Shin Calligraphy, by Dorin

“The three worlds are only one spirit. Nothing exists outside of the mind. There is no world outside my mind. Existence is just a phenomenon of the mind, and the world does not exist outside my mind.” By Keiju Dorin, 76 years old.

Kokoro, or shin in classical Japanese, is the main kanji of this calligraphy. It means both heart and mind, referring to our deep inner self and our essence. Kokoro can also be used to talk about objects or places, the heart of the city for instance.

About Keiju Dorin (1714 – 1794)
He was a priest of the Rinzai School from Kyoto, also known as Asahitei, Raihoken or Kinugasa. He became a monk and follower of Ungai from Enkian. On his travels he came to Hojoji Temple in Tamba and received dharma transmission from Daido Bunka. Later, he returned to Tenryuji and lived at Enkian, now known as Jizo-in, where he taught in a wooden hut. His name was inscribed in Tenryuji West Hall in 1743 but there are no records of him anywhere else after that. He entered into the Rinzai School in 1777 and became the 221st abbot. He was rich in wisdom and a skilled calligrapher. He died in April 1794 at the age of 81.