色即是空 shikisoku zekū Form is Emptiness

Form is emptiness: everything that has a form has no fixed nature of its own, and, in the half of the line left unsaid here, emptiness is nowhere but in form. The four characters are the first half of a pair from the Heart Sutra, the line chanted in Zen, Shingon and Tendai temples, and the pair is a statement about how the world exists, not a verdict on it; a Noh play turns it into an affirmation, because form is emptiness just as it is, the willow is green. 色 is form, matter, not color; 空 is emptiness, not nothingness. All is vanity, a dictionary's third gloss for the line, is the Preacher's verdict that everything is fleeting, and the two lines share only a character, and only in Japanese. The words carry the first half alone, as the tradition writes it; the second half is yours to know.

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 色即是空.

Each design is Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase's hand-brushed calligraphy of the word or phrase on this page, delivered as a PDF you can print. Every PDF includes the line art, so a tattoo artist or a craftsperson can work from the outline as well as the brushed image.

Your purchase includes a personal-use license: use the design as a tattoo reference, frame it, engrave it, print it for yourself, or make it into a gift. For more information see Licensing, which also covers commercial-use options that may be purchased separately.

Your PDF is available for download the moment your order completes, and a copy is attached to your emailed receipt.

If you need your design again later, ask us for it and we will send it.