I’m currently taking a class on Eastern philosophy at Lasell. We were tasked with reading and reflecting on Zen Mind, A Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki. The book is a collection of recommendations for living according to Zen Buddhism, a Japanese take on Buddhist philosophy. Surprisingly, Zen Buddhist philosophy had a meaningful connection to an experience I had while abroad, an art class called Florence Sketchbook. It turns out that even after coming home from abroad I am still making connections across cultures!
My bulk gesture drawing of a head of garlic done for my Florence Sketchbook class
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few"-- Suzuki pg. 21
On the first day of my Florence Sketchbook class, we did an activity where we had to draw a flower like we were a five-year-old. Most of us drew a simple symbol of a flower with four petals and a stem with a leaf. Our professor showed us her drawing; it was a roughly drawn square with a smiley face in the middle. She explained that as we grow up, we start to draw things the way we think they should look. We all had an idea of what a flower drawing was supposed to look like, so all of our drawings were the same. She explained five-year-olds are some of the best drawers because they have no pre-conceived notions of what things should look like. They simply observe and record what they see and feel. She had drawn her flower the way she did because it reflected how she felt happy when she saw the flower. She wanted us to come into the class with a beginner’s mindset: to be totally receptive to new ideas and techniques of expression. She wanted us to throw away our pre-conceived notion of how we thought things looked and to see things for how they really were.
“When we practice zazen our mind is calm and quite simple. But usually our mind is very busy and complicated, and it is difficult to be concentrated on what we are doing. This is because before we act, we think, and this thinking leaves some trace. Our activity is shadowed by some preconceived idea. The thinking not only leaves some trace or shadow, but also gives us many other notions about other activities and things” -- Suzuki pg. 62
My charcoal drawing of treetops
My favorite class was the one in the Rose Garden near Piazzale Michelangelo. We were given a set of prompts or could just free draw. The only caveat was we were supposed to draw with a beginner’s mindset. One of my drawings was of some olive treetops with my charcoal. When I started drawing, my goal was to make a realistic drawing that conveyed the depth of the leaves. However, once I started, I realized that I liked the abstract feeling of what I had done. By focusing on replicating the light and darks in the leaves, I had cleared my mind and was enjoying the strokes and shapes without needing the drawing to be a perfect representation. In the words of Suzuki, “When you make some special effort to achieve something, some excessive quality, some extra element is involved in it. You should get rid of excessive things. If your practice is good, without being aware of it you will become proud of your practice. That pride is extra” (59). I got rid of my excessive goal of drawing something perfectly as it was and instead focused on my work and was able to make something I was proud of. I also did a couple drawings using found materials, like leaves or petals from the flowers around me. I was surprised by the resulting colors and strokes from the petals, like how pink petals could make purple and green on the page. I lost myself in the exploration of the new material. I was drawing with no purpose other than the joy of seeing the strokes on the page. This experience was probably the closest I came to a beginner’s mindset.
My experimentation with drawing with flower petals
“If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything”-- Suzuki pg. 21
Suzuki says that zazen happens when we use up our whole mind and body. He says that when practicing, you must not leave a trace, “In order not to leave any traces, when you do something, you should do it with your whole body and mind; you should be concentrated on what you do. You should do it completely, like a good bonfire. You should not be a smoky fire. You should burn yourself completely. If you do not burn yourself completely, a trace of yourself will be left in what you do” (63). This was a point echoed by my teacher. She explained drawing as the recording of an experience. She told us that we could not fully experience what was going on around us when we were distracted. She did not allow assignments to be done while watching tv and discouraged us from listening to music in class. By following simple rules, we were able to hone our practice with all of our concentration and being. I certainly felt that I achieved zazen in this class. Whenever class was over, I would feel exhausted. All I wanted to do was eat a big dinner (Via Guelfa, near the FUA art building has some great Asian restaurants!) and rest. It was the same feeling that you would have after sports practice. I felt exhausted, but in a good way, like I dedicated myself to something meaningful and used up all of myself in my practice.
“We emphasize practice. We should understand why our physical posture and breathing exercise are so important. Instead of having a deep understanding of the teaching, we need a strong confidence in our teaching, which says that originally we have Buddha nature. Our practice is based on this faith” --Suzuki pg. 99
A drawing assignment I did to practice slow, specific strokes
“To try to obtain freedom without being aware of the rules means nothing. It is to acquire this perfect freedom that we practice zazen” --Suzuki pg. 34
Even though we were drawing with a beginner’s mindset, we were not drawing carelessly. We had different techniques in our practice to help hone our concentration, skills, and ability to see. Where Suzuki and other Zen Buddhists might practice with breathing or posture, our practice was in observing and recording. We practiced seeing our subject without preconceptions and making beautiful strokes. Our practice was similar to Zen Calligraphers, who focus on making simple, beautifully executed strokes using their whole body in their movements. This was something we practiced in class. My professor challenged us to draw straight lines in one smooth motion by locking our arms at a joint, rather than by making small, fuzzy lines with our hands. The course and its practice were not easy. There were times when I struggled to understand and apply concepts. There were times when I did not see the point of going to the extra effort. However, I remained dedicated to my practice. Concepts that seemed foreign to me at the beginning became natural habit. More than just learning how to draw more accurately, this class taught me that with deep concentration, drawing can be like meditating. It is a way of being mindful when creating and shutting out the busyness of the mind.