七言律詩 (Shichigon risshi, Chinese poem in seven-character lines)|Chinese Poem on Buddhist Teachings

Nanyuan Xingpai (Japanese: Nangen Shōha) 南源性派

1666 · Hanging scroll; ink on paper · Asian Art

The Ōbaku monk Nanyuan Xingpai had been a devoted disciple of Yinyuan Longqi from a young age and followed his master to Japan. This scroll shows an inscription by Nanyuan in vigorously brushed cursive characters, a style that echoes that of Yinyuan. The Chinese poem, likely a tribute to a physician, speaks of the noble task of alleviating suffering through medicine: 處世長懷済世心 門開日即雨平臨 青囊拈出藥千種 妙訣還同海樣深 Amid the affairs of the world, focus your mind on saving people; when your door is open, rain falls on all indiscriminately. A thousand cures taken out from a doctor’s blue satchel; the secret to removing suffering remains as profound as the seas. —Trans. Xiaohan Du

Artist

Nanyuan Xingpai (Japanese: Nangen Shōha) 南源性派

Date

1666

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2020