Shodo Brushing the Winds of the Ancient Teachings
At Shodō calligraphy for our first group this Tiger year (Tora in Japanese), we peacefully brushed the very airy and natural feeling Genpū 玄風 . This is a lovely zen word that can mean mysterious winds, meaning the profound teachings of the ancient zen teachers who ‘tread in spaciousness’ (see Master Dogen’s Shobogenzo chapter – Gyoji 1). It is a delicate and wondrous phrase to brush.
We explored connecting the two kanji together in the cursive styles as well as practiced some regular Kaisho style first for each of the kanji characters. It was a relaxing and easygoing group and in the words of one of the kind participants, it was ‘enjoyable and felt good to be back in the saddle so to speak’.
Blair read a poem from the Shobogenzo capturing the spirit of this shodo practice together ✨
The water is clean, right down to the ground,
Fishes are swimming like fishes.
The sky is wide, clear through to the heavens,
And birds are flying like birds.
Thanks to everyone for taking part and those who shared work 😀
