Minneapolis Institute of Art

Zen Encounter: Niaoke Daolin and Bai Juyi

Soga Shōhaku

Date

second half 18th century

Medium

Hanging scroll, ink on silk

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Legend has it that the famous Chinese poet Bai Juyi (772–846) once paid a visit to the Zen master Niaoke Daolin (741–824) and found the elderly monk sitting in a tree by a nest of magpies. The poet asked the monk about the essential meaning of the Dharma, or Buddhist teaching. The monk answered by quoting a scripture, the Precept Verse of the Seven Buddhas: “Shun all evil, perform every good.” To this, the poet exclaimed, “Even a three-year-old child knows this!” And the Zen master replied, “A three-year-old child may be able to say it, but even an 80-year-old man cannot do it.” Finally comprehending, Bai Juyi then built a Zen temple and devoted his life to Zen practice. In this painting of the famous encounter, the Japanese painter Soga Shōhaku shows a smiling Niaoke Daolin sitting high in a tree next to three magpies. The poet below, accompanied by an attendant, appears befuddled. Asia

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