Concepts of Creation

The verses by Zen Masters Shenhsiu and Huinen are the most known debate of Zen philosophy. When the former composed one to remind himself to be diligent in practicing Buddhism:

The body is a Bodhi tree,
The mind like a bright mirror stand.
Time and again brush it clean,
And let no dust alight.

Hearing Shenhsiu's reciting, Huinen chanted:
Originally Bodhi has no tree,
The bright mirror has no stand.
Originally there is not a single thing:
Where can dust alight?

 

Entitled "Dusting", this project presents the texts of Diamond Sutra randomly when the audience is dusting the desk. But the movements of dusting sweep away the texts just emerged. Several word-fish swarm between lines, they swim along the palms of the audience and swallow the words on the desk.

Does "dusting" result in the formation of knowledge or the disappearance of knowledge? The word-fish in light and shadows seem possible to be captured although they dodge anything representing substantiality on the desk and they hide themselves. In this project the metaphors of dust and knowledge, and the connection between one's hands and mind are provoked.