“See your nature! Become the Buddha!”

 

Though it is said that Suiō did not often practice zazen meditation, he nonetheless imbued this portrait of Daruma with a sense of fierce concentra­tion. The skillful and soft treatment of Daruma’s face, described in light washes of ink and careful brushstrokes, contrasts strongly with the sharp, jag­ged edges of the patriarch’s robe, giving the painting a tenuous energy. This juxtaposition of steady mind and frenetic body may suggest that Daruma’s concen­tration cannot be broken even amid the chaos and movement of the world around him.

 

—Bradley Bailey