Ann Kameoka and H. E. Davey: Excerpt from The Japanese
Way of the Flower
To understand the essence of nonattachment and the impermanent
moment is to comprehend the heart of sabi, which, again, is
one of the central elements in all Japanese art, including
kado. Grasping the description above is, of course, not so
difficult. But to truly live in the present, uniting the mind
and body in a moment transcending time, goes beyond written
and verbal definitions. We therefore included in Chapter 2
forms of meditation--orenai te, muga ichi-nen ho,
anjo daza ho--that point to the real ever-changing
rhythm of nature that cannot be experienced by a mind caught
in either the past or the future. Be sure to try them, and
use them in conjunction with your kado practice.
This Asian concept of impermanence has also given rise to a
particular Japanese aesthetic concept called aware. In
Suiseki: The Japanese Art of Miniature Landscape
Stones, Felix G. Rivera defined aware as "when a
moment, situation, or event evokes a more intense, nostalgic
sadness connected with autumn and the vanishing of the
world."6
That this is seen as a desirable quality (in contrast to how
Westerners sometimes view the transient character of nature)
is an indication of the special character of Japanese art.
Oneness with the Universe
Humanity is no more separate from the universe than a wave
is separate from the ocean. Naturally, each wave is unique
and only exists for a brief moment. But every wave also
originates in the ocean, flows up from it, and is absorbed
by the ocean again. The ocean is the wave; the wave contains
the essence of the ocean. They are one.
Human beings are, in like manner, one with the universe. We
contain the essential quality of the universe, or ki, within
us and one could say that each person is a microcosm of the
universe. You could also say this is nothing but mere words,
which would be equally true. That's why this book offers
substantive exercises, meditations, and compositions. Just
as you cannot smell the scent of a flower via written
description, you cannot deny or verify any of the material
in this text merely by reading it. Actually understanding
means being able to do what you claim to grasp. Theoretical
understanding without firsthand experience only encourages
a separation of mind and body--a conflicted condition in
which the mind supposedly "knows," but the body
cannot do. It leads to the illusion of comprehension instead
of harmony (wa) with an absolute universe that is eternal
and infinite. In this state of harmony, we directly perceive
our similarly infinite and eternal nature. Harmony with the
universe is an instant that is everlasting, beyond the
shackles of time and beyond duality.
Wa in kado is arrived at when you become sensitive to the
growth patterns and characteristics of the plants you are
working with. Certainly this relates to specific plants and
flowers that are commonly used in flower arrangement, but
on a deeper level it points toward harmony with the essence,
or ki, of nature itself.
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