Friday, December 24, 2010

Haikun Ekaka

Haikun Ekaka, 1685-1768, was a Japanese Zen master, author of the famous koan "What is the sound of one hand?" (Clapping, that is, in our version.) He did not begin to paint until he was in his 60s, but by the time he died he relied more on images to convey his teachings than words. Many of his images are humorous:

I think these are quite charming, although I can't extract any more wisdom from them than I can from pondering "What is the sound of one hand?" Many more here.

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