【CONCEPT】
Zen is not meditation and meditation is not Zen. Zen meditation is not a posture, nor is it an action. It is a spiritual drill integrating body and mind, where soul and personhood subtly play off each other, cleanly and quietly, mind uncluttered, genuinely engaging in self observation, review, reflection and immersion. This kind of Zen meditation can be done until the cows come home, one can meditate until oblivious of surroundings; thus, its particular significance is abandonment of the body. Using an ancient skeletal appearance to convey attaining the Zen state of release from the bonds of one’s limbs and bones, abandoning absorption with the self and skin-deep appearance, reflecting in one’s mind, all one sees are lotus blossoms popping up everywhere! Zen meditation is not necessarily that solemn, in the pure mental image of thriving lotus blossoms, there is a humorous aspect: Look! That tiny frog is also Zen meditating!  

The lotus flowers symbolize a complete and thriving natural world. The evoke associations with a limitless expanse of lotus sea, openness, the unfettered and limitless sea of the Flower Garland Avatamsaka Sutra. At this moment, the master of the ocean of the lotus-treasury adornment world is a cross-legged skeleton. Still and in deep meditation, he is engaged in the practice of the Bones of the Dead, echoing an artistic beauty. Does he exist? Is he using his eyes or his mind to distinguish things? The empty space that can be seen, the world that cannot be seen, this is the insight from directly apprehending the accord between mind and truth. With Zen meditation comes enlightenment about life and death, neither empty nor distorted…

【INTRODUCTION】
A skeleton engaged in meditation is an extremely difficult work to assemble from various parts. The creator must correctly calculate the mechanics of the body so that it does not tilt and collapse. He must also master human anatomy so as not to deviate too far from being realistic. Sitting cross-legged in Zen meditation requires being stably seated, sitting erect and assuming a sustainable posture in alignment with the longevity of heaven and earth. This work manifests artistic rather than chilling beauty, and makes the observer aware that it is not a pile of lifeless bones, but rather a self-composed vitality that after enlightenment has freed itself of mortal flesh. Thus, the lotus pond that it views in front of it become an important association with “teeming life.” The lotus flowers, lotus leaves and lotus branches are carved from an integral piece of boxwood. The wavering ripples on the water surface and the frog on the water convey thriving life. Do you meditate? Isn’t wood sculpting without rest for 720 days a marvelous level of Zen meditation?