Portrait of Bodhidharma
Hakuin Ekaku 白隠慧鶴 Japanese
Not on view
An influential monk and prolific painter, Hakuin Ekaku made striking and sometimes humorous pictures that played an important role in his teaching. Dozens of half-length portraits of Bodhidharma (Japanese: Daruma), the Indian monk credited with transmitting Zen Buddhist teachings to China in the sixth century, can be dated to the last few decades of the artist’s life. He brushed a variety of different messages on these pictures, the most common being four Chinese characters conveying a clear lesson: “Look inside yourself to become a buddha.” The inscription on this work communicates the same essential message but is more open-ended: “No matter how you see...” (どふ見ても). With this and a similar message found on other images of Bodhidharma--"No matter when you see..." (いつ見ても)--Hakuin encourages Zen adherents to awaken to the true nature of things, to perceive one's inherent buddhahood, no matter what it takes.
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