色即是空 / Shiki-Soku-Ze-Kū

▽ Stone
Korean stone

▽ Size
35mm square

▽ About this work
The characters "色即是空" (Shiki-Soku-Ze-Kū) were carved, which is a phrase found in the "Heart Sutra" that encapsulates the essence of the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism. It is a fundamental doctrine, expressing "Color is emptiness."

▽ Meaning of 色即是空 / Shiki-Soku-Ze-Kū
This is a fundamental Buddhist teaching that states that everything in this world lacks a constant inherent nature and exists through dependent origination.

・ 色 / Shiki
"Color" represents "all things and phenomena in the present world."

・ 即 / Soku and 是 / Ze
"Soku" and "Ze" together convey the meaning of "namely" or "that is to say."

・ 空 / Ku
"Emptiness" signifies that all phenomena, including the phenomenon of existence, exist on the basis of their respective causal relationships. Additionally, it emphasizes that there is no independent, unchanging substance (i.e., self-nature) because phenomena arise through causation. In other words, all existence is devoid of self-nature and is described as "emptiness." This theory was developed by the 2nd-century Indian monk Nagarjuna.

▽ Production
The characters are carved in seal script, and the thickness and thinness of the letters are intentionally varied using serif to express the impermanence of life (the absence of constant stability in life).