liang kai scroll details

Daoist talks (IV): Liang Kai The Story of Eight Eminent Monks

Dao, Zen and Buddha – and Daoist extra!

Today I want to share a painting that I think is a special treat. It is by Liang Kai (梁楷;  c. 1140 – c. 1210), best known in the West for his painting of Li Bai. Only a few know his “The story of eight eminent monks” – scroll though. And that’s very surprising because I personally think it’s a very important picture. Not only my heart as a sinologist and art historian but also that of the painter laughs at this picture. Why do I think it is so important?

Liang Kai complete scroll

liang kai scroll eight eminent monks details


I have stated in a previous post that the boundaries between Daoism, Zen, and Buddhism have never been strict in China. In the west, even in a single religion (Catholics – Protestants), we often divide too clearly and have done a lot of mischief with it over time. [1]. China, on the other hand, has always absorbed new ideas and assimilated them with what already existed. [2]

Daoism has been around as a philosophical concept for over 2000 years. When Bodhidharma brought Buddhism to China at the end of the 5th century, it quickly became a form that was absorbed into existing Chinese – basically Daoist – thought and then occupied a vast space until the middle of the last century. The situation was similar to Zen Buddhism, which had its heyday in the 11th-12th centuries and then declined in importance when it split into a Northern and Southern school – just as was the case with painting. As we know, Bodhidharma is also considered the founder of Zen Buddhism.

When we look at this section of Liang Kai’s scroll, the first thing that strikes us is its Buddhist content: Bodhidharma during his famous 9-year meditation in front of a rock.

liang kai painting four scenes



At the same time, we also notice the brush technique that we know from Zen painting. And of course, we see the spirit of Zen in every face. The monk sweeping with a broom is of course reminiscent of Han Shan and Shi De (broom). The spiritual superstructure, so to speak, is Daoism. The end of the scroll shows a typical Daoist motif in the painting: a scholar in a fishing boat. In a certain way, this motif has become the epitome of the Daoist state of mind: unintentionally doing nothing (wu wei 無為) , surrounded by pure nature, the Daoist is at peace and harmony with himself and his environment.


The fact that these 3 formative streams of thought of that time were presented in such a skillful way in one painting now explains my enthusiasm better. Every time I come to Shanghai, I visit the museum to admire it.

Extra: Daoist Prank

There is a wonderful story I want to tell. When I was at the Academy in Beijing for the second time in 1982, I primarily tried to collect material for my dissertation. In my unbelievable naivety, I had planned to ask recognized painters about their understanding of Dao. Naivety because the time of the Cultural Revolution was only a few years over and everyone who had not swung to Mao’s course was often exposed to the worst persecution and punishment, above all the Daoists and Confucianists.

painter lin kai
The painter Lin Kai is at work.


A dear friend, Zhang Zhizhong 张志忠, also a painter himself, managed to organize some talks. And so we both found ourselves at Lin Kai 林锴 one Sunday morning. I liked him right from the start, he showed me some of his work, and we had some nice small talk. Then my question: “What is Dao for you?” [The term DAO () originally meant (and still today in combination with another character) way, road.]

He thought for a while and then said, “If I go to the market from here to buy vegetables, that is Dao.” Pause, then: “When I return from the market, that is Dao”.


??? There wasn’t much more to it than that. That was the essence of the answer to my question. I’m always up for a good joke and that was it for me – if I remember correctly.


My friend brought an album and I asked beforehand if he could draw a picture for me in the album. Weeks later I got the album back and was delighted with the picture. (The album went from painter to painter and so I was able to collect some nice pictures from that time.)

Lin Kai painting
Bodhidharma. Lin Kai 林锴. Album leaf.

The tip of the joke


Of course, I watched the album a few more times later but basically forgot about it. 3 years ago I gave a lecture on Daoism in Chinese painting and I remembered this book again. Only now did I consciously read what Lin Kai actually wrote:


面壁10年图破壁: “10 years looking at the wall to break through the wall”.


What a sentence, what an ingenious rascal!! Only now did it strike me: Bodhidharma sat meditating in front of the wall for 9 years. What should the number 10 mean? Well, the Cultural Revolution lasted 10 years, so the good man “stared at the wall for 10 years.” BTW: By writing the colophon in seal script, an antiquated style that very few can read today, the statement remained readable only to the initiated.


footnotes:

[1] Even today: just think of the Northern Ireland conflict, which still has the potential to flare up again.


[2] Even socialism, adopted from European into Russia and then tailored to its needs by China, has lost much of the basic idea. It would not have been possible for the Chinese to understand dialectical materialism because of their Confucian attitude. Antithesis in an empire that follows the strictest hierarchies?


Daoist talks: I, II, III, IV


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24 responses to “Daoist talks (IV): Liang Kai The Story of Eight Eminent Monks”

  1. acrylicphil avatar

    Marvellous story and insights. As always thank you for the enlightenment and entertainment, Friedrich.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much! You are very kind!

  2. swabby429 avatar

    Your enlightening story made me grin.

  3. The Sicilian Storyteller avatar

    Very entertaining and lovely to look at as well!

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much 🙏😊 Enjoy a great weekend 😀

  4. Ashley avatar

    Lin Kai’s painting of the Bodhidharma is so full of energy! Your story from 1982 is a fascinating insight into what was a tumultuous time. Thank you, as always. 🙏

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much! I am glad you like it. Yes, 1982 was still a tumultuous time – lots of stories to tell 🙂

  5. Martha Kennedy avatar

    ‘”面壁10年图破壁: “10 years looking at the wall to break through the wall”.’ That brought tears to my eyes. I can see all of them now, inviting the clueless, young, American teacher, telling their stories about the ten years “In 1978, my wife got the suicide.”

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Yes, what misery! So much sorrow for so many innocent people. It is all the more surprising how quickly they found their way back to “normal”. And what about now?…..

      1. Martha Kennedy avatar

        A year ago today I was reading aloud at the museum from my China book about my Christmas in China. One of my listeners had tears in her eyes. “They’re just like us!” she said as if such a thought had never occurred to her before. And now? My work is on the walls and I’m afraid to go to the open house because of Covid and I woke up thinking about China and now. I don’t know. I think we’re all in uncharted waters. So, I’m going but not staying long.

      2. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

        Keep your mask on and your distance – especially from strangers 🙂

      3. Martha Kennedy avatar

        I got there after the rush, thank goodness. Stayed a short time, came home and washed.

      4. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

        ….washed away your sins, I guess 😄

      5. Martha Kennedy avatar

        Doubtful 😉

  6. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

    As far as I can see (also based on what’s happening on the stock market) we are heading towards very, very bad times. Worse than most can imagine. It seems China is better prepared – with a corresponding premium. And this premium also will touch “the brave new world” later on.

  7. Rosaliene Bacchus avatar

    Friedrich, thanks for another fascinating, informative, and insightful post on Daoism in Chinese painting. How interesting that China “has always absorbed new ideas and assimilated them with what already existed.” I believe that our lives would become less conflicted if we could accept the religious and philosophical beliefs of humanity’s diverse cultures > Lin Kai’s painting in your album, depicting “10 years looking at the wall to break through the wall,” is intriguing. All dark days come to an end.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much Rosalie! Yes, tolerance would be one of the magic words. It’s crazy how we’ve been beating each other’s heads for centuries just because we believe in different gods, none of which exist.

  8. JMN avatar

    I love Lin Kai’s brush sketch of Bodhidharma. Is there something iconic in the depiction of his robe as red in each case? This is an intriguing post, as always.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much!

      The colors of Buddhist robes can vary greatly depending on the country. Broken or variegated color – which probably was in a spectrum from yellow to a reddish brown from being washed and dyed with plant materials, sometimes saffron or turmeric can be found most.
      There is a story from Zen Buddhism, which holds that the Buddha gave his red robe to Mahakasyapa (flower story). The 28th Indian Patriarch/1st Chinese Patriarch, Bodhidharma, brought this very robe to China and go so far as to say that it was passed to succeeding patriarchs until the Fifth Chinese Patriarch passed it to Hui-neng, with the instruction that there would be no more passing of the robe. Not everyone Zen Buddhist believes this in a literal sense. (after: https://www.urbandharma.org/udharma10/robe.html)

      1. JMN avatar

        The passing of the robe is an intriguing ritual. I’ve gone to the link you provide. The article there is lengthy, and I’ll need to give it more time. The story of Bodhidharma gazing at the wall for 9 years lingers with me. I’ve thought of it as I read just now an article in today’s New York Times by Ezra Klein about the Quakers’ use of silence for quelling the “active and fretful” mind. On a practical note (forgive me), I’ve acquired some calligraphic brushes. Have you advice on how to treat them so that they maintain their ability to keep a point and do not splay out? I struggle with obtaining clean lines in practicing my Arabic script “paintings.” Best regards — Jim

      2. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

        Wash the brushes every time. No soap, water is enough. Squeeze out the remaining water with your thumb and forefinger and form a point. This keeps the brush elastic. Hang to dry if possible. I usually put them down, that’s enough. In no case should you put it in with the tip pointing upwards. This can tear the brush shaft.

      3. JMN avatar

        Makes good sense. Thanks so much!

  9. graham mcquade avatar

    Lovely story, full of insights.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thanks a lot, Graham!

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