Zen Stone No.11

31*40cm

Mixmedia Print

Zen Stone - Wall Contemplation and the Four Practices of Bodhidharma

The entire artwork is steeped in elegant beige and grey tones, complemented by stable olive green and deep black, creating a serene yet powerful Zen ambiance. This precisely reflects Bodhidharma's advocated "wall contemplation" (壁观) — "Abiding firmly in wall contemplation, without self or other, saints and ordinary beings are one, abiding steadfastly without wavering." This aims to eliminate all delusive thoughts, allowing the mind to become as still and unmoving as a wall.

The topmost grey oval in the painting, with its simplicity and tranquility, can be seen as a symbol of "entry by principle" (理入). Bodhidharma's "entry by principle" refers to comprehending, through the Dharma teachings, the truth that Buddha-nature is equal for all and that ordinary beings and sages are non-dual. This stone, seemingly formless and without characteristics, yet truly existent, hints at our inherent pure nature, which is no different from the Buddha's, requiring no outward seeking.

Immediately below it, the black oval, filled with rough, mottled, and complex black and white textures, is like the chaotic complexity of the five defilements of the saha world (realm of endurance), and the vexations and karmic obstructions arising from sentient beings' ignorance. This is the reality that Bodhidharma's "entry by practice" (行入) in "accordance with conditions" (随缘行) addresses—realizing that all suffering is caused by past karma and willingly enduring it; understanding that all favorable and adverse circumstances arise from causes and conditions, and being at peace with them. These textures also hint at the contemplation of "no self-mark, no person-mark, no sentient being-mark, no life-span-mark," seeing emptiness even amidst complexity.

The olive green oval in the middle, with its stable color and full form, symbolizes "the practice of non-seeking" (无所求行). Bodhidharma taught practitioners that everything in the world is empty, and only by seeking nothing can one accord with the Way. This green also signifies the vitality and vigor of life; even in "non-seeking," there is still an energy of liberation.

Further down, the white oval, with its purity and light, can be seen as the manifestation of "the practice of accord with Dharma" (称法行). Practitioners cultivate in accordance with the true Dharma, their minds becoming bright and unstained by defilement. White represents the state where vexations are purified and wisdom manifests, an intuitive expression of Bodhidharma's "directly pointing to the human mind, seeing one's nature and attaining Buddhahood."

The abstract form at the very bottom, resembling a broken black vessel with complex textures revealed within, can be seen as the breaking through of "mind-consciousness" (识心) and the contemplation of one's true nature. Bodhidharma emphasized "no reliance on words, a special transmission outside the scriptures," precisely to break through the barriers of language and directly contemplate our "mind" that harbors ignorance and vexations. The textures revealed within it are the true face that appears after releasing attachments, which is the original mind seen after transcending "the marks of speech, the marks of mental activity, and the marks of written language."