The Study of One Thing
Art Practice Retreat
with Mn. Jody Hojin Kimmel
“What is it to plumb the depths of one thing
and experience the universe contained therein?”
—John Daido Loori Roshi
Master Dogen taught that the wholehearted practice of the way is to take up the study of one thing and to understand it deeply. He encouraged us to study each dharma exhaustively and then to study it still further. For this retreat we will choose one thing to concentrate our studies on and express our understanding and experience through a variety of media.
How do we find a subject and begin? This is often a dilemma at the start up of any creative endeavor. First, we’ll be guided to open up our mind and senses to our materials, and our bodies to the movement of creating. Using this energy, we’ll explore the connections revealed to us through resonance—what intrigues and attracts us. Once we have found our subject we’ll spend time with it, experiencing it from different perspectives.
As we work, we will learn to keep letting go of the self-critical, self-evaluating mind, letting go of the observer in order to just express what we’re feeling and experiencing from the subject. Art practice is not about artistic mastery, but about being honest with ourselves, our subject and our experience. By coming back to this one thing again and again, our practice will deepen, and so too will our appreciation of our subject.
Materials will be provided.
- Read about Mn. Jody Hojin Kimmel
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