Zen art creation is a personalized painting presented by an individual's understanding of Zen from the author's many years of meditation experience. As a result, achieving self-realization on the Path of Liberation to manifest one’s true nature. The subtlety of Zen is beyond words, which led the author to try to interpret the meaning of abstract life through figurative painting. The expression of Zen art is referred to the aesthetics of life, which emphasizes the stillness and unwavering nature of mind. The source of wonder in emptiness, is that all Dharmas arise from the mind. The thesis started from the author’s inquiries about life-birth, aging, death, and suffering. She is whole-heartedly in pursuit of being free from the sufferings of the world, so she searches for a way to liberate life. The spiritual journey of cultivation is to find a Dharma door from the so-called 84,000 Dharma doors of Buddhism, that is aligned with oneself and that which is known as the method of Zen. Zen requires self-realization, stressing the importance of staying in the present moment. The author's inspiration is from nature because nature provides many creative themes. Nature is the spiritual oasis of Zen art creation. The key point is in the process of how to transform nature into the art of Zen, internalize the sensations felt in meditation, and bring them forward into the elements of painting, and then create suitable artworks that incorporate the essence of Zen. The first chapter is on the structure of this thesis which includes research motivation and purpose, research scope and method. The second chapter is about the philosophy and characteristics of Zen painting, discussing the origin and thought of Zen, the essence of the genre and application of Zen in painting, and the form and characteristics of Zen. The third chapter provides an example of famous Zen paintings; the fourth chapter is the author's ideal of creative practices of Zen ink painting concepts and an analysis of the artworks; and the fifth chapter is the conclusion, which includes a review of the research and creation experience, and the prospects for future developments.
