禅Gongai Sochu

verse

Verse on Calligraphy

Daitoku-ji Historical Records

Nanbokuchō Period Japan

Traditionally attributed

Text

The brush does not know what it writes. The hand does not choose the meaning. The mind empties into the ink — and then, somehow, the character appears. This is also how the dharma moves: not by deciding, but by clearing. Not by grasping, but by letting the brush find its natural stroke.

license: public_domain

Attribution

Lineage: Rinzai

By Gongai Sochu

From Daitoku-ji Historical Records

Sources

  • contentZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation

    Zen project editorial

    Attributed verse on Zen calligraphy practice; Daitoku-ji records

    Daitoku-ji Historical Records: Verse on Calligraphy

No per-field confidence has been recorded for this teaching yet. Treat individual claims with the caution appropriate to the source list below.

Attribution status: traditional — see editorial policy for what this means.

1 supporting citation on record (see Sources above).

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