Sumi ink block

Sumi ink sticks

Sumi is the elongated moulded ink stick we use to grind on our suzuri (similar to a mortar).  They are the traditional way of carrying ink before plastic bottles were introduced.  Sumi sticks are famous for producing the monochrome ink painting from Japan and China with its five shades of colour.

Sumi is made from the soot of pine branches selected from trees in the beautiful groves on the mountainsides close to Nara and Suzuka. From Autumn to early Spring, the air is cool and dry; the temperature, ideal. The pine soot mixed with a binding agent hardens properly only from mid October through mid May. Later the ink continues to age across seasons and years.1.


An ink artisan combines pine with sesame, rapeseed or another natural oil for the sumi base product. The soot from the pine is combined and kneaded with nikawa, the binding agent made from animal bone. The kneading process is crucial and Knowledge about the amount of moisture and air to remove from the kneaded mixture is imperative. Family secrets related to the ink making process are stringently guarded as to the amount of moisture or water and the hand positions for kneading. The end produce has a delicate fragrance.

The shape of the ink is made with wooden moulds as the  ash-dries, then it is later wrapped in straw and hung to age. (up to 10 years) Ink that is of exceptional quality is polished with a shell to give it a fine luster.
Bibliography
1  http://www.drue.net/sumi-e-ink.htm
Here are some artistic designs on sumi sticks from China found on a visit in 2008 Huainan province.

Silent Attack

Twinkling green oval,
The silence of early morning,
A magpie attacks.

Alan Watts

Alan Watts was one of the foremost modern writers on Zen together with D.T.Suzuki. To listen to Alan go here

The Earth Yoga and Tai Chi, notes

The Earth; Yoga and Tai Chi

Cycles

The Earth is balanced by the cycles of the seasons, the sun and moon and the water cycle to name a few. In Our human body there are similar cycles of growth youth old adolescence and old age, the birth death cycle, and female cycles. As we tune into the cycles of the outer workings of the universe then we also start to look inward to the inner motion of energy.

Breath

With the beginning of life on earth we take our first breath and we rely on this life force all through our lives. The air and other gases within our universe nourish us and keep us alive. To study any ancient art one must study the breath and the cycles of the breathing in order to gain depth in the art. In Yoga we have pranayama and similarly in Tai Chi there are breathing practices which; focus the mind, channel energy to different parts of the body for healing and the development of spiritual energy and awakening, for healing illness and developing martial power. In Tai Chi there is an explosive energy breath called fajing. In nature we have expressions which also describe the affects of the wind on us or its general nature like the howl of the wind, the still if the night air, a breathless night, the rush of the wind, the scowling wind.

Stillness and peace

In literature and philosophy/religion the earth has historically been associated with peace and stillness. We use phrases like the stillness of the earth, or if a person is stable then he she is an earthy type. Due to the fact that we walk and rely for all our actions on the earth such as locomotion, building homes and buildings and growing food it is little wonder that the earth has such a huge role in our culture. Often ancient sages built sanctuaries in a quiet mountain place far away from the madding crowd in order to commune with the Gods and nature.

Fertility and growth

The earth is a symbol of creativity and fertility since ancient times and the ancient arts over time unlock blockages in our system of energy called nadis in Sanskrit or Chi lines in Chinese. The constant study of these arts will unlock our consciousness to the truth of reality and the flow of our energy within simultaneously. The mother earth has been a symbol of love, protection and compassion since time immemorial and the study of the arts teaches us that love is the highest aspiration for any human. The opening of our consciousness and the dissolution of fears gives rise to compassion and a loving attitude to living.

Water

Water in the body and on the earth is over 70% of our capacity and water is the substance of life and the original womb of the first embryonic cell life which gave rise to our vertebral structured animals and our plant kingdom. Water is used for life giving for growth and for purification and healing. So it is essential to recognize and know the properties of its use. In Tai Chi it is a potent symbol of the way of Easy flowing in life. As they say Flow like a river and be firm like a mountain. Water symbolizes the flow of life.

Ritual

Practice can be a daily ritual in uniting with the self within and a time out for recovery and healing. Rituals ground us to positive actions and provide a way of healing and clearing negativity. Prayer, mantra, asanas and forms all are useful in clearing and grounding the practitioner.

Feel connected and united

When we feel the asana or form of Tai Chi then we connect to the energy about us in the air, trees flowers and earth. We connect to the energy of earth under our feet and in our hands as we work our energy to a balanced point. To connect to earth gives one the feeling of unity and calm as we feel secure with the female earthly energy of Kwan Yin or the female spirit.

The Earth Mother and You

What on EARTH are YOU doing?
Spirituality and the Earth.

Workshops to be in the future
With Gerard Menzel


Note Tuition will be 4 hours.The last hour of the class will be a talk and discussion over coffee/tea at an appropriate coffee shop to be announced.
Cost $55 / 45con each day or $30 per 2 hour block
Pre Book Ph 0407734479 email
Send your name in an email with a mobile number and pay on the day
Payment time 11.45 Workshops start at 1200
Discount; Go to both workshops for $99 / $80con
What to bring; mat, blanket, tea, biscuits,
The focus of the workshops will to discover how both arts teach us to know the environment about us and to become united with it. We will look at ways that Yoga and Tai Chi help us to slow down and listen to the Earth within us and all around us.
As we know the Earth is in crisis at the moment and this reflects the crisis of our world society which is imbalanced.
Tai Chi shows us like Yoga that balance of the forces of Yang and Yin is the key to health. To heal our planet we must also heal our body and mind at the same time. In our own small way we can learn to have vibrant and peaceful life force called chi or prana.
The classes will focus on our unity and connection with Earth.

• Some topics covered will include
• Change and flow
• Connection to earth
• The Centre as Self
• Compassion and the Earth Mother
• Time and the seasons

Teacher
Gerard Menzel has taught Asia Arts for over 20 years.
He is based in Vic. Gerard has studied Yoga in India, Tai Chi in China and Aikido in Japan. He started to Teach Tai Chi in 1986 and Founded the Tai Chi Assoc of SA. Go to and http;//wildlotus-arts.blogspot.com

Coober Pedy Dreaming

Alone save the stars
Awake in the desert
Crisp silence

Guru Gita devotion to the teacher

	Prem Joshua - Ganga Pooja .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

The Guru Gita is a prayer to the Guru (the dispeller of darkness) and I came across this beautiful text while studying Siddha Yoga or Kashmir Shaivism in the 1980's. The late Guru Baba Nityananda lived in a beautiful village ashram at Ganeshpuri outside of Bombay.

The Guru Gita tell one of the powers of the Guru and the way the Shishya or student ought to approach the relationship with him/her.

listen to it here: http://www.spiritual-happiness.com/gurugita.html



Here is a link to Nityananda and his lineage

http://www.yogameditation.com.au/nityananda.htm

There is one story of when a cobra came and visited Baba while he was meditating. the cobra rose in front of Baba and just stayed locked eye to eye for hours and hours being immersed in Babas Shakti or pranic energy. The cobra is revered in India and represents Shiva for it was Lord Shiva who drank the poison of the world and turned blue as a result. He is depicted often with a snake around him or nearby.

One view of why shiva wears a cobra around his neck is this;

Shiva wears a snake coiled around his upper arms and neck symbolizing the power he has over the most deadly of creatures. Snakes are also used to symbolize the Hindu dogma of reincarnation. Their natural process of molting or shedding their skin is symbolic of the human souls transmigration of bodies from one life to another.
see http://www.lotussculpture.com/shiva1.htm

Here is the text for you to read:

GURU GITA Translated

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2085014/GURU-GITA-TRANS