Calligraphy on the front side next to the figure: 菩提本无树 / 明镜亦非台。This is the famous stanza of Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chinese Chan/Zen Buddhism: Bodhi originally has no tree / The mirror has no stand / The Buddha-nature is always clear and pure / Where is there room for dust?

Calligraphy on the back side: 佛本无言 / 茶已入心。The Buddha remains reticence, however, the tea has already into the heart.

Pattern: Zuo Chan (坐禅), Zen meditation.

Both the calligraphy and the pattern are created by the “carving and filling” technique, not painted on the surface.