At the last Zen Brush calligraphy group on zoom we were inspired by the two well known characters dou 道 (Way/ road/path) and shin or kokoro 心 (heart/mind/spirit).
Brushing them in the kaisho as well as the sousho ‘grass writing’ styles, we explored their meanings, as well as their combined poetic meaning when written together – inspired by poet, calligrapher and Zen master Dogen who wrote about Doushin 道心 as the spirit of the way.
His waka poem (translated by Heine) conveys this mood beautifully:
Seeking the Way
Amid the deepest mountain paths
The retreat I find
None other than
My primordial home: satori!
It was great to see the group enjoying the flow of the brush, particularly with the movement of the sousho calligraphy, and finding balance in their own way.
Folk worked with different sized brushes, ink and papers but were all absorbed by the strokes, shapes and feeling of the kanji ?
You must be logged in to post a comment.