An evening and a day to plunge into using the Chinese brush to explore some basic terms in ideographic form.
Writing with this type of brush is a three-dimensional dance–unlike using a pencil or pen. When familiar with the form, the writing of an ideograph becomes a meditative dance.
The meaning of the word can deepen in non-rational ways bringing a shift of focus from outer form to inner feeling, expression beyond the word.
Our schedule is subject to minor changes. All times are PST.
FRIDAY EVENING
Dinner at 6pm
Evening Session
7:00 pm to 9 pm PST
SATURDAY
Morning Session
9:30 am to noon PST
Afternoon Session
1:30 pm to 4:00 pm PST
SUNDAY
Regular Sunday program, with Gerow giving the Dharma Talk, incorporating the workshop.
MATERIALS
Additional Items may be purchased from a Chinese shop such as Soyodo.
Ink: either stick ink with an inkstone ( $10-20) or a bottle of calligraphy ink ($6-10)
Brush: for calligraphy with bristles between 1 and 1/4" to 1 and 3/4" long. ($10-20)
Practice paper: old newspaper or phone book. Buy one pack of "rice paper" as well.
Black felt: to place under paper when writing, 12x15" or larger (buy at fabric shop)
Weight: One long narrow flat stone or piece of steel to use as paper weight when writing.
To ensure flow and intimacy, this is limited to ten participants.
Gerow Reece first sat with Yamada Reirin Roshi and the young monk, Maezumi Sensei, in the old brick Zenshuji in Los Angeles in the early 60s. He then practiced with Robert and Ann Aitken at Kokoan in their home in Honolulu. Later, while studying in Kyoto, Japan, he sat at Antaiji with Uchiyama Roshi and later with Morinaga Roshi at Daishu-in and Kobori Nanrei at Ryoko-in, never settling on a teacher --until the arrival of his son. Gerow serves ceremonial tea and occasionally teaches calligraphy at Jikoji.