, deep in the mountains of Shinano province. At Sokaku’s urg-
ing, Hakuin accompanied him to Shoju’s hermitage, the Shoju-an. For eight
months, Hakuin was subject to Shoju’s severe discipline, after which he received
the master’s sanction. For several years after, he continued his “post-enlighten-
ment” training. At the age of thirty-one he was sequestered on Mount Iwataki
deep in the mountains of Mino, engaged in solitary training, when a servant
from his native place arrived to convey to him his father’s dying wish that he
return to Hara and reside in the Shéin-ji. Hakuin returned to this small, run-
down country temple and continued his practice there. In time, monks gath-
ered around the temple, and he began teaching them and lecturing on Zen
texts. In 1718, at the age of thirty-four, he was awarded the honorary position
of head monk (dai-ichiza) at the Mydshin-ji in Kyoto. From that time, he used
the name Hakuin. Hakuin propagated Buddhist teachings for more than fifty
years and had many excellent disciples, including Torei Enji and Suid Genro.
He succeeded in revitalizing Rinzai Zen and made a great effort to propagate
Buddhism among the populace, whatever the background of his audience. He
wrote numerous books and did thousands of paintings and calligraphies, and

BLOG BRePAles OF T's

“ARTIS 145
was a tireless scholar and educator. Through these means, he tried to teach
Buddhism to everyone, from lords to commoners. In his late years, he reestab-
lished the ruined temple Ryaitaku-ji in Mishima. He thereupon went back and
forth between Shdin-ji and Ryataku-ji. He died at the age of eighty-four at
Shoin-ji.

Hata Egyoku (Soto sect, 1896-1985). Hata was born in Kobe and in 1920 Hata
graduated from Sotdsht: Daigakurin (present-day Komazawa University). He
received the dharma transmission from Hata Esho. Despite his Soto-sect line-
age, he also spent time training at Shogen-ji, a Rinzai sect monastery in Gifu
Prefecture. Hata spent many years teaching at Urawa Kotogakko and Komazawa
University, and served as abbot of Eihei-ji from 1976 to 1985.

Hoshino Taigen (Rinzai sect, 1865-1945). Hoshino received the dharma transmis-
sion from Shid6 Mossho and also practiced under Sh6zan Echo at Myoshin-ji,
and Rozan Egyo (Ek6) at Tokugen-ji. Hoshino moved to the Kokeizan monastery
in 1919 where he practiced under Mutei Mute. He eventually became the Zen
master at Kokeizan, and abbot of Nanzen-ji in Kyoto. In 1941 he traveled to
China as a representative of Mydshin-ji in Nanking. He is also known by the
names Saisho-ken and Master of Mount Kokei.

Inzan Ien (Rinzai sect, 1754-1817). At nine, Inzan entered the priesthood under
Rozan Bengu and attended Rozan for eight years. When he was seventeen, he
began his Zen study under Bankoku, who was spreading the teaching of Bankei
Yotaku. At twenty, Inzan spent seven years studying with Gessen Zenne at the
Toki-an in present-day Yokohama. After leaving Gessen he went on pilgrimage
to visit teachers in Edo and Kyoto, and then returned to his first teacher R6zan,
who was now living at Baisen-ji in Horad6, Mino. After living there for ten years,
Inzan heard of the success Gasan Jit6 was having propagating the Zen of Hakuin
at Toki-an, and went to study with him. Inzan practiced earnestly and eventually

144 BLOGRAP HIRES O FeAR Eis ts

received the dharma transmission from Gasan at the age of thirty-nine. He re-
turned to Baisen-ji, but two years later he again went to practice under Gasan. He
worked very hard to gain permission to transmit the teachings of Gasan, finally
receiving his certification. Inzan lived at Bairyt-ji for a while, then built a hut on
the grounds of Kens6-ji and lived there for eight years. Inzan’s lineage became,
with that of Takujii, one of the two main branches of Rinzai Zen.

Ishikawa Bokugyii (Séto sect, 1841-1920). Bokugyt entered the priesthood in

his youth. He became a disciple of Daiché Kaiun of Taizo-ji, and also practiced
at Ryunen-ji, Koken-ji, and Seiry6-ji. He served as Zen master of Saijo-ji in
Kanagawa in 1901 and was appointed abbot of Soji-ji in Noto in 1905. He also
served as chief abbot of the entire SOto sect.

Jiun Sonja (Shingon sect, 1718-1804). Jiun was born in Osaka and entered the
priesthood in his youth at the Horaku-ji in Sumiyoshi, Osaka. At eighteen, he
studied Chinese classics under Ito Togai in Kyoto, and then went to Nara to
continue his Buddhist studies. In 1739 he became head of Horaku-ji. Jiun was
a monk of Shingon Buddhism. He eventually gave up his post two years later
and began full-time Zen training under the Soto monk Hosen Daibai (1682-
1757) at Shoan-ji. After about a year, Jiun returned to Horaku-ji where he lived
as a Shingon monk, but continued to practice Zen meditation. Due to its bold,
expressive style, Jiun’s brushwork is often included in exhibitions and books on
Zen painting and calligraphy. Later, at the Choei-ji, Jiun initiated a new move-
ment that he named Shéboritsu, which combined elements of Shingon, Zen,
and Shinto. In 1798, he moved to the Koki-ji in Kawachi, where he worked to
advance the Shoboritsu movement. He was the author of a great many works
on Buddhism, among which is a commentary on the Mumonkan (Gateless

Barrier), a Zen text. He also wrote on Buddhist rituals, precepts for daily living,
poetry, and Sanskrit studies.

BLOG RAPHIES OF ARTIST'S 145

Kaizan Sokaku (Rinzai sect, 1769-1846). Kaizan became a monk at the village
temple, Shimpuku-ji, and later traveled to various provinces. After practicing
under Inzan Ien at Zuiryt-ji in Mino, Kaizan became head of Rinzai-ji in Shi-
zuoka. Several years later, however, he retired from the position and returned
to practice under Takuji Kosen at Soken-ji in Nagoya, eventually receiving
Takujt’s dharma transmission. Later he became head of Enpuku-ji of Yawata,
south of Kyoto, and eventually head of Myoshin-ji.

Kasumi Bunsho (Rinzai sect, 1905-1998). Bunsho was born in Minokami, Gifu
Prefecture and became a monk in 1921. In 1933 he began training as a Zen
monk at Enpuku-ji, and in 1949 became Zen master and abbot of Kaisei-ji in
Nishinomiya. From 1990 to 1994 he served as abbot of Myoshin-ji.

Keijii Dorin (Rinzai sect, 1714-1794). Keiji became a pupil of Ungai of Enkei-
an, in the Saga district of western Kyoto when he was a child. He visited Daido
Bunka at H6jo-ji in Tamba and studied under him for several years. Later Keijui
returned to Tenryt-ji and became head of Enkei-an (now renamed Jiz6-in).
From around 1753 he traveled extensively, lecturing at temples around the
country. In his later years he retired to the Kobaku-an, which he built next to
Enkei-an. On the second day of the fourth month of 1794, he died at the age of
eighty-one. He was one of the foremost Zen scholars of the age, and highly ac-
complished at writing, calligraphy, and painting.

Kogetsu Zenzai (Rinzai sect, 1667-1751). At the age of seven, Kogetsu entered
the village temple, Zuik6-in, and later became a monk under the guidance of
Ichid6 Zento of Shogan-ji, a branch temple of Zuiko-in. At twenty-one, he ac-
companied Ichid6 to Myoshin-ji in Kyoto, where he studied Zen with Zuido
Johon at the Chisho-in subtemple of Mydshin-ji, and studied poetry and Chi-
nese with Confucian teachers. He then studied with Ryogan Shitan and Awa

146 BIOGRAPHIES OF “ARE ESTs

for two years, and also, in 1691, visited Bankei Yotaku at the Nyoh6-ji in Ozu, who
told him that “his quest for enlightenment was over.” He studied under Ichido
for many years, serving as his attendant; later he went to practice under Ken-
gan Zen’etsu of Tafuku-ji in Usuki, and finally received certification from him.
At the age of thirty-eight, he returned to Daik6-ji in Hyuiga, present-day Kago-
shima. At forty-one, he became head of Daitoku-ji upon request of Shimazu
Korehisa and established Chiyi-ken within the temple grounds. Later, he ren-
ovated Chiyii-ken and changed its name to Jitoku-ji. Upon the request of Arima
Yoriyuki, feudal lord of Kurume, he lived at Bairin-ji in Kurume. At the age of
seventy-eight he founded Fukuju-ji, also in Kurume, and built Saisho-ken within
the temple compound as a place of retirement. He was invited to become head
of Myéshin-ji, but he declined. On the twenty-fourth day of the fourth month
of 1751, Kogetsu died at the age of eighty-five.

Kojima Kendo (Soto sect nun, 1898 -1995). While still in grade school Kojima
gained an appreciation for Buddhism and aspired to become a nun. Despite initial
disapproval, her family finally allowed her to pursue a religious path, and she en-
rolled in a religious school. After completing six more years of grade school and
two years of high school, Kojima entered Nisodo, a training school for nuns in
Nagoya which had been established in 1903 by four Soto sect nuns who wanted to
create a deeper, more stringent Buddhist training center for women. In 1925
Kojima entered the Soto sect’s Komazawa University where she studied for three
years. Kojima then returned to Nisodo where she taught for ten years and worked
to raise the standards of religious training provided to women. Beginning in 1938
she left Nisod6 and spent four years in Hawaii working at Soto temples, teaching
Buddhism and working in the community. During the Second World War she re-
turned to Nisodo and continued to work for women monastics. In 1944 the Soto
Sect Nuns’ Organization was founded, and Kojima was elected president of the or-
ganization, a position she held for twenty years. Asa result of her efforts and those

Bil .@ ReAV PAL ES) OE BAN) DLS: Ts ilvalyy

of the other nuns in the organization, by 1965 most of the issues of inequality
raised by the nuns to the Soto sect had been reevaluated and changed. In 1947 Ko-
jima founded the Lumbini-en Orphanage in Toyama as a safe haven for the nu-
merous orphans left in war-ravaged Tokyo. The orphanage continues to function
today, run by Soto sect nuns under the direction of the Nis6d6. Kojima became ill
in 1982 and spent her final years at the Lumbini-en, where she died in 1995.

Kosetsu Soryui (Rinzai sect, 1595-1666). From his childhood, Késetsu wanted to
be a monk. He entered the priesthood at Kyoren-sha in Izumi province. Later
he studied under the Daitoku-ji priests Takuan Soho and Kogetsu Sogan. He
became a dharma heir of Kogetsu and succeeded him as head of the Ryoko-
in subtemple of Daitoku-ji. In 1644, he became the 181st abbot of Daitoku-ji;
he served a second term beginning in 1646. During the ninth month of 1651, he
went to live in Tokai-ji in Shinagawa, according to a rotation system. When the
feudal lord of Chikuzen province built Koshin-ji within his fief, he asked
KOsetsu to become the abbot. Kosetsu established Sokushin-an and Tok6-an in
Ohara, north of Kyoto. Also he founded Shésen-an at Tokai-ji. On the nine-
teenth day of the sixth month of 1666, he died at the age of seventy-two.

Mamiya Eisha (Rinzai sect, 1871-1945). Born in Aichi Prefecture, Mamiya

Eisht entered the temple Ryttaku-ji in Mishima at the age of nine under the
guidance of the priest Tengan. Eventually, Eisht went to train at Enpuku-ji in
Kamakura under Kogaku Soen, better known as Shaku S6en (1858-1919). After
four years, Eishai received Soen’s certificate of enlightenment. During the
Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), Eisht served as chaplain for General Nogi’s
troops. Following the end of the war, Eishti continued his own missionary ac-
tivities and began writing a series of Buddhist books. In 1914 Eishtii moved to
Rinsen-ji in Kyoto and in 1916 he was appointed chief priest of HOk6-ji in
Shizuoka Prefecture. He continued his active career of lecturing and writing.
In January 1945, at the request of the commander of the Shanghai military

148 BIOGRAPHIES OF ARTISTS

force, Eisht went to China to preach. During his visit to Shanghai, Eisht be-
came ill and died at the age of seventy-five.

Mokurai Soden (Rinzai sect, 1854-1930). At the age of seven, Mokurai studied
under Ryéd6 at Taiyo-an in Iki. He officially entered Buddhist orders the next
year under D6ju at Kokubun-ji in Iki. From the age of fifteen, Mokurai studied
under Ranryé at Sofuku-ji in Hakata and in the following year studied Chinese
under Kamei Nanmei in Hakata, as well as under Kond6 Mokken in Osaka. In
1873 he also sought teaching from Ekkei Shuken at Myoshin-ji and Tairya Bun’i
at Shogen-ji in Ibuka, Mino, but became ill and went to recuperate at Shuko-in
in Daitoku-ji. There he studied under Gisan Zenrai and also under Shungai
Tdsen at Kennin-ji. At the age of twenty-five, Mokurai went to Hirado to the
Yuko-ji to study with Chds6 Genkai, staying with him for several years. Moku-
rai then changed his orientation within the Rinzai sect from the Inzan to the
Takuja line. In 1888, he received certification from Yuzen Gentatsu of Bairin-ji
in Kurume after ten years of additional training under him. After the death of
Ryukan, Mokurai was appointed his successor as abbot of Kennin-ji.

Morita Goyit (Daikya Goyt, Soto sect, 1834-1915). At the age of seven, Goyt

began to study under Taimon of Daiko-in and in the following year, he became
a monk. In 1854, he practiced under Sen Danrin of Kichijo-ji in Edo (Tokyo),
and two years later, began training under Ekido of Ryukai-in in Kozuke, receiv-
ing his certificate of enlightenment. In 1860, he studied under Hakurya of
Yosen-ji in Owari and was allowed to convey this master’s teachings. In 1867, he
became the head of Ryotoku-ji in Kaga, and also became head of Gyokuryt-ji
one of
and Tentoku-in. In 1891, he became the sixty-fourth abbot of Eihei-ji,
the central monasteries of the SOto sect.

sons
Nakagawa Séen (Rinzai sect, 1907-1984 ). Sden was born the eldest of three
to a samurai family near Hiroshima. His father was a physician for the army who

Bu T'S
OlG Ri ALP Tit Eom O. Heean Reis: 149
died when Soen was twelve years old. From an early age Sden was interested in
poetry and spirituality. He studied literature at Tokyo University, graduating
in 1930; he then pursued Zen training. Sden received the dharma transmission
from Yamamoto Gempo, and succeeded Gemp6 as Zen master of Ryitaku-ji in
Mishima. In 1948 he traveled to the United States seeking to join Eastern and
Western philosophies. He spent the next thirty years traveling between Japan
and the West spreading Zen with humor and unconventional methods.

Nantenbo Tojii (Toju Zenchii; Rinzai sect, 1839-1925). Nantenbo began Zen
training when he was eleven at the YUk6-ji on Hirado under the priest Reiju. Be-
tween eighteen and twenty, he studied under Banshé at the Enpuku-ji training
hall in Yawata, Ranno Bunjo in Awa, and Razan Gemma at Bairin-ji in Kurume,
Kyushu. He finally received certification from Razan at the age of twenty-seven.
In all, he studied under twenty-four Zen masters around the country in order
to achieve a mastery of both the two main teaching traditions of the Mydshin-
ji school, the Inzan and Takujt lines. At Bairin-ji, Nantenb6 meditated while
seated on a plank placed over a well to keep himself from dozing off. During a
tour of Kyushu in 1873, he cut a length from an old nandina tree (nanten) to use
as a shippeior Zen training stick; henceforth he was also known by the alternate
name Nantenbo or “Nandina Stick.” In 1878 he succeeded Ekkei Shuken at
Heirin-ji in Tokyo and later lan Soken at Enpuku-ji in Kyoto; Nantenb6o was
asked to return to establish the training hall in 1886. In the following year he
was asked by Yamaoka Tesshti to become head of the Dorin-ji in Tokyo, where
he instructed such noted military figures as generals Nogi and Kodama. In 1891,
he became head of Zuigan-ji at Matsushima in Miyagi, but resigned his posi-
tion in 1896 and went to live in the dilapidated temple of Daibai-ji in Iwate Pre-
fecture. In 1902, he went to Kaisei-ji in Nishinomiya, Hyogo. In 1908, at the age
of seventy, Nantenbo became titular head of Mydshin-ji. Until his death in 1925
at the age of eighty-seven, he devoted his time to traveling, writing, calligraphy,
and teaching at thirty-three Zen centers from his base at Kaisei-ji.

150 BT OcGEREAYP Tasks SO EAR

1S) Tas
Okada Kido (Rinzai sect, 1902-1988). Okada received the dharma transmis-
sion from Nakamura Taiyt of Ko’on-ji monastery. He also practiced under Kono
Mukai at the Nanzen-ji monastery in Kyoto. He was the founder of the Hofuku-
ji monastery in Okayama, and served as the chief abbot of the Nanzen-ji branch
in 1981.

Ranzan Shoryti (Rinzai sect, 1713-1792). Ranzan wanted to be a monk from an

early age. He entered the priesthood under Daizengaku Osho of Shoin-ji. He
later studied under Gessen Zenne, and then with Daido Bunka in Tamba for six
years, and reached enlightenment on the anniversary of the Buddha’s enlight-
enment. Daido then sent him to Kogetsu Zenzai (an elder colleague of Daido)
for further training. Ranzan studied with Kogetsu, Suigan Jushin (a disciple of
Kogetsu), and Setsudo Genkei (a disciple of Suigan), eventually receiving Ko-
getsu’s transmission. He became head of Kaizen-ji in Buzen and received the
patronage and devotion of Ogasawara Tadafusa. In 1770, he retired and lived in
Seitai-in in Buzen. It is said that Ranzan made a great effort to help people at
the time of the great Temmei (1781-1789) famine. In his final years, he resided
at Rydan-ji in Kyoto where he died.

Ryéchu Nyoryu (Obaku and Rinzai Sects, 1793-1868). At the age of eleven,
Ryochii became a monk under Kanrei of the Saish6-ji within the Obaku sect in
Fushimi. When Kanrei died soon after, he became a disciple of Sekisen Jucho of
Kenko-ji in Tottori, who also soon passed away. Ryochti next practiced under
Kacho Bunshii of Shomy6-ji at Hino in Omi, and then with Raiho Engo of
Dainen-ji in Sendai. At the age of twenty-five he went to Hofuku-ji in Bitchu to
study under the Rinzai teacher Myoh6 Genjitsu and went with him when he
was invited to the Kaizo-ji in Ise. On the way, Ryocht heard Shunso Joshu lec-
ture on the Daie Buko, an anecdotal collection of Zen stories with comments
by the Sung master Daie S0k6, and decided to study with him. He stayed with
Shunso for more than ten years, finally attaining enlightenment at the age of

BLOIGRwA
PH TES OF “ARTST's icy
twenty-seven. He continued his studies three mare years, and then in 1830,
went to practice under Takuji Kosen at Soken-ji in Owari. He studied with
Takujii for more than a decade, eventually receiving his certification. While con-
tinuing his training he served as abbot and taught at a number of temples in-
cluding Kenk6-ji and Rydshun-ji in Tottori. In the ninth month of 1851, he
became the thirty-third head of Mampuku-ji, the first Obaku head from the
Hakuin tra-dition. In 1854 when the appearance of foreign ships off the Japa-
nese coast caused a flood of uncertainty throughout the country, he led a
prayer meeting to calm fears. In 1858, he returned to Kenko-ji. He died on the
tenth day of the tenth month of 1868 at the age of seventy-six.

Ryénen Genso (Obaku sect nun, 1646-1711). RyOnen was born in Kyoto to a
noble family. There is conflicting evidence concerning the dates and some of
the details of the events in her life, but it seems that from ages seven to twelve
she served Emperor Gomizuno-o’s wife, Tofukumor’in, at court, and then at
age sixteen or seventeen she married Matsuda Shigekuni, a Confucian physi-
cian with whom she had several children. After about ten years of marriage,
RyOonen became a nun, entering the imperial nunnery Hoky6-ji in Kyoto near
the palace. Six years later, seeking more strenuous training, she traveled to Edo
and visited the Obaku priest Tetsugyi Doki, who told her that he could not
admit her to his temple because she was too beautiful and would distract the
other monks. She next visited Hakuo Dotai at the Daikyt-an in Edo (Tokyo),
but he too refused her. Ryonen then took a hot iron and held it to her face, burn-
ing her cheek severely. Haku6 now admitted her. She received his certification
in 1682 at the age of thirty-five, the year Hakuo died, and succeeded him as head
of the temple. In honor of her teacher, RyOnen renovated an old temple and re-
named it Taiun-ji, making Hakuo the founder; she became the second abbot.
Ryonen was known for good deeds, scholarship, poetry, painting, and calligra-
phy. She erected a memorial stupa at Taiun-ji when Matsuda Shigekuni died in
1703, and another for Haku6 in 1711, the same year that she died.

592 BIOGRAPHIES, OF (ARLES

Ts
Setsudo Nyoun (Obaku sect, 1721-1779). Bornin Osaka, when Setsud6 became an
Obaku monk in his late thirties, he already had made a name as a writer of kyoka
(“mad verses”) popular at the time. It is not known who his Obaku teacher was,
and he seems never to have received the dharma transmission; his name is not
found in the school’s lineage published in the Edo period. There are occasional
references to Setsud6 in secular works of the time which describe him as traveling
as a pilgrim throughout western and eastern Japan, living in a rustic hut in the
Osaka area, and teaching his Buddhist disciples by means of kyoka poems.

Shibayama Zenkei (Rinzai sect, 1894-1974). Shibayama entered the priesthood at

the age of eleven at Kokubun-ji in Aichi Prefecture under the priest Hattori Zenrei.
At the age of fourteen Shibayama went to train in Kyoto at Mansho-ji and at Reiun-
in, a subtemple of Mydshin-ji. After graduating from high school in 1914, he began
studying at Hanazono University, a school affiliated with the Rinzai sect in Kyoto. In
1916 he entered Nanzen-ji in Kyoto, training under Kono Mukai (1864-1935), com-
pleting his training about ten years later. Shibayama then served as head monk at
Nanzen-ji while at the same time continuing his intellectual pursuits. (Shibayama
had become a leading scholar of Esperanto). Shibayama accepted a teaching posi-
tion at Hanazono University and eventually married. In 1940 Shibayama tooka po-
sition at Otani University teaching Zen studies. In 1945 Shibayama’s wife and child
died and, despite some opposition from within the Nanzen-ji sect, he was allowed
to become a Zen master. In 1948 he accepted the position of Zen master at Nanzen-
ji, and a year later was appointed kancho (head abbot) of the Nanzen-ji sect. In 1965
the Zen scholar D. T. Suzuki asked Shibayama to travel to the United States to lec-
ture about Zen at various universities and colleges. Although apprehensive at first
because of his age, Shibayama eventually accepted, and made the first of what
would eventually be eight trips to the United States.

Shunso Joshu (Rinzai sect, 1751-1839). Shuns6 became a monk at Jiz0-ji in his
hometown at the age of eleven. When he was eighteen, he began traveling and

BIOGRAPHIES OF ARTISTS 53
visited Ranzan Shoryu, Tengei Egen, Daikya Eb6, and Reigen Eto. He then
studied under Suid Genro, eventually receiving his certification and becoming
his dharma heir. At the age of thirty-five, Shunso became the ninth abbot of
Jik6-ji in Awa, becoming a dharma heir of the previous abbot, Etsuzan Den.
Shunso6 then took up the vacant position of head of the Training Hall at En-
puku-ji, in Yamato. In 1813 he was made head abbot of Myoshin-ji. He was very
generous, but his teaching style was strict. Shuns6 died in 1839 at the age of
eighty-nine.

S6 Saibai (Rinzai sect, dates unknown). He served at Eigen-ji.

Taikan Monju (Taikan Bunshu; Rinzai sect, 1766-1842). At age nine, Taikan be-
came a monk at Tok6-ji in Echizen. When he was sixteen, he visited Torei Enji
at Kaiz6-ji and accompanied him when he went to Ryutaku-ji in Mishima.
Taikan swore to himself that he would not raise his head to see Mount Fuji
until he reached enlightenment. While he was seated in meditation at Myoko-
ji in Owari, a bird suddenly flew into the hall. As he heard the flapping of its
wings, Taikan attained enlightenment. He was nineteen years old at the time.
Taikan received certification from Torei, but continued post-enlightenment
training until he reached the age of twenty-eight. Four years later he became
head of H6jo-jiin Tamba, at the same time, he received the head priests Gokei’s
dharma transmission. When he was fifty-five, Taikan moved to the training
hall of Nanzen-ji, Kyoto. In his last years, Taikan lived at Gyokuz6-in in Kyoto.
He returned to the training hall of Nanzen-ji and died there in the third month
of 1842 at the age of seventy-seven.

Takujti Kosen (Rinzai sect, 1760-1833). Takuji became a monk at the age of fif-
teen under Shoho Zenzui at Soken-ji in Nagoya. He set out on pilgrimage at the
age of nineteen. He studied under Kaigan of Fun’y6-ji, in Taniguchi, Mino and
Reigen Eto at Rokuo-in in Kyoto, and then became a pupil of Gasan Jito at

Se BL OGRA
P HE SOR AR DelSeias
Toki-an in Nagata. After fourteen years with Gasan, he received his dharma
transmission. At thirty-seven he returned to Soken-ji as abbot, and in 1813 was
appointed head priest of My6shin-ji. After that, Takujii traveled widely to teach
and give Zen lectures at temples around the country. The Rinzai Zen of mod-
ern Japan follows the Hakuin line; both Inzan and his contemporary Takujt
were disciples of Hakuin’s heir Gazan Jitd, so that now virtually all Rinzai sect
teachers are affiliated to either the Takuji line or the Inzan line. “Sharp Inzan,
scrupulous Takuja” is a common evaluation of the difference in these two
teaching traditions.

Torei Enji (Rinzai sect, 1721-1792). At the age of nine, Torei became a monk
under the priest Kozan near his home. When he was seventeen, he went to
Hyaga in Kyushu and studied under Kogetsu Zenzai and Suigan Jushi, a disci-
ple of Kogetsu. After visiting Daidd Bunka at HOjo-ji in Tamba, Torei returned
to Kanzaki and lived in a hut practicing zazen day and night. In 1743, he went to
Shoin-ji to study with Hakuin. While there, Torei contracted a serious illness.
Convinced that death was near, he wrote a work based on his own Zen practice,
and presented it to Hakuin; Hakuin was greatly impressed and suggested that it
be published (it was eventually published under the title Shimon Mujintoron).
When Torei recovered, he went to live in Shirakawa-mura in eastern Kyoto where
he suddenly awakened to the oneness of life and death. On his return to Shoin-
ji,he received dharma transmission from Hakuin. Torei continued to help Hakuin
propagate Zen and is considered one of Hakuin’s two main disciples along with
Suid Genro. Torei became the second abbot of Ryataku-ji in Mishima, which he
had officially established by Hakuin, and lived there for twenty years. In 1791,
he rebuilt Kito-an in Owari. Torei then returned to his home in Omi and lived
at Reisen-ji. He died in 1792 at the age of seventy-two.

Ungo Kiyo (Rinzai sect, 1582-1659). Ungo was born in 1582, the son of Obama
Sakyo, a retainer of the Ichijo family of Tosa. At the age of nine, he became a

Hal Fue OLB

BiMOlGPRVASE) AG Rf 11S) les 55)
pupil of Shinsei at Taihei-ji in Nakamura, Tosa. At nineteen, he went to Kyoto
and studied under several teachers, finally becoming an attendant of Itcha
Tomoku of Hanto-in at Mydshin-ji. Ungo remained at My6shin-ji for about
six years, then left on pilgrimage in a group that included Gud6 Toshoku,
Daigt Sochiku, and five or six other monks of My6shin-ji. They went to north-
ern Honshu, Suruga, and then Ungo returned to Kyoto. In 1614, at the age of
thirty-three, he received Itcht’s certification. Upon the request of Lord Katd
Shigeaki of Iyo, Ungo became the founder of the newly rebuilt H6ju-ji in
Matsuyama, the family temple of the Kato clan. In 1621, at the age of forty, he
was appointed head abbot of Myéshin-ji and became a dharma heir of Itcht
the same year. In 1628, he accompanied Lord Kato to Aizu and stayed at Kozei-
in, but in 1630 he was forced to leave because of a serious dispute with the chief
patron of the temple, and went to Kozen-ji in Atami. Later, at the age of fifty-
one, while sequestered on Mount Ochi in Echizen, he attained his decisive
enlightenment. In 1636, at the age of fifty-five, he was invited to assume the ab-
botship of Zuigan-ji in Matsushima, Sendai, a temple rebuilt by Lord Date of
Sendai. He remained abbot of Zuigan-ji until his death, teaching people of all
ranks and walks of life. He also established Zuiryt-ji in Mino and Ishiba-ji in
Omi. He was a strict teacher to his Zen students but in order to open Buddhist
teaching among the common people, Ungo composed a large number of easy
vernacular verses that advocated reciting the nembutsu, a practice of the Pure
Land sects. He was criticized for this by some of his fellow Mydshin-ji priests.

Yamada Mumon (Taishitsu Mumon; Rinzai sect, 1900-1988). Mumon was born
in Aichi Prefecture and began his training under the priest Setsuzan Seiseki. He
then continued his training at Myoshin-ji in Kyoto, and also trained at Tenryt-
jiin Kyoto where he received the dharma transmission from Seki Seisetsu. He
lived at the Reiun-in subtemple of Mydshin-ji in 1949, and was then appointed
Zen master and abbot of Shofuku-ji in Kobe in 1953. In 1978 he became the

156 BIOGRAPHIES OF ARESTs

twenty-sixth chief abbot of Mydshin-ji and the 639th abbot of the Myoshin-ji
line. He also served as president of Hanazono University, a Rinzai-sect school
affiliated with Myoshin-ji.

Yamamoto Gempo (Rinzai sect, 1866-1961). Gempo was born in 1866 to a

poverty-stricken family in Shing, Wakayama. In his youth Gempo started
down a path of dereliction, and in an attempt to curb Gempo’s delinquent be-
havior, his father arranged an early marriage when Gempo was nineteen years
old. However, a year into the marriage, Gempo was diagnosed with an eye dis-
ease, and doctors confirmed that he would eventually go blind. In 1889, Gempo
visited the temple Sekkei-ji in Tosa where he encountered the priest Yamamoto
Taigen who encouraged him to become a Buddhist priest.
In 1890 Gempo divorced his wife and entered Sekkei-ji as a monk, taking
the name Yamamoto Gempé. In 1895 he moved on to Hofuku-ji in Okayama,
where he encountered Kyuh6 Issei (1833-1916), a small but fierce Zen master.
Despite his determination and dedication to training, Gempo faced unusual
difficulties because of his lack of education, which was compounded by his in-
creasingly poor eyesight.
In 1902 Taigen became ill and Gempo returned to Sekkei-ji to tend to his
master. In June 1903 Taigen died, and Gempo succeeded him as chief priest of
Sekkei-ji. At this time Gempo was also invited to pay his respects to Shoun
(Sohan Gemp6) at Enpuku-ji during a meeting on national defense. He formed
an immediate affinity for the master and decided to resign from his position at
Sekkei-ji and deepen his Zen training under Shoun. Gemp6 trained at Enpuku-
jiunder Shoun from 1908 until 1915 when he received Shoun’s certificate of en-
lightenment at the age of forty-nine.
In the spring of 1915 the temple Ryataku-ji in Mishima was in need of ares-
ident priest, Gempo was recommended for the position. His gentle and virtu-
ous nature quickly attracted many monks and lay followers, and the temple

BLOG RAPHE Ss OF eA RT 1S is Ny 7
began to prosper. Beginning in 1923, Gempo made several trips abroad, includ-
ing visits to the United States, England, India, and China.
Gempo finally turned over the position of resident priest of Ryttaku-ji in
1951 to his dharma heir, Nakagawa Soden (1907-1984), and retired at the age of
eighty-six. In December 1960 Gempo suffered a heart attack and was confined
to bed; he passed away on June 3, 1961.

158 BLO GRAPH

DES OR ARTISTS
 Notes

Introduction

Victor Sogen Hori, Zen Sand (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press,

2003), p. 469.
Helmut Brinker, Zen: Masters of Meditation in Images and Writings
(Zurich: Artibus Asiae, 1996), p. 47.
John D. Barrow, The Book of Nothing (New York: Vintage Books, 2000),
p- 34.
Ibid., pp. 36-37.
. Ibid., pp. 32-48.
See painting by Chu Te-jun, Hunlun tu (Primordial Chaos), 1349, in
Richard Barnhart and James Cahill, et al., Three Thousand Years of
Chinese Painting (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), p. 163.
Thomas Cleary, Transmission of Light (Boston: Shambhala Publications,
2002), pp. 51-52.
. Ibid., p. 53.
Heinrich Dumoulin, A History of Zen Buddhism (New York: Pantheon
Books, 1963), p. 36.
Translation by Stephen Addiss.
. Cleary, Transmission of Light, p. 60.
12. Ibid.
ic. Hori, p. 401.
14. Shibayama Zenkei, Zenga no Enso (Tokyo: Shunshisha, 1969), p. 8.
15. John Rosenfield, Extraordinary Persons, vol. 1 (Cambridge, Mass.: Har-
vard Art Museum, 1999), p. 264.
16. Dumoulin, p. 108.
We Based on translation by Andy Ferguson, Zen’s Chinese Heritage (Boston:
Wisdom Publications, 2000), p. 167.
18. R. H. Blyth, Zen and Zen Classics, vol., 3 (Tokyo: Hokuseido Press, 1976),
p. 20.
19. Shdshun Kato and Seizan Yanagida. Enso: Zen no kytikoku (Tokyo:
Mainichi Shinbunsha, 1986), p. 19.
20. Ibid., p. 21.
21. Shibayama, p. 8.
22. Ferguson, pp. 166-67.
aa From the Ching-te ch’uanteng lu (Ching-te Era Record Transmission of
the Lamp), in Charles Luk, Zen and Zen Teachings (London: Rider &
Co., 1961), p. 74.
24. Ferguson, p. 169.
25. Thomas Cleary, Book of Serenity: One Hundred Zen Dialogues (Hudson,
N.Y.: Lindisfarne Press, 1990), p. 324.
265 For Kuei-shan texts including a text on circular symbols by Sun-chi, a
Korean successor to Yang-shan, see Thomas Cleary, The Five Houses of
Zen (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1997).
a See Dumoulin, pp. 112-18, or Luk, pp. 158-80.
28. Beata Grant, Daughters of Emptiness: Poems of Chinese Buddhist Nuns
(Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2003), p. 81.
29. Cleary, Transmission of Light, p. 167.
4G: The work is attributed to the artist Mincho and is in the collection of the
Seikado Bunko Art Museum. See Painters of Zen Temple (Yamaguchi
Prefectural Museum of Art, 1998), p. 60-61.

160 NOTES
 . This painting is in the collection of Tofuku-ji in Kyoto and is illustrated
in Brinker, p. 257.
. Brinker, p. 256.
. Ibid.,p.49
Ibid., p. 50.
. Hsu-t’ang refers to Hsti-t’ang Chih-yii (1185-1269, Jp.: Kidd Chigu), the
Chinese patriarch of the Daitoku-ji lineage.
. There is another portrait of Ikkya within a circle at the Yamato
Bunkakan, Nara. See Brinker, fig. 21.
7. Brinker, p. 172.
. Contained in Ta-chu’an Ling-yin P’u-chi’s (1179-1253) Wuteng huiyuan
(Compendium of Five Flames), 1252.
. Brinker, p. 234.
. See Sylvan Barnet and William Burto, Zen Ink Paintings (Tokyo: Kodan-
sha, 1982), p. 82-85.
. YOs6 is probably best known as the target of Ikkyt’s intense criticism
over which of them was the chief heir of their master Kaso.
. Robert Aitken, The Morning Star: New and Selected Writings (Honolulu:
Shoemaker and Hoard, 2003), p. 82.
. Shibayama, p. 7.
“ Hors 9271.
. Shibayama, p. 7.
. James Green, The Recorded Sayings of Zen Master Joshi (Boston: Sham-
bhala Publications, 1998), p. 94.

Enso

Up Mumonkan, case 30. See Katsuki Sekida, Two Zen Classics: Mumonkan
and Hekiganroku (New York: Weatherhill, 1977), p. 99.

NOTES 161
 . Irmgard Schloegl, The Zen Teaching of Rinzai (Berkeley, Calif.: Shambhala
Publications, 1976), p. 13.
. Stephen Addiss, Art of Zen (New York: Abrams: 1989), p. 124.
Shibayama Zenkei, Zen Comments on the Mumonkan, trans. Sumiko
Kudo (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1974), p. 309.
Norman Waddell, trans., The Unborn: The Life and Teaching of Zen Mas-
ter Bankei, 1622-1693 (San Francisco: North Point Press, 1984), p. 10.
D. T. Suzuki. Zen and Japanese Culture (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Uni-
versity Press, 1959), p. 31.
Trevor Leggett, A First Zen Reader (Rutland, Vt.: Charles Tuttle, 1986),
p- 21.
Shibayama Zenkei, Zenga no Enso (Tokyo: Shunshtsha: 1969), p. 7.
Hori, p. 339.
= Hori, p. 191.
. Brinker, p. 296.
. Shibayama, p. 82.
. Translation by Tadayuki Kasashima. See The Written Image: Japanese
Calligraphy and Painting from the Sylvan Barnet and William Burto Col-
lection (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2002), p. 156.
14. Hori, p. 216.
15, Hori, p. 459. This phrase is referenced in numerous Buddhist texts in-
cluding case 79 of the Hekiganroku and number 164 in “Essential Sayings
from the Master’s Room” by Yunmen. See Urs App, trans. and ed., Mas-
ter Yunmen: From the Record of the Chan Teacher “Gate of the Clouds”
(New York: Kodansha America, 1994).
16. Hori, p. 524.
17: Blyth, p. 76.
18. Torei Zenshi Ten, (Mishima, Japan: Mishima Insatsujo, 1986), p. 81.
19. Hort, p. 345.

162 NOTES
. Fabio Rambelli, “Lecture Five: A Semiotic Soteriology,” pp. 21-30.
[Link]/epc/srb/cyber/[Link]
The original text of the Hsin-hsin Ming is contained in the Ching-te
Clvuan-teng lu. See D. T. Suzuki, Manual of Zen Buddhism (New York:
Grove Press, 1960), pp. 76-82 for a translation of the full text.
. Translation by John Stevens.
Shibayama, p. 10.
Hori, p. 245.
Kazuaki Tanahashi, ed., Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings ofZen Master
Dogen (New York: North Point Press, 1985), p. 218.
. Hsiang-yen Chih-hsien (d. 898) from the Wuteng Hutyuan (Com-
pendium of Five Lamps) compiled by Ta-ch’uan Ling-yin P’u-chi
(1179-1253).
. Tanahashi, p. 137.
. Philip Kapleau, ed., The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, Enlight-
enment (New York: Harper & Row, 1966), p. 216.
Translation by John Stevens.
. Katsuki Sekida, Two Zen Classics: Mumonkan and Hekiganroku (New
York: Weatherhill, 1977), pp. 287-91.
. Translation by John Stevens.
. Shibayama, pp. 19-20.
. Shawn Sell, “Defiant Doughnut Survives Diet Trends,’ USA Today, 5p,
March 11, 2005.

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 Select Bibliography

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Aitken, Robert. The Morning Star: New and Selected Zen Writings. Washington,
D.C.: Shoemaker & Hoard, 2003.
App, Urs, trans. Master Yunmen: From the Record of the Chan Teacher “Gate of
the Clouds.” Tokyo and New York: Kodansha International, 1994.
Awakawa, Yasuichi. Zen Painting. Tokyo and New York: Kodansha Interna-
tional, 1970.
Barnet, Sylvan, and William Burto. Zen Ink Paintings. Tokyo and New York:
Kodansha International, 1982.
Barnhart, Richard, et al. Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting. New Haven:
Yale University Press, 1997.
Barrow, John D. The Book of Nothing: Vacuums, Voids, and the Latest Ideas
About the Origins of the Universe. New York: Vintage Books, 2002.
Besserman, Perle, and Manfred Steger. Crazy Clouds: Zen Radicals, Rebels and
Reformers. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1991.
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Fontein, Jan, and Hickman, Money. Zen Painting and Calligraphy. Boston: Mu-
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Poulk, T. Griffith, and Robert Sharf. “Chan Portraiture in Medieval China.” In
Chan Buddhism in Ritual Context. New York: Routledge Curzon, 2003.
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Yokoi, Yuh6, trans. Zen Master Dogen. New York: Weatherhill, 1976.

17.0 SELLE GT Bil BL 10 1G RAP HY

 ‘S Auprey YosHiko Seo, PuD, teaches
The Seattle Public Library Japanese art and culture at the College
of William and Mary in Williamsburg,
Virginia. She is a specialist in Zen

i |
brushwork and twentieth-century
Japanese art. She is also the author
of Zen No Sho: The Calligraphy of
Fukushima Keido Roshi and (with
0 01 00 5707438 6
Stephen Addiss) The Art of Twentieth-
Century Zen.

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