Thank you Kakutani Sensei

Sensei lead us in a paper, mold and calligraphy workshop at Black Oak Farm on a gorgeous mid September day. Following morning zazen we shared in a hands on experience of turning pulp into paper. Along the way we found a fallen hornets nest that made its way into some of our paper while the children made plaster globes out of balloon molds. Sensei showed us how to make a rope out of long grass that he then coiled to make a mold for a torn paper bowl.

Later in the afternoon we created molds out of styrofoam by writing on the board with an ink/clay slip that kept the image intact when we melted the rest of the board over a fire. We then shaped the paper over the styrofoam mold. Sensei 's generous practice of using what is at hand and harmonizing with mistakes is such a wonderful expression of the world coming to rest as one's own heart.