A Living Thing:
Entering the Gate of Art Practice
An art retreat at Zen Mountain Monastery with Mn. Hojin Kimmel, Dec 10 – 12
Art practice is a process, a living thing; it breathes with our breath. It moves with our movement. It is an act of love, a gift of life. The tool of creative expression is given to us to undo the web of knowing that is woven around our brain, mind, and heart. It is this web of conditioning that pressures us to yield to an expected result, to adhere to a blueprint of a projected life.
Zazen is what helps us to see this, helping us to quiet down and become secure enough to jump into ourselves without knowing where we will land and without the illusion of a safety net. We can explore, right here on the spot, the present.
In this retreat we’ll use drawing materials, words, and our body to directly experience ourselves in the world at this particular moment and then give expression to this experience. We’ll observe it thoroughly opening our senses and meticulously practicing to release our grasp on thinking about the experience, about art or the creative process, about the purpose or goal of our efforts, or about what others may think of our work.
Seeing things clearly for what they are—rather than what we want them to be or think about them—we may experience our inherent freedom and set things free to be what they truly are as well.
All levels of experience welcome and materials will be supplied.
Source – Zen Mountain Monastery website
the awakened eye 