Hakuin Ekaku

Spent yesterday afternoon at the exhibit of Hakuin paintings and calligraphy at the Japan Society on E. 47th Street. Widely acknowledged as the leading Zen master of the last five centuries, Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768) was also the most significant Zen artist of his time. This is the first comprehensive collection of Hakuin's work (78 scrolls) ever exhibited in the West, and the sound of one hand was subtly, yet forcefully, present throughout the entire gallery. Very powerful show.

Photography was not permitted inside, but images of several of my favorite pieces in the show are available online (thx, Jeff).  

Two Blind Men on a Bridge, Ink on Paper, Manyo-an Collection. I have always loved this painting. We are all pretty much blindly feeling our way through life - and our practice, whatever it may be.

Stability, Ink on Paper, 41.9 x 62.3 cm, Manyo-an Collection. The inscription reads:

The ability to stop is the ultimate virtue.
Knowing how to stop results in stability.

[NOTE: This wonderful show closes on Sunday, January 9. More information here. As Master Hakuin puts it: "If you are searching for freedom from this suffering, you must hear the sound of one hand"]. 

Pingshu

We were heading into Beijing from the airport at 1:00 AM after flying for 16 hours.  All was dark and the driver had the radio on. The eerie sounds of pingshu, or traditional Chinese story telling, filled the cab. For the time and the place and my state of mind - it was a delightful dose of surrealism. [NOTE: The voice on the clip is that of Shan Tianfang, a well-known pingshu performer].

The Web at Wudong

This magnificent spider web is on the gate, just before the bridge, at the main entrance to the Miao village of Wudong. People walk by it all day long, glancing up, then continuing on their way. No one bothers it. Nice metaphor for Wudong. A web of complex interactions, cultural norms, and government policies woven carefully together into something very beautiful. 

Okyoo (Prayer 108)

A lot of beautiful art was on display at the Sweetcake Ensō exhibit (see Sweetcake Ensō). The piece shown in the video, Okyoo (Prayer 108), is by the Japanese-Russian artist, Miya Ando. The entire scroll is 188 inches long.  

If you look closely, the Lotus Sutra has been etched into the graphite in the middle of the scroll (image below). [NOTE: Miya Ando, who frequently works with metal, is a descendant of the Bizen sword maker Ando Yoshiro Masakatsu, and was raised in a Buddhist temple among swordsmiths turned priests in Okayama, Japan].

Tempat Obat

Two Dayak medicine containers ("tempat obat") that we got in West Kalimantan (see Kalimantan Woodcarver, Illipe Nut, Field Crews) many years ago. The container on the left is carved out of bone and has a calendar for indicating when to take your medicine; the stopper is carved out of wood. The larger container on the right is bamboo with very ornate inscriptions.  Unclear what is on the heads of the little guys on the stoppers. Both are beautiful examples of ethnic art being incorporated into daily life. 

Sweetcake Ensō

In Zen Buddhist painting, the ensō, or brushed ink circle, symbolizes a moment when the mind is completely unfettered and true reality is allowed to manifest itself.  There are a lot of different types of ensōs, e.g. mirror ensō, moon ensō, universe ensō, each type expressing a subtly different meaning. These calligraphic circles are profound but they are not abstract, and when enlightenment and the acts of daily life-"sipping tea and eating rice cakes"- are one, there is true Buddhism.  The sweetcake ensō expresses this realization.

A unique traveling exhibit of sweetcake ensōs, including works from traditional calligraphers as well as more contemporary renderings, will be inaugurated at the Empty Hand Zen Center on October 2 and 3.  One of the pieces from the exhibit, Life and Death by Zen Master Nonin Chowaney, is shown above. Additional information about the exhibit, as well as artwork and writings from prominent scholars and American Zen teachers can be found here. 

Miao Still Life

A shot from the Miao village of Wudong in Guizhou, China. The careful woodwork on the windows, the orange of the drying corn, the weathered wood of the walls. Image has a nice autumn feel to it.

Wireman

The wire sculpture shown above was photographed at the American Folk Art Museum in New York. The piece was found - along with approximately 1,500 more just like it - in garbage bags in an alley of an African-American neighborhood in Philadelphia. The artist, known simply as the Philadelphia Wireman, relied on discarded materials such as tape, newspaper, ribbon, glass, buttons, and scrap metal to produce the whimsical creations. 

Let's Color

The Let's Colour Project is a worldwide initiative to transform grey spaces with colorful paint. A mission to spread color all over the world. Not a bad idea.  The video clip is joyous. [NOTE: Music is "Go Do", by Jónsi (of Sigur Rós)].

Hinge Plate

Hinge plate of a large, red-lacquer door on one of the imperial buildings at the Forbidden City (see Forbidden City) in Beijing, China. Talk about attention to detail.