Seki Bokuō 関牧翁 (1903~1991) – “Zuisho Saku Shu” & Bodhidharma – 隨處作主

$220.00 CAD

 

SOLD. THANK-YOU!

“Zuisho saku shu” (Suíchù zuò zhǔ in Chinese) is a Zen phrase found in all 12 of the ancient books of the TripiṭakaAs a meditation, it means “Master Everywhere”. This means not being led by, or, following one’s troubles. When we enter certain realms, troubles can arise in our hearts. Most of these come from the vanity of belief that one’s petty problems are of any great importance. When we are aware of the truth and transience of all forms and have transcended the human condition, we are aware of the Tathāgata

After living through the Great Kantō earthquake, the young Seki Bokuō worked at a very rigorous, physically demanding job as a tile craftsman while studying Buddhism. After time, the sect he had chosen did not appeal to him and he contemplated moving to Brazil, but found that it would cost a great deal of money. As he contemplated what direction to take his life in, he stumbled upon a monk at a temple in the mountains who was not married, did not eat meat, and who loved to start composing ancient styles of poetry after 5 cups of sake. This meeting had a profound effect upon him, and he started to study with him once a month. After many months of this, he realized that he wanted to become his apprentice and begged many times to become so. He was finally allowed to live at the temple and work hard cleaning and cooking, but was not allowed to apprentice. After a long time, when he had adjusted to the harsh life of a perpetually overworked houseboy, he was allowed to become an apprentice. After thousands of hours of Zazen meditation, he was sent to Kyoto to train at Myōshin-ji. The training there was especially harsh and he contracted and suffered through a long bout of tuberculosis.  He returned to his original master’s temple, recovered and was again sent to Kyoto. From that point, he persevered, suffered through WWII, and showed such great resolve in his astonishingly long hours of Zazen that he was eventually chosen to become head abbot of Tenryū-ji. One of his masterpieces is still an integral part of that temple (see last picture).

Nice reflective gold stenciled brocade. Good condition (light, normal creases on the honshi [main painted area]). *After clicking on a picture to enlarge it, please click the top left corner to enlarge it a second time.

16.5″ x 44″ – $220 CAD –  . Comes with a sealed document of authenticity and 3 hours worth of further reading and documentary viewing. Price includes shipping worldwide! All prices in Canadian dollars. 

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