Finding the Center: A Martial Arts and Fine Arts Presentation

Two Zen masters from Hawaii will visit the Pacific Northwest in October 2008. Events open to the public will feature fine arts and martial arts, and audience members will have chance to experience Zen for themselves. The instructors will present Rinzai Zen as [...]]]>

Finding the Center:
A Martial Arts and Fine Arts Presentation

Two Zen masters from Hawaii will visit the Pacific Northwest in October 2008. Events open to the public will feature fine arts and martial arts, and audience members will have chance to experience Zen for themselves. The instructors will present Rinzai Zen as it has developed at the Daihonzan Chozen-ji in Honolulu.

Zen Tour Schedule

Monday October 6, 2008
Vancouver, British Columbia
University British Columbia
UBC Asian Centre Auditorium, 3-5PM and 6-7:30PM

Tuesday October 7, 2008
Bellingham, Washington
Western Washington University, Bellingham
Viking Union 605, 4 – 5:30PM

Wednesday October 8, 2008
Seattle, Washington
Seattle University, Time TBD

Thursday October 9, 2008
Olympia, Washington
Aikido of Olympia, 7:00 – 8:30PM

Saturday October 11, 2008
Mercer Island, Washington
Mercer Island Community Center, 10:30 -12:00PM

Saturday October 11, 2008
Seattle, Washington
Frye Art Museum, Seattle, 2:00 – 4:00PM

For more information, please go www.Zentour2008.web.officelive.com/
or send an email to: revbunkowong@aol.com

Zen Masters from Hawai`i to Make Presentations on Zen, Martial Arts and Fine Arts
Two Zen masters from a Rinzai Zen monastery in Honolulu will make a series of presentations to demonstrate the practice of Zen in archery and music. While in the West, martial arts and fine arts are generally not practiced together, in Japan there is a long history of how these two practices are each just different Ways to train in Zen, which consists of the search to find one’s “True Self.”

Kyoen (Wayne) Honda Roshi and Jitsudo (Don) Tsuha Roshi, both masters from the Daihonzan Chozen-ji International Zen Dojo, will perform together to illustrate just how closely related in fact these seemingly disparate forms are. Honda Roshi will play shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute and will also do okyo, or chanting. At the same time, Tsuha Roshi will do kyudo, or Japanese archery, which uses an eight-foot bow. [Note: “Roshi” is the name used to denote a Zen master.]

The way we train at Chozen-ji is unique,” said Tsuha Roshi, the Master Teacher of Chozen-ji kyudo, or “Way of the Bow.” He explained, “The underlying connection of the martial arts, fine arts and zazen (sitting meditation) is the kiai, or vital energy. It should all have the same feeling and be done with the same kind of awareness and intensity.”

In one part of the presentation, the two masters play and shoot according to the energy of the four seasons. “Each season’s energy is different,” said Honda Roshi, who has issued two CDs of shakuhachi music. “Spring is emerging energy; summer is intense heat; fall is a time of transition; and winter is quiet intensity.”

“Though shakuhachi and kyudo look different as forms, the kiai, the energy, is the same,” added Tsuha Roshi, who recently retired after 32 years as a secondary school music teacher in Hawai`i. They both agree that all of us can sense the energy, but they emphasize that it requires serious training to strip away the layers of habits we’ve put on ourselves over the years.

“We’re very excited about the opportunity to have the two Roshi come here to share their experiences and knowledge,” said Diane Yen-Mei Wong, a locally-based Chozen-ji priest. “Their commitment of time and energy creates a huge responsibility for us to step up and make each encounter full and productive. We’re ready.”

The “Finding the Center” Zen tour includes several stops in Western Washington and also Vancouver, British Columbia. The Seattle Betsuin, a sub-temple of Chozen-ji, is providing local support; the Institute of Zen Studies, a Honolulu-based non-profit group that explores spiritual traditions and develops programs in Zen studies, health, martial arts, fine arts and other areas is tour sponsor.

For information on dates and venues, go to www.Zentour2008web.officelive.com/. For questions, send emails to revbunkowong@aol.com.

For the first time in many years, your humble blog-master is missing Vancouver’s Powell Street Festival. It was time for a badly-needed family vacation and circumstances dictated the timing. So here we are. In Kona, on the big Island of Hawaii. We travelled yesterday from Seattle, landing at our rented home last night–the [...]]]>

For the first time in many years, your humble blog-master is missing Vancouver’s Powell Street Festival. It was time for a badly-needed family vacation and circumstances dictated the timing. So here we are. In Kona, on the big Island of Hawaii. We travelled yesterday from Seattle, landing at our rented home last night–the Newman/Greenaway clan (Amy, Emiko, Kaya and me) along with Amy’s folks Bonnie and Joel. So maybe today is Day One, but I’m going to call it Day Two anyway. That’s me at breakfast this morning. On the beach.

It’s my first time in the land of the hapa (memo to self, ask someone here if it’s OK to use the term hapa) and there surely are a lot of folk who vaguely resemble me. It’s the first place outside of Japan where Japanese names aren’t routinely mangled beyond recognition.

So far, I’ve seen more incredibly beautiful and exotic froliage than I’ve seen in my life, been serenaded by dozens of birds at 5am, been tumbled head over heels by a wave that I foolishly turned my back on, seen wild parrots for the first time, seen my first wild gecko, had my first Hawaiian beer (haven’t tried the Big Wave lager yet, that’s next), and have felt more relaxed than I have in a long, long time . . .

And now, the sun has gone down in a blaze of glory, the swordfish has been barbecued, the bottle of Hawaiian wheat ale (with passion fruit) has been finished and the crickets are starting up their nightly serenade . . . and tomorrow? Snorkeling with the fishes!