Zen Calligraphy, “A Flower Held Up, Mahakasyapa Smiles" (Not Framed) Painting

Painting: Ink on rice paper The very essence of Zen Buddhism lies in the direct transmission of Buddha Sakyamuni's enlightenment to his followers. The Japanese Zen phrase Nenge Misho , “A Flower Held Up, [Mahakasyapa] Smiles" or alternatively "Holding a flower, a gentle smile" embodies this direct transmission of awakening from master to disciple, from mind to mind, heart to heart. The beginning of this direct transmission of the Dharma is recorded in the following story: One day Buddha Shakyamuni was staying at Mount Grdhrakuta. The whole assembly of followers was waiting for the Buddha to give a talk, but instead the Buddha turned a flower in his fingers. The whole audience kept silent and only the head disciple Mahakasyapa (Jap. Maha Kasho) smiled. The Buddha then said: "I have the all-pervading True Dharma, incomparable Nirvana, exquisite teaching of formless form. It does not rely on letters and is transmitted outside scriptures. I now hand it to Maha Kasho." (translation from the book 'The Gateless Barrier, Zen Comments On The Mumonkan', by Zenkei Shibayama ) I love the Zen saying Nenge Misho, because its magic expresses the beauty of awakening to the deepest truth of our being,our Buddha nature, with a flower and a smile. The kanji of the Nenge Misho calligraphy are: 拈: Jap. Nen, to hold up 華 : Jap. Ke, flower 微 笑: Bishō, to smile (微 subtle, gentle , 笑  smile) Original size of this Nenge Misho calligraphy in cm: 138 x 28,5 x 0,2 cm . The original calligraphy is not stretched yet. I don't know if you are familiar with rice paper, but when you brush on it, it absorbs the ink and it wrinkles. Therefore the artwork needs to be mounted, which means it is stretched and flattened to take the wrinkles away. Several Chinese and Japanese mounting services in the USA offer art mounting services on the internet. They will be happy to assist you with the mounting. You could also ask your local framer.