白隠慧鶴 Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769)
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The circle symbolizes the absolute enlightenment and the void.
The circle executed with a single fluid brushstroke is a popular theme in Zen painting.

円相 Ensō (Circle)
46.8 x 55.6 cm
Eisei Bunko Museum, Tokyo

円相 Ensō (Circle)
33 x 54.9 cm
Private Collection

No space in the ten directions,
not one inch of great earth

The phrase is from a koan in which a monk asks Master Pa-ling, "Are the views of Zen masters the same or different from what is taught in sutras?"
Pa-ling answered, "When a rooster is cold, it flies up into a tree; when a duck is cold, it dives under the water".
In the twelfth century a Chinese monk, Wei-chao, added a verse to this koan,

A branch of plum blossoms is enshrouded by rain,
The golden one smiles without speaking.
A bright noon shines on the Water Dragon Palace,
While the moon and stars dance and laugh, dance and laugh:
No space in the ten directions, not one inch of great earth

Hakuin's ink was rather wet and his brushwork quite loose, causing the characters to become solid masses of ink next to his egg-shaped enso

by Audrey Yoshiko Seo