Book - Flowers, mirrors of our lives, S.Aoyama Rôshi

Author: Shundo Aoyama, Jokei Lambert

Publisher: Sully Eds

Publication date: 02/05/2024

Collection: Le Prunier

Number of pages: 160

Format: 17 x 24 cm

Discover the beauty of the most innocuous flowers, contemplate the grace of a fallen flower, place the flowers in a vase as if they were in their natural environment: in this book the nun Shundô Aoyama shares with us the Way of Flowers (Kado), the subtle art of Japanese flower arrangement (Ikebana). The book consists of sixty texts based on the teachings of the ancient masters of the art of flowers and the art of tea. The author quotes poets and artists, refers to her experience of a monastic life close to nature and sensitive to the beauty and impermanence of things. She thus naturally transmits to us the wisdom of Zen filled with compassion and intuitive understanding. Each text is accompanied by a floral composition by the author. Text and flowers reflect each other. This is not a book of technique or doctrine of floral art but an evocation of what constitutes its heart. This is a contemplative book.
Discover the beauty of the most innocuous flowers, contemplate the grace of a fallen flower, place flowers in a vase as if they were in their natural environment: in this work, the nun Shundô Aoyama shares with us the Way of Flowers (Kado), the subtle art of Japanese flower arrangement (Ikebana). The work is composed of sixty texts based on the teachings of the ancient masters of the art of flowers and the art of tea, and following the rhythm of the seasons. The author quotes poets and artists, refers to her experience of a monastic life close to nature and sensitive to the beauty and impermanence of things. She thus naturally transmits to us the wisdom of Zen filled with compassion and intuitive understanding. Each text is accompanied by a floral composition by the author, where the species of flowers chosen and the type of container are indicated. Text and flowers reflect each other. This is not a book of technique or doctrine of floral art but an evocation of what constitutes its heart. It is a contemplative book. Shundô Aoyama is a Zen master, also a master in the various traditional Japanese arts, floral art, the tea ceremony, calligraphy. Well known in Japan for her charisma and her teaching activity with monks as well as the general public, she is also renowned in the circles of European Zen Buddhism.