| Nyogen Nowak |
Zen art, the aims of which are to teach and to inspire, should be contemplated rather than merely viewed. Traditionally every scroll was displayed in the finest receiving room of a temple or house, allowing a visitor to contemplate the picture quietly. Exhibitions of Zen art are often held not only in museums and galleries, but also in the meditation halls of temples.
The most important element in Zen painting (zenga) and Zen calligraphy (zensho) is the flow of vital life energy through the ink (bokki). We can say that this is the most precious secret of Zen art. In oriental ink painting in general and in zenga in particular, what is most important is the line. If the line is full of vital life energy, the whole painting is lively and has amazing power. It does not depend on the painting technique or on the quality of the paper, ink or brush. It depends only on this vital energy, which is always present, but which remains hidden if not cultivated. Thus, Zen art is part of Zen training. Zazen is one of the ways of cultivating this energy.
Nyogen Nowak
Nyogen Nowak was born in 1956 in Wroclaw. When he was 15 he became interested in Buddhism and Buddhist art. In 1974 he started to pracice zazen. In 1982 in Los Angeles, a Korean Zen monk introduced him to Zen painting. He came to Japan for the first time in 1983. He was ordinated there as a Soto Zen monk, and in 1987, after receiving dharma transmission, he became a Soto Zen priest. In 1995 he received a scholarship for Zen painting from the Yokohama Zenkoji Scholarship for International Buddhist Study.
Since 1989 he has lived with his wife in Sendai, where he has been practising Zen and painting zenga.
Since his first visit to Japan in 1983, he has continued zazen pracice under Harada Tangen Roshi.
Major exhibitions: