A TALK AND EXHIBITION

I'm honored to be featured at Boundless Way Zen Temple on November 22nd at 6:30 pm for an evening of art and insight. “Zen on Paper” will open with a talk by David Rynick and Roshi, who will discuss the connection between Zen and creativity, exploring how art can deepen our understanding of experience. Following David’s talk, I will offer a talk on how Zen shapes my artistic process and inspires my artwork.

The exhibition will feature many of my artworks, and from November 22 to 29, 50% of sales proceeds will go to the Temple. This is a chance to see my art in person and learn about what inspires my art while supporting the Temple community.

PONDERING ZEN ART

Zen art exists in the form and the formless. It’s something you can point to but never fully grasp, an expression that resists being pinned down. In my practice, Zen art is less about capturing beauty or making a statement and more about engaging with what is—the perfection within imperfection, the clarity within the mystery. Each stroke or line arises from and returns to this sense of boundlessness.

This kind of art doesn’t aim to show or tell. Instead, it invites, quietly expanding the world by revealing what often goes unnoticed. It’s an act of creativity that lives in paradox: art made with intention yet free from grasping, a practice with form yet unbound by rules. Zen art doesn’t resolve questions; it opens them further, leading us to see beyond surface appearances. In every brushstroke and texture, there’s the whole universe—just as it is, endlessly unfolding.

ARTWORK SPOTLIGHT

Mirrored Moon Whispers is a piece I created that captures the moon's quiet presence over water, a powerful symbol of awakening often explored by the Zen masters. The moon's image, reflected yet unaffected by the water's shifting ripples, speaks to the true nature of awakening. Just as the moonlight fills the water's surface without altering its essence, awakening does not make us someone new or better; instead, it allows us to see that each moment of our lives, with all its beauty and challenges, is the whole of life itself.

My intent in this painting is to point to the view that the entire cosmos moves within each wave of experience, reflecting the boundless, intimate nature of our lives.

FROM MY SKETCHBOOK

QUOTE I’M REFLECTING ON

“Whilst the doors of the temple stand open, night and day, before every[one], and the oracles of this truth cease never, it is guarded by one stern condition; this, namely; it is an intuition. It cannot be received at second hand. Truly speaking, it is not instruction, but provocation, that I can receive from another soul. What [one] announces, I must find true in me, or wholly reject; and on [their] word… I can accept nothing."

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

ZEN TEACHING I’M CONTEMPLATING

Shunryu Suzuki’s quote, "When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself," reflects the essence of wholehearted living.

In Zen, true engagement means immersing oneself fully in each action without attachment or resistance. When we approach life like a bonfire, burning bright yet leaving no trace, we release the weight of ego and self-consciousness. This means not holding back, not seeking reward, and not clinging to outcomes.

In such simplicity, life unfolds naturally, each moment flowing into the next. This path of complete engagement brings ease, clarity, and genuine peace.

MUSIC I’M ENJOYING

Jon Hopkins' new album RITUAL unfolds like a journey into a deep, immersive landscape, blending the spiritual with the primal. Structured as a single piece in eight chapters, it feels both vast and intimate, evolving with each movement to capture the listener’s attention through layers of sound that are strikingly rich and raw. Hopkins explores themes of ceremony and liberation, drawing on the archetypal hero’s journey, which gives the album an almost mythic quality.

Each chapter builds and recedes, shifting from serene, meditative pulses to intense, almost chaotic peaks, highlighting an elemental contrast that mirrors the cycles of growth and transformation. RITUAL isn’t just music—it’s an experience that touches something ancient within, inviting listeners to feel both grounded and transcendent.

HAIKU

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