Zen Art for Meditation

by Chimyo Horioka and Stewart W. Holmes

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804812551
• ISBN13: 9780804812559
• Release Date: December 1978
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
• Length: 116 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.5" x 7.2"

Customer Reviews

A book for your backpack

One copy of this elegant book lives in my backpack. On a 15-day walk through Wales, I used the 15 tenets -- around which the book is organized -- one each day, as the focus for that day's experiences. Holmes's Zen tenets enriched this hike immeasurably. The insights connecting text, art, and haiku are freshly realized with each meditative dip into this timeless book.

Deeply beautiful, timeless book.

I bought my copy of this small treasure fifteen years ago, and few books have ever worn so well. It is as fresh and beautiful for me today as when I first read it. The book is divided into fifteen chapters, each devoted to a central tenet of Zen Buddhism, which is then elaborated upon through the presentation of several Chinese or Japanese paintings and a number of haiku, all of which are masterfully related to the tenet through a simple prose explantion. The tone is often light and playful, but the insights are profound, and the various parts of the book flow together flawlessly. It is a true pleasure to have and to read. You can't go wrong here.

Great book

Mr Holmes lives here in my town. It helps to be able to talk to him. The ideas are universal and transcend time.

Enlightened reading

A wonderful little book, for those intertested in zen and haiku and Asian art. We in introduced to the inter-connectedness of the haiku poets and the paintings, which reflect the spirt of enlightenment. Contains many of the great haiku of the past. An excellent starter book for someone who is curious about zen, and also a fine refresher course for the long-time student of Eastern thought. I've bought many copies as gifts for friends. Highly recommended