This week, Ox Herding will focus on American artists who are also Buddhist practitioners. This short survey makes no attempt to be exhaustive; rather, it's quite personal. Either I have a direct connection with the artists or feel a strong affinity with their work.
Jakusho Kwong Roshi, a dharma heir of Suzuki Roshi, serves as guiding teacher of Sonoma Mountain Zen Center. He is one of nine Western teachers to receive the title "Dendo Kyoshi," or Zen Teacher, from the Soto School in Japan.
Kwong Roshi was also a close dharma friend of Zen Master Seung Sahn and I first met him during a tour of Korea in 1993. I was charmed when he turned a scrap of orange peel into an incense burner. Several years later I did a three-week solo retreat at Sonoma Mountain Zen Center and Kwong Roshi very generously offered me an interview.
Among his accomplishments, Kwong Roshi has pioneered an approach to Zen calligraphy that combines traditional Asian brush technique with English characters. His calligraphy, playful and energetic, mirrors my experience of him. Here are a few examples:
My shodo teacher used to implore me: "Pray with the brush, Lynette, pray!" Years later I realized she was saying: "PLAY with the brush, Lynette, PLAY!" By then it was too late... ;-) Thank you, Barry. Awesome way to wake up today.
Posted by: Genju | September 28, 2009 at 10:12 AM
PLAY! Good advice for all of us. Thanks, Genju!
Posted by: Barry Briggs | September 28, 2009 at 12:47 PM
It is truely an art, I took calligraphy lessons years ago with a Chinese Teacher in Fullerton. He was always kind to me even though I don't think I was all that good. Kwong Roshi has really nailed the combination.
Posted by: Paul Lynch, JDPSN | September 28, 2009 at 12:53 PM
Hi Paul,
I once picked up a brush, but only ended up with ink all over myself. Story of my life . . .
Thanks for your comment!
Barry
Posted by: Barry Briggs | September 28, 2009 at 01:11 PM
Thanks, this is a wonderful topic. The latent art historian in me is happy. I like these images. Interesting, I took a Japanese painting survey course as part of my B.A. coursework in Art History and found it soooo different than the western European art I was mostly studying that I had a hard time with wrapping my brain around it. Now I'd like to go back and take that course again, think my books are long gone.
past my bedtime!
jill
Posted by: jill i | September 28, 2009 at 10:43 PM
Thanks for your interest in this topic, Jill. I've long been interested in art - Buddhist and otherwise - and would love to re-take those old art history courses. It would be rather different now, I suspect!
Posted by: Barry Briggs | September 29, 2009 at 08:35 PM
How do I find art without ego?
Posted by: Steve | September 30, 2009 at 11:24 AM
Steve, what are you doing right now? (That's where!)
Posted by: Barry Briggs | September 30, 2009 at 02:38 PM