Autumn Sadness

Sadness

The unspoiled colors of a late summer night,

The wind howling through the loft pines –

The feel of autumn approaching;

The swaying bamboos keep resonating,

And shedding tears of dew at dawn;

Only those who exert themselves fully

Will attain the Way,

But even if you abandon all for the ancient path

of meditation,

You can never forget the meaning of sadness.

~ A Zen Poem from Master Dogen Zenji 道元禪師


Chinese calligraphy: "Autumn", sumi ink rice paper. The size is 12 by 15 in.


"The Zen Poetry of Dogen", Steven Heine, p.133-134

Moonlight

Once I looked at the autumn sky, and there is this bright half moon. It is brilliant and silent, a silence with tremendous strength.

The earth is strewn with clear light.

Past, present and future, which is more real than this moment of cool air? This breeze, this shivering existence? We are all the same after all: the same lonely person on the land, between heaven and earth we are standing alone.

Listen to the world around us. Then we are not so alone...


The painting: Mixed media with metallic gold color on rice paper (a kind of strong fiber mulberry bark paper), mounted on canvas, ready to hang. The size is 36 by 30 inches. The seals are an image of a moon at the top, and a round abstract shape at the bottom.

Please see: www.yeachin.net

Patience

"Patience" is a great virtue that has tremendous power. Patience is quiet and persistent; patience can move the mountain.

Benjamin Franklin said: “He that can have patience can have what he will.” Leo Tolstoy wrote in his "War and Peace": “The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.”

In patience we will have joy. The smile comes from patience is the mark of a true warrior.

This Chinese calligraphy: "Patience". Sumi ink on rice paper, mounted on paper. The size is 10 by 15 in. The seal is: "The Way (Tao)."

At This Moment - In the Mid Day of Summer

Summer, in the mid of day. Close your eyes: envisioning all things are happening. At this moment, every sentient being in the world is going through different things: some are born, some are dying; some are fighting, some are loving. Some are laughing, some are crying. Some are thinking how to help others, some are trying hard to exploit others.

Under the same sun, beneath the same light, there are so many things happen in the world. What we are going through, maybe no different than people had gone through thousands years ago. The world is vast, and the time is limitless. Our suffering and joy are always the same. What we want is more or less the same, too.

No matter where you are, hope you enjoy this moment of peace and openness.

Chinese character: Summer. Sumi ink on rice paper. 10 by 12 in.

Gem Lake

It is night. You walk out of the house to the woods. The strong smell of early summer grass after the rain shower. Moist and sweet air. You look at the sky and know it is vast. Your mind is vast, too. It contains everything: every possibility and every person you have encountered, will encounter. Your heart is full. You remember everything and everyone.

This is a night like a deep, bottomless lake. You walk in and keep going deeper. Appreciation and gratitude arise. Love and longing arise. It is one of those nights you only have yourself but you also have everyone with you. Like a still lake - You don't even know how deep it can be; how much it contains.

Gem Lake. Mixed media on rice paper, mounted on canvas. 25 by 36 inches. The two seals on the left are an image of a lotus, and the wording "Heart of Buddha".

Please see more of my recent new paintings here: www.yeachin.net

Spring Orchid and the Butterfly 蝶戀花

Welcome the spring! Lilac orchid flower has the most alluring color. A butterfly comes from nowhere. May be a bit too early?

春蘭の花
　
spring orchids - 
I pick one up and it slips
in the clouds 

A haiku by Iida Dakotsu 飯田蛇笏

The artwork is mixed media on rice paper, mounted on canvas. The dimension is 16" x 18". The seal is my name "Chin".

HUM!

According to the venerable Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche's teachings, the Sanskrit seed syllable HUM is the sound connects with "energy"; HUM represents "the state of meditation when awareness breaks out the limits of ego." "HUM is the energy of the universal force that transcends the limitation of ego, or rather, pierces through the wall of ego."

Calligraphy: "HUM". Sumi ink on rice paper, mounted on paper. The size is 11 by 15 in. The seal is "Buddha's Heart".