Discussion of Buddhist Principles by Tettō Gikō

Ikkyū Sōjun Japanese

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 224

This dynamic calligraphy is one of many transcriptions Ikkyū Sōjun made of the adages of the monk Tettō Gikō (1295–1369). A disciple of the famous Zen prelate Shūhō Myōchō, Tettō seamlessly continued his mentor’s legacy as the second-generation abbot of Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto. The text here reads:

Like a wheel drawing water from a well, [the cycle of reincarnation] never ceases. . . . If I were to be reborn into the womb of a donkey or a horse, it is uncertain how many lifetimes it would take to return and rectify past misdeeds. One must strive continuously in this life to achieve understanding in order to ensure that such a disaster does not occur. Ponder it, contemplate it.

Discussion of Buddhist Principles by Tettō Gikō, Ikkyū Sōjun (Japanese, 1394–1481), Hanging scroll: ink on paper, Japan

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Discussion of Buddhist Principles by Tettō Gikō, Ikkyū Sōjun (Japanese, 1394–1481), Hanging scroll: ink on paper, Japan
Discussion of Buddhist Principles by Tettō Gikō, Ikkyū Sōjun (Japanese, 1394–1481), Hanging scroll: ink on paper, Japan

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