The essence of Zen lies in a non-abiding mind that is full of dynamism. This non-abiding mind, with its non-attaching and non-forsaking attitude toward the empirical world，can initiate various actions in order to cultivate and transform sentient beings. Its activities can be summed up by the expression "playing from the `samadhi` ". " `Samadhi` "denotes the meditation flourishing in Zen Buddhism. Its purpose is to purify the will and eradicate delusire desires, with eulightenment as the final objective. `Samadhi` is practised by the non-abiding mind. With the merits accumulated in the practice of `samadhi`，the non-abiding mind acts vigorously and freely，utilizing various expedient devices to teach sentient beings and enable them to attain enlightenment. In view of the fact that the non-abiding mind acts and functions freely. Without obstructions whatsoever，it can be analogised to the children playing games. Hence the term "playing" for such acts and functions.
The aim of the present work is to study the aesthetics of Zen through Zen paintings. The study is undertaken in terms of the expression "playing from the `samadhi`." This expression can be divided into "playing" and "`samadhi`." The author is in the opinion that "`samadhi` "represents the static aspect of Zen aesthetics, which is best expressed in landscape Zen paintings. On the other hand, "playing" represents the dynamic aspect of Zen aesthetics, which is mainly demonstrated in portrait Zen paintings. Nevertheless, the two kinds of beauty，namely，static beauty and dynamic beauty, cannot be separated from each other in an absolute sense. Rather，they complement each other and should be combined together to form a supreme taste of harmony.
