Kamakura Daibutsu of Kōtoku-in temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, photographed by H. Grobe in Wikipedia article “Japanese Zen” – licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

(15) ZEN AND JAPANESE CULTURE

Zen and Japanese Culture was for Daisetz Suzuki, a lifelong student and teacher of Zen whose works popularized it in the West, his magnum opus – ” a classic that has influenced generations of readers and played a major role in shaping conceptions of Zen’s influence on Japanese traditional arts”. In it, he connects Zen to art, haiku, tea ceremonies and the Japanese love of nature – and above all to the philosophy of the samurai and swordsmanship. It is this last that particularly appeals to me, as I’ve always found swords to have a metaphorical resonance to life and how one lives it.

“Life is one long battle; we have to fight at every step…that if we succeed, it is at the point of the sword, and that we die with the weapon in our hand”

Or in my own words, I hold two swords – one in my hand and one in my heart.

RATING: 4 STARS****
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