Single-Line Calligraphy [center of a triptych of single-line calligraphies]

The written word is of utmost importance in Japanese Zen. Handwritten texts by Zen teachers—everything from lectures and certificates to poems and personal correspondence—are treasured as bokuseki, “ink traces” of the master, and displayed in monasteries for their didactic potential as well as for the beauty of the writing itself. This triptych of scrolls features the bold, semi-cursive calligraphy of Gaoquan Xingdun, a Chinese monk who immigrated to Japan in 1661 and became a central figure in the early development of the O_baku school, or sect, of Zen. Each scroll includes a single, five-character Zen maxim: “Eternal blessings on the wise ruler” on the important central scroll; “Religious spirit spreads across the four seas” at right; and “Beneficent graces permeate the world” at left.