“Direct pointing to the human heart, see your nature—and become Buddha!”¹

This large portrait of Daruma embodies several crucial aspects of Hakuin’s teaching and painting practice. Its scale and confident, sweeping brushstrokes are evidence of the painter’s adept mastery of ink painting as well as his familiarity with Daruma’s iconic features, including his large, open eyes, furrowed brow, and immense forehead, all of which suggest a fearsome master engaged in unbroken meditation. The inscription encapsulates Hakuin’s interpretation of Zen, which eschewed memorization of lengthy scriptures and conspicuous patronage, instead urging students to look within themselves for enlightenment, as everyone contains the Buddha nature within their hearts. Indeed, Hakuin’s Daruma literally embodies this: the dark brushstrokes of his robe form a stylized version of the character kokoro, or “heart.”

—Bradley Bailey