ZEN ON PAPER

Last week, the Temple hosted an art show called Zen on Paper, featuring my artwork. Walking among the paintings, we discussed the creative spark that reveals our understanding of this beautiful, fleeting life. My teacher, David Dae An Rynick, Rōshi, gave a talk on the connection between Zen and the arts, inviting everyone to explore the bond between artist, viewer, and reality. Afterward, I spoke about my process, aesthetics, and techniques. Here are the Zoom recordings of David's talk and my talk.

The artwork on display included paintings of blossoms, mountains, calligraphy, and the Buddha—images inspired by my Zen practice and life as an artist, striving to capture the fleeting beauty of everyday existence. Many works found new homes, with half the proceeds supporting the Temple.

Thank you to all who attended, shared tea, and supported this event and our community. Your presence was a gift. I look forward to sharing more moments of art and thoughts about living fully in the timeless present.

In gratitude, Sōkei

BEAUTY IN UGLY

Much like Zen, my art challenges the boundary between beauty and ugliness, exposing it as a mental construct. Our minds often divide the world into attraction and aversion, but Zen invites us to meet life without clinging to preferences. In my work, I explore this ambivalence, suggesting that what appears ugly might, in another light, reveal profound beauty.

Beauty is not an inherent trait but a dynamic encounter—a fleeting grace arising between you and the world. It manifests unexpectedly: in a broken branch, a weathered stone, or the wrinkles on the face of a loved one. Each tells a story of time, imperfection, and life's unfolding.

To live and create spontaneously is to embrace imperfection, letting the irregular and awkward emerge. This openness is liberating, revealing poetry in the mundane or grotesque. Beauty isn't a possession; it simply happens when we meet the world with unguarded attention. It is as if, in that moment, the universe whispers, "This too is worthy of your love."

ARTWORK SPOTLIGHT

In this month’s spotlight is a piece I created called Bound by Thought, a contemporary interpretation of the traditional Zen enso. The enso, often a simple, fluid circle, represents the elegance of the infinite. My piece reimagines this symbol through a contemporary lens, using modern tools to express how our thoughts can cloud and distort our view of reality.

Rather than the clean, open form of a classic enso, Bound by Thought is layered with chaotic geometric patterns and obscured shapes, creating a visual tension between order and disorder. At the heart of the piece lies the central circle form, partially visible, partially veiled. A muted palette of earthy tones evokes a quiet mystery, inviting viewers to linger and explore. Each fragmented detail symbolizes the layers of thought—biases, assumptions, fears—that obscure our ability to see the world as it truly is.

FROM MY SKETCHBOOK

QUOTE I’M REFLECTING ON

“I beg you to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers which could not be given to you now because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."

― Rainier Maria Rilke

ZEN TEACHING I’M CONTEMPLATING

"This very place is the Lotus Land; this very body, the Buddha," teaches Zen Master Hakuin Ekaku, revealing that enlightenment is neither distant nor reserved for the flawless. It is here, now, in every moment.

The "Lotus Land," often seen as the mythical realm of awakening, is not a far-off destination but the ground beneath our feet. Whether in a bustling city or the stillness of solitude, the Lotus Land is wherever we awaken to the present.

Equally transformative is the teaching that our body is the Buddha—not an ideal or statue, but this imperfect, living being. Zen invites us to embrace our wholeness as we are.

We embody this truth through practice—hearing the wind and meeting emotions with compassion. Awakening is not about escape but recognizing that the Lotus blooms and the Buddha resides here.

ART I’M ENJOYING

This month, I'd like to share a photograph that has captivated me and may speak to you: The Pond - Moonlight by Edward Steichen. Steichen, a pioneering figure in transforming photography into art, created works that transcend the literal and delve into the poetic.

The image feels like a fleeting moment suspended in time—dreamlike yet deeply real. Its interplay of light and shadow, blurred textures, and delicate tones evoke mystery, inviting us into a liminal space between waking and dreaming, presence and absence.

The moonlight filtering through the trees onto the pond reflects something timeless within us—a quiet beauty beneath life's surface. Zen practice helps us see beyond appearances to find stillness in movement. This photograph is an invitation to pause and notice the subtle dance of light and dark, form and emptiness. Spend time with it and see where it guides you.

HAIKU

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