notes from the drifting spaces - Page 10 of 22

Season’s Greetings

Have a happy 2014 and all the very best wishes!
Thank you for all your support last year.

Nihon Kai Japan Sea – recent installation images

High Bridges – Walking Drawing Tokyo West from Naka Meguro

along suspended riverblocked by oncoming vertical flyovernanamemeeting high polished walls isolating the residential worldfloating gardens flowing into alloy platforms

intertwined shafts, containers hummingneutral perimetersemerging and reshaping the ground and drawing out energy lines

overlapping populous spacessuffusedabove a tandem rotor flying heavilyleaden

quick descent and dark blue chill moving onundulating and avoiding trafficsoon underground in quiet waiting zones, south of shibuyaflashingflashingyellow glazed surfaces, shards from blackness and fluorescent memory

A million fragments unfragmented – Zen Master Dogen’s mirror koan

Koan from The Shinji Shobogenzo, Book 3, Case 19
When Master Kyozan Ejaku was master of Tohei Temple, Master Isan Reiyu sent him a letter along with a mirror.

The package arrived at the temple and Master Kyozan took it with him to the Lecture Hall, held up the mirror and said to his assembly: Students, Master Isan sent this mirror and it has arrived here. Now I would like you to discuss this for a while. Is this mirror Isan’s or is it Tohei’s? If you say this mirror is now Tohei’s, I will say it is a present from Isan. If you say it was sent from Isan, I will say it is now in the Master of Tohei’s hand. If you can show me the truth I will keep the mirror, if you cannot show me anything I will smash the mirror at once.

He repeated this three times. None of the assembly could answer so the Master smashed the mirror into pieces.

Commentary by Nishijima
When Master Kyozan Ejaku received a letter and mirror from Master Isan he used it to test his disciples on the difference between a subjective viewpoint and an objective viewpoint. He asked his disciples whether the mirror belonged to Isan or Tohei.

If we think about the situation objectively the mirror is now Tohei’s, but if we think of it abstractly the mirror was a present from Master Isan. Master Kyozan asked his disciples to show him what the real situation was, but no one could reply, so in the end he smashed the mirror.

Reality is neither objective nor subjective. Smashing the mirror, even though a somewhat melodramatic action, was Master Kyozan’s real act in the present moment.

Commentary by John Fraser
This story is about wholeness and differentiation, personal and universal; both, together. Not part one and part other but both, together.

In Kokyo, Dogen collects a number of koan stories where a mirror is used as a metaphor for dependent origination. Each of us “is” dependent origination [the mirror] and at the same time we occupy our own dharma position.[the person]. So, when Kyozan holds the mirror, Kyozan doesn’t disappear, yet the mirror is the same mirror as was held by Isan.

Kyozan smashing the mirror is illusory. The mirror can’t be destroyed. When smashed into a million billion pieces, each piece is the mirror, and at the same time a particular dharma position.

More zen articles at Kusen & Notes from John

Exhibiting Urban Dynamics at Factory Hanbunko, Takaoka

This month I exhibited at the excellent Factory Hanbunko gallery in Takaoka near the Nihon Kai (Japan Sea). Huge thanks to the staff and especially Ayaka-san for helping me put this together and promoting the new artworks. Takaoka is a fascinating old city and this Kura (former traditional warehouse) space in the gallery is a beautiful all wood interior with a great atmosphere and diffused light.

The city will soon be linked up by a new Shinkansen route along this stretch of the Hokuriku coast and is well worth a visit, with many old buildings and temples (such as the Soto Shu Otera with the figures wearing Rakusu) unscathed by history. The coffee shop we visited nearby the gallery, Irodori Kissaten (Marunouchi 5), serving the delicious chocolate cake, is in a superb refurbishment of an old house.

Factory Hanbunko website →

Touchdown Tokyo 2013

I beamed down into Tokyo towards the end of last month, looking forward to unknown adventures…

Halloween was close by and the megacity was dark early but brimming with energy as ever.

In the crazy hustle and bustle, there was plenty of sideswerving various characters such as the one above, as well as good friends to meet, with work and exhibition prep to be done, plus train tickets to book (below bumping into the Odakyu Romance Car at Tokyo Station) for the trip north through the tunnels of the mountainous alps…