ARTS: Zen photography

[Ryumon]

Back in the days of film, I shot photos, made prints in a darkroom, etc. About seven years ago, I decided to get back into photography, and have been spending a fair amount of time since then learning, looking at photos, and trying to be creative.

Something that has interested me in the past couple of years is the idea of zen photography. This is a term that is used in photography a bit, but it tends to mean some sort of "contemplative photography," or sitting in a trance before shooting photos. I'm not interested in that, but I'm more interested in the idea of photography that reflects a zen aesthetic.

I've found a number of websites that talk about the seven main principles of zen aesthetic, and here's what one says:

Kanso (簡素)
Simplicity or the elimination of clutter. The best things are expressed in a plain, simple, natural manner. Nothing extraneous, nothing frilly. This reminds us to think not in terms of decoration but in terms of clarity—a clarity that can be achieved through omission or exclusion of the non-essential.

Fukinsei (不均整)
Asymmetry or irregularity. The idea of controlling balance in a composition via irregularity and asymmetry is a central tenet of the Zen aesthetic. The enso (“Zen circle”) in brush painting, for example, is often drawn as an incomplete circle, symbolizing the imperfection that is part of existence. In graphic design too asymmetrical balance is a dynamic, beautiful thing. Try looking for (or creating) beauty in balanced asymmetry. Nature itself is full of beauty and harmonious relationships that are asymmetrical yet balanced. This is a dynamic beauty that attracts and engages.

Shibui/Shibumi (渋味)
Beautiful by being understated, or by being precisely what it was meant to be and not elaborated upon. Direct and simple way, without being flashy. Elegant simplicity, articulate brevity.The term is sometimes used today to describe something cool but beautifully minimalist, including technology and some consumer products. (Shibui literally means bitter tasting).

Shizen (自然)
Naturalness. Absence of pretense or artificiality, full creative intent unforced. Ironically, the spontaneous nature of the Japanese garden that the viewer perceives is not accidental. This is a reminder that design is not an accident, even when we are trying to create a natural-feeling environment. It is not a raw nature as such but one with more purpose and intention.

Yugen (幽玄)
Profundity or suggestion rather than revelation. A Japanese garden, for example, can be said to be a collection of subtleties and symbolic elements. Photographers and designers can surely think of many ways to visually imply more by not showing the whole, that is, showing more by showing less.

Datsuzoku (脱俗)
Freedom from habit or formula. Escape from daily routine or the ordinary. Unworldly. Transcending the conventional. This principles describes the feeling of surprise and a bit of amazement when one realizes they can have freedom from the conventional. Professor Tierney says that the Japanese garden itself, “…made with the raw materials of nature and its success in revealing the essence of natural things to us is an ultimate surprise. Many surprises await at almost every turn in a Japanese Garden.”

Seijaku (静寂)
Tranquility or an energized calm (quite), stillness, solitude. This is related to the feeling you may have when in a Japanese garden. The opposite feeling to one expressed by seijaku would be noise and disturbance. How might we bring a feeling of “active calm” and stillness to ephemeral designs outside the Zen arts?


To this end, I've created a gallery of the photos that I think fit the definition of zen photography:

https://kirkville.com/kirks-photos-2/zen-photography/

I'm curious as to what others think, and I'm particularly interested if anyone else working with photography is thinking in this direction.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Onka]

Does this kind of thing fit the definition Kirk? It's a native peach we believe that is budding and blossoming now in our winter. It has grown by itself within a cattle run leading to a cattle crush and ramp in our paddock. I guess a cow provided the seed a bunch of years back. Its resilience is what I admire about this tree. When someone needs a yard, run and ramp they come around, cut the tree at its base so the cattle can walk through then it grows back. Pretty amazing I reckon.
Gassho
Onka
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[Meitou]

Hi Kirk and yes yes yes!
I could say that I was influenced primarily by the Miksang approach proposed by Chogyam Trungpa, but I know that I've instinctively been searching for everything you mention since I picked up my first proper camera at art school back in the 70's. In fact for my very first brief back then I produced a series of black and white photos of drain covers, iron railings and barbed wire. Black and white not for any aesthetic reason but because we had to develop and print the film ourselves and at the time there was no way of doing that with colour film.

I'm particularly drawn to the simplification of images, and also finding aesthetic beauty in the traditionally non-beautiful, urban landscapes, man made products and objects, imperfection and impermanence.
It wasn't until quite recently that I discovered that most of what I'm drawn to and love is encompassed in the Japanese Zen aesthetics, and it explained why I've been so drawn to the work of Japanese photographers, and the work of non Japanese folk like yourself and Michael Kenna. I'm thinking also of Jishin's series of photos of abandoned buildings, which were superb.
Thanks for such a great post. I'm wondering how we can develop this thread - by posting the work of photographers who we think embody these ideas, and our own work too as a start. Maybe a project?
I'll be back!
Gassho
Meitou
Sattoday lah

[Ryumon]

I was hoping that those interested in photography might start a dialog about these questions and hopefully come to some conclusions about what "zen photography" could be. I've been looking up the Miksang thing, and I only just bought the book to find out where they're coming from, but it seems that their approach is more about the idea of creating images in a meditative state. I may be wrong, but from what I see of their photos, such as on Instagram, I don't see a lot of zen esthetic.

I know the person who does this podcast, where there was a recent episode about photography as a zen art:

https://www.neomodern.com/podcast-blog/2020/3/1/104-photography-as-a-zen-art

We had a long talk about this a few weeks ago, and, while I think he's on the right track, he's not a zen practitioner. On the other hand, he has a vast amount of photography knowledge; he grew up with, then inherited, his father's large collection of really great photos. He has thousands of photos, including many that are familiar to those who know a bit about the history of photography.

So we could post photos by photographers that we think match then descriptive "zen photography," but also our own work, and perhaps discuss what makes a photo "zen." I think it's quite arbitrary; if you look at John Daido Loori's work, it's certainly zen, because he was a zen practitioner, but from what I've seen I wouldn't say it's all inspired by zen esthetic. It certainly has a lot of influence from his mentor Minor White, whose work is very interesting, but not really zen.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Ryumon]

I just started leafing through The Practice of Contemplative Photography. The introduction confirms what I thought: it's about getting images instinctively (which I think is fine) but there doesn't seem to be any grounding in specific esthetics. I think that's what I want to do: combine the two.

The authors mention a number of great photographers as examples, but what's interesting is that they are all photographers who are either dead or very old. In other words, they ignore any photographers (at least in their list in the intro) who came up in what one could call the second wave of art photography. They cite Stieglitz, Weston, Modotti, Kertez, Strand, Cartier-Bresson, and Adams as their masters; they ignore, say, William Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Joel Meyerowitz, Diane Arbus, and many others who helped change the art world's idea of photography.

I see where they're going. The photos in the book by the authors fit a certain style of minimalist photography that has actually been banalized in recent years; a lot of it is almost clichéd simplicity. It's not that they are bad photos; it's just that there is nothing special about them. So the goal of the book is to - I'm speculating - photography meditatively.

One contradiction stands out, in the intro, and that's the idea that shooting "subjects" is conventional. Yet all the great photographers shot "subjects."

Anyway, I'm not surprised that, after seeing a lot of their photos online, the book goes in this direction. It's interesting that it's nearly ten years old, and that, at the time, minimalist photography wasn't as common. I don't think they influenced much, but they were on the crest of a style that was becoming somewhat mainstream.

Here's one photo in the book that I think fits with the zen esthetic; it's also a photo that the person I mentioned, regarding the podcast, owns.

6571

It's both minimalistic, and it asks questions. It's undefined, vague, yet very clear. I think this is a good exemplar of what I'm aiming at.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Ryumon]

Does this kind of thing fit the definition Kirk? It's a native peach we believe that is budding and blossoming now in our winter. It has grown by itself within a cattle run leading to a cattle crush and ramp in our paddock. I guess a cow provided the seed a bunch of years back. Its resilience is what I admire about this tree. When someone needs a yard, run and ramp they come around, cut the tree at its base so the cattle can walk through then it grows back. Pretty amazing I reckon.

As an idea, it's interesting, but I wouldn't know much about it if you didn't explain it. I think photography needs to explain itself. Also, the photo is quite busy; I'm not sure what my eye is supposed to look at.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Doshin]

Kirk,

Nice photos!

I take (and have for a very long time) taken pictures of wildlife. Always trying to get the best close ups that display the beauty of the animal. I take lots of photos of reptiles (both an interest and easier for closeups). I have never approached it consciously with the lens of Zen. However I will follow this thread to gain a different perspective.

I came of age in a time when Ansel Adams demonstrated the beauty of photography and got me interested in the camera.


Look forward to what is shared here.

Doshin
St

[Onka]

As an idea, it's interesting, but I wouldn't know much about it if you didn't explain it. I think photography needs to explain itself. Also, the photo is quite busy; I'm not sure what my eye is supposed to look at.

Gassho,

Kirk

satGassho
Onka
st

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[Heiso]

I was reading about the 7 elements of the zen/Japanese aesthetic recently but in terms of design. I hadn't thought of how they could be applied to photography. I've just started picking up my camera again so will try to implement them and see what happens.

In terms of photographers, I guess Hiroshi Sugimoto springs to mind, especially his seascapes. You can almost picture Dogen writing about the boat and the sea in them.

I know you said William Eggleston isn't thought to embody the aesthetic in his work but I think there's a sort of 'suburban zen' feel to some of his work, particularly if you were to look at some of it in black and white.

Gassho

Heiso
StLah

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[Ryumon]

I was reading about the 7 elements of the zen/Japanese aesthetic recently but in terms of design. I hadn't thought of how they could be applied to photography. I've just started picking up my camera again so will try to implement them and see what happens.

In terms of photographers, I guess Hiroshi Sugimoto springs to mind, especially his seascapes. You can almost picture Dogen writing about the boat and the sea in them.

I know you said William Eggleston isn't thought to embody the aesthetic in his work but I think there's a sort of 'suburban zen' feel to some of his work, particularly if you were to look at some of it in black and white.


Yes, Sugimoto does have that sort of feel, but he seascapes are all the same. If you see one or two, they're interesting, but I have a book of them, and they're quite tedious. As for Eggleston, I saw a documentary about him, and it showed how he takes pictures. He's quite instinctive, and, for that part of his work, I'd say he could be called "sort-of-zen," but there is no overriding esthetic in his work other than colors and shapes. He said that he looks at his photos upside down to see if they work, that for him, all photos are more or less abstract. (Of course, that's a bit of an exaggeration; while he doesn't often shoot photos of people, the ones he did shoot are in no way abstract). He only shot a small number of photos in black and white, and for him, it's the colors that are important.

Gassho,

Kirk

AboutToSit

[Meitou]

Yes, Sugimoto does have that sort of feel, but he seascapes are all the same. If you see one or two, they're interesting, but I have a book of them, and they're quite tedious. As for Eggleston, I saw a documentary about him, and it showed how he takes pictures. He's quite instinctive, and, for that part of his work, I'd say he could be called "sort-of-zen," but there is no overriding esthetic in his work other than colors and shapes. He said that he looks at his photos upside down to see if they work, that for him, all photos are more or less abstract. (Of course, that's a bit of an exaggeration; while he doesn't often shoot photos of people, the ones he did shoot are in no way abstract). He only shot a small number of photos in black and white, and for him, it's the colors that are important.

Gassho,

Kirk

AboutToSit

Kirk, you have broken my heart! Sugimoto is one of my most beloved photographers and his Seascapes have had the greatest influence on me. Give me that tedious book!
:D
Going back to the other books mentioned however, I do agree with you about the Contemplative photography book which I have, although I haven't looked at it in the last 5 years ; I found a lot of it very contrived. At the time I knew nothing about Zen or the aesthetics and I agree that this book doesn't reflect those ideas. What it did do was give me greater confidence in what I had been thinking were my weird snaps of what my eye picks up on.
I have a couple of the Daido Loori books too and yes, agree, these are part of a different journey.
I'm looking back through some of my photos through the 7 aesthetics lens, and reflecting on whether there's ultimately a difference between unconsciously capturing a concept and consciously seeking to represent it. I'd like to work with both and see what happens.
Gassho
Meitou
Sattoday

Also interesting to note how much more spontaneous my approach is since my camera broke and I'm using a quite cheap phone.

[Ryumon]

Re Sugimoto: When I had first seen a few of his horizon photos in a magazine, I found them interesting. I bought the book, and they really are tedious. A half dozen of them are interesting; 200 of them are not. Sorry. :-o

As for spontaneous, I would argue that one needs to learn to use the tool one has - whichever camera it is - so taking pictures is not about knobs and dials, but about composition. That's really easy to do with a smartphone; it's a lot harder with a "real" camera, because there's so much to learn. Which is why I always suggest that people really learn to use their cameras, so when they're shooting they aren't distracted by changing settings.

If you're interested, I co-host a podcast about photography: https://www.photoactive.co

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Heiso]

I will have a listen to the podcast, thanks Kirk.

I was out jogging in local woods after reading this thread and was mentally looking for shots that that I thought would fit the zen aesthetic. I realised it's much easier to recognise it in someone else's work than compose my own. But I guess that's the same for many things


Gassho,

Heiso
StLah

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[Ryumon]

I was out jogging in local woods after reading this thread and was mentally looking for shots that that I thought would fit the zen aesthetic. I realised it's much easier to recognise it in someone else's work than compose my own. But I guess that's the same for many things


What I find is that when I look at a photographer's work a lot - and this can be online or in books - I start to develop an "eye" for what they see. When I then go outside with a camera, that idea remains, and I find it more likely to see interesting things. For me, the best way to learn about photography is to look at photographs. I regularly buy photo books to appreciate the art, and learn what others see.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Kyotai]

I enjoyed your photos Kirk. What strikes me as an interesting photo is a narrative or story that’s being conveyed in a single photo. I did not get that sense looking at your photoS, while I enjoyed them I did not feel a sense that a particular moment was being singled out and expressed. Rather a sense that the object was taken just as it is using many rules of photography. The symmetry of angles you used did give me a sense of “zen”

Well done

Gassho, Kyotai

[Meitou]

Re Sugimoto: When I had first seen a few of his horizon photos in a magazine, I found them interesting. I bought the book, and they really are tedious. A half dozen of them are interesting; 200 of them are not. Sorry. :-o


Gassho,

Kirk

sat

In your opinion of course. I never tire of looking at them, I feel a strong connection to them, so let's remember how subjective this all is.
Gassho
Meitou
Sattoday lah

[Ryumon]

I enjoyed your photos Kirk. What strikes me as an interesting photo is a narrative or story that’s being conveyed in a single photo. I did not get that sense looking at your photoS, while I enjoyed them I did not feel a sense that a particular moment was being singled out and expressed. Rather a sense that the object was taken just as it is using many rules of photography. The symmetry of angles you used did give me a sense of “zen”

That's a very interesting point; I'd never thought about that. It's true that many photos present "story" and that I've read many books and taken courses where the idea of story is important. Of course many don't present story: most portraits, landscapes, and still life photos. What I try to capture is mood and feeling, the "thusness" of objects and scenes. But many photographers who shoot other types of photos also do that: what else is a landscape photo other than capturing a feeling?

But I think this is a good point:

"a sense that the object was taken just as it is"

I'd never considered that, but perhaps that is part of what I'm seeking. Though I would disagree with the idea that they use "many rules of photography." I'm one of those who thinks that there are no rules, especially those that are generally presented as "the rules" of photography.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Ryumon]

In your opinion of course. I never tire of looking at them, I feel a strong connection to them, so let's remember how subjective this all is.


Indeed.

BTW, I'll be interviewing Michael Kenna on my photo podcast again in a couple of weeks, talking specifically about his new Buddha book.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Heiso]

Indeed.

BTW, I'll be interviewing Michael Kenna on my photo podcast gain in a couple of weeks, talking specifically about his new Buddha book.

Gassho,

Kirk

satExcellent, I've subscribed so look forward to that one.

Gassho

Heiso

StLah

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[Kyotai]

That's a very interesting point; I'd never thought about that. It's true that many photos present "story" and that I've read many books and taken courses where the idea of story is important. Of course many don't present story: most portraits, landscapes, and still life photos. What I try to capture is mood and feeling, the "thusness" of objects and scenes. But many photographers who shoot other types of photos also do that: what else is a landscape photo other than capturing a feeling?

But I think this is a good point:

"a sense that the object was taken just as it is"

I'd never considered that, but perhaps that is part of what I'm seeking. Though I would disagree with the idea that they use "many rules of photography." I'm one of those who thinks that there are no rules, especially those that are generally presented as "the rules" of photography.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

Well, your photos have many pleasant leading lines and 1/3's, which are certainly rules. But I've always believed that you must first learn the rules before you can start breaking them. True in photography, true in martial arts too.

Gassho, Kyotai
ST

[Ryumon]

Well, your photos have many pleasant leading lines and 1/3's, which are certainly rules. But I've always believed that you must first learn the rules before you can start breaking them. True in photography, true in martial arts too.


I certainly don't consider the "rule" of thirds, which I call the "rule of turds," because there is no justification for it, other than the fact that early DSLRs had 1/3 grid lines. If you look back at the history of photography, it's not something that existed. And there are too many exceptions to make it useful. (If you browse my podcast PhotoActive, you'll see there's an episode where we discussed it.) As for other elements of composition, the "rules" for photography are no different from the rules for painting and other art. I very much like looking at Japanese woodblock prints from the 17th - 19th century, the classic ukiyo-e, for inspiration; their composition was similar to what "works" in photos.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

[Jishin]

I certainly don't consider the "rule" of thirds, which I call the "rule of turds," because there is no justification for it, other than the fact that early DSLRs had 1/3 grid lines. If you look back at the history of photography, it's not something that existed. And there are too many exceptions to make it useful. (If you browse my podcast PhotoActive, you'll see there's an episode where we discussed it.) As for other elements of composition, the "rules" for photography are no different from the rules for painting and other art. I very much like looking at Japanese woodblock prints from the 17th - 19th century, the classic ukiyo-e, for inspiration; their composition was similar to what "works" in photos.

Gassho,

Kirk

satHi Kirk,

Your podcast is very cool.

Although artists want to do what they want to do without interference, the audience needs to be considered.

The audience likes the rule of turds. :-)

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

[Kyotai]

I certainly don't consider the "rule" of thirds, which I call the "rule of turds," because there is no justification for it, other than the fact that early DSLRs had 1/3 grid lines. If you look back at the history of photography, it's not something that existed. And there are too many exceptions to make it useful. (If you browse my podcast PhotoActive, you'll see there's an episode where we discussed it.) As for other elements of composition, the "rules" for photography are no different from the rules for painting and other art. I very much like looking at Japanese woodblock prints from the 17th - 19th century, the classic ukiyo-e, for inspiration; their composition was similar to what "works" in photos.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

Very interesting perspective and podcast as I am about 2/3 the way through it this morning. As a newer amateur photographer, I certainly appreciated learning about rules of photography in the online course that I took as previously I would simply and always place the subject in the center of the photo. I think learning about what is widely and generally considered a pleasing photo (I emphasize generally) is helpful, before going along your photography journey.

Gassho, Kyotai
ST

[Meitou]

Indeed.

BTW, I'll be interviewing Michael Kenna on my photo podcast again in a couple of weeks, talking specifically about his new Buddha book.

Gassho,

Kirk

sat

Gratitude
gassho1
meitou
sattodaylah

[Jishin]

I don't know if this is Fukinsei or Zen. They are grapes though.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200729/cb0d3e7ff9bfa77fb6aed363f944d87d.jpg

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

[Gareth]

Perhaps this?

6765

I took the picture on an evening run a few years ago.

Gassho,
Gareth
Sat today

[Jishin]

Perhaps this?

6765

I took the picture on an evening run a few years ago.

Gassho,
Gareth
Sat todayGreat!

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

[Gareth]

Great!

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

Thanks - I liked the grapes picture too!

Gassho,
Gareth
Sat today

[Tai Shi]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201005/45d7d2e25f24fc9de848952ef8da55c3.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201005/2c2b8c7cdf47150d43e2f4843608ad87.jpg
Gassho
sat / lah
Tai Shi


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[Jundo]

I have moved a couple of the older photo threads into our new "Photography" space, where these beautiful images can have a new home.

Gassho, Jundo
STLah

[Kyotai]

I don't know if this is Fukinsei or Zen. They are grapes though.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200729/cb0d3e7ff9bfa77fb6aed363f944d87d.jpg

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

Could have fooled me. I was thinking Multiverse.

Gassho, Kyotai
ST

[Jishin]

[emoji3]

[Horin]

Buddha in the mirror...

Gassho

Horin
Stlah https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210118/7f9fd4ed8cb4af5dac79eec042109463.jpg

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[Horin]

Zazen..


Gassho
Horin

Stlah https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210119/ef17071d863d7bf2b376b0eeadb585d7.jpg

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[Ryusoku]

Interesting thread.

I have coined a phrase after reading the words written - Clikantaza.

There is no difference in how we sit, to how we see. None! In labelling one way 'zen' and another 'not-zen' we become blinded by our desire to define. Our precepts point to this.

Try and separate good zazen and bad zazen - is it in the sitting or a tourniquet of thought?

I travelled the trail of this is good/this is not, she is good/he is not many years ago and eventually returned to the point of departure carrying a bag full of baloney. Comparison cripples creativity and mimicry mars the mind, the question becomes - how do we learn/grow? How do we express our being so that others feel your 'youniverse' at once individual and universal at the same time. Very few creators can achieve this feat, a handful at most.

If we follow the guidelines set before us to sit then we see before us the wisdom to see and ultimately to be.

Gassho,

Ryusoku (Brett)

sattoday

[Tairin]

Buddha in the mirror...

Gassho

Horin
Stlah https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210118/7f9fd4ed8cb4af5dac79eec042109463.jpg

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I really like this one Horin. Beautifully captured.

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Gareth]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201005/45d7d2e25f24fc9de848952ef8da55c3.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201005/2c2b8c7cdf47150d43e2f4843608ad87.jpg
Gassho
sat / lah
Tai Shi


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Nice pictures! I like the second one especially.

Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today

[John Mac]

JDL here https://youtu.be/VPR_5MvFIXU

And my own WS here https://johnmacbrayne99.wixsite.com/website

JDL was a major influence on my work along with Minor White and Aaron Siskind.

[Kyonin]

Hi Kirk,

What a trip back in time for me. Back in the 90's when I was in college, I attended to a Zen art conference and these concepts you share with us today, marked my life in many ways. As a matter of fact, my blog began as a way to express these teachings.

Since then, all I design, write and how I lead my life, has to do with the principles. I wish I had some samples of what I used to do back then.

Here is a little photo I took a while ago...

https://1drv.ms/u/s!Akxki0vbnRKilIwP41mK5i93afnRoA

Thank you for sharing.

Gassho,

Kyonin
Sat/LAH

[Geika]

I keep that old video around because it is indeed a good one!

Gassho
Sat, lah

[Doshin]

JDL here https://youtu.be/VPR_5MvFIXU

And my own WS here https://johnmacbrayne99.wixsite.com/website

JDL was a major influence on my work along with Minor White and Aaron Siskind.

gassho2

Doshin
St

[Tai Shi]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210612/c07794f78c4b765a007e81ad29d92208.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210612/3a8f9403802d2f069ed0c10080c9f7bb.jpg
One in My Yard
Two in the Park


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[Jishin]

Man's best friend. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210613/cd1370458cd8f9b6541dc66e8a49dad9.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210613/535a856b34e3471e009b89f28fe87c40.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210613/0665565f4796e1d2ba9aa0cda8121d1a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210613/1e786df1a583854d89acfd9f0a28f601.jpg

[Tai Shi]

This is the Lotus Sutra first two lines. Sanskrit and Chinese .https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210629/8d3438427b8f0e465759b5642ffe74f4.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210629/76cab96bd6fbe387595fac9c0fc528b3.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210629/8ff0c36e5623b858e897903587910c99.jpg
Okay


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[Tai Shi]

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[Jundo]

This is the Lotus Sutra first two lines. Sanskrit and Chinese .
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Hi Tai Shi,

Ah, that is a famous section of "Chapter Sixteen: The Life Span of the Tathagata (Juryohon)," a portion of the Lotus Sutra. It has been prized by Dogen and other Soto Zen Buddhists, and is recited in Soto Zen monasteries each day as part of the Morning Service. It is not in Sanskrit, actually, but in Chinese transliterated (in the roman letters) into Japanese pronunciation.

自我得仏来所経諸劫数無量百千万億載阿僧祇

Since I attained buddhahood the number of kalpas that have passed is an immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions, trillions, asamkhyas.

Kalpas are vast eras of time in Buddhist teaching, and asamkhyas is another measure that is basically meant to be beyond measure. This section of the Lotus Sutra is prized because, beyond the finite life span of the historical man who lived and died in India, it emphasizes an aspect of "Buddha" that is somehow beyond time

It is not the first line of that Chapter either, but near the start. Burton Watson translates the whole passage as ("nayuta" is yet another incredibly large measure):


"Suppose a person were to take five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya thousand-million-fold worlds and grind them to dust. Then, moving eastward, each time he passes five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya worlds he drops a particle of dust. He continues eastward in this way until he has finished dropping all the particles. Good men, what is your opinion? Can the total number of all these worlds be imagined or calculated?"

The bodhisattva Maitreya and the others said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, these worlds are immeasurable, boundless--one cannot calculate their number, nor does the mind have the power to encompass them. Even all the voice-hearers and pratyekabuddhas with their wisdom free of outflows could not imagine or understand how many there are. Although we abide in the stage of avivartika [the stage of non-regression in Buddhist practice], we cannot comprehend such a matter. World-Honored One, these worlds are immeasurable and boundless."

At that time the Buddha said to the multitude of great bodhisattvas: "Good men, now I will state this to you clearly. Suppose all these worlds, whether they received a particle of dust or not, are once more reduced to dust. Let one particle represent one kalpa. The time that has passed since I attained Buddhahood surpasses this by a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya kalpas. Ever since then I have been constantly in this saha world, preaching the Law, teaching and converting, and elsewhere I have led and benefited living beings in hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas and asamkhyas of lands.

http://jizainoken2.web.fc2.com/text/Chap16.htm

Of course, I personally would not take the scene depicted literally, and consider it a work of the religious imagination with grand images and wild scenes to rival anything George Lucas can come up with in Star Wars! [trooper][jedi] However, I would take the point that it is making quite literally, namely, that they teachings are timeless, never end or begin, leap beyond the clock and cover the universe from startless start to endless end. In our own era, in which physicists envision countless galaxies in the known universe alone, and perhaps whole arrays of universes in a multi-verse, those old Buddhist authors of the Lotus Sutra and such were quite ahead of their time!

gassho2

Gassho, J

STLah

[Tai Shi]

Hi Jundo, Marge said she lost interest when we began speaking of countless immeasurable periods of time. Marjorie is always and forever grateful and living today and especially in this moment. She feels the beautiful way is the simplest way. I have lived with her for 41 years this July and it’s no accident I “got sober “ in the same month we decided to occupy the same space and time. So for her the only teaching is that it is better to live now. For her, well, she taught me that today is the only way and and without today, all the Kulpus don’t matter much. When we surrender to the moment, and she taught me in the first month of sobriety, though we did it together. We found surrender is like a child’s Chinese handcuffs. If you struggle you never get free, freedom is relax and let it happen, just surrender. These are beautiful and what Marge and I have lived by for 34 years and countless others. See Jundo and others, Marjorie and I will never be separated from earth other this is the selfless ticket to Xanidu and all the Shangralas are as nothing to us. When I nearly died from bleeding to death, and 2 months later the psychiatrist had me again on the wrong medication for the millionth time and we helped each other side by side as it has been and always will be, we will never ever be apart. We are together now with everything and everywhere.
Gassho
Deep Bows
sat/ lah
Tai Shi


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[Tai Shi]

The beautiful photos of serenity in my neighborhood especially the area near the park those beautiful flowers and the beautiful walkway.
Gassho
sat/ lah
Tai Shi


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[Tai Shi]

When I gush, it may be in the wrong place. Poetry best placed with poetry. Each have oneness, and not to diminishing anyone’s art. Even with and for Treeleaf Zendo while at Treeleaf. Less is more. More is less.
Gassho
sat:
/ lah
Tai Shi


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[Tai Shi]

I have learned from a critic of the Lotus Sutra how important it is to Mahayana Buddhism for equality for practice.
Gassho
sat/ lah
Tai Shi. Thank you


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[Gareth]

Hello from the Isle of Wight :)

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Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today, Lah

[Tai Shi]

Jishin, I am a convert, as Jundo pointed toward THE BUDDHA Tatagatha, ordinary man turned or yet extraordinary, these being my kulpas of one dust, as does another, in all equal, man, woman, neither, both one for the other we are, we are that particle of dust invisible disable, and placed back together in fine undertaking of Precepts six, seven, eight we have less anger today. This will be my natural death, my equality.
Deep Bows
Gassho
sat/ lah
Tai Shi

[Gareth]

Another two :)

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Gassho,
Gareth

Sat today, attempted Lah

[Cam]

My first post, and thanks for a thread right up my street.
Buddleias can grow in all sorts of urban places- they were the first plants to grow in bombsites after the Blitz, and they attract butterflies into the urban landscape. Londoners voted for it as the plant that best symbolises our resilient city. Here a buddleia is growing behind and reflected on construction site hoarding on a glorious day as building and growth continues in our city.
Sat today
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[Tai Shi]

New alter in upstairs office room, less space, happy no falls.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220205/0861c7fb6469af2fbfb0bdf6907eb3d8.jpg
Gassho
sat/ lah


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[Alina]

This morning as I was going from my office to my kitchen (I work from home) I saw this on the wall opposite to the front door. A ray of sunlight was coming in through the peephole, creating a "rainbow enso". It lasted only a few moments, then faded away. I am not sure if it fits the Zen photography definition, but I thought it was worth sharing it, it gave my morning a bit of magic.

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Gassho

Alina
ST+LAH

[Kokuu]

real_rainbow_enso.jpg

Beautiful! It does look like an enso of many colours!

This past couple of mornings the sun has been coming up just when I start my morning sit and that has been a very lovely thing. No pictures though.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Tai Shi]

Living with my recovery is a blessing and I hope that the pain treatment is a blessing and my doctor said it may work up to a year and I am so thankful for now is here life and death are of supreme importance “time passes swiftly by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should awaken, awaken, awake. Take head do not squander your life.”
Gassho
sat/ lah
Tai Shi


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