59 of 159

|

Nen / Mindfulness / Now Mind
Original calligraphy by Zen monk and artist Peter Cutler. The Japanese kanji for Nen, in English mindfulness. The top symbol means "now" or "present moment". The bottom symbol means "mind", "heart" or "spirit". You could also translate this as "now mind", a mind that dwells in the present moment.

Our practice of Zen is to dwell solidly in the present moment, to not be lost in the past or future. This calligraphy is a wonderful reminder and direction for our practice and our life. The top symbol is like a roof that protects our life from distractions and a mountain that offers solidity to our practice. It points to a mind that is free, fluid and fully available to each moment.

May the transmission of this calligraphy help your life in wonderful ways.

The small red chop or seal at the bottom right is Chinese for "True Virtue". It is the Dharma name given to Peter by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Peter Cutler is an internationally acclaimed artist, photographer and film director. At the young age of 20, he won Nikon Cameras prestigious international photography contest. Shows at leading galleries and art and photography magazines soon followed. Over the next 40 years he developed a successful career as a leading commercial artist, photographer and film director, winning over 150 international awards. After 20 years of meditation and spiritual practice, a profound spiritual awakening led him to leave the world of commercial art behind, become a Zen monk and devote his life to his newly discovered gift of healing and manifesting Spirit through art. As he readily acknowledges, this art flows through him, not from him. The art is...