Omori Sogen
Page 15
Zen and the Arts have not only a closely-tied but an inseparable relationship, like Siamese twins. The inseparability arises because Zen absolutely negates the self in the Absolute Being called Buddha and then affirms its Being.
The self once negated is not only the simple limited self but is also the manifestation of Buddha, symbol of that which we revere as Universal Life. When something which cannot be seen or touched is symbolized in this way, it is worthy of recognition as a magnificent work of art. When this occurs, Zen takes the form of artistic expression. But notice, all work from a Zen priest is not necessarily Zen Art. The Art must symbolize the Absolute Void and in the true religious sense Zen Art must symbolize Buddha Mind.
From ancient times, the traditional arts of Japan were created by immersing oneself into an object (the dualism of self and object is transcended). Thus the one creating is also the creation and thereby contains the fundamental characteristics of Japanese culture: wabi and sabi. Wabi means that an object, though still a part of everyday society, stands apart from it in solitude. Sabi connotes simple, rustic imperfection without decorations. For example, a painting showing extremely few strokes manifests sabi or omission.
These unique characteristics of Japanese culture were brought about by Zen. Zen artworks represent simplicity, bottomless depth and profundity. Yugen (that which gives a glimpse into the Unfathomable) was born. Zen Art is the unrestrained work of one who creates freely as one’s will dictates.1
In the real world of yuge zammai (the play of samadhi), the Zen of the True Man without Rank (Rinzai’s term for the True Self) is vibrant with life. Because this is the basis of whatever the Zen master draws, everything is a magnificent work of Zen art. Even when a Zen artist has mastered Zen, he cannot completely disregard technique, however. Needless to say, when he does an artwork, technique must naturally work with his Zen realization. No matter how much he has mastered Zen, if he has never practiced calligraphy, it is impossible to draw bokuseki (calligraphy by a Zen master). Without holding a brush even once, he cannot create a magnificent ink painting. This would be like letting Hakuin (perhaps the greatest Japanese Rinzai Zen master) pilot a jet plane. He cannot do it no matter how great a Zen master he is. Even if you have high spiritual attainment, you obviously cannot use techniques unless you are skilled in them. On the other hand, even if you master techniques completely, it makes you only a skilled technician of calligraphy or painting.
For Zen art, it is of primary importance to strongly grasp your True Self and to realize the great light and power of the absolute freedom which transcends all restrictions. If this is lacking, one cannot create art which will move the spirit of people. Additionally, you must have the technique which can fully express this great light and power. Otherwise, you cannot attain the highest levels of art. If you ask whether self-realization or technique is more fundamental, understand that the True Man without Rank is fundamental, and technique is an outgrowth of the True Man without Rank.2
While Omori Roshi’s comments above pertain to the relationship between Zen and the arts generally, in practice Omori Roshi’s art was calligraphy. He and Yokoyama Setsudo founded a school of calligraphy called Hitsuzendo which integrates the Jubokudo style of calligraphy with the kiai of the Hojo. Omori Roshi explains:
Hitsu is the brush that absorbs and projects the practitioner’s state of mind; zen is to function wholeheartedly in the present time and place, free of all smallness of mind; and do is the Way of continuous practice. Unity of all three elements must be attained.3
Hitsuzendo complements both Zen and the martial arts training as it provides a lasting record of one’s level of insight at any given time. It also cultivates an appreciation of aesthetic relationships between space, time, and energy, and develops intuitive perception as one learns to see the practioner’s personality within his line. The practice of Hitsuzendo begins with the drawing of mujibo (a single straight line). Omori Roshi explains the significance of this simple act:
Whatever is present in the practitioner’s mind will be present in the mujibo; unless there is a total dedication and hard training, a real line will never appear on paper. A mujibo is like a decisive cut of a live sword in a fight to the finish; it slices the Universe in two. If anything is held back, there can be no mujibo. One calligraphy master in the past refused to acknowledge anyone as his student who was not drenched with sweat after writing one mujibo.4
Drawing just one line well requires the practitioner to throw himself entirely into each moment, that is, into each dot which makes up the line. For kiai to flow freely and deeply, the tip of the brush must move from the hara without interference from conscious thought or unnatural tensions in the body.
Rather than elements of form or composition, the essence of Hitsuzendo is bokki, the kiai the calligrapher transmits to the ink particles. This energy penetrates the paper and has been termed “eternal energy” because it can be felt in calligraphy that are centuries old.
Omori Roshi doing Hitsuzendo during sesshin at Farrington High School, Honolulu (c. 1974).
Bokki is a subtle quality perhaps best described as the depth and shine of a line. It does not depend on the color of the ink or the excellence of the brush and paper. Viewed under an electron microscope in a line with vibrant bokki, the ink dots are all aligned. Bokki depends on ki, the vital energy or spiritual power the practitioner transmits. Omori Roshi explains:
The clarity of the bokki, the ki in the ink, indicates the level of insight. Bokki is not only seen with the eyes; it is sensed with the hara, the physical and spiritual center of one’s body. Bokki reveals the calligrapher’s inner light. Bokki is not identical to the brushstroke, but it is not independent either. It cannot be dissected or arranged into neat compartments. When a Zen calligrapher pours his or her spirit into each stroke, every line becomes a vibrant force. Zen is the art of kiai.5
As in the martial arts, kiai is generated through breathing, the use of the hara, and intense concentration. As a person brushes a line, his or her breath must be smooth and even or the line will be broken and jagged. The movement of the brush must originate from the hara and not the arm and hand. Concentration must be as intense as if engaged in a life and death encounter.
Kiai can be experienced but not defined. It is sensed through an intuitive perception involving the workings of both consciousness and the hara, the physical and spiritual center of being in the lower abdomen. A work of art, whether it be a swordcut in Kendo, a bowl in ceramics, or a brushstroke in calligraphy, must radiate kiai to be considered Zen art.
To experience bokki clearly, original works of art should be viewed, but perhaps the following works of Omori Roshi can convey a sense of his art and spirit.
Kan - Barrier, Impassable.
Shofu jingai no shin - Wind through the pine trees; heart free of the dust of this world.
Zuisho ni shu to naru - Make yourself master everywhere.
Appendices
Books by Omori Sogen
With the exception of An Introduction to Zen Training (1996) and Zen and Budo (1989), all of the following books are in the Japanese language. A translation of their title is shown in parentheses.
Nihonteki Sekai no Keisei (Creating a Japanese-style World). Aichi Prefecture: Kodo-juku, 1942.
Shibu no Roku Kun Chu (Comments and Notes for Four Zen Texts). Kyoto: Kichu-jo, 1962.
Rinzai-roku Shinko (Commentaries on The Record of Lin-chi). Aichi Prefecture: Reimei-shobo, 1964.
Sanzen Nyumon (An Introduction to Zen Training). Tokyo: Shunjyu-sha, 1964.
Ken to Zen (Swordsmanship and Zen). Tokyo: Shunjyu-sha, 1966.
Sho to Zen (Calligraphy and Zen). Tokyo: Shunjyu-sha, 1966.
Zen o Ikiru (Living by Zen). Tokyo: Hayashi-shoten, 1967.
Zen no Shinzui (The Essence of Zen). Tokyo: Kyoiku-shincho-sha, 1967.
Yamaoka Tesshu (A Life of Yamaoka Tesshu). Tokyo: Shunjyu-sha, 1968.
Shingan (The Mind’s Eye). Tokyo: Hakujyu-sha, 1968.
Zuisho ni Shu to Naru (Make Yourself the Master of Every Situation). Aichi Prefecture: Reimei-shobo, 1972.
Hekigan Roku 1 & 2 (Commentaries on The Blue Cliff Record 1 & 2). Tokyo: Hakujyu-sha, 1976.
Yuima Kyo Nyumon (An Introduction to The Vimalakirtinirdesha Sutra). Tokyo: Hakujyu-sha, 1977.
Hito no Ueni Tatsu Hito no Kokoro (The Spirit of Leadership). Tokyo: Nihon-jitsugyo-shuppan-sha, 1978.
Zen no Koso (A Short Biography of Japanese Zen Masters). Tokyo: Shujyu-sha, 1979.
Hannya Shingyo Kowa (Commentaries on The Hannya-haramitta Sutra). Tokyo: Hakujyu-sha, 1981.
Dokugyo Chu Shingyo (Commentaries on Zen Master Hakuin’s Shingyo Sutra). Tokyo: Shujyu-sha, 1981.
Rinzai-roku Kowa (Commentaries on The Record of Lin-chi). Tokyo: Shunjyu-sha, 1983.
Zen no Ha’ so (The Idea of Zen). Tokyo: Kodan-sha, 1983.
Jyugyu Zu (Commentaries on The Ten Ox-herding Pictures). Tokyo: Hakujyu-sha, 1983.
Sanzen Nyumon (An Introduction to Zen Training - pocket-book series). Tokyo: Kodan-sha, 1986.
Roankyo Kowa (Commentaries on the Teachings of Zen Master Suzuki Shozan). Tokyo: Daihorin-kaku, 1986.
Zen and Budo (trans. of Zen to Budo). Honolulu: Daihonzan Chozen-ji, 1989.
An Introduction to Zen Training (trans, of Sanzen Nyumon). London: Kegan Paul International, 1996.
Endnotes
NOTE: If an author is not given, the work is by Omori Sogen.
Chapter 1 - Shugyo: 1904–1934
1 Te’shu, Vol. 104, a monthly magazine published by Te’shu-kai, Tokyo.
2 as told to Hosokawa Dogen by Omori Sogen.
3 Roan-kyo Ko-wa.
4 material from Te’shu, Vol. 98; Shingan; and Roankyo Kowa.
5 the word hara when used in a physical sense relates to the region of the lower abdomen.
6 Te’shu, Vol. 99.
7 Zen Bun-ka, Vol. 91, a quarterly magazine published by the Institute for Zen Studies, Kyoto.
8 material from Te’shu, Vol. 106, and Roankyo Kowa.
9 material from Te’shu, Vol. 107, and Shingan.
10 material from Te’shu, Vol. 119, and Roankyo Kowa.
11 material from Te’shu, Vols. 113, 114 and 115; Roankyo Kowa; and Hito no Ueni Tatsu Hito no Kokoro.
12 material from Zen Bun-ka, Vol. 91; Shingan; and Roankyo Kowa.
13 Te’shite Ikiru. published by Kosei shu’pan. 1976.
14 material from Roankyo Kowa and as told by Omori Roshi.
15 material from Te’shu, Vols. 102 and 103.
16 material from Te’shu, Vols. 137 and 192; Roankyo Kowa; and Sho to Zen.
17 from Zen Bun-ka, Vol. 91.
18 Daisetz T. Suzuki, Zen and Japanese Culture (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1970), 109.
19 Suzuki, Zen and Japanese Culture, 157.
20 Suzuki, Zen and Japanese Culture, 178.
Chapter 2 - Renma: 1934–1945
1 material from Te’shu, Vol. 110.
2 material from Te’shu, Vols. 109, 113, and 119; Roankyo Kowa.
3 material from Roankyo Kowa.
4 material from Roankyo Kowa.
5 material from Te’shu, Vol. 192; Roankyo Kowa.
6 Ga-o Roshi l-kun, published by Tenryu- ji, Kyoto, 1957.
7 material from Roankyo Kowa.
Chapter 3 - Gogo no Shugyo: 1945–1994
1 Jiun Sonja (1718–1804), a famous priest of Japanese Shingon Buddhism.
2 material from Roankyo Kowa.
3 material from Roankyo Kowa and Hito no Ueni Tatsu Hito no Kokoro.
4 material from Roankyo Kowa and Hito no Ueni Tatsu Hito no Kokoro.
5 Hito no Ueni Tatsu Hito no Kokoro.
6 material from Roankyo Kowa.
7 material from Shingan.
8 material from Te’shu, Vol. 108.
9 material from Rinzai-roku Shinko.
10 material from Roankyo Kowa and Te’shu, Vol. 133.
11 Yuan-wu K’o-ch’in, Pi-Yen Lu (Jpn. Hekigan Roku) (The Blue Cliff Record) (12th century). This famous Chinese Zen text is composed of a series of one hundred lectures given by Yuan-we K’o-ch’in (1063–1135), a famous master in the 4th generation of the Yang-Ch’i line of Lin-Chi (Rinzai) Zen.
12 Suzuki Shosan, Roankyo (Donkey-Saddle Bridge) Collected by Echu, 1660.
13 Shido Bunan Zenji Kana Hogo (The Sayings of Zen Master Shindo Bunan Zenji) (Edo: Edo Matsu-kai, 1671).
14 material from Roankyo Kowa.
15 Dogen Zenji, Shobo-genzo (Treasure Chamber of the Eye of True Dharma) (Publisher and date unknown).
Chapter 4 - Zen and Budo
1 The character Bu is composed of the characters for “stop” and “spear;” thus, Bu refers to martial or military matters. The character Do is the same as the Tao (the Way).
2 This chapter is a translation of Zen to Budo, an essay by Omori Roshi that was first published in Japan, Daisetz T. Suzuki and Nishitani, eds., Zen, Vol. 5, Zen and Culture (Chikuma Shobo, 1968). A more formal translation has already been published, Omori Sogen, Zen and Budo, trans. Tenshin Tanouye (Honolulu: Daihonzan Chozen-ji/International Zen Dojo, 1989).
3 Nakae Toju founded the Japanese line of the Confucianism of Wang Yang-ming. Wang Yang-ming (1472-1529) was a philosopher, scholar, incorruptible high government official and a brilliant general who won his campaigns with a minimum of bloodshed. In Japan (where his name is read as O Yomei), his doctrines were very influential.
4 The duties of the Five Relations are incumbent on all, and there are three virtues for their practice. The Relations are: sovereign-subject, parent-child, elder brother-younger brother, master-servant, and friend-friend. The three virtues are knowledge, magnanimity, and vigor. According to Confucius in his Doctrine of the Mean (XX.8), these must be practiced single-mindedly.
5 This is the Way of Giving Life (ikasu) in which the lowest level shows correct use, the next levels shows creative use, and the final level shows godly use.
6 “Buddha” here stands for Life, Consciousness, Whole, Void.
7 Editor’s note: this is a particularly difficult paragraph to translate. First, recall that this essay was written in 1968 during the active phase of the Cold War. Secondly, the penultimate sentence of the paragraph is based on a famous saying from swordsmanship: My opponent cuts my skin, I cut his flesh. He cuts my flesh, I cut his bone. He cuts my bone, I kill him. Omori Roshi is saying that, although the Superpowers find themselves in the posture of kill or be killed, this posture can be transcended into ainuke, a mutual recognition that no fight is possible.
Chapter 5 - Practical Zen
1 material from Te’shite Ikiru.
2 Suzuki Shosan, Roankyo.
3 Bodhidharma. (Chin. P’u-ti-ta-mo). (Jpn. Bodaidaruma or Daruma). 470–543. The first Chinese patriarch of Zen.
4 Hui-neng, Chinese Zen Master. 638–713. (Jpn. Eno).
5 Philip Yampolsky, trans. The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch (New York: Columbia University Press, 1967), 140.
6 Yampolsky, The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, 137–138.
7 Hung-jen, Chinese Zen Master. 601–674. (Jpn. Gunin).
8 Shen-hsiu, Chinese Zen Master. 605?–706. (Jpn. Jinshu).
9 material from Roankyo Kowa.
10 Nio Zen. (Jpn.) Suzuki Shosan was an advocate of a vigorous form of Zen named after the two Nio, or deities, that guard the entrance to Buddhist temples.
11 material from Te’shite Ikiru.
12 Hui-K’o, Chinese Zen Master. 487–593. (Jpn. Eka).
13 This translation combines Daisetz T. Suzuki, Essays in Zen Buddhism, First Series (New York: Grove Press, 1961), 190, and Zenkei Shibayama, Zen Comments on the Mumonkan, trans. Kudo (New York: Harper and Row, 1974), 285.
14 Tao-hsuan, Ching-te ch’uan-teng-lu (Jpn. Keitoku Dento-roku) (The Record of the Transmission of Light) (11th century).
15 Nan-yueh Hai-jang, Chinese Zen Master. 677–744. (J
pn. Nangaku Ejo).
16 Yuan-wu Ko-ch’in, Chinese Zen Master. 1063–1135. (Jpn. Engo Kokugon).
17 Ta-hui Tsung-kao, Chinese Zen Master. 1089–1163. (Jpn. Daie Soko).
18 Chao-chou, Chinese Zen Master. 778–897. (Jpn. Joshu).
19 Wu-men Hui-k’ai, Wu-men-kuan (Jpn. Mumonkan) (The Gateless Gate), one of the most important koan collections in Zen literature.
20 Wu-men Hui-k’ai, Chinese Zen Master. 1183–1260. (Jpn. Mumon Ekai).
21 Shibayama, Zen Comments on the Mumonkan, 19–20.
22 Negating everything means to attain absolute samadhi. Reaffirming everything is to break through this state and realize Everything-in-its-isness.
23 material from Roankyo Kowa.
24 material from Roankyo Kowa.
25 At the age of 75, even when I thought he was a great Zen master beyond comparison with others, Omori Roshi told me, “Before I die, I want to have just one day of the continuation of right concentration.”
26 material from Roankyo Kowa.
27 San-sheng Hui-jan, comp., Lin-chi Lu (Jpn. Rinzai Roku) (Record of the Words of Lin-chi) (Ninth century).
28 material from Te’shite Ikiru.
29 material from Roankyo Kowa.
Chapter 6 - Teisho:The World of the Absolute Present
1 Shibayama, Zen Comments on the Mumonkan, 58.
2 Hui-wen, Chinese Zen Master. (no dates). (Jpn. Emon).
3 Gokan-engi (Skt. karma). Universal law of cause and effect—all phenomena and things in this world occur by karma of all beings.
Arayashiki-engi (Skt. alaya-vijana). Central notion of the Yogachara School of the Mahayana sect, which sees storehouse consciousness, the basic consciousness of everything existing—the essence of the world, out of which everything that is, arises. This theory is based on Gokan-engi. The “seed” of arayashiki-engi is the cause of all phenomena and things.
Shinnyo-engi (Skt. tathata). According to the Mahayana Buddhist teaching, all beings have Buddha Nature. This theory describes the relationship between our worldly desires and Buddha Nature.