Triptych of Three Zen Masters: Deshan, Bodhidharma, and Linji
Yiran Xingrong 逸然性融 (Jp. Itsunen Shōyū, 1601-1668)
Eulogies by Muan Xingtao 木菴性瑫 (Jp. Mokuan Shōtō, 1611-1684), 1658
Japan, Edo period (1615-1868)
Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper
Each scroll: 124.46 x 39.69 cm
University of Michigan Museum of Art, Museum purchase, Acquisition Fund, 1975/2.181-183
LINJI (right):
When he shouted in a voice like thunder,
He aroused the monks’ inner spirit.
His wisdom has been polished for a thousand years but never lost;
He taught the three mysteries and did not ask for Buddha.
BODHIDHARMA (center):
This barbarian monk with green eyes certainly talks a lot!
His teeth open to the wind, he is filled with a haughty spirit.
He agitated the Liang Emperor, while his own heart became more empty,
Unconcerned, he sat in the cool, near the twin trees by the riverbank.
DESHAN (left):
A single dot in the great void, a single drop in a huge gully;
He burned up the sutra when enlightenment appeared.
He points to sages and commoners alike with his stick,
In this world of karma, he is true Buddha.
—trans. Stephen Addiss and Kwan S. Wong