The Chinese Zen strive to reach enlightenment through there life. This principal of enlightenment is an individual achievement, having neither a set path to take nor a final destination to arrive at. Reaching enlightenment, in a Zen belief, doesn’t mean you have reached a state higher than that of the non-enlightened. You just have an understanding of what that enlightenment is. This Zen idea of enlightenment is expressed in all that the Zen followers do, and can be seen in the various paintings of the artists of the Sung and Yuan dynasties. In contrast to the beliefs of many scholars, these paintings do contain symbols and themes and are not presented only as is, therefore showing that many of the Zen followers went against suggested teachings and beliefs. Though simple and straightforward in appearance, when examining the art and artist’ intentions for creating it, one can easily see the great amount of hidden features relating to the Zen culture and beliefs which is in essence,......
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Approximate Word Count: 3128
Approximate Pages: 13 (260 words per double-spaced page) |