The Spiritual Brush of Dokutan Shōkei Born in Putian, China, the monk known as Duzhan Xingying—or Dokutan Shōkei to those familiar with Japanese history—was a figure whose life and art were inextricably linked by the profound currents of Zen Buddhism. As a disciple of Ingen Ryūki, the founder of the Ōbaxu school of Zen in Japan, he occupied a unique position as a bridge between Chinese spiritual traditions and Japanese monastic practice. His existence was defined by the dual teachings of Zen and Pure Land sects, making him one of the most significant Chinese monks to influence the religious…