ARTS: Yugen Photography

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  • Horin
    Member
    • Dec 2017
    • 385

    ARTS: Yugen Photography

    Hello Folks,
    I want to start a thread that is dealing with one of my favorite concepts of Japanese aesthetics called Yūgen (幽玄). It's almost impossible to explain or translate its meaning. The most precise may be "deep" or "mysterious". We can experience these moments in everyday life but in general it's a profound experience of something mysterious that is very impressive, like a walk in an old forest that causes a deep feeling of all-one-ness, watching the vast ocean or the sunset that let us realize how unimportant our problems are, or any other moments that brings some depth into our experience..


    ... I want to share a picture that I made in spring. I was driving with my car in the fields outside of the city where I live in a cloudless night to find a dark area without lights around to catch the night sky. It was one of the nights where the lyrids meteor shower crossed the earth. At 3:30AM I arrived and when I get out of the car I encountered a deep silence although various insects were singing and sheep's bleating around me. It was very dark, I think it was new moon. There were countless stars printing the milky way over my head and I saw 2 shooting stars falling from the sky.

    I made a photograph of the night sky and stacked the pictures, each with a duration of few seconds to avoid star trails. Unfortunately no picture can catch the mood of the moment.. IMG_20210117_200800.jpg

    Enviado desde mi BLA-L29 mediante Tapatalk
    Last edited by Jundo; 01-24-2021, 02:28 AM.
  • Shokai
    Dharma Transmitted Priest
    • Mar 2009
    • 6408

    #2
    Unfortunately no picture can catch the mood of the moment
    Horin;
    I think this picture came very close to doing just that; beautiful. I could hear the crickets, but then again that was probably the tinitus I've been living with for fifty years
    Thanks for sharing this

    gassho, Shokai
    stlah
    合掌,生開
    gassho, Shokai

    仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai

    "Open to life in a benevolent way"

    https://sarushinzendo.wordpress.com/

    Comment

    • Nengei
      Member
      • Dec 2016
      • 1658

      #3
      Horin-san, what a singularly beautiful photograph! And a wonderful concept. I presume you are familiar with the photography of the late John Daido Loori Roshi, who pursued photography similarly.

      Gassho,
      Nengei
      Sat today. LAH.
      遜道念芸 Sondō Nengei (he/him)

      Please excuse any indication that I am trying to teach anything. I am a priest in training and have no qualifications or credentials to teach Zen practice or the Dharma.

      Comment

      • Jishin
        Member
        • Oct 2012
        • 4821

        #4
        Wonderful picture!

        Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

        Comment

        • Horin
          Member
          • Dec 2017
          • 385

          #5
          Originally posted by Shokai
          Horin;
          I think this picture came very close to doing just that; beautiful. I could hear the crickets, but then again that was probably the tinitus I've been living with for fifty years
          Thanks for sharing this

          gassho, Shokai
          stlah
          Haha, sorry that made me laugh, Shokai!
          But thank you for the feedback, guys.

          Nengei, oh I didn't know that Loori Roshi was into photography! Amazing, I need to take a look at his pictures!

          Gassho

          Horin

          Stlah

          Enviado desde mi BLA-L29 mediante Tapatalk

          Comment

          • Nengei
            Member
            • Dec 2016
            • 1658

            #6
            Horin, yes, Daidoshi was a photographer professionally. He merged his artistic work with his Zen practice for all of his Dharma life.

            Here are few of his images: http://www.sensri.org/loori.html

            EDIT: Second link removed; they weren't his photographs.

            Gassho,
            Nengei
            Sat today. LAH.
            Last edited by Nengei; 01-17-2021, 10:51 PM.
            遜道念芸 Sondō Nengei (he/him)

            Please excuse any indication that I am trying to teach anything. I am a priest in training and have no qualifications or credentials to teach Zen practice or the Dharma.

            Comment

            • Seikan
              Member
              • Apr 2020
              • 710

              #7
              Horin,

              I love your photo. It is simply sublime.

              I am only somewhat familiar with the concept of Yugen, so I am grateful for this reminder to look into it a bit more.

              Gassho,
              Seikan (Rob)

              -stlah-
              聖簡 Seikan (Sacred Simplicity)

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              • Kyotai

                #8
                Perfect,

                Gassho, Kyotai
                ST

                Comment

                • Kyotai

                  #9

                  Walking with Bear.
                  Gassho, Kyotai
                  ST


                  Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                  • Gareth
                    Member
                    • Jun 2020
                    • 217

                    #10
                    It's a very nice photo. Thanks for sharing.

                    Gassho,
                    Gareth

                    Sat today

                    Comment

                    • Jishin
                      Member
                      • Oct 2012
                      • 4821

                      #11


                      USA tonight


                      Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

                      Comment

                      • Jishin
                        Member
                        • Oct 2012
                        • 4821

                        #12


                        USA tonight.

                        Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

                        Comment

                        • Jishin
                          Member
                          • Oct 2012
                          • 4821

                          #13




                          USA tonight.

                          Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

                          Comment

                          • Horin
                            Member
                            • Dec 2017
                            • 385

                            #14
                            Jishin, amazing pictures.. I like them!

                            Nengei, thanks for the link, very interesting

                            Gassho
                            Horin

                            Stlah

                            Enviado desde mi BLA-L29 mediante Tapatalk

                            Comment

                            • Meitou
                              Member
                              • Feb 2017
                              • 1656

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Nengei
                              Horin, yes, Daidoshi was a photographer professionally. He merged his artistic work with his Zen practice for all of his Dharma life.

                              Here are few of his images: http://www.sensri.org/loori.html

                              EDIT: Second link removed; they weren't his photographs.

                              Gassho,
                              Nengei
                              Sat today. LAH.
                              We did an entire project based on JDL in the Art Circle, he was one of our main influences - what a shame if you didn't see it at the time. The project is still there if you search - I see everything has been archived-but not difficult to find.
                              The seven aesthetic aspects are very interesting and would make a great frame for any creative project, particularly photography and writing. A rather lovely little book to keep on hand is 'Ikigai and other Japanese words to live by', written by Mari Fujimoto with photographs by the wonderful Michael Kenna.
                              I'm currently working on an art book project portraying the 72 Japanese Microseasons, hoping to work from my own photos based around the seven aesthetics.
                              I would say that when we respond to these images in a profound way, we're actually witnessing and responding to the beauty of the dharma in all things.
                              Gassho
                              Meitou
                              Sattoday lah
                              命 Mei - life
                              島 Tou - island

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