First Breath of Spring
Paintings (掠れ - The Trace)
Ume (plum blossom), is another of the "Four Gentlemen" in traditional ink painting, representing perseverance because they bloom early, often while snow is still on the ground and they represent contrast between hard, enduring wood and fragile, temporary petals.
The ancient, seemingly dead branch and the fresh, delicate flower exist simultaneously. It is a good reminder that the spiritual and the material, the old and the new, are not separate and enlightenment often grows directly out of ordinary, grounded reality.