Advice to Tesshu Tokusai’s Attendant

CHINA; Yuan dynasty

Comprising 126 characters in 17 lines, this work of Zhongfeng Mingben is likely to have been composed in his old age. Made in response to a request from the attendant of Tesshu Tokusai, a monk who visited the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), this piece of work advised that pondering over a topic of inquiry as part of meditation practice is a way to enlightenment. This work was listed as an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1957.
Free from the influences of Yuan dynasty calligraphers, this work is characteristic of Zhongfeng Mingben’s “willow leaf style,” with thick strokes applied with force, and scattered, unrestrained characters that give the piece the appearance of a storm of willow leaves. It is said that Zhongfeng’s style is a combination of cursive and ancient seal scripts.
Before taking the tonsure, Zhongfeng Mingben was known by his family name Sun. He was an eminent monk of the Linji school, but rejected fame and fortune in favor of a nomadic lifestyle, naming himself as Huanzhu Daoren (Practitioner of Illusory Abiding). He dedicated efforts in propagating the act of pondering over a topic of inquiry. Among his disciples were Emperor Yingzong (reigned 1320–1323) and Zhao Mengfu.