Annotated Painting - Dialogue with Master Fayan

CHINA; Southern Song dynasty

Chan Master Fayan Wenyi was the founding Patriarch of the Fayan school of Chan Buddhism. This portrait of him was painted by Ma Yuan, and later an annotation was written by Empress Yang Meizi of the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). The notation reads, “The lands, mountains, and rivers of nature are all the same, and yet they are different,” citing the dialogue between Master Fayan and his mentor, Chan Master Luohan Guichen. The scroll was listed as an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1922.
Comprised of four lines with six characters each, this particular piece is rich in elements of running script, which is the specialty in Empress Yang’s works. This piece is considered to be the most straightforward display of her calligraphic works. Empress Yang wrote annotations on several paintings of the patriarchs of the Chan school, including paintings of Chan Master Yunmen and Chan Master Dongshan.