Archive for May, 2009
I in the Nothing
The dusky darkness spread like the network of a great tree. In an elm the thrush was singing. He was so hidden and one with the bushy twigs that I could only see him by his tail which twitched when his song altered. Everything else was motionless except a broken twig which stirred and swung by a strip of bark. As I went along I made an effort to climb out and get into these things – into the mysterious darkening and sealing of the earth, the quietening that is as the loveliest psalm of rest. And at last I did. I stood leaning on a gate. I was behind the sky. I was in the ground. I was in the space between the trees. My meaning grew in the earth and the firmament – I in the Nothing in which all is related.
The Winter Journal, p39
The Autobiography of Margiad Evans, Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1943
source: the nonduality highlights
moonlight becomes you …
To awaken to the absolute view is profound and transformative, but to awaken from all fixed points of view is the birth of true nonduality. If emptiness cannot dance, it is not true Emptiness. If moonlight does not flood the empty night sky and reflect in every drop of water, on every blade of grass, then you are only looking at your own empty dream. I say, Wake up! Then, your heart will be flooded with a Love that you cannot contain.
the artless arts of zen
The arts of Zen are not intended for utilitarian purposes, or for purely aesthetic enjoyment, but are meant to train the mind, indeed, to bring it into contact with ultimate reality.
~ D.T. Suzuki
The Artless Arts of Zen: Zen Aesthetic and Your Everyday Life
A retreat at Zen Mountain Monastery with John Stevens: July 10-12
The creative process, like a spiritual journey, is intuitive, non-linear, and experiential. It points us towards our essential nature, which is a reflection of the boundless creativity of the universe. Zen Buddhism and, particularly, the Zen arts are a rich source of teachings to help us understand and cultivate our creativity. They contain a treasure house of techniques and insight into the creative process. And they point to a way of living that is simple, spontaneous, and vital.
Although Zen mind is expressed in many art forms, the primary vehicle for manifesting the Zen spirit is calligraphy and painting. There are few teachers in the West more capable in transmitting the spirit of this artless art of Zen than John Stevens. The main themes of Zen calligraphy and painting will be discussed and we will have a look at numerous examples of Zen art, past and present. The afternoon sessions will be hands on. We will brush most of the “one-word barriers” central to the Zen tradition: ichi (one), mu (no!), do (way), ku (empty), shin (heart), and others. The characters themselves are simple to learn — most of them belong to the group of kanji taught to Japanese first graders — but profound in meaning from the Zen perspective. There will also be a chance to practice brushing enso (Zen circles), paintings of Mount Fuji, and creating portraits of Bodhidharma. At the conclusion of the retreat, each participant will brush a subject of his or her choosing on clean white paper to serve as an object of personal reflection — even a single brushwork perfectly reflects one’s state of mind.
From the Zen Mountain Monastery website.
the doorway to love 2
scribbler had to temporarily retire her blogs – and most other activities – in the past year. She became her sweet mother’s Mum and found the task all-consuming. Multi-tasking wasn’t an option. There’s no conflict when there’s no choice, and in this case Love was calling the shots.
Again the doorway to Love stood wide open, this time as mother and daughter melted into the timeless hours of a being’s last breaths.
She left at 04am on the 4th day of the 4th month: 96 brilliant orbits of the sun on her odometer.
scribbler slowly and rather tentatively takes up her pen and paintbrushes again, and gives thanks for the life of this remarkable woman. She was goodness and joy incarnate.
