Read Zen Brushwork: Focusing the Mind with Calligraphy and Painting

Zen Brushwork: Focusing the Mind with Calligraphy and Painting

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Description:With its bold strokes and mystic aura, Zen calligraphy has fascinated Westerners for decades, yet it remains an abstract, rarely practiced form of expression outside of Asia. Now, master calligrapher Tanchu Terayama explains the techniques behind this subtle art and offers step-by-stepinstructions for practicing it on a professional level.After introducing the basics, Terayama presents a unique meditative warm-up to establish the proper mental attitude needed to release one's creative energies. Next, the power of the brushed line is explained and demonstrated. What makes a good line or a bad one, an expressive effort or an unfocusedone? Lessons on brushing symbolic Japanese characters follow, including those for "emptiness," "nothingness," and "flower." The painting section shows readers how to draw the spare yet elegant pictorial themes of this classic bamboo, plum blossoms, Mount Fuji, and the inspirational Zen priestDaruma.If the exercises are the heart of the book, the Appreciation section is the soul. This chapter introduces classic works from renowned priests and other historical figures, including Miyamoto Musashi (the celebrated swordsman and author of The Book of Five Rings ), Morihei Ueshiba (the founder ofaikido), Jigoro Kano (the father of judo), and Zen priest Hakuin. Each masterpiece is accompanied by penetrating commentary on the strengths and salient features of the work.Rarely has Zen calligraphy been demonstrated and discussed with such candor and insight. Illuminating yet another side of Zen, Zen Brushwork will be an invaluable source to those interested in meditation, Zen, Buddhism, the martial arts, and Oriental traditions in general.CONTENTSIntroductionPart I BackgroundWhat is Zen Calligraphy?The Evolution of KanjiThe Fundamentals of CalligraphyThe Four Treasures of CalligraphyHitsuzendoPart II Preparation-Warming Up and Developing KiThe Zen Line A Method of Developing Ki and Warming-Upwarm-up exercise 1: The Long Versionwarm-up exercise 2: The Short Form of A Five-Minute Exercisewarm-up exercise 3: Writing in the AirPart III Zen Calligraphy and PaintingBasic PracticeThe Zen Line and Its Applicationsexercise 1: Mujibo (The Zen Line)exercise 2: Enso (The Zen Circle)exercise 3: Horizontal and Vertical Linesexercise 4: Fine LinesTensho (Seal Script)exercise 5: So (Grass) and a Practice LineKaisho (Standard Script)exercise 6: Sho (Calligraphy) and Practice LinesFurther PracticeSosho (Grass Script)exercise 7: Mu (Nothing)exercise 8: Hana (Flower)exercise 9: Ku (Emptiness)exercise 10: Mu Ichi Motsu (Owning No-thing)exercise 11: Ichigyo Zanmai (Be in the Moment)Writing Western Scriptexercise 12: Writing Western ABCexercise 13: Shodo (Calligraphy)Paintingexercise 14: Orchidexercise 15: Bambooexercise 16: Plum Blossoms (with inscription)exercise 17: Mount Fujiexercise 18: Darumaexercise 19: Wall-Gazing Darumaexercise 20: "One-Stroke" Darumaexercise 21: Ji-Wa-Choku (Compassion, Harmony, Honesty)Part IV AppreciationWorks by Old MastersWorks by Terayama TanchuGlossaryWhat is Zen Calligraphy?Calligraphy (sho) is a formative art based on writing. It includes not only writing that is beautiful, but phrases that are novel and interesting. According to the Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitaro (1870-1945; see figure 1), true creativity is not the product of a conscious effort but rather the"phenomenon of life itself." True creation must arise from mu-shin, or the state of "no-mind," a state beyond thought, emotions, and expectations. Work that is produced through conscious effort is ultimately devoid of life.Zen calligraphy in particular must spring from shonen sozoku, a Buddhist term equivalent to "true thought." Shonen is a state of full concentration that is devoid of thoughts and ideas, while sozoku here means "free-flowing continuity." Greatness in brushwork cannot be achieved through consciouseffort; it is only achieved through the states of mu-shin and shonen sozuku, or "no-mind" and a continuous state free of the thoughts and ideas that distract the mind.Zen calligraphy differs from other calligraphic disciplines as it is focused on the realization of "no-mind." Furthermore, in contrast tosho, which uses Chinese characters as a basis, it is the expression of Zen through a brush, whether the result is a single stroke, a Zen circle, or an inkpainting. While sho is restricted to brushed writing, Zen calligraphy extends to other forms of brushwork.Nearly all calligraphy today is born of conscious attention to an aesthetic concept, but we rarely find lines that are truly alive. In contrast, the calligraphy of Zen masters such as Daito Kokushi (1282-1337; founder of Daitokuji temple in Kyoto) or Ikkyu Sojun (1394-1481) resonates with the energyof "no-mind" achieved through complete concentration. In these works, the lines are filled with vitality and the shapes are fresh and ori...We have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers with Zen Brushwork: Focusing the Mind with Calligraphy and Painting. To get started finding Zen Brushwork: Focusing the Mind with Calligraphy and Painting, you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed.
Our library is the biggest of these that have literally hundreds of thousands of different products represented.

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ISBN: 4770029446

Description: With its bold strokes and mystic aura, Zen calligraphy has fascinated Westerners for decades, yet it remains an abstract, rarely practiced form of expression outside of Asia. Now, master calligrapher Tanchu Terayama explains the techniques behind this subtle art and offers step-by-stepinstructions for practicing it on a professional level.After introducing the basics, Terayama presents a unique meditative warm-up to establish the proper mental attitude needed to release one's creative energies. Next, the power of the brushed line is explained and demonstrated. What makes a good line or a bad one, an expressive effort or an unfocusedone? Lessons on brushing symbolic Japanese characters follow, including those for "emptiness," "nothingness," and "flower." The painting section shows readers how to draw the spare yet elegant pictorial themes of this classic bamboo, plum blossoms, Mount Fuji, and the inspirational Zen priestDaruma.If the exercises are the heart of the book, the Appreciation section is the soul. This chapter introduces classic works from renowned priests and other historical figures, including Miyamoto Musashi (the celebrated swordsman and author of The Book of Five Rings ), Morihei Ueshiba (the founder ofaikido), Jigoro Kano (the father of judo), and Zen priest Hakuin. Each masterpiece is accompanied by penetrating commentary on the strengths and salient features of the work.Rarely has Zen calligraphy been demonstrated and discussed with such candor and insight. Illuminating yet another side of Zen, Zen Brushwork will be an invaluable source to those interested in meditation, Zen, Buddhism, the martial arts, and Oriental traditions in general.CONTENTSIntroductionPart I BackgroundWhat is Zen Calligraphy?The Evolution of KanjiThe Fundamentals of CalligraphyThe Four Treasures of CalligraphyHitsuzendoPart II Preparation-Warming Up and Developing KiThe Zen Line A Method of Developing Ki and Warming-Upwarm-up exercise 1: The Long Versionwarm-up exercise 2: The Short Form of A Five-Minute Exercisewarm-up exercise 3: Writing in the AirPart III Zen Calligraphy and PaintingBasic PracticeThe Zen Line and Its Applicationsexercise 1: Mujibo (The Zen Line)exercise 2: Enso (The Zen Circle)exercise 3: Horizontal and Vertical Linesexercise 4: Fine LinesTensho (Seal Script)exercise 5: So (Grass) and a Practice LineKaisho (Standard Script)exercise 6: Sho (Calligraphy) and Practice LinesFurther PracticeSosho (Grass Script)exercise 7: Mu (Nothing)exercise 8: Hana (Flower)exercise 9: Ku (Emptiness)exercise 10: Mu Ichi Motsu (Owning No-thing)exercise 11: Ichigyo Zanmai (Be in the Moment)Writing Western Scriptexercise 12: Writing Western ABCexercise 13: Shodo (Calligraphy)Paintingexercise 14: Orchidexercise 15: Bambooexercise 16: Plum Blossoms (with inscription)exercise 17: Mount Fujiexercise 18: Darumaexercise 19: Wall-Gazing Darumaexercise 20: "One-Stroke" Darumaexercise 21: Ji-Wa-Choku (Compassion, Harmony, Honesty)Part IV AppreciationWorks by Old MastersWorks by Terayama TanchuGlossaryWhat is Zen Calligraphy?Calligraphy (sho) is a formative art based on writing. It includes not only writing that is beautiful, but phrases that are novel and interesting. According to the Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitaro (1870-1945; see figure 1), true creativity is not the product of a conscious effort but rather the"phenomenon of life itself." True creation must arise from mu-shin, or the state of "no-mind," a state beyond thought, emotions, and expectations. Work that is produced through conscious effort is ultimately devoid of life.Zen calligraphy in particular must spring from shonen sozoku, a Buddhist term equivalent to "true thought." Shonen is a state of full concentration that is devoid of thoughts and ideas, while sozoku here means "free-flowing continuity." Greatness in brushwork cannot be achieved through consciouseffort; it is only achieved through the states of mu-shin and shonen sozuku, or "no-mind" and a continuous state free of the thoughts and ideas that distract the mind.Zen calligraphy differs from other calligraphic disciplines as it is focused on the realization of "no-mind." Furthermore, in contrast tosho, which uses Chinese characters as a basis, it is the expression of Zen through a brush, whether the result is a single stroke, a Zen circle, or an inkpainting. While sho is restricted to brushed writing, Zen calligraphy extends to other forms of brushwork.Nearly all calligraphy today is born of conscious attention to an aesthetic concept, but we rarely find lines that are truly alive. In contrast, the calligraphy of Zen masters such as Daito Kokushi (1282-1337; founder of Daitokuji temple in Kyoto) or Ikkyu Sojun (1394-1481) resonates with the energyof "no-mind" achieved through complete concentration. In these works, the lines are filled with vitality and the shapes are fresh and ori...We have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers with Zen Brushwork: Focusing the Mind with Calligraphy and Painting. To get started finding Zen Brushwork: Focusing the Mind with Calligraphy and Painting, you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed.
Our library is the biggest of these that have literally hundreds of thousands of different products represented.

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Zen Brushwork: Focusing the Mind with Calligraphy and Painting

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