The Sound of One Hand: Paintings and Calligraphy by Zen Master Hakuin December 10, 2010

What's the sound of one hand clapping? This famous meditational question was first framed as "What is the sound of one hand?" by Hakuin Ekaku, an 18th century painter and Zen master whose work is showcased at Japan Society. For the showing, exhibition organizers and noted Zen scholars Audrey Yoshiko Seo and Stephen L. Addiss have gathered 69 scroll paintings by Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768) and nine by his major pupils from public and private collections in Japan and the U.S. The exhibition traces Hakuin's development from the more linear works of his early period to paintings and calligraphy of massive power from the final two decades of his life.