Chan/Zen art and philosophy blend strict rigor with playful irreverence. The dignified image of an aging master learnedly poring over an abstruse scripture is undercut by the poetic inscription, which suggests that true enlightenment may just as well be found elsewhere.

Inscription

In this one volume of sutra,
The words have no clear meaning.
The sun rises, the moon sets,
When will I finish reading it?

Reading a sutra by moonlight
Unidentified artist.
ca. 1332

只這一卷經，字字無分曉。
日出月又落，幾時看得了。
保福思珉讚。 [印]：玉谿

Another rendering:
Only this one scroll of scripture—every word unclear.
The sun rises, the moon sets—when will it ever be fully understood?

Images with thanks: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Categories: Art, Buddhism, Chan / Seon / Zen

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