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Graverson 1 Emilee Graverson Birnbaum HAVC 127 A 20 November 2012 Zen Master Hakuin and the Contemplation of Self

In the Buddhist tradition, the concept of self is very complicated. The fundamentals of Buddhism call for an abandonment of self, but it is inherent in human nature to identify as a conscious being and distinguish yourself in some meaningful way. Buddhist notions emphasize the ephemeral nature of the human body, and Buddhist art often portrays this ideal. Hakuin Ekaku was a Buddhist master of the Zen tradition, who also was an exemplary artist and writer late in life. Hakuin completed self-representations in the form of paintings as well as a prolific autobiography. Both Hakuins writings and paintings portray his teachings of dharma. His representation of self, on the surface, may seem to abandon the lack of self notion that is central to practicing dharma. In this essay I aim to explore Hakuins artistic style and written verse in order to better understand how the two can embody the very teachings they seem to disregard. Comparing conventional notions of a self-portrait: a defined form and identifiable characteristics, to Hakuins self-portraits creates an interesting dichotomy. Hakuins paintings portray his body in a frail, human form, showing the very impermanence of a human life. In conjunction, his artistic styling has a 2-dimensionality and uniformity to the tones; this shows us a representation that is as ephemeral as human existence. With Hakuins autobiography Wild Ivy, his teachings of impermanence are lost amongst the great array of teachings it contains. It is clear that his self-portraits supplement his text, and provide more blatant display of his concept of self, that the text alone cannot give.

Graverson 2 Expressions of self can include autobiographies, paintings, photographs or even poetry. In particular, portraits of monks have a specific use; to substitute for the physical body of the monk after death. Hakuin completed many self-portraits leading up to his death, that he hoped would suffice to spread teachings of the fleeting nature of human life. Hakuins self portraits are very prevalent and also similar in medium to many Buddhist paintings. A simple ink and paper painting, Hakuin creates a 2-dimensionality in the figure, so that the human seems lifeless, hollow. His skin, his robe and the background are the same tone and texture, he is unidentifiable from the blank page that he is upon. The paper, thin and disposable, is representative of the body shown on it. There is also little definition in the brush strokes, they seem uneven and hurried, like the image itself was rather meaningless, and the
Self-Portrait, Hakuin Ekaku <http://terebess.hu/zen/hakuin.html>

process of making the strokes was more significant than the resulting image. Because of this it is clear that Hakuin did not have some sort

of egotistical agenda in his self-representations, in fact, his self portraits clearly deny the importance of a sense of self, and instead affirm the notion of an ephemeral human existence. Stylistically, Hakuin demonstrates the fleeting nature of all human life, but through the physiognomy of his own self-portrait, he shows the fleeting nature of his own life. It is often

Graverson 3 heavily contemplated at what point in a monks life to depict them in their memorial portrait. Memorial portraits function to embody the monk and his teachings after death, as a sort of replacement for the physical body. Although Hakuins paintings were completed in his lifetime, he still had the same choice, how would he represent himself? His paintings almost all show Hakuin as an old man, in an un-idealized state. His face is wrinkled, rather than the youthful appearance of a liberated being. His face has an odd expression of anger or distress, a very atypical expression especially when compared to the look of peaceful serenity of a liberated being. All aspects of Hakuins physical appearance point out his inherent humanity. Rather than displaying himself as a young man in an idealized state, his life is soon to come to an end; death is imminent. Hakuin is portraying himself this way in order to further his teachings on the impermanence of life. The visual representation of self caters to a very different mode of thought that the written. In Hakuins case, his visual depictions provide evidence where his text falls short. Hakuins autobiography entitled Wild Ivy, is a representation of self, as well as a passing along of the Zen masters teachings. Hakuins chronicle of his life leads the reader to understand him through a series of stories, encounters and realizations. His realizations emphasize the importance of practice, and seek to help those suffering find the path. The following passage is an excerpt from his chapter Authentic Zen.
At around midnight on the seventh and final day of my practice, the boom of a bell from a distant temple reached my ears: suddenly, my body and mind dropped completely away. I rose clear of even the finest dust. Overwhelmed with joy, I hollered out at the top of my lungs, Old Yen-tou is alive and well!

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My yells brought my companions running from the monks quarters. We joined hands, and they shared with me in intense joy of the moment. After that, however I became extremely proud and arrogant. Everyone I encountered seemed to me like so many lumps of dirt. (pg 23)

Hakuin is recounting a moment when he experienced the true nature of selflessness. When his body and mind dropped away it can be argued that he was in that moment experiencing the true Buddhist notion of self. The impermanence of the human body, which is often central to ones definition of self, is shown here as disposable. The fact that Hakuin was able to leave his body in this moment of liberation shows the power of the mind over the physical being. This moment is crucial to the rest of the text, for it is the key element that the teachings of Zen are grounded. Hakuin expresses himself not through the stories he tells, but by the fundamentals he instills upon the reader throughout the text. Wild Ivy is more of a manifestation of teachings, rather than a construction of self. Along with many other teachings, his rumination on his experience of selflessness helps ground his purpose in writing the text. He uses the text to affirm that it is crucial to abandon self in order to begin practice. His confrontation with the ephemeral nature of the human body and life connects back to these same realizations in his self-portraits. Both Hakuins autobiographies and self-portraits contain evidence that he was radically aware of the Buddhist sense of self. His teachings are evident through his writings, but it is the visual elements of his paintings that challenge standard notions of self: constructed and stable. By portraying himself as a hollow, rather undistinguishable form, he communicates his own impermanence. His self-image is one of an unenlightened person, showing to the viewer the teachings of impermanence that he outlines in his autobiography. The self-portraits, therefore apply the teachings of Zen he so strongly accepts, and gives it a visual clarity. The self-portraits contain a clearer, more deliberate contemplation of that ideal. Hakuins paintings provide intelligibility where the text cannot. A visual image not only physically represents Hakuin

Graverson 5 himself, but represents an ideal, where the text can only represent that ideal. I would argue that this overarching ideal is the fleeting nature of human existence. Creating a direct connection between an image of ones self and the religious ideal that denies it is clearly a clever interpretation by Hakuin. Hakuin is widely seen as an unconventional monk, and his words and art prove that. Furthermore, where his words lack groundinghis images reassure his full understanding of the concept of self. My conclusions on Hakuins works prove to highlight his goal of being a teacher of dharma. His life served as an endless journey to bestow Zen teachings upon people in need. In his concluding chapter of Wild Ivy, he states if dull, plodding oafs like methe kind of people who will suffer from illness as I didget a look at this book, read and contemplate its meaning, they should surely be able to obtain a little help from it. (pg 96) The specific element I considered from the text was his reflection on the concept of the self, and how his acknowledgement of the Buddhist notions of self is displayed in his works. From these depictions, it is clear that his self-portrait paintings display the impermanence of the human body, while at the same time blatantly teaching the viewer on the importance of practice. His method of teaching continues through his written world, but is a little less accessible. Although his commitment to affirming the Buddhist notion of self is apparent in his autobiography Wild Ivy his visual portrayals of self contemplate the larger conceptions at stake. His physical representation of his own body proves to substantiate the impermanence of human life in general. Building on this notion, his paintings showing his own frail body show his imminent death and departure from the physical world.

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