Wen/Yang Bowen
Today's era is an era of diversified art, and the combination of form and expression, content and spirit of China's painting also shows a diversified artistic style and flavor of the times. As Liu Xie said: "Times change, quality changes", but no matter what kind of artistic style of Chinese painting, it should be rooted in the inheritance and development of tradition, life and sentiment. The amount of nutrients absorbed from tradition and life varies from person to person, and it also has a certain relationship with personal nature and talent. As a Buddhism introduced into China from abroad, Zen Buddhism has many internal connections with China's traditional painting art spirit and creative art thinking form in the process of conscious thinking cultivation. On the special relationship between this artistic spirit and thinking form, I will briefly talk about the following views and feelings.
First, let's take a look at the origin of the word "Zen". The word Zen comes from India's dhyana, which means meditation, static filtration and thinking cultivation. Chinese zen and Indian Zen are very different, so I don't need to say much here. Here I focus on the many internal relations between Zen and artistic creation. It is this inner connection that causes the special relationship between Zen and art.
First, both Zen and art aim at expressing human self-awareness. There is * * * sameness between Zen's self-nature theory and artistic creation, and self-awareness and self-transcendence are also the highest goals of Zen and artistic exploration. Zen's theory of self-nature and the subject of artistic creation are human's conscious pursuit and understanding of self-consciousness. The difference between Zen Buddhism and other religious practices lies in its theory of self-nature, which advocates seeking Buddha's nature and true colors from people's inner world. As stated in the Tanjing of the Sixth Ancestor, "Self-performance contains all kinds of laws, and all kinds of laws are human", "All laws are in self-nature, which is called pure dharma body", "Prajna exists without departing from self-nature" and "Buddha is self-made and all kinds of laws". The thinking process of the subject of artistic creation also needs to respect the self, which is not only to seek the true self for tradition and life, but also to respect feelings. The originality process of art and the originality practice of Zen have proved that originality is not the subjective arbitrariness of artists, and originality must be based on the understanding of the essence of objective things and cannot be separated from tradition and life. In Hegel's language, the real originality lies in "the unity of the artist's subjectivity and the real objectivity of expression" and only "the integration of the subject and the object in artistic expression". Zen also advocates since the enlightenment. We should have our own understanding and knowledge of Zen, just as the old man Baishi said, "Those who learn from me live like me die". In Zen poetry, there is also a saying that "I have been looking for swordsmen for 3 years, and I have fallen back several times, and I have no doubt since I saw the peach blossom." Then Zen Buddhism also puts forward: teaching people to be suspicious and realize, to be suspicious and realize, and not to be suspicious and not to understand, which seems to have a contradiction between no doubt in poetry and no doubt advocated by Zen Buddhism. However, this "no doubt" is not the other "no doubt". The former is to affirm the essence of things through repeated observation and exploration of the phenomenon characteristics of objective things, while the latter is to find problems in the observation of things, put forward their own questions and opinions, constantly explore and demonstrate, seek the correct answer in their hearts, realize the natural mystery and explore the essence through phenomena. Zen is opposed to verifying Buddha's nature from Buddhist classics, Buddhist idols and meditation. It advocates understanding self-nature through observing and understanding the perceptual world, and testifying its true colors. It is believed that only by using the direct experience and enlightenment gained by itself can we "be confident", "since the enlightenment" and "see the big picture from the beginning" and record "The Five Lights Will Meet the Yuan". Zen emphasizes the role of subjective mind, and does not deny real life. The feeling of art also has such a wonderful principle: "A real artist, the value of self-expression should lie in the discovery of society and self, and artistic talent, constantly surpassing himself, is the talent of discovery." The discovery of nature and self will bring distinctive personality to artistic creation and make works of art have enduring aesthetic value. Second, the ideological origin of literati painting. The so-called literati painting is not that the people who painted it were the literati and scholar-officials in ancient China, but that this kind of painting absorbed the aesthetic thoughts of Zen Buddhism and the philosophical thoughts of Taoism, Laozi and Zhuangzi into the traditional painting art in China, broke through the traditional creative thoughts and artistic expression techniques, and opened up a painting style of lofty indifference and artistic conception. When it comes to "literati painting", we must mention Wang Wei, a famous poet and painter in the Tang Dynasty, who has always been regarded as the originator of literati painting in the history of painting. Wang Wei first integrated Zen thought and Zen theory of artistic conception into China's painting context, and used Zen's aesthetic attitude of "observing the heart" to create, which made the painting have the artistic characteristics of artistic conception, painting and poetry. Wang Wei's paintings are full of landscapes, focusing on charm, and changing the method of hook research into ink and wash, so that the detached and ethereal mind is integrated with the landscape context of Xiao Shu and Qing Kuang, and Zen and painting are transformed into a furnace. He once painted a picture of Yuan An lying in the snow, and the banana he painted in the snow was very different from the common scenery: he made flowers, which came into being in full bloom, regardless of the four seasons, and the same painting, such as peaches, apricots, hibiscus and lotus flowers, can be described as a hundred flowers blooming, influenced by Zen's natural fate, breaking time and space, and being unconventional. "It's easy to get what you want, and it's really interesting." Another painter, Wen Tong, also wrote an extraordinary painting mood of bamboo in the heart with cinnabar, which can often be seen in ancient works. Third, Zen and the realm of painting. The artistic conception is also called the realm. In "Poetry, Zhou Song, Si Wen" recorded in ancient books in China, it is said that there is a boundary. "The Warring States Policy Qin Ce" contains: Jing Li, the envoy of Chu, was in Qin, and he met Wang Wei from the king of Qin. But the "realm and boundary" here has nothing to do with the artistic conception as the category of artistic ontology. The real artistic conception appeared in Zhouyi, which first put forward the relationship between "image and meaning". Image and meaning have a certain connection with artistic conception. The image in Zhouyi refers to divinatory symbols, not artistic images, but has something in common with artistic images. The image mentioned in Zhouyi is a simulation of real life, and at the same time, "image" has a beautiful meaning. The Book of Changes holds that imagery is meant for the best, which means that it is not a simple concept that can be summarized in language, but actually has endless meanings. There is no doubt that the idea of setting up an image and doing one's best has the meaning of doing one's best, which is connected with the freehand brushwork spirit in China's traditional painting. Dong Zhongshu's words in the Western Han Dynasty: Poetry has no meaning, Yi has no meaning, and Spring and Autumn has no meaning. In the letter written by Yan Tingzhi to the painter Wei Wang in Liu and Song Dynasties, he also said: Painting is not only an art, but also an image. However, Wei Wang thinks that the noumenon of artistic spirit is a perfect expression. He said: "Moreover, the paintings of the ancients were not based on the case domain, distinguishing the state, marking the town, and drawing the immersion flow. This was based on the integration of the shape, and the mind of the spirit changed, so the spirit saw it, so it did not move: the eyes were extremely extreme, so it was not well seen. As a result, with the pen of a tube, the body is too empty, and the shape of the body is judged, and the eyes are bright. Wei Wang's "quasi-too-empty body" is the theory of writing mind, which is a key supplement to Zong Bing's view of "writing form with form" in Preface to Painting Landscape. In his painting theory, Zong Bing put forward the view of the god of mountains and rivers: "A husband should understand his eyes, and when his spirit becomes skillful, his eyes should be the same, and his heart should have a meeting, and he should feel the spirit, and his mind is beyond reason" and Wei Wang's view that "the undergraduate is separated from the body, and the spirit changes, and his heart is also", all of which emphasize the dynamic role of "heart" in artistic creation. These views are "the Book of Changes" This has played an important role in the form and development of artistic conception theory. In addition, Buddhism also put forward the viewpoint of "sticking to reason outside the image". In the Biography of Master Zhu Daosheng, Shi Huilin said: "The reason of the elephant is false", "The reason of the image is stated", and the monk Wei Yan said: "The mystery is better than the sound of the image, and the words are smooth than the image". Seng Zhao said: "If you are poor, you can't be wise, you can't say anything, and your mind will be destroyed." It is these ideas that can reach some fundamental characteristics of artistic conception. Especially after the mid-Tang Dynasty, when Zen was prevalent, some outstanding literary thinkers and artists made in-depth discussions on artistic conception. They further integrated Taoism, Confucianism and Zhouyi in China's traditional culture with the Zen thoughts of foreign Buddhism, established a China-style Zen practice system, and also formed one of the unique aesthetic theoretical thoughts-artistic conception. Wang Changling, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, was the first to use the word "artistic conception" in the guidance of artistic theory. In his poetic theory, he said "three realms", that is, if he wants to be a landscape poem, he will strengthen the realm of the peak of the spring stone, and if he is extremely beautiful, he will be in the heart, be in the realm, see the realm in his heart, be in the palm of his hand, and then use his thoughts to understand the image of the realm, so he will be similar. Second, the situation: entertainment and resentment are all in the body, and then they think about it and get their feelings. The artistic conception: if you think about it in your heart, you will get its truth. Another famous Zen master, monk Jiaoran, also thinks that artistic conception has three basic characteristics, namely, taking environment, creating environment and marginal environment. The so-called "taking context" means that when artists create, they think and conceive all kinds of factors, such as emotion, scenery, interest and image. Creating environment is to create artistic conception on the basis of taking environment. So, what is creating artistic conception? Jiao Ran put forward that "the husband's condition is not the same, it is difficult to understand with an open mind, it is obvious but not desirable, the scenery is also audible but invisible, and the wind is also close to my shape, but it is wonderful to use the body, the heart is also righteous, and there is no quality and color." All these can be even or even. " Jiao Ran's artistic conception here is not a direct reflection and simple imitation of the objective reality. However, it is an image that exists between subjective and objective, virtual and real, and there is nothing, which has the duality of reality and reality. The so-called "edge" is the final manifestation of the created environment. Liang Su, a Buddhist master in the Tang Dynasty, thinks that this is: "the mind has moved from place to place, the mind is relaxed, and things are not fixed, and the mind is not fixed" (Quantang Wen, Volume 52O). From these, we can see that the origin of Jiao Ran's artistic conception theory is undoubtedly influenced by the wonderful theory of "body and use" in the Zen ideology. Another famous work of Zen Buddhism, The Theory of Three Mountains' Artistic Conception, said by Shinchan Qingyuan in the 17th case, also profoundly revealed the sanction of artistic conception: He said that when the old monk came to Zen thirty years ago, he saw mountains as mountains and water as water. Later, he saw good knowledge with his own eyes, and when he entered, he thought that mountains were not mountains and water was not water. Now he has a rest place, and he still sees mountains as mountains. "Daolai", here, firstly, the mountain is the independence, opposition and separation of the subject and the object, and the subject looks at the mountain and the water from a rational point of view. Therefore, the mountain is an objective mountain, and the water is an objective water. Looking at the mountain in the second stage is the will and emotion of the subject, and it begins to be passive and active. The objective object (natural scenery) is assimilated by the subject's will and emotion, and the subject gains the freedom to perceive variation, so the mountains and water become a part of his own life, and the subject and object have a place to sing and become mountains and water with the subject's life. In the third stage, at this time, the subject and object have been unified at different levels and cross-occupied. I am in the mountains and rivers, and the mountains and rivers are also integrated into my life. As Mr. Huang Binhong said in his poem "The mountains and rivers are picturesque, the beauty inside is quiet and the reference inside", this is a high degree of harmony and unity between man and nature, and it is the highest realm pursued in Zen. In this realm, mountains, rivers, land and natural objects are integrated into one, forming an ethereal world full of vitality, infinity and eternity. Nan huaijin, a master of Chinese studies today, has proved that the peak of Miaogao is hard to find, and it turns thousands of times to return to the center of the column. Occasionally, there is a cloud outside Qingxi, and a bird falls into the deep "Miaogao". Although Wang Wei's landscape paintings are as influenced by Buddhism as traditional Buddhist paintings, their meanings are not the same. Wang Wei's paintings are original creations after understanding the true meaning of Zen. They are based on real life and express true feelings, which has far-reaching significance. After Wang Wei, landscape painting gradually got rid of its subordinate position and developed into an independent painting. Wang Weizhen passed on Zhang, Wang Qia and others, and Xian claimed that his paintings were "inspired by nature from outside, and the source of mind came from China", which was intrinsically related to the study of Zen mind. The Gu Song he painted was full of pride and splendor, and the landscape he painted was exquisite, close at hand, and the stone tip was about to fall, and the spring was roaring. Predecessors commented that his paintings are "not paintings, but also true Taoism. When something happens, they have been sent away to be clever and mysterious, but things are in the spirit house, not in the eyes and ears." Thick ink and light pens all flow out of the chest without half decoration, which undoubtedly benefits from the Zen master's cultivation of mind and nature. Wang Qia is famous for throwing black mountains and rivers. He is wild and often swims between rivers and lakes. Every day, after he is intoxicated, he paints with black, or with a pen or a foot, or with a light or thick hand. With his shape, he is a mountain for stone, a cloud for water, a smoke for Xia, a wind for rain, and he should do whatever he wants. If he is lucky, he will not see any traces of ink and dirt when he looks down. This can be regarded as a lively Zen word. Fourth, the influence of Zen aesthetic thought on traditional painting The Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties and the early Song Dynasty was the heyday of Zen, and it was also the development period of landscape painting "Nanzong". Wang Shizhen said: "Erli" changed, and it changed again. Jing Hao learned a lot about the classics and history, but he was hidden in the flood valley of Taihang Mountain because of the Five Dynasties chaos, and had contacts with Zen monks and wild elders. He works in mountains and rivers, and is good at the top of the clouds. His paintings are thick on all sides, full of ink and ink. Ye Du and qinglian temple monk Da Yu, who are known as "the crown of Tang Dynasty", once asked him for help with poems. Guan Xi works as an autumn mountain cold forest, a village living in a wild crossing, a secluded man and a scholar, and a fish market mountain post, which makes visitors feel at ease as if they were in the snow of Baqiao Bridge and when they heard apes in the Three Gorges, and there is no longer a tendency to resist dust and customs. Comment on his painting day in Xuanhe Painting Spectrum: The simpler the pen is, the stronger the spirit is. How is the spirit? "Qi is the movement form of the artist's inner world thoughts and emotions" The objective things arouse the ups and downs of subjective emotions. "Every article is not touching, so it is touching." So it is beyond the world, and the solitary work is obviously rooted in the painter's profound artistic conception of Zen. Dong Yuan is also good at mountains and rivers, especially the autumn scenery of Gonggong and the fishing pond of Xiqiao, and his paintings are plain, innocent and natural. Ju Ran is a monk of Kaiyuan Temple in Jiangning, Southern Tang Dynasty. His paintings were originally written by Dong Yuan, and he reached a wonderful scene. The lightness and elegance in his paintings were mostly due to the study of Zen Buddhism's mind and nature. Although Zen Buddhism is a branch of Buddhism, its spirit has influenced painting art, but it has made landscape painting break away from religious awe-inspiring paintings and move towards the combination with nature. < BR> The summary of painting history by painting theory in Ming and Qing Dynasties unanimously pointed out the great influence of Zen on painting art. Dong Qichang said: "After 5 years, we know that this school (Northern Song Dynasty) can't learn painting. If it is a Zen treasure, it will become a bodhisattva. If it is not like Dong Jumi's three schools, it can go straight to the Tathagata." However, I think that the comments of the northern school are extreme. There is no difference between the north and the south in painting, so we should learn from the level of people's perception, just as there is no difference between Buddhism and stupidity. Li Baihua: "You don't have to be curious about cloud painting, you don't have to follow the pattern, you just have to spit it out in your chest." Monk Shi Tao even pointed out in a Zen monk's tone that painting "stands firm in the sea of ink, decides life under the pen, removes hair and bones on the scale, and releases light in chaos." As we all know, there are many dragon elephants in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Dong Qichang, as the representative of Ming Dynasty, integrated Zen into the "North-South Theory" and achieved its artistic status. In the early Qing Dynasty, Jian Jiang, Badashanren, Shixi and Shitao, the "four-painting monks" who were outstanding in the world, and the old monks who were ignored by the world, actually reached the artistic peak of Zen painting, saying, "Being a monk is profound in poetry and elegant in Zen, and his accomplishments are not below those of the four monks" (Xing Wenzeng). Even the pioneer of the maritime painting school in the late Qing Dynasty, the old monk Xugu, is a model of the combination of Zen thought and art. Due to the limited space, I will not explain it here. Throughout the Tang and Song Dynasties and even the Ming and Qing Dynasties, all those who achieved great success were deeply inspired and edified by Zen thought, and their works and works were all profound and quiet.