“The ability to stop is the ultimate virtue. Knowing how to stop results in stability.”¹

 

This inscription references the Zen Buddhist notion of the mind at rest, which is embodied by the practice of zazen, or seated meditation, and further implies an abandonment of the relentless material pursuits of the earthly world. As in his other calligraphic works, Hakuin’s formal treatment of the characters is meant to emphasize his meaning, with the character for stability (jō) rendered in thick strokes of dark ink. In a graphic flourish, Hakuin has extended the final brushstroke of his inscription, which terminates at far left, pulling it all the way across the paper, back to the character jō, with which his inscription ends grammatically. In so doing, the painter is able to maintain philosophical and artistic focus on the concept of stability, making it both the first and the last character to be read.

  

—Bradley Bailey