Interesting how many news reports are gleefully focusing on the link between the Fukushima nuclear crisis and the defeat of Mrs. Merkel’s party in a German state election.
Interdependence anyone?
What else is new?
Myself, after our marvelous Zen Art workshop this weekend, I stuck three of my paintings on the wall: Generosity (Dana), Patience (Kshanti) and Discipline (Sila). I honestly can’t say « how » I made them. Now they accompany me all day while I write.
Look for pictures of our experience here soon. And dates for future workshops, in France, Portugal… and elsewhere?
What else is new?
About the Author: zenscribe
Enseignante Zen et poète, Sensei Amy “Tu es cela” Hollowell est née et a grandi à Minneapolis, aux Etats-Unis. Arrivée en France en 1981 pour étudier la littérature et l’histoire, elle y est restée, s’installant à Paris, où elle élève ses deux enfants et gagne sa vie en tant que journaliste.
The Zen teacher and poet Amy “Tu es cela” Hollowell Sensei was born and raised in Minneapolis, but came to France in 1981 to study literature and history and has lived in Paris ever since, raising her two children and making a living as a journalist.
Yes, like the difference between reading a recipe and making and eating the food. Or looking at a map or guidebook as opposed to walking the streets of Paris.
Sometimes people ask where they can read about this.
Reading about is nice – but in the end it is about experience and training ( and training – and training ) on perception in real ONLY. Training in the field before concepts. As we don’t see at all most of the time…
After a while it is not about the eyes anymore?
Thank you so much Sensei!
Big hug-
Art was at the center of Trungpa’s work and teaching. He was an artist as were many of his students.
A good look at his talks on dharma art is the book "True Perception: The Path of Dharma Art," published by Shambhala.
Trungpa has written about this? Waaw. I would like to read this! You know in wich book?
The great thing in this to me is you can learn to work with "trust" and "control" and "intuition" and "thinking mind" etc in a very direct confronting way.
And in an alternation of in the moment – goaldirected – in the moment and so on quick exercises: one feels the tension between different processes without explanation. Just doing…
I never explain. I allways ask if they want to comunicate something about what was going on in the group… and it comes all on the table clearly… always…
And the experience is deep – for there is no goal – nowhere to go – they feel. Just discovering. This is how we learn. This is how i learn. often i take part when i am able. Who is the teacher? Who is the student? who is discovering/learning the most from who?
I just discover things in the field together with the people. And this never ending discovery makes it endlessly interesting. It is the discovery and the sharing of life – as it takes place – allways new – from lesson to lesson…
In fact, Zen Art as I practice and formulate it takes in a "meditative" or "heart" environment. Its basis is simply nonaggression, as Trungpa said, or "yes" or "inclusion" or "non-rejection," as I say.
It’s not actually "making" anything, rather "responding" to the moment with words, paint, movement. And yes, exercises are also limited by time. Inspired by the "first thought, best thought" dictum of Trungpa.
My explanation here does not do it justice. Best is to just do it.
i never call it cracks though – becouse that could be very blocking – and negative – and feels like chasing allready known concepts about oneself.
I allways suggest to make "something you FEEL realy close to".
The suggestion is more wide open and the a chanse is bigger that the result comes from the area before concepts.
My experience is that with a group of people where you work with on a regular base – who know eachother – where is trust and respect and warmth – a lot can come out.
the most essential possibility is
" just do something"
– and very quick
lack of time is also a way to shut out the controler.
But people have to be in a situation that feels very confortable in the group to go there – to go with less control.
The athmosphere in wich all of this takes place is the most important thing in this for me. Nothing can be wrong. No danger to fall of the table…
yes, great indeed!
if we had had more time, we would have painted blind.
we did write blind. someone "blind" didn’t know that her pen was closed and so was also writing blank, words without a trace.
will try cracks next time. nice.
also interesting to paint ones cracks – where the light comes in
sometimes when close – it helps the light to come in…
Great!
Painted seeing or blind? Blind is interesting too… for you shut out a lot of your controler…
intresting to do both versions right after eachother to feel the difference inside – and outside!
this is is middle in he heart of things!
And when they are finnished the have their own life – and when you are lucky – and you were "close" in the proces – they will teach you about yourself in a way before words…
I wished i could arange it immedeately that "elswhere" was here…
but unfortionaly this is not the case at the moment –
yet -…