- “The art of flower
arrangement is not, in its truest sense, an art, but
rather the expression of a much deeper experience of
life.”
- -D.T. SUZUKI
In this companion volume to Eugen Herrigel’s
classic Zen in the Art of Archery, Gustie Herrigel
describes the underlying Zen symbolism in the Japanese
art of flower arranging, ikebana. During the 1920’s
while living in Japan, Gustie Herrigel studied ikebana
under one of Japan’s greatest Masters and by the
time she left Japan in 1930 she herself had become a
master.
The act of training in ikebana is a process of
achieving spiritual enlightenment; the craft of
arranging flowers is a form of meditation. Gustie
Herrigel’s account of her education in ikebana and
her gradual understanding of its underlying symbolism
is a story of great charm. She teaches the reader the
disciplined but artfully natural style of flower
arrangement, while providing a perceptive introduction
to Zen.
In this beautifully written book we are introduced
to the traditions of an older Japanese way of life,
which has since been swept away by Western influence. |
