Tag: Zen Buddhism

Kakuzō Okakura: The Book of Tea

Kakuzō Okakura (1863 – 1913) was a Japanese scholar and art critic who defended core Japanese ideals, traditions and customs in the era of Meiji Restoration Reform. His major written work titled The Book of Tea [1906] distils the meaning and finer elements of the Japanese tea ceremony (“…the whole ideal of Teaism is a result of the Zen conception of greatness in the smallest incidents of life…”), but the book is not only about the tea ritual, and there are many insights offered in the book on life and death, Zen Buddhism, art, aesthetics, drama, and architecture, among other topics. Below are just a few quotes from this thought-provoking essay-book.

On the nature of art:

“In religion the Future is behind us. In art the Present is the eternal...”

“...art is of value only to the extent that it speaks to us. It might be a universal language if we ourselves were universal in our sympathies. Our finite nature, the power of tradition and conventionality, as well as our hereditary instincts, restrict the scope of our capacity for artistic enjoyment. Our very individuality establishes in one sense a limit to our understanding, and our aesthetic personality seeks its own affinities in the creations of the past. It is true that with cultivation our sense of art appreciation broadens, and we become able to enjoy many hitherto unrecognised expressions of beauty. But, after all, we see only our image in the universe, – our particular idiosyncrasies dictate the mode of our perception. The tea masters collected only objects which fell strictly within the measure of their individual appreciation“.

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December 2020 Wrap-Up: From The Woodlanders to Minamata

The Woodlanders [1887] by Thomas Hardy – ★★★★★

In this novel by Thomas Hardy, Grace Melbury is torn between her feelings for simple farmer Giles Winterborne and her emotions towards sophisticated doctor Edred Fitzpiers. Evoking the beauty of rural life and nature, Hardy paints in his story a powerful image of imperfect characters who find themselves in circumstances beyond their immediate control. Themes of unbridgeable class divide, marriage confines and the negative effects of growing industrialisation all feature in this great novel by Hardy.

Japanese Death Poems: Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death [1985/1998] by Yoel Hoffmann – ★★★★★

“I cleansed the mirror/of my heart – now it reflects/the moon“ [Renseki, 1789];

“A tune of non-being/filling the void:/spring sun/snow whiteness/bright clouds/clear wind” [Daido Ichi’i, 1370].

Japan has always stood unique in the world in its attitudes towards death, including death taboos and rituals, and there was a centuries’ old tradition in Japan to write “death/final farewell poems” (jisei). This well-researched book compiles these poems written by both traditional haiku writers and zen monks, and some of the poems in the book have been translated to English for the first time. If poems by zen monks are full of (hidden) meaning and profound philosophy, poems by traditional haiku poets are more evocative. The book is a “must-read” for anyone interested in Japanese haiku (a type of short form poetry) or Zen Buddhism (because the introduction by the author also elucidates on many complex Zen Buddhism concepts, quoting direct sources and providing numerous examples).

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Review: The Way of Zen by Alan Watts

The Way of Zen [1957] – ★★★★★ the way of zen book cover

The book is a short and remarkably lucid account of Zen, which is also both – informative and a pleasure to read.

“…the true practice of Zen is no practice, that is, the seeming paradox of being a Buddha without intending to be a Buddha” [1957: 95, 96]. “The basic position of Zen is that it has nothing to say, nothing to teach. The truth of Buddhism is so self-evident, so obvious that it is, if anything, concealed by explaining it” [1957: 163].

This non-fiction book by a British philosopher and writer illuminates one of the least understood concepts in the world – Zen. Patiently, Watts traces the origins of Zen Buddhism– its Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism foundations, and then explains very clearly some of its basic principles and practices (such as the nature of direct experience, “no-mind”, the present “Now” and sitting meditation). The last chapter in this book is devoted to the application of Zen to a number of arts: from haiku (a form of Japanese poetry) to archery, with the author explaining how Zen started to permeate virtually every aspect of life. Continue reading “Review: The Way of Zen by Alan Watts” →