直心是道場無虚假故 jikishin kore dōjō, koke naki ga yue ni The straightforward mind is the place of practice, because it is free of falsehood

直心是道場無虚假故 puts the dōjō inside the person: no building is needed, just a mind that is straight and without pretense. Wherever such a mind is, there is the place of practice. The line's second half gives the reason: that mind holds no falsehood. It comes from a Buddhist sutra, and Zen teachers carried it; tea people and swordsmen took it up after them. Which place it names for you, the training hall, the tea room or the seat of awakening, is yours to choose.

Master Takase brushes the full line of nine characters, the sentence and its reason, in block, semi-cursive and cursive script and in her own font design.

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 直心是道場無虚假故.

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. The line art prints sharp at any size. The brushed image is sized to print at the dimensions shown on the PDF, so for a larger piece, work from the line art.

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.