Painting Peace: Art in a Time of Global Crisis

by Kazuaki Tanahashi

Overview

A revered modern artist and Zen teacher offers an inspirational account of how his art has been the expression of a life of social activism.

“Awakening,” says Kazuaki Tanahashi,  “is to realize the infinite value of each moment of your own life as well as of other beings, then to continue to act accordingly.” This book is the record of a life spent acting accordingly:  Through his prose, poetry, letters, lyrics, and art, Tanahashi provides an inspirational account of a what it’s been like to work for peace and justice, from his childhood in Japan to the present day. Included are fascinating vignettes of the seminal figures who refined his views—among them Daniel Ellsberg, Gary Snyder, Mayumi Oda, and Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido—as well as striking examples of the art he has so famously used to bear witness to the infinite value of life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611805437
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	04/10/2018
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

KAZUAKI TANAHASHI, a Japanese-trained calligrapher, is the pioneer of the genre of "one-stroke painting" as well as the creator of multicolor enso (Zen circles). His brushwork has been shown in solo exhibitions in galleries, museums, and universities all over the world. Tanahashi is the author of over forty books including Heart of the Brush and The Heart Sutra.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations xi

Preface and Acknowledgments xv

Part 1 A Brush with Our Time 1

Pine Needle 3

Years before Pearl Harbor 4

The Zen of Ending War 8

Courage 12

A Small Circle 13

A True Warrior 18

Protecting Spirit 19

The First Two Times They Met 23

Encounter 30

The Surrender Process 31

Emerging Shadows 36

Part 2 Engaged in Our Time 43

Our Time 45

Art in a Time of Global Crisis 46

Not in Our Name 52

If We Go to WAR… 53

Peace in Sorrow 61

Amazing Turn 62

Circle of All Nations 74

Circle of Peace 80

Liberating Justice 81

Tears That Soak Our Soul 85

Inheriting Accountability 92

Reflections on the Sino-Japanese War 101

Eternal Remorse 105

Hand 107

The Yasukuni Shrine Dilemma 108

Peace and War 111

Gift of Gifts 117

Love in Syria 118

Ah Nagasaki 134

Garbage First 145

Dear Los Alamos Lab Workers 149

Life 152

Part 3 Principles of Engagement 153

Four Commonplace Truths 155

Ten Laws of Breakthrough 157

Breakthrough Spirituality 161

Sing a Song of Peace 164

What Can an Artist Do? 165

Consider Integrity in Choosing Your Career 169

Don't Be a Scientist of Death 172

Creative Laziness 173

Why Dogen? 178

One Life, One World 184

Share the Earth 187

Part 4 Shaping Our Time 189

Sing 191

Bristlecone Pine 192

Where Are We All Going? 198

Peace Is the Answer 202

Beautiful Costa Rica 203

How Realistic Is a World without War? 205

From One Candle 217

Video and Audio Sources 219

About the Author 220

Editorial Reviews

Is the human race condemned to destroy itself with its own weapons of mass destruction? Kazuaki Tanahashi’s persuasive answer is no, but to go from a death-driven society to a society that protects life requires re-envisioning the future so that we can learn to live peacefully in the present moment. Using stories, poems and his own calligraphy, Tanahashi’s Painting Peace contributes to that conversion.”—Jim Forest, author of The Root of War Is Fear: Thomas Merton's Advice to Peacemakers and All Is Grace: A Biography of Dorothy Day

“This gorgeous book reflects a miraculous life of courage, humor, compassion, and wisdom. It is about peace, art, and a weave of remarkable relationships and endeavors that have shaped my good friend Kaz Tanahashi's life and vision.”—Joan Halifax, author of Being with Dying 
 
“Kaz Tanahashi recounts adventures from a lifetime of activism and art. A maker of monumental works of calligraphy that incorporate but far transcend tradition and founder of international activist organizations like Plutonium Free Future and World Without Armies, Kaz is legendary. With unassuming yet indomitable energy, he has used his imagination to confront global problems like disarmament and climate change. His simple, clear, positive, non-hectoring tone (no doubt a result of his lifetime study and groundbreaking translations of Zen Master Dogen) will give you the feeling that a Ten Millennium Human Future is possible if only we will roll up our sleeves and get to work manifesting our vision of a peaceful world. This book could not have come at a better time.”—Norman Fischer, author of What Is Zen? Plain Talk for a Beginner’s Mind

“Inspiring, fascinating, tenacious and creative, these stories from Kaz’s life as an artist, scholar, and activist, offer the reader so many ways to enter the sphere of compassionate social responsibility. It’s as if Kaz is sitting with the reader, coaching us to experience the potential and joy of creative problem solving in the world of peace and environmental activism. There are brushes built, panels convened, operas composed, songs and poems written. Reading this is like taking a long—a life-long—pilgrimage with a wise compassionate man, an artist who drinks in the joys and sorrows of the world.”—Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, author of Most Intimate: A Zen Approach to Life’s Challenges

From the Publisher