Sixth Patriarch

CHINA; Ming dynasty

An inscription by Dong Qichang on the right side of this Ming dynasty painting states the name of the artist, Ding Yunping, and summarizes a portion of the Platform Sutra involving a conversation between the monk Fada and Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of the Chan school.
Fada, who renounced at the age of seven, constantly recited the Lotus Sutra without fully understanding it. When he visited Huineng, he bowed to the patriarch but did not touch his head on the ground. Huineng interpreted this as a sign of conceit and recited a verse: “When the mind is confused, the Dharma flower turns it. The enlightened mind will turn the Dharma flower. Reciting the sutra so long without understanding it has made you an enemy of its meaning.” Upon hearing the verse, Fada attained enlightenment.
In the painting, a peaceful youth sits at a table and reads a sutra. In the lower right corner, two monks converse. On the left, a bearded figure with bumps on his head sits alone, watching them. The carefully painted leaves of a tree fill the upper register.