"Blue Enso" Roshi Joan Halifax

Sometimes called “a Zen circle” in English, an enso symbolizes enlightenment. Creating an enso can be a contemplative art, while the final product can serve as a meditation aid. They’re most often rendered, using one or two strokes, on white paper with black ink. Roshi Joan Halifax creates ensos in color. Roshi Halifax studied with Kaz Tanahashi, a trained calligrapher known as “the pioneer of one stroke painting.” “The quality of the line is what matters most—how deep, strong, or honest it is,” Tanahashi explains. “If your personality is interesting enough, the line will be interesting. To do this, you have to be fearless.” Tanahashi is also a Zen teacher, author, activist, and translator of Buddhist texts, most notably of works by Dogen.

"Blue Enso" was painted by Roshi Joan Halifax, the print captures a faint smudge of the red chop. Roshi Halifax is a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and pioneer in the field of end-of-life care. She is Founder, Abbot, and Head Teacher of Upaya Institute and Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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