Foreign Student (hereinafter FS): I have seen people in a school writing characters on paper using a brush and black ink. What is this about? Teacher (hereinafter T): That must be calligraphy. Writing beautiful characters is as highly prized an art as painting. In Japan, primary school students take lessons in which they write out characters from examples using a brush and black ink. This is called shuuji. FS: When I went to a temple, I saw people copying Buddhist sutras out using a brush and black ink. What were they doing? T: That’s shakyou. In order to understand Buddha’s teachings, disciples transcribe the sutras. The act of transcription promotes peace of mind and allows you to learn the true essence of Buddhism. There are approximately 3,000 Buddhist sutras; an enormous amount of written characters. In shakyou, the essence of the whole sutra is condensed into the hannnya shinngyou (heart sutra). FS: What are written in it? T: Using only 266 characters, the fundamental ideas of Buddhism are written down. Buddhism emerged in India and was translated into kanji when it was introduced to China. In the middle of the sixth century it reached Japan via the Korean peninsula. It is said that a priest’s disciples would practice shakyou daily as part of their duties. FS: What are the central tenets of Buddhism? T: The hannnya-shinngyou contains the phrase: “shiki soku ze kuu, kuu soku ze shiki.” Shiki (color) refers to anything in existence, while kuu (air) refers to something that doesn’t exist. Shiki soku ze kuu means that nothing lasts (exists) forever in this world. In short, even great men or beautiful flowers will disappear someday. Therefore, this means that non-existence is the same thing. FS: I feel as if I somehow understand it, but somehow don’t. T: Before you were born, you were nothing. When you die, you return to being nothing again. Kuu soku ze shiki explains this truth from the opposite perspective. Those who were born from nothing are born with particular traits, whether they be flowers, or men, or women. On this earth there exists the land, the sea, and the air; living creatures live forever because they are inextricably linked. Since you are a part of everything, you exist forever. Kuu (nothing) is also shiki (existence). Thus, shakyou combines beautiful script together with the profundity of philosophy.