In the late 1400s, Japanese Zen monks brought a particular style of splashed-ink painting to its acme. Here, you see a scene that looks like an embankment with trees, a fence, and a building: or is it just a random oddly arranged page of smudges? The Zen monk who painted this, Josui Sōen, was a […]
Art by Zen Buddhist Monks Read More »
This is a statue in the Smithsonian Museum’s Freer Gallery of the Buddha Vairochana: a.k.a. The Cosmic Buddha. It really is a fantastic piece, with the artful designs on the Buddha’s clothing depicting various “Realms of Existence” — different planes that made up the cosmos of the Mahayana Buddhist universe. Created in the
My favorite time period in Japan (and there are many) is the Muromachi era, when a militarized aristocracy ruled in a de-centralized state. The shōgun were just coming on the scene, and they had aspersions of refinement but lacked the intellectual legacy of the ruling class they had usurped. Into this world entered Zen Buddhism,
Rinzai and Zen Buddhism Read More »
This is a statue in the Smithsonian Museum’s Freer Gallery of the Buddha Vairochana: a.k.a. The Cosmic Buddha. It really is a fantastic piece, with the artful designs on the Buddha’s clothing depicting various “Realms of Existence” — different planes that made up the cosmos of the Mahayana Buddhist universe. Created in the
Last Sunday, I got to see a terrific exhibit on early Buddhist art at the New York Metropolitan Museum. Called “Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India 200 BCE-400 CE”, the artworks show, among other things, how pre-Buddhist nature deities and imagery were absorbed by the new religion. In this sculpture — part of
Early Buddhist Art Naga Mucalinda Protecting the Buddha Read More »
Buddhist stele with the Thousand Buddhas motif, from the Northern Wei Dynasty, about 521 CE. Notice the Chinese-drapped sleeves of the historical Buddah in the center, but the surrounding Buddhas are wearing the off-shoulder monastic garb of Indian monks. Smithsonian, Sackler Gallery.
Buddhist Stele with the Thousand Buddhas Motif Read More »
Ikkyu (d 1481) was a famous Zen monk. Since Zen Buddhism focuses on getting practitioners to think outside the box, it shouldn’t be surprising that he was highly unorthodox. Fond of drinking and attending brothels, Ikkyu critiqued many Zen leaders of his day for getting too caught up in propriety and material possessions. He eventually
Ikkyu the Zen Monk Read More »
“Haboku sansui” is a breathtaking splashed-ink painting done by the Zen Buddhist monk Sesshu Toyo in 1495.
Haboku Sansui Painting Read More »
