SeminarMonday 6 July 2015
6:00pm – 7:00pm
Zen Calligraphy and the Art of Life
Drinks reception from 7:00pm
13/14 Cornwall Terrace, Outer Circle (entrance facing Regent's Park), London NW1 4QP
Organised by The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
Zen art is called bokuseki, literally “ink traces”. Within the culture of East Asia, mastery of the brush encompasses the highest of all art-forms. There is a long-standing tradition (as there is also in the west) that the character is communicated directly through the writing. Calligraphy and drawing are used equally to directly transmit the master’s mind-state.
The bokuseki style is typically characterised by bold, assertive, and informal brush strokes embodying the calligrapher’s enlightened presence. Technique, clarity and comprehensibility are all considered less important than this directness. Both the words of the calligraphy and the way they are brushed are inspiring or intriguing even to one who is not interested in Zen as a philosophy or religion. In the image here we see Shinzan Rōshi working effortlessly to express his true nature. In modern times, bokuseki have been recognised as one of the glories of world culture.
This event at the Foundation was timed to coincide with the week of his 80th birthday, and followed a larger exhibition of his work at Yugagyo Dojo in south London. Daizan Rōshi introduced Zen Master Shinzan’s artworks, giving some art-historical and cultural background. This was followed by a demonstration of the art of the Zen brush.
About the contributors
Shinzan Miyamae
Shinzan Miyamae (宮前 心山, born 2 July 1935) is a Zen Master. He restored Gyōkuryuji, the hermitage of the Edo Period Zen Master Bankei Yotaku in central Japan, and has taught there since 1990. Shinzan Rōshi (an honorific title meaning “teacher” or “master”) studied under two of the most eminent Zen masters of his time, Kajiura Itsugai Rōshi and Inaba Shinden Rōshi. His teaching fosters resourcefulness and independence amongst his students, as well as insisting on their direct realisation of Zen enlightenment. He has become known for working with delinquent children, teaching foreigners and protesting against institutional abuses. He has a following of international lay students.
Julian Daizan Skinner
Julian Daizan Skinner is the first Englishman to go to Japan and complete the course of koan study to become a Zen Master. Over twenty-five years ago, he gave up a career as a scientist in the pharmaceuticals industry, sold his house, gave all the money away and entered a Zen monastery. He trained in Zen monasteries in the West and in Japan and is the Dharma heir of Shinzan Miyamae Rōshi. Upon returning from Japan in 2007, Daizan Rōshi has established, together with his students, Yugagyo Dojo, a Zen training place in London (Zenways.org). His Zen teaching incorporates yoga and mindfulness practice.
Dr Barbara J Gabrys
Dr Barbara J Gabrys is a physicist who currently works as Academic Advisor at Oxford University. She has a long standing collaboration with Kyoto University and Kyoto Institute of Technology. During her many visits to Japan she became a fan of Japanese traditional arts, especially calligraphy, and the influence of Zen on modern life. She also has taught mindfulness and meditation since 2010 in university and wider settings.