Word: satori
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1970-1970
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...done with maximum spontaneity. In Zen, as opposed to the controlled symmetries of scholarly painting, the inky brush spatters and runs on the paper in a kind of ecstatic exuberance-a sort of Oriental forerunner of action painting. The essence of Zen thought is satori -sudden enlightenment. It comes unpredictably; meditation prepares the artist, but guarantees nothing. One ancient monk, Yun-Men, achieved satori when his teacher slammed a door on his foot. Another, Wen-Shu Ssu-yeh, had it while butchering a pig, and celebrated the occasion in verse...