Looking more in depth, lines 3 and 4 are attributed to the Platform Sutra of the 6th Patriarch of Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhism who was named Dajian Huineng or Hui-neng (638-713). The sense of the translation "Directly pointing to the human heart/mind, seeing one’s true nature leads to Buddhahood" is that the dharma is transmitted from heart to heart. The 13th line is from the Tao Te Ching. Thanks for your translation of Xinxin Ming, which was very helpful to me in understanding Yamaoka's calligraphy.
Lines 3 and 4 ("Directly pointing to the human heart/mind, seeing one’s true nature leads to Buddhahood") were also brushed by Yamaoka Tesshu in an original Daruma calligraphy and painting from 1885 that is in my collection and that hangs in the alcove above an entry hallway in my home (https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Daruma-and-calligraphy/2E455B8EE5A2CA890. I see it every day and take it to heart/mind. Yamaoka was a master Japanese swordsman, calligrapher/painter, and lay Zen master who played the central role in the bloodless surrender of Edo castle--one of the most important events in the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Daruma-and-calligraphy/2E455B8EE5A2CA89
Lines 3, 4, and 13 originate in the Tao Te Ching.
Exactly. Thank you for point them out!
Looking more in depth, lines 3 and 4 are attributed to the Platform Sutra of the 6th Patriarch of Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhism who was named Dajian Huineng or Hui-neng (638-713). The sense of the translation "Directly pointing to the human heart/mind, seeing one’s true nature leads to Buddhahood" is that the dharma is transmitted from heart to heart. The 13th line is from the Tao Te Ching. Thanks for your translation of Xinxin Ming, which was very helpful to me in understanding Yamaoka's calligraphy.
Lines 3 and 4 ("Directly pointing to the human heart/mind, seeing one’s true nature leads to Buddhahood") were also brushed by Yamaoka Tesshu in an original Daruma calligraphy and painting from 1885 that is in my collection and that hangs in the alcove above an entry hallway in my home (https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Daruma-and-calligraphy/2E455B8EE5A2CA890. I see it every day and take it to heart/mind. Yamaoka was a master Japanese swordsman, calligrapher/painter, and lay Zen master who played the central role in the bloodless surrender of Edo castle--one of the most important events in the Meiji Restoration of 1868.