Zen Art for Meditation

by Stewart W. Holmes, Chimyo Horioka

This book is about emptiness and silence—the mind-expanding emptiness of Zen painting, and the reverberating silence of haiku poetry. Through imaginative participation in the visions of painters and poets, its readers are led to the realization that, in the author's words, "emptiness, silence, is not nothingness, but fullness. Your fullness."

This cultural tradition has informed many distinguished lives and works of art. The work of painters like Niten, Liang K'ai, and Toba, and of painters like Basho, Buson, and Issa reflects the wholeness, spontaneity, and humanity of the Zen vision. Those who desire a glimpse into the world of intuitive contact with nature offered by Zen meditation will find these paintings, commentaries, and haiku poems especially rewarding. They enable the reader to experience the unique power of Zen art—it's capacity to fuse esthetic appreciation, personal intuition, and knowledge of life into one creative event.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Buddhism, Philosophy, Spirituality, Poetry, Religion

116 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1979

Reviews

[Debi Cates · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...emptiness, silence, is not nothingness, but fullness. Your fullness."

I just finished this book tonight and will return to the beginning tomorrow night, and again will read only a few pages each night, absorbing the timeless insights within.

Divided into 15 Zen "tenets," each using classical Chinese or Japanese ink paintings as well as multiple haiku poems are used to launch and illustrate the discussion of the tenets. The paintings are black and white and since the book is small (4X7inch) the paintings are small too. That's a shame but in the end it didn't matter: the text, the haiku, the paintings combine beautifully into a gentle but powerful primer on the Zen perspective in this 1973 masterpiece.

This is now my favorite non-fiction book.

Second read August 2024:
Tenet 1: Everyday things and actions. "This is the way things are on planet earth."
Tenet 2: Perceptions. Be as we are, never mind perceptions and categories.

[Martin Grunseit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since Zen is notoriously difficult to explain, the use of paintings and haiku is a very effective choice. Although the paintings are reproduced in b&w, and the format is small, they are surprisingly enjoyable, thanks in no small part to the author's insightful commentary. Likewise comments regarding the haiku, which are the well-chosen, and from a broad selection of the usual suspects like Basho, Buson, and Issa, as well as less well-known poets.
Haiku is particularly sensitive to the quality of the translation, but these are fresh and alive in English. A great book to dip into daily.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've "read" this book off and on for years -- only recently picking it up in earnest and reading it through as an aid to daily meditation. A larger format would be very welcome, as the contemplation of the art at times is hampered by the small size. Nevertheless, I found the elegant synthesis of prose reflections, haiku poetry, and masterpieces of provocative art to be powerful and moving. A good book to keep handy.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a clear and insightful exploration of what puts the Zen in Zen art. Zen Buddhism has long been associated with mind states conducive to peak performance in everything from tea making to swordsmanship. This book examines how Zen philosophy and mindset shows up in paintings and haiku poetry.

Fifteen tenets of Zen are presented, and for each of them two paintings (i.e. sumi-e) and several poems (i.e. haiku or tanka) are shown that have subject matter exemplifying the precept in question. The text points the way to understanding how the art is informed by Zen ideas.

I’ve read other books on the nexus between Zen and art, but this one became my favorite. It is concise, well-organized, and illuminating. There are a number of classes of people for whom I’d highly recommend this book. If you are studying Zen meditation (or peak mental performance more generally,) this book is for you. If you are a poet interested in Japanese forms, this book is for you. If you are an artist or a student of Chinese and Japanese painting styles, this book is for you. And, if you are interested in philosophy, be it Buddhist philosophy or aesthetics, this book is for you.

[Richard Kroyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emptiness =

[Judy]

The book offers another way to look at Zen.

[Marni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Condensed introduction to Zen principles, practice and philosophy. Principles are described together with famous etchings and haiku.

"Warm evening. Happy thoughts. Sitting in silence with a friend."

[Sae-chan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is supposed to be an art book to help meditation. But the print quality is really really bad. It would have made me hate meditation time. Pick up this book only for the meditation part.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meditations with black and white illustrations. Wish they were bigger.