Jim Lewis wrote:

Greetings:

I am sorry to chime in, but I would be very interested
to find out where Mr. Chye Tan gained his experience
with Zen Buddhism.


Chime away, Peter. I was wondering the same thing you obviously
are. I have _never_ read anything reliable that tells me that
Zen and Bonsai have any direct connection -- but _I_ am not even
close to being an expert, so was reluctant to do any chiming
myself.

Of course, you can bring Zen into anything you do, I suppose --
even motorcycle maintenance. ;-)

snip

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - The phrase
'sustainable growth' is an oxymoron. - Stephen Viederman

The historical connection between bonsai and Zen may be difficult to establish, but
why can't a person from any given religious or philosophical persuasion import
their faith *into* bonsai? For example, Iris Cohen and I have both found very
strong links with our respective branches of the Judeo-Christian heritage, yet the
people who first conceived of bonsai however many years ago certainly weren't
Jewish or Christian.

We need to remember that just as bonsai is an art that continues to evolve in terms
of techniques, so it is also a philosophical discipline (for some) which continues
to evolve as well. Just because the author under discussion has made a connection
with bonsai and Zen, does that mean he is claiming that there is a historical
connection?

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a Sunset 37

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