了了知 ryōryōchi Complete Understanding

Complete Understanding in Japanese is 了了知 which is read ryōryōchi

了了知 (ryōryōchi): knowing clearly, clearly.

Knowing clearly, clearly: a mind that sees what is in front of it as it is, with nothing left over and nothing clouding it. The phrase has been said in three ways, and the three characters hold all of them. The first is the complete, present knowing the sutras give the Buddha. The second is the plain knowing of a man who hears himself cursed, knows it, and does not answer. The third is the knowing Zen teachers point to, clear because there is nothing in it to be unclear about. Which of the three you see in the characters is yours.

Complete Understanding is our English for it. On its own 了 can mean to finish, but doubled it means clearly. Several of the designs write the second 了 as a repeat mark.

The three characters are an ordinary Buddhist phrase, in Chinese scripture from a translation of 179 and in a Tang poem of Hanshan's; the six-character Zen line they open, knowing clearly, seeing clearly, is found first with the Chinese master Mugaku Sogen, who used it twice, the second time to open the verse he gave the regent Hōjō Tokimune at his tonsure in 1284, on the day Tokimune died.

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

Your scroll is brushed when you order it and completed within 1 to 3 business days. It ships by USPS Priority Mail from Master Takase's studio in Washington State, boxed and ready to hang, with a printed page giving the art's English, romaji and Japanese.

Sending it as a gift? Tell us when you order and we will include your message.

Shipping is calculated at checkout from your address; within the United States it is $13 to $22. We ship worldwide, and any import charges for your country are shown at checkout before you pay.

Every order is covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee. If your scroll arrives damaged, or we made an error, we replace it or refund you in full, including shipping. Refund policy

Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase brushes your scroll by hand when you order it. Each scroll bears her red seal, 英利, and her signature.

The scrolls are 12 1/4" W × 43" H (31 × 109 cm) with real silk borders and Japanese paper that are layered so the scroll hangs straight and will not warp over time. The scrolls themselves are made by Sankō (株式会社三幸) in Gifu prefecture, which has been making high quality scrolls since 1947, and we have worked with Sankō for over two decades.

Eri Takase was born and raised in Osaka, Japan, and holds the rank of Shihan, the highest rank in Japanese calligraphy, from the Bokuteki-kai and the Bunka-shodo. About Master Takase