ABSTRACT
EARLY in the Tang Period (618-905 A.D.) a Buddhist priest sat in quiet meditation gazing off at rugged misty crags. The monastery, where he was forcing himself to lead a secluded spiritual life, nestled high up in the mountains in a remote part of China. He was about to make history, but his only thought was of the beauty which surrounded him, a beauty which struck responsive chords by its isolation. Moved by an overpowering desire he took up a brush and painted the scene before him, and the first landscape was born.
