Aesthetic ideals of Zen
The central and key principle of Japanese aesthetics is Fuga no Makoto, which is the expression of the hidden universal order and original beauty of absolute reality. This key aesthetic category is the center of the universal pentamatrix, which is inscribed inside and contains in itself, the Zen-Buddhist circle Ensō (ensō), as the rotation of which reveals new facets of the original principle, highlights new content and shades of the experience of beauty as a special quality of creative energy.
The deep content of the central concept of primordial beauty-truth, generated by pure aesthetic perception of things, as it matured and the consistent, historically conditioned formation of phenomenal worlds, was enriched with new deeper and more subtle experiences, acquired different names and faces, transforming and consolidating in the form of various aesthetic categories.
Thus progressively unfolding along the cultural spiral, it was initially expressed with the help of the categories of Wabi (7th-8th centuries) and Avare (9th -12th centuries), which have their roots in Shintoism and ancient Japanese art, and later, through the concept of Yugen (12th century), formed under the influence of Chan Buddhism, and, finally, through the aesthetic ideals of Sabi and Fuga no Makoto (17th century), which already expressed the spirit and the most essential principles of Zen Buddhism.
T.P. Grigorieva emphasized the different understanding of beauty by the leading Japanese poets and art theorists: “A true master is involved in Beauty (fuga); let Murasaki see it in avare, Seami - in yugen (it was the beauty of yugen that affected the shocked consciousness at that time, brought a man back to himself). For Rikyu it is wabi, the beauty of the ordinary; for Bace it is sabi, the elevation of the ordinary to the divine”.
The central principle of fuga no makoto (Beauty-truth) is internally dynamic and exists as a living process, continuously unfolding and manifesting its various interrelated facets through such qualitatively peculiar bundles of categories as avare - yugen, wabi - sabi, defining the very essence and diversity of the beautiful. These aesthetic principles are closely interrelated with each other, overlapping, interpenetrating and mutually enriching each other. They are united and inseparable, as they express the essence of beauty of the living lotus flower, named fuga no makoto.
At the same time such poles of interpenetrating bundles as wabi and avare are based on and determined by suchness, and yugen and sabi by complementary shunyata, which are essential dimensions of the single absolute reality. The first pair of principles, which can be conventionally attributed to the dense and active Yang, and the second, corresponding to the hollow, contemplative Yin, interpenetrate and overlap, revolving around the central principle of fuga no makoto, revealing new facets of unchanging beauty (bi).
Table1. Artistic principles and aesthetic ideals of Zen
in the Structure of Primordial Essences and Phenomenal Worlds
WHOLE
(Completeness and unity of all richness, sublimity and spiritual level of emotional experience)
Social World The Four Sublime States of Buddhism 1. Loving-kindness or benevolence 2. Compassion 3. Empathetic joy 4. Equanimity Sympathetic resonance with environment
MONO NO AWARE Shintō sencibility to “the vitality and mood of things” The pathos of things Refined sensitivity to things Sensitivity to ephemera "The 'ahh-ness' of things" Immediate emotional reaction “Oh” An empathy toward things Emotional receptivity Heightens appreciation of beauty Beauty of impermanence Sensitivity to the unavoidable transience Gentle sadness about transience Fascination Elegance Refinement
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AVARE -YUGEN Spirituality Integrity Sublimity Tranquility Elegance Refinement Deep sense of pathos Transversal deep beauty Sad and poignant beauty
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POSSIBILITY
(Emptiness–as the source for the endless possibilities, as unknown treasure and bottomless mystery)
Symbolic World Miraculously Mystery Reticence Ambiguity Symbolic, Indeterminacy of meaning Ineffability Inexhaustibility
YUGEN Chan Buddhism concept no-mind (C.wuxin; J.mushin) – free, spontaneous mind that is related to “deep”, “shadowy-ness”, formless, “dimness” “enigma”, “profound mysterious” of “myriad things”. Mysterious profundity Subtle profundity Mysterious, sad beauty Hints at a meaning Profound grace and subtlety Weirdness Suggestiveness Inaccessibility Inscrutability Imagination
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BEING
Suchness (Reality as it is) External reality Space
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ABSOLUTE Awakening and approval of universal creative spirit of nature and ultimate essence of truth innate beauty (bi) and harmony (wa) Culture Creativity FUGA NO MAKOTO Unity of truth and beauty Genuineness of asthetic and cosmic creativity Tranquility and creative contemplation Furyu (“wind and stream”), Free and extravagant spirit, Creative forces of the Nature Fūryū “the most elegant and refined simplicity Myo - the mysterious inner state which is related to post-enlightenment playful sense of wonder Fueki Ryuko Constancy and change Enso -enlightenment, satory, elegance, universal strength Creative contemplative mood, refined aesthetic sensitivity and subtle attentiveness. Beyond beauty and ugliness |
NOTHING
Sunyata (Emptiness) Internal Reality Time |
INTERACTION
(Interconnection of all things, generating innate fabric and "suchness" of the Being)
Objective World Materiality Physicality Naturalness Substancity Corporeity
WABI The object and subject in their natural austere self-sufficiency and self-worth. Austere, rustic beauty Suchness Naturalness Earthiness Rustic simplicity Scantiness, poverty Vapidity, tarnish Artlessness Unpretentious Candor Freshness Quietness Stark beauty Refined, solitary beauty Solitude, proud loneliness Modesty Austerity Concentration of inner strength Courageous recipiency non-dependence upon ego and material world Deliverance from excessiveness Getting rid of excess, redundant and pretence
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Three Buddhist characteristics of all existence and beings:
1. Impermanence: transience 2. Unsatisfactoriness or suffering: imperfect, incomplete, asymmetry, roughness, flawed beauty 3. Non-self: austerity, modesty, humility, serene melancholy
WABI –SABI Palpable sense of the passage of time Imperfection, incomplete Non-attachment Loneliness and Tranquility Simplicity, naturalness Simple, subtle, and unobtrusive beauty
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FREEDOM
(Inner freedom as a way to overcome variability fragility and irreversibility, as a chance to master time)
Inner world Existentially Individual attitude Uniqueness Unconventionality Impressionability
SABI Unique subjective view toward an objects. The unity of object and subject internal life. Desolate, subtle beauty Archaic, natural patina, "rust" and aging Patina and wear as evidence of impermanence Serenity that comes with age Pensive sheen of antiquity Serenity impermanence Elegant withering Subtle melancholy feeling Intuition Transcendence Perfection of imperfection Authenticity intimacy Genuineness Tranquility, aloneness, deep solitude desolateness Existential loneliness Receptive state of mind Uniqueness of human experience Loneliness as liberation from a commonness Contemplation of the "bloom of time", itsflows and creations
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Table 2. Manifestation of Zen aesthetic principles in painting
AWARE
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YUGEN
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FUGA NO MAKOTO
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WABI
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SABI
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Table 3. Manifestation of principles of Zen aesthetics in daily life
AWARE
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YUGEN
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FUGA NO MAKOTO
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WABI
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SABI
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Table 4. Manifestation of Zen aesthetic principles in Haiku poetry
AWARE A monk sips morning tea, it's quiet, the chrysanthemum's flowering. Matsuo Bashō (1644 - 1694)
Scent of plum blossoms on the misty mountain path a big rising sun Matsuo Bashō
Ballet in the air!― two butterflies, twice white, meet, mate, unite. Matsuo Basho
My eyes, having observed everything, returned to the white chrysanthemums. Kosugi Isshō (1652 - 1688)
Covered with the flowers, Instantly I'd like to die In this dream of ours! Ochi Etsujin (1655 - 1739)
Observe: see how the wild violets bloom within the forbidden fences! Shida Yaba (1662 - 1740)
A white swan parts the cherry-petalled pond with her motionless breast. Roka (1671-1703)
Wild roses in bloom --so like a pathway in, or toward, my home village. Yosa Buson (1716 - 1783)
Blossoms on the pear tree, lighten by the moonlight, and there a woman is reading a letter. Yosa Buson
With sorrow while coming upon the hill -- flowering wild roses. Yosa Buson
Listening to the moon, gazing at the croaking of frogs in a field of ripe rice. Yosa Buson
To my eyes how delightful the fan of my beloved is, in complete white. Yosa Buson
To reveal the flower Of your heart Sway, you summer grove. Tagami Kikusha-Ni (1753-1826)
To reveal the flower Of your heart Sway, you summer grove. Tagami Kikusha-Ni
Morning glories - in the evening we delight in the buds Tagami Kikusha-Ni
Blossoms at night, and the faces of people moved by music. Kobayashi Issa (1763 - 1828)
In the thicket's shade a woman by herself singing the rice-planting song. Kobayashi Issa
In these latter-day, Degenerate times, Cherry-blossoms everywhere! Kobayashi Issa
Overdressed for my thatched hut: a peony blossoms. Kobayashi Issa
Peonies blossom; the world is full of fibbers. Kobayashi Issa
fanning out its tail in the spring breeze, see—a peacock! Masaoki Shiki (1867–1902)
As thunder recedes a lone tree stands illuminated in sunlight: applauded by cicadas Masaoka Shiki
scatter layer by layer, eight-layered cherry blossoms! Masaoki Shiki
Entangled with the scattering cherry blossoms— the wings of birds! Masaoki Shiki
Murmurs follow the hay cart this blossoming summer day Ippekiro Nakatsuka (1887–1946).
Girls gather sprouts of rice: reflections of the water flicker on the backs of their hats Kyoshi Takahama (1874 –1959)
Falling snowflakes' glitter tinsels the sea Inahata Teiko (b.1931)
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JUGEN Snow-obscured heights, mist-shrouded slopes: this spring evening. Ilio Sōgi (1421–1502)
Soundlessly they go, the herons passing by: arrows of snow filling the sky. Yamazaki Sōkan (1465–1553)
A fallen blossom returning to the bough, I thought- But no, a butterfly. Arakida Moritake (1473– 1549)
In my hut this spring there is nothing - there is everything Sodo (1641-1715)
Spring: A hill without a name Veiled in morning mist. Matsuo Bashō
The sea darkening, the voices of the wild ducks: my mysterious companions! Matsuo Basho
In the dense mist what is being shouted between hill and boat? Matsuo Basho
The sea darkens --- Faintly white A wild duck’s call Matsuo Basho
From time to time The clouds give rest To the moon-beholders. Matsuo Bashō
Harvest moon . . . smoke goes creeping over the water Hattori Ransetsu (1654 – 1707)
Useless dreams, alas! Over desolate fields winds whisper as they pass. Uejima Onitsura (1661 – 1738)
Leaves, like the shadows of crows cast by a lonely moon. Kaga no Chiyo (1703 – 1775)
Ah butterfly, what dreams do you ply with your beautiful wings? Kaga no Chiyo
Hazy moonlight -- someone is standing among the pear trees. Yosa Buson (1716 - 1783)
Coolness-- the sound of the bell as it leaves the bell. Yosa Buson
Light of the moon Moves west, flowers' shadows Creep eastward. Yosa Buson
In pale moonlight the wisteria's scent comes from far away. Yosa Buson
Spring stirs the clouds in the sky's teabowl. Tagami Kikusha-Ni (1753-1826).
Summer night - even the stars are whispering to each other. Kobayashi Issa
A giant firefly: That way, this way, that way, this - and it passes by. Kobayashi Issa
Composedly he sits contemplating the mountains– the worthy frog! Kobayashi Issa
The woman leads into the mist low-tide beach Kobayashi Issa
Summer night-- even the stars are whispering to each other. Kobayashi Issa
Rowing through out of the mist the wide sea. Masaoka Shiki
A gold bug - I hurl into the darkness and feel the depth of night Takahama Kyoshi (1874–1959)
Pulling light from the other world . . . the Milky Way Yatsuka Ishihara (1919–1998)
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MONO NO AWARE
How I long to see among the morning flowers the face of God Matsuo Bashō (1644 - 1694)
How admirable! to see lightning and not think life is fleeting. Matsuo Bashō
Lightning shatters the darkness― the night heron's shriek. Matsuo Basho
Seek on high bare trails sky-reflecting violets... Mountain-top jewels Matsuo Bashō
A flash of lightning: Into the gloom Goes the heron's cry. Matsuo Bashō
White cloud of mist above white cherry-blossoms . . . Dawn-shining mountains Matsuo Bashō
Ple bells die out. The fragrant blossoms remain. A perfect evening! Matsuo Bashō
Wake! The sky is light! let us to the road again . . . Companion butterfly! Matsuo Bashō
Snow whispering down All day long earth has vanished Leaving only sky. Naito Joso (1662–1704)
Experimenting... I hung the moon on various branches of the pine Tachibana Hokushi (1665-1718)
From the mind of a single, long vine one hundred opening lives. Kaga no Chiyo
The temple bells grow silent but the blossoms provide their incense― A perfect evening! Matsuo Basho
The winter river; down it come floating flowers offered to Buddha. Yosa Buson
My only creed-- The mountain of treasure The six-petaled flowers of snow. Tagami Kikusha-Ni
For a while I forget there are sins - this cool moon Tagami Kikusha-Ni
A lovely thing to see: through the paper window's hole, the Galaxy. Kobayashi Issa
Trusting the Buddha, good and bad, I bid farewell To the departing year. Kobayashi Issa
A world of dew, and within every dewdrop a world of struggle Kobayashi Issa
Buddha Law, shining in leaf dew Kobayashi Issa
O snail Climb Mount Fuji, But slowly, slowly! Kobayaski Issa
Under the image of Buddha all these spring flowers seem a little tiresome. Kobayashi Issa
In this world we walk on the roof of hell, gazing at flowers. IKobayashi Issa
No sky, no land: just snow eternally falling Kajiwara Hashin (1864 -?)
In the coolness gods and Buddhas dwell as neighbors Masaoki Shiki
I turn my back on Buddha and face the cool moon Masaoki Shiki
Silently observing the bottomless mountain lake: water lilies Inahata Teiko
Blizzards here on earth, blizzards of stars in the sky Inahata Teiko
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WABI
Winter solitude-- in a world of one color the sound of wind. Matsuo Bashō (1644 - 1694)
Spring rain leaking through the roof dripping from the wasps' nest. Matsuo Bashō
Awake at night-- the sound of the water jar cracking in the cold. Matsuo Bashō
Cold night: the wild duck, sick, falls from the sky and sleeps awhile. Matsuo Bashō
Coolness of the melons flecked with mud in the morning dew. Matsuo Bashō
Moonless night... a powerful wind embraces the ancient cedars. Matsuo Bashō
Moonlight slanting through the bamboo grove; a cuckoo crying. Matsuo Bashō
It has rained enough to turn the stubble on the field black. Matsuo Bashō
A wild sea— stretching to Sado Isle the Milky Way Matsuo Bashō
Sea darkens calls of the wild ducks go faintly white Matsuo Bashō
This road: no one to go with autumn dusk Matsuo Bashō
The lillies! The stems, just as they are, the flowers, just as they are. Matsuo Bashō
First snow falling on the half-finished bridge. Matsuo Bashō
Snowy morning-- one crow after another. Matsuo Bashō
The pine-tree of Karasaki More dim and vague than the cherry-blossom. Matsuo Bashō
Around the town the smells of things - summer moon. Nozawa Bonchō (1640–1714)
At an eagle's nest on dead camphor branches the sun goes down. Nozawa Bonchō
Throwing away the ashes, The white plum-blossoms Became cloudy. Nozawa Bonchō
Stillness: a single chestnut leaf glides on brilliant water Ryuin (?-1690)
The bitter winter wind ends here with the frozen sea Ikenishi Gonsui (1650-1722)
An autumn eve; There is joy too, In loneliness. Yosa Buson
A harsh-rasping saw... music of cold-poverty in the winter midnight Yosa Buson
Washing the hoe-- ripples on the water; far off, wild ducks. Yosa Buson
Fruitless blossoms Are beaten by the rain In the melon fields Yosa Buson
The moon and just myself remain . . . evening coolness on the bridge. Tagami Kikusha-Ni
Even wearing a staw raincoat I like to travel - rain on the blossoms Tagami Kikusha-Ni
Autumn wind – mountain’s shadow wavers. Kobayashi Issa
Everything I touch with tenderness, alas, pricks like a bramble. Kobayashi Issa
Over the wintry forest, winds howl in rage with no leaves to blow. Natsume Soseki (1867 – 1916)
The crow has flown away: swaying in the evening sun, a leafless tree. Natsume Soseki
At the full moon's rising, the silver-plumed reeds tremble Masaoki Shiki
Night; and once again, the while I wait for you, cold wind turns into rain. Masaoka Shiki
After the thunder-shower one tree in evening sunlight a cicada's cry Masaoka Shiki
The moon hovering above the snow-capped mountains rained down hailstones Sekitei Hara (1886–1951)
The frozen moon, the frozen lake: two oval mirrors reflecting each other. Hashimoto Takako (1899-1963)
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Painting by Morikawa Kyoriku
枯枝に烏のとまりたるや秋の暮 Kareeda ni karasu no tomarikeri aki no kure
On a bare branch a crow is perched - autumn evening Matsuo Bashō
古池 蛙飛び込む 水の音
Furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto
Old pond, frog jumps in - splash Matsuo Bashō
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SABI
Life: a solitary butterfly swaying unsteadily on a slender stalk of grass, nothing more. But so exquisite! Nishiyama Soin (1605-1682)
The dragonfly can't quite land on that blade of grass. Matsuo Bashō
The pine tree of Shiogoshi Trickles all night long Shiny drops of moonlight. Matsuo Bashō
Autumn moonlight-- a worm digs silently into the chestnut. Matsuo Bashō
A bee staggers out of the peony. Matsuo Bashō
Atop the mushroom who knows from where a leaf! Matsuo Bashō
Heat waves shimmering one or two inches above the dead grass. Matsuo Bashō
First white snow of fall just enough to bend the leaves Of faded daffodils Matsuo Bashō
Mountain-rose petals falling, falling, falling now . . . Waterfall music Matsuo Bashō
No one walks along this path this autumn evening. Matsuo Bashō
The year's first day ... thoughts come, and with them, loneliness; dusk approaches. Matsuo Basho
The first soft snow: leaves of the awed jonquil bow low Matsuo Basho
Like a heavy fragrance snow-flakes settle: lilies on rocks Matsuo Basho
Now the swinging bridge Is quieted with creepers … Like our tendrilled life Matsuo Bashō
Dead my old fine hopes And dry my dreaming but still... Iris, blue each spring. Ume Shuushiki (1668-1725)
I go, you stay; two autumns. Yosa Buson
Before the white chrysanthemum the scissors hesitate a moment. Yosa Buson
Lighting one candle with another candle-- spring evening. Yosa Buson
Blow of an ax, pine scent, the winter woods. Yosa Buson
My arm for a pillow, I really like myself under the hazy moon. Yosa Buson
Evening wind: water laps the heron's legs. Yosa Buson
Not quite dark yet and the stars shining above the withered fields. Yosa Buson
This being alone may even be a kind of happy autumn dusk. Yosa Buson
Winter rain on moss soundlessly recalls those happy by gone days Yosa Buson
This world we pass on a rush leaf - not one thing Tagami Kikusha-Ni
The first firefly... But he got away and I... Air in my fingers. Kobayashi Issa
A huge frog and I, staring at each other, neither of us moves. Kobayashi Issa
Ducks bobbing on the water- are they also, tonight, hoping to get lucky? Kobayashi Issa
At sunset this fall Evening, I wrote on a wall: I've gone on ahead Kobayashi Issa
Dew evaporates And all our world is dew . . . so dear, So fresh, so fleeting Kobayashi Issa
Grazing my fishing line - the summer moon. Kaga no Chiyo (1703-1775)
My life, - How much more of it remains? The night is brief. Masaoka Shiki
First autumn morning the mirror I stare into shows my father's face. Murakami Kijo (1865 – 1938)
Winter waves roil their own shadows Tominaga Fûsei (1885-1970).
Pale mountain sky: cherry petals play as they tumble earthward Kusama Tokihiko (1920-2003)
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