On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Sacred Verse (Gāthā) from the Sutra of Buddhist Teachings (Hokku-gyō)
Zekkai Chūshin Japanese
Characterized by fluent ligatures, this striking one-column calligraphy (ichigyō mono) was executed by Zekkai Chūshin, a Rinzai Zen monk. After serving the monk Musō Soseki (1275–1351) at a young age, he traveled to China to study at the most prominent monasteries. This inscription serves as a simple yet poignant reminder of the Buddha’s teachings. The choice of this phrase—from a dialogue of the early ninth century between the reclusive monk Niaoke Daolin and the poet Bai Juyi introducing the basic principles of Buddhism—suggests that the work was created for a lay patron:
諸悪莫作 衆善奉行
Refrain from all evil.
Practice all that is good.
–Adapted from Jonathan Chaves
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