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I was bargaining for scrolls one evening at the Silk Market in Beijing, trying to find something that was Buddhist and not Tourist. The clerks in the stalls selling scrolls are only too happy to suggest that you buy everything they've got in stock, and noticing my interest in those scrolls with calligraphy on them, the lady at the stall where I was browsing when this story commences started shoving every single scroll with any evidence of characters on it under my nose.
"Here, lady, lookee. This - 'happiness!' This one 'love!'" (They really do talk like this, btw.)
I wasn't much interested in those scrolls because 1) they're tacky, 2) they're a dime a dozen, 3) they aren't traditional, and 4) I find it vaguely patronising that the clerks always explain what the characters mean to me, or worse yet do a quick visual assessment of my appearance and invent what they think I want the scroll to mean. Granted, the former is slightly unreasonable on my part; after all, I'm willing that 99.9% of the buyers in that market have no idea what the characters mean, but still. I know what the character for 'dream' looks like and it's even more irksome to be told a scroll says this and this and this when it clearly doesn't.
I'd almost given up hope entirely - after all, I'd struck out at all the temples I'd visited, when a scroll hanging on the very back of the rack caught my eye. It was quite simple - gold writing on blue paper on a while hanging. I asked to see it, and was 80% sure as soon as I set my eyes on it. Still, I wasn't quite sure if I'd struck gold or was just engaging in wishful thinking, so I started bargaining.
The woman was clearly taken aback by my choice - I get the feeling most tourists found this scroll's appearance boring - but she soon recovered. "Lady, this nice choice! This scroll mean happiness long life."
Bang. I was now convinced that it was definitely religious - I just wasn't certain if it was Buddhist. Still, I decided to go for it. It took a bit of work on my part - she was set on a high price because of the size and the fact that 'it took the artist two days to write it.' But as I was fairly sure that most people were not likely to buy it, I kept angling and eventually got a good deal.
Bargaining settled, the woman gave me an appraising look. "Lady, this good, good choice. You have good taste."
She rolled the scroll up. "Good taste, lady."
She repeated it again while I handed her my payment. I was now more convinced than ever that what I was getting was an unusual purchase for a foreign tourist, and therefore likely authentic.
I unrolled the scroll today to check it out, and guess who now possesses a full-sized, handwritten wall scroll of the Heart Sutra! I am just tickled to death by this. You, dear readers, can have no idea.
It's currently hanging on the wall between my balcony door and the window. I could put it in my tokonoma, where it really belongs, but then I'd never see it. And I am much, much too pleased with it to do that. Incidentally, the reason I didn't recognise it while I was buying it was because it's just a copy of the sutra proper, without the commentary.
So, to reiterate: Heart Sutra. やった！
That will be all.
"Here, lady, lookee. This - 'happiness!' This one 'love!'" (They really do talk like this, btw.)
I wasn't much interested in those scrolls because 1) they're tacky, 2) they're a dime a dozen, 3) they aren't traditional, and 4) I find it vaguely patronising that the clerks always explain what the characters mean to me, or worse yet do a quick visual assessment of my appearance and invent what they think I want the scroll to mean. Granted, the former is slightly unreasonable on my part; after all, I'm willing that 99.9% of the buyers in that market have no idea what the characters mean, but still. I know what the character for 'dream' looks like and it's even more irksome to be told a scroll says this and this and this when it clearly doesn't.
I'd almost given up hope entirely - after all, I'd struck out at all the temples I'd visited, when a scroll hanging on the very back of the rack caught my eye. It was quite simple - gold writing on blue paper on a while hanging. I asked to see it, and was 80% sure as soon as I set my eyes on it. Still, I wasn't quite sure if I'd struck gold or was just engaging in wishful thinking, so I started bargaining.
The woman was clearly taken aback by my choice - I get the feeling most tourists found this scroll's appearance boring - but she soon recovered. "Lady, this nice choice! This scroll mean happiness long life."
Bang. I was now convinced that it was definitely religious - I just wasn't certain if it was Buddhist. Still, I decided to go for it. It took a bit of work on my part - she was set on a high price because of the size and the fact that 'it took the artist two days to write it.' But as I was fairly sure that most people were not likely to buy it, I kept angling and eventually got a good deal.
Bargaining settled, the woman gave me an appraising look. "Lady, this good, good choice. You have good taste."
She rolled the scroll up. "Good taste, lady."
She repeated it again while I handed her my payment. I was now more convinced than ever that what I was getting was an unusual purchase for a foreign tourist, and therefore likely authentic.
I unrolled the scroll today to check it out, and guess who now possesses a full-sized, handwritten wall scroll of the Heart Sutra! I am just tickled to death by this. You, dear readers, can have no idea.
It's currently hanging on the wall between my balcony door and the window. I could put it in my tokonoma, where it really belongs, but then I'd never see it. And I am much, much too pleased with it to do that. Incidentally, the reason I didn't recognise it while I was buying it was because it's just a copy of the sutra proper, without the commentary.
So, to reiterate: Heart Sutra. やった！
That will be all.
