In 1707, a young monk named Hakuin saw the rustic calligraphy of an old Zen master that greatly moved him. Although his own calligraphy may have looked more polished because of his intensive brushwork practice, it was painfully obvious to him that his work did not reflect inner realization. Hakuin saw that in the calligraphy of the old master:
The virtue shines—skill is not important.
The Enso, or Zen circle, is one of the most appealing themes in Zen art. The Enso itself is a universal symbol of wholeness and completion, and the cyclical nature of existence, as well as a visual manifestation of the Heart Sutra, "Form is void and void is form." One can see in these paintings of the Enso that form and void are also interdependent and, in fact, define each other. Most examples of Enso also include calligraphy, which gives further clues and refinements of meaning.
Perhaps the simplest and most straightforward of the examples shown here was done by Yamada Reirin (died 1970s):
A circle becomes like the Universe! (Figure 1)
The Universe lingers;
I bow my head. (Figure 2)
All the wise ones of the ten directions
have entered this!
Brushed by the 76 year old fellow Toya,
formerly of Shinkutsuji. (Figure 3)
Arouse the mind without letting it settle
anywhere! (Figure 4)
This composition, with the words a sharp horizontal counterpoint to the rich fullness of the Enso, is the format he preferred.
The Enso is also the shape of the moon, and many Enso, as in this painting by Mannei (1790-1860), use this imagery:
Who can say my heart is like the
Autumn moon? (Figure 5)
The monkey seeks the moon in the water,
chasing after it ceaselessly until death.
If instead, it sinks its hand into the deep spring
the clear, pure moonlight will illume
the universe. (Figure 6)
Within the spinning circle of life we are born.
The human heart too should always be kep
Keep yourself firmly centered inside here
and nothing will be able to shatter you. (Figure 8)
Zen art often combines words and pictures in a way designed to give us hints of deeper meanings. Perhaps this quote of the enlightenment experience of Omori Roshi will give some additional clues about the real meaning of this Enso's symbolism:
"At the right time, you will be able to break through to the state of nothingness. You will attain this realization because of some thing and you will know with your entire being that you are at the center of absolute nothingness, at the center of an infinite circle. To be at the center of an infinite circle in this human form is to be Buddha himself. You have been saved from the beginning. You will know all these things with certainty."
While I much admire the fact that these monks and nuns devoted their lives to searching for truth of the nature of existence, few of us are called to that particularly arduous path. With these ink traces as guides for us, I believe there is much to be gained by simply viewing them and opening ourselves to that experience—visually, intellectually, and, as these paintings tells us, most importantly from our hearts.
"At the right time, you will be able to break through to the state of nothingness. You will attain this realization because of some thing and you will know with your entire being that you are at the center of absolute nothingness, at the center of an infinite circle. To be at the center of an infinite circle in this human form is to be Buddha himself. You have been saved from the beginning. You will know all these things with certainty."
While I much admire the fact that these monks and nuns devoted their lives to searching for truth of the nature of existence, few of us are called to that particularly arduous path. With these ink traces as guides for us, I believe there is much to be gained by simply viewing them and opening ourselves to that experience—visually, intellectually, and, as these paintings tells us, most importantly from our hearts.
