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Tenryu founder zen Bodhidharma-DSC 7394(2)

Tenryu-ji is a very large temple complex and garden near Arashiyama, Japan. Among the artworks on display is this hanging scroll depicting the rather severe looking Daruma, or Bodhidharma, a 5th century Indian monk who is credited with bringing Zen Buddhism to China, painted by the abbot, Seiko Hirata (1924-2007).

From the Website for Tenryu-ju temple
“Tenryu-ji was established in 1339 by the shogun Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358) in memory of Emperor Go-Daigo (1288-1339), with the eminent Zen master Muso Soseki (1275-1351) appointed as founding abbot. Landed estates were donated to the new temple to help fund its construction, but as the resulting revenues proved insufficient Muso Soseki and Ashikaga Tadayoshi devised a plan to send two trading ships to China and use the resulting profits to complete Tenryu-ji's construction. This plan was a great success, and the temple was officially consecrated in 1345. It was designated first among Kyoto's Five Mountains (the city's five major Zen temples), a ranking it maintains to the present day” (About Tenryu-ji : The official home page of Tenryu-ji, a UNESCO World Heritage site)
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1 comment

Stephan Fey said:

Very interesting!
2 days ago ( translate )