Hello everyone and welcome to our first prompt.
Before starting any of the prompts, once you have assembled your materials/media, I would just like to ask you to sit for at least five minutes, just as you do in zazen, allowing the mind to settle and putting aside any expectations and ideas of what might ( or might not!) happen next. Just be with yourself.
So, for this first prompt, I want to draw together in one simple practice some of the creative experiences John Daido Loori touches upon in his introduction to the book and its initial section 'Melting Snow'. In particular let's look at the effect witnessing a tea ceremony and a calligraphy demonstration had on Daido Loori – leading him to say at the end of this section that everything had led to 'this moment, this teacher, this bow'. Reading about both the tea ceremony and the calligraphy, there is a sense of both practices taking place in, and perpetuating, a sense of calm, of letting go of all irrelevance, of being focussed entirely on the moment. Of doing, and being completely at one with that.
The simple practice which I want us to do in order to have that same experience ourselves, is to create enso. (Forgive me if the macron above the o doesn't appear, it doesn't work on some of my devices.) Enso is probably one of the symbols most associated with Zen, I'm sure we are all familiar with it and Google will show you hundreds of examples. Find a Wiki definition here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ens%C5%8D ). There is also an existing thread about enso on this forum, some lovely innovative work here https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...rt-Circle-Enso . I leave it to you to do as much or little research as you want, but the important thing is the doing!
Very simply, enso is a circle, sometimes complete, sometimes not, that should be completed in one continuous and meditative movement. I find it easier to compose myself on the inbreath then create the enso on the outbreath, but that's up to you. The main thing is to bring your whole self to a point where you drop all thought, judgement and self consciousness around what you are doing and focus on the connection between yourself and the practice, so that you, the movement and your chosen materials become one.
You will need: something to make a mark with – brush and paint/ink, pencil, felt tip, ballpoint, crayon, chalk etc; and something to make a mark on – plain paper, newspaper, the back of an envelope, the page of an old book ( old thread bound hardbacks make wonderful journal/sketch/collage books especially with a coat of gesso on the pages) .
If you have none of those, you could pour salt or flour or sugar onto paper or a plate or bowl in a circle or mark an enso in the salt with your finger; you could even dip your finger into your coffee and draw onto paper. If you are outside you could take a stick and draw in sand or earth, as you can see, the possibilities are many and varied! Your enso can be tiny, it can be huge. You can do as many as you want, but remember this isn't about trying until you get what you think is a 'perfect' enso, because they will all be perfect, just as they are, just as you are.
With this first Enso we are making marks in a fairly traditional way, but please do think about continuing your Enso practice using your favourite medium – this might be photography, words, music, sewing, knitting, even planting in the garden – let your ideas run free. This is a beautiful meditative practice that you can come back to again and again in so many ways.
Prepare your materials, sit for five minutes, bring yourself to the moment...and create.
I don't want to say any more for now because it's important that this is an experiential practice rather than a guided one. However, it would be good to reflect upon how making this enso resonates with the questions we are posing in the discussion and whether it has changed your responses. Above all, have fun!
IMPORTANT: Please, please photograph your results and post them here, a very important part of this process for us all!
Gassho
Meitou
satwithyoualltodaylah
Before starting any of the prompts, once you have assembled your materials/media, I would just like to ask you to sit for at least five minutes, just as you do in zazen, allowing the mind to settle and putting aside any expectations and ideas of what might ( or might not!) happen next. Just be with yourself.
So, for this first prompt, I want to draw together in one simple practice some of the creative experiences John Daido Loori touches upon in his introduction to the book and its initial section 'Melting Snow'. In particular let's look at the effect witnessing a tea ceremony and a calligraphy demonstration had on Daido Loori – leading him to say at the end of this section that everything had led to 'this moment, this teacher, this bow'. Reading about both the tea ceremony and the calligraphy, there is a sense of both practices taking place in, and perpetuating, a sense of calm, of letting go of all irrelevance, of being focussed entirely on the moment. Of doing, and being completely at one with that.
The simple practice which I want us to do in order to have that same experience ourselves, is to create enso. (Forgive me if the macron above the o doesn't appear, it doesn't work on some of my devices.) Enso is probably one of the symbols most associated with Zen, I'm sure we are all familiar with it and Google will show you hundreds of examples. Find a Wiki definition here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ens%C5%8D ). There is also an existing thread about enso on this forum, some lovely innovative work here https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...rt-Circle-Enso . I leave it to you to do as much or little research as you want, but the important thing is the doing!
Very simply, enso is a circle, sometimes complete, sometimes not, that should be completed in one continuous and meditative movement. I find it easier to compose myself on the inbreath then create the enso on the outbreath, but that's up to you. The main thing is to bring your whole self to a point where you drop all thought, judgement and self consciousness around what you are doing and focus on the connection between yourself and the practice, so that you, the movement and your chosen materials become one.
You will need: something to make a mark with – brush and paint/ink, pencil, felt tip, ballpoint, crayon, chalk etc; and something to make a mark on – plain paper, newspaper, the back of an envelope, the page of an old book ( old thread bound hardbacks make wonderful journal/sketch/collage books especially with a coat of gesso on the pages) .
If you have none of those, you could pour salt or flour or sugar onto paper or a plate or bowl in a circle or mark an enso in the salt with your finger; you could even dip your finger into your coffee and draw onto paper. If you are outside you could take a stick and draw in sand or earth, as you can see, the possibilities are many and varied! Your enso can be tiny, it can be huge. You can do as many as you want, but remember this isn't about trying until you get what you think is a 'perfect' enso, because they will all be perfect, just as they are, just as you are.
With this first Enso we are making marks in a fairly traditional way, but please do think about continuing your Enso practice using your favourite medium – this might be photography, words, music, sewing, knitting, even planting in the garden – let your ideas run free. This is a beautiful meditative practice that you can come back to again and again in so many ways.
Prepare your materials, sit for five minutes, bring yourself to the moment...and create.
I don't want to say any more for now because it's important that this is an experiential practice rather than a guided one. However, it would be good to reflect upon how making this enso resonates with the questions we are posing in the discussion and whether it has changed your responses. Above all, have fun!
IMPORTANT: Please, please photograph your results and post them here, a very important part of this process for us all!
Gassho
Meitou
satwithyoualltodaylah
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