Peace, the Perpetual Problem

By Jeanna Annen Moyer

Editor's note:  The above photograph is of one of the Perpetual Peace Project installations at the New Museum, in the context of their now past exhibit Free.  The Perpetual Peace Project is "predicated on the belief that no one institution or individual can clearly claim or guarantee a mastery of the concept of peace," and aims at understanding peace beyond its being merely the absence of war. With the blue circle as the design platform, scattered throughout the New Museum were kiosks featuring interviews with scholars such as Helene Cixous and Saskia Sassen in response to Immanuel Kant's 1795 essay "Perpetual Peace."  There are a downloadable copy of the essay and video clips on the Perpetual Peace Project website link above.  With the premise that the Perpetual Peace Project has now entered the public commons, what follows is a short essay by Jeanna Annen Moyer, a member of the Dharma Rain Zen Center.

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I consider myself to be a recovering academic. Part of the move to Zen practice for me has been about moving away from intellectualizing my experience and moving toward engaging it directly, without a complicated array of concepts and analysis between me and it. I’ve  wanted to put the conceptual apparatus down, and inhabit my life with both body and mind, with fresh eyes. Consequently, I was conflicted when asked if I’d be interested in commenting on Kant’s essay on Perpetual Peace from a Zen perspective. I’ve resisted the scholarly study of Zen in favor of embodied practices like zazen, walking mediation, and work practice. I’ve felt that the last thing that would support balance in my life was more scholarly study. So, the following is a departure for me: writing on a scholarly topic from the personal perspective of my Zen practice.

Re-reading Kant’s essay on Perpetual Peace felt like going home to a family gathering filled with  old, dysfunctional dynamics.  The veneration of reason over emotion, the insistence on duty over all other considerations, the idea that humans must in some sense be coerced in order to act morally-- an old, familiar song. And yet, given Kant’s rather dim view of human nature, the upshot of this essay is quite hopeful: That perpetual peace among people is both logically and practically possible. This is partly based on well-worn  social contract theory arguments that we are all better off if we band together to better serve our selfish interests.  Just as individuals are better off banding together and agreeing to respect each others’ rights, the same is true of nations. And so a federation of nations should be formed, to ensure that each nation respects the rights of others. Kant says that nature has purposively designed  the world so that humans can and should live everywhere in it, and thus made war the natural means of resolving the inevitable conflicts that arise. It is in people’s  mutual interest to unite against war (refer to the First Supplement, "Of the Guarantee of Perpetual Peace," pp. 25-34, found in the document available here by clicking on the title of Kant's essay.).

Although Kant was writing to show that lasting peace among nations was at least theoretically possible, it’s interesting how much of his essay foreshadows actual developments in world politics. For instance, Kant wrote of the desirability of forming of an international federation of nations aimed at preserving the rights of all. He wrote of the dangers of time-honored political tactics that are still with us today : “…if it be a question about other States, then exciting of suspicion and disagreement among them, is a pretty safe means of subjecting them to yourself, one after the other, under the pretence of assisting the weaker." (p. 44 of the online version.). And writing during the time of Frederick the Great, Kant described the benefits of federalism, now the mode of government in what was Prussia.

Despite Kant’s lofty statements on the power of human reason, he seems to have a fairly pithy perception of politics, shown in a statement that could be used to describe some current situations: “…[men in politics] allow all proper honor to this conception [of public right], although they may have to devise a hundred evasions and palliations in order to escape from it in practice...” (p. 45 of the online version.) In addition to a realistic grasp of the machinations of politics, Kant also seems to have been gifted with some foresight about developments to come.

If Kant was right about some other things, what about lasting international peace? Many nations have developed federalist or federalist-type governments; international organizations aimed (at least in theory) at the common good have been formed; and at least the concept of international right is widely accepted. Why hasn’t lasting peace followed? To get a sense of the number of armed conflicts currently occurring, try an internet search on: How many wars in the world today? Or see this link. War seems to be a constant, rather than peace. Is there anything in Kant’s essay that can help us understand why?

From a Zen perspective, there was one section of Kant’s essay that caught my attention.

Now it is admitted that the voluntary determination of all individual men to live under a legal constitution according to principles of liberty, when viewed as a distributive unity made up of the wills of all, is not sufficient to attain [Perpetual Peace], but all must will the realization of this condition through the collective unity of their united wills, in order that the solution of so difficult a problem may be attained, for such a collective unity is required in order that civil society may take form as a whole.  Further, a uniting cause must supervene upon this diversity in the particular wills of all, in order to educe such a common will from them, as they could not individually attain.  Hence, in the realization of that idea in practice, no other beginning of a social state of right can be reckoned upon, than one that is brought about by force; and upon such compulsion, Public Right is afterwards founded.  (italics added, from p. 38 of the online version.).

The idea that public right, a necessary precondition for international right, can only be established through coercion is, from my perspective, a fatal flaw in a system intended to yield lasting peace. Coercion, whether by reason, fellow citizens, or politicians, is a kind of violence, and can only breed further coercion. This is true of federalist, communist, or any other kind of political system. If we start with coercion, we should not be surprised when further coercion, conflict, and war results.

So, what is the Zen answer to achieving perpetual peace between nations? Kant would be disgusted, but this is a point on which I can’t contribute a theory, only my experience. In my opinion, international peace can only sprout from peace among individuals. Peace for me has arisen from turning toward my experience and learning to accept it unconditionally, with an open heart. As my practice in this regard has deepened, an abiding compassion for others has naturally arisen—a compassion that encompasses regard for others, a concern for their well-being, and a growing recognition that my well-being cannot be separated from theirs.

The delusion that we are disconnected from others, that our well-being is separate from theirs—in my opinion that is the true root of war. And so, an approach that presupposes this cannot be a foundation for lasting peace. It is not reason, still less coercion, that provides a sustainable way out of war. It is awakening compassion, and coming to understand that others’ well-being is inseparable from our own. This might seem to be a variation on the theme of avoiding war because it is in our own self-interest. But the deeper point here is that it is not for simply for ourselves, but out of authentic compassion for others that war becomes unacceptable. To put this in other, famous words, “Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal law.”


Dermot Mac Cormack: Untitled #11

Dermot Mac Cormack, Untitled #11, 2011, audio Priests, Monks and Pilgrims of Kyoto, reissued by lyrichord discs. Dermot Mac Cormack is an associate Professor at the Tyler School of Art, the creative director of 21xdesign, and a student of Shuzen Sensei at the Soji Zen Center.

Women's Lineage Papers

By Peter Levitt

As part of a concerted effort undertaken by certain North American Zen communities to redress a significant historical wrong, this was among the first lineage papers in Buddhist history that acknowledges and honours Buddhist women ancestors.  Relying on years of research, performed mostly by women scholars in the academic world, it was created on behalf of the Salt Spring Zen Circle in British Columbia through the efforts of Zen teachers Zoketsu Norman Fischer of Everyday Zen and Eihei Peter Levitt of the Salt Spring Zen Circle.  It was designed by Barbara Cooper from Los Angeles.  In November 2007, on Salt Spring Island, male and female students of these two teachers were given this women’s lineage paper as part of their lay ordination ceremony, thus helping to end an overwhelming historical silence regarding women ancestors in Zen. The women’s lineage paper was bundled together with the male lineage paper traditionally given at this ceremony, and the two papers were received by the ordainees together.

 

The wheel of women ancestor names begins with the name of Shakyamuni Buddha’s mother, Mahapajapati, at the bottom, just to the right of the space at what would be the six o’clock position.  The names then ascend in a counterclockwise direction.  Names of women ancestors from India, are followed by ancestor names from China, Japan, and North America.  Of note is that at the top of the enso, in what would be the twelve o’clock position, the words “unknown women” appear.  This is to acknowledge the countless women whose sincere practice helped to nourish Zen and Buddhism throughout history but whose names, for a variety of reasons, were forgotten, suppressed, or left unsaid.

At the bottom of the wheel a blank space was left so that each new ordainee could have their name written in, and thereby be embraced by the ancestors.

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Alongside his work as a Zen teacher, Peter Levitt is an accomplished poet, and most recently published Within Within. You can visit his website here, and you can contact Peter Levitt directly at his email address, levgram[at]gmail.com.

Sweetcake Enso opens at the Village Zendo this Saturday, January 15th!

Maria Wallace, Supercell, oil on canvas, 18x14", 2010

With ten new artists on board, Sweetcake Enso is on exhibit for one day at the Village Zendo this coming Saturday. Sweetcake Enso draws attention to the abstract circle as a symbol of presentness in daily life, and opens out the traditional calligraphy of the Enso to include the work, unlimited by media or training, of contemporary artists involved in strong Buddhist practice. Without motivation to define “Zen Art,” the interest here is in a shift from the monastic practice of Japan to a stronger emphasis upon lay practice in American Zen, and what this means for understanding contemporary art as Zen practice.   From cyclone to stillness, these works are individual offerings to the teachers that are with us now and who have come before.  In this exhibit sales will benefit the Village Zendo, and be met by a matching grant in honor of their 25th anniversary.

 

  

Emma Tapley, Water Reflection/Landscape Inversion, C-print, edition of 5

The third Sweetcake Enso exhibit opens Saturday, January 15^th at the Village Zendo, 588 Broadway, suite 1108.  Viewing is from 11:00-7:00, followed by a panel discussion from 7:00-900 pm.  Artists in the exhibit are:  

Miya Ando, Sanford Biggers, Ross Bleckner, Sam Clayton, Robyn Ellenbogen, Noah Fischer, Carolyn Fuchs, Max Gimblett, Rodney Alan Greenblat, Gregg Hill, Anne Humanfeld, Phyllis Joyner, Erin Koch, Liz LaBella, Peter Levitt, Timothy Reynolds, Karen Schiff, Fran Shalom, Bridget Spaeth, Emma Tapley, Leslie Wagner, Maria Wallace, Maggie Wells and Michael Wenger.

Please join us at 7:00 pm for a lively discussion of how Buddhist practice inspires and informs contemporary art.  Panelists include:

Max Gimblett, artist teacher and lecturer

Emma Tapley, artist

Rodney Greenblat, artist

Robyn Ellenbogen, artist and art editor of Zen Monster

Catherine Spaeth, art historian and curator

Ross Bleckner, Four Locations, color spitbyte aquatint with chine colle, 39x30" 2007

Carolyn Fuchs: This and That

By Caroline Reddy


The Sweetcake Enso exhibit presently visiting Zendos across the country displays a variety of Ensos that play in the dance of form and emptiness. In the pieces that were submitted for this exhilarating exhibition, form reflects the myriad conditions of everyday life—elements that equate daily existence are respected and celebrated. 

Inside some of these circles of enlightenment, composed by contemporary Zen practitioners and artists, viewers discover an array of phenomena: gliding red snakes, crows, skulls, fragmented neon stickers, layers of colorful shapes resembling staircases, gritty metallic scraps and morsels, cosmic bubbles, and orbiting squares—all impressions that exemplify and illustrate life in its entirety. Alongside many elegant ensos constructed out of ink, metal leaf, mixed media, homemade paper, and found objects, an interactive sculpture entitled This and That, created by local Empty Hand Sangha member, Carolyn Fuchs, absorbs the participant in the process of creating a black-and-white enso in space the moment that a handle is spun. A mirror, hung serenely on the wall, reflects the genesis of an enso.

This and That, a peculiar sculpture devised from cast, iron, wood, metal and acrylic paint is based on the phenakistascope: an early animation device that used the persistence of motion principle to create an illusion of motion.* The breadth between the artist, her creation, and the participant vanishes as a black-and-white enso surfaces.
 
“I was trying to decide what to do,” Carolyn—who also goes by Carrie in our Sangha—explains as she shares her impressions on the labor of the phenakistascope. “Originally I wanted to create a painting or a drawing but nothing seemed to inspire me.   I felt like I was forcing it too much, so I took a step back and thought about other ways to express an enso.” In order to emphasize the spontaneity  of an enso, Carrie decided to design a three-dimensional one; this format would allow participants to work with her to create the circle of enlightenment—accenting the energetic, and spontaneous, liveliness that ensos evoke. “I started to think about a sculpture with an element that someone had to physically actualize.  Each person would create the circle in space, activating a series of images that would be reflected in a mirror - their movement initiating the story. I wanted to give to the viewer, as my partner in the process, the moment of spontaneity expressed in painting an enso or experienced through a single brush stroke in calligraphy.” Without the participation of a viewer the images would remain static.

The enso in Zen represents emptiness. In an animated brush stroke a spontaneous moment emerges freely creating a circle of enlightenment; thus an aesthetic union occurs. There is no artist and there is no creator—just an energetic force that emanates and electrifies the space.  Ensos also “evoke power, dynamism, charm, humor, drama and stillness.” Traditional ensos emerge from the monastery custom, where students spend years with their teacher, mindfully practicing calligraphy and creating countless circles of enlightenment. Audrey Yoshiko Seo observes that “only a person who is mentally and spiritually complete can draw a true one. Some artists practice drawing an enso daily as a spiritual practice.” Forgoing the spontaneity of  one stroke painting, Carrie spent a length of time with This and That. “It was an open process; the animated content kept changing and I had to make a concerted effort not to fight that until I absolutely had to make a decision.” 

The animation is intentionally ambiguous. Carrie explains the symbolic allusion ingrained in the enso: “The animation features birds, an iconic and powerfully symbolic image. In this particular flight, a tangled ball of string is tethered to the bird’s feet.  Carrying the string could have different implications: a burden, unidentified/unfocused energy, or anxiety.  At a certain point in the animation the string snaps, unravels, and falls into radiating space; one can interpret this as a catharsis. And as it dissolves - as the tangle falls away from the bird - it disappears, only to reappear to start the process again.  This mirrors the symbolic cyclical nature of an enso.”  

The cyclical nature of the animation emulates the paradigm of creation.  In Zen Circles of Enlightenment, Seo links our hominal relationship to the circle. “Our connection to the circle is in some ways obvious.   We are embedded in the circularity of the horizon. We live on a sphere that, with other spheres, circles around the sun, in the vast celestial dome.  We are enamored with the moon.  In art, we highlight an abstract circle’s many natural forms—the ring, the sphere, the wheel. We create halos that float above Saints’ heads, and perform ritual circle dances.”

Traditional enso calligraphies are often brushed in black ink; likewise, Carrie designed her enso by omitting color from her palette. “I chose to paint the image in black-and-white to simplify the image; it makes the animation more crisp. If it was done in color, the images would be muddled on the disc and hard to discern.  I wanted the whole piece to be monochromatic and calming to the eye; simple and a little mysterious.”  It is the elusive nature of this sculpture that had many Sangha members, including the writer of this segment, spinning the handle before the phenakistascope was unveiled to the public eye during New Rochelle’s Art Festival on Saturday October 2^nd and 3rd. 

“Enso is considered to be one of the most profound subjects in Zenga (Zen-inspired paintings), and it is believed that the character of the artist is fully-exposed in how she or he draws an enso.”  Aware of this vital principle of an enso, Carrie also commented on what makes the circle of enlightenment so alluring.  “Ensos come from those who have forgotten about the bird and the tangle—the painter fades and the enso surfaces.”

The interplay of flight and entanglement also implies the relationship between the relative (conditional life) and the absolute (infinite); hence, Carrie envisioned her sculpture to invoke interdependence. “Flight is the activity.  The entanglement and the release become a natural result of flight.”  Linking emptiness and the shavings of daily life, This and That expresses non-duality differently and alongside of the many other pieces submitted for the Sweetcake Enso exhibition.

The phenakistascope allows many visitors a chance to play leading them to approach the whimsical instrument with an eager eye. “I wanted this piece,” Carrie explained, “to invoke a sense of wonder and magic, to invite curiosity and playfulness.”   

In The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman, Socrates, the protagonist’s mentor and spiritual teacher, associates child-like wonder to the Garden of Eden. “Every infant lives in a bright garden where everything is sensed directly, without the veils of thought—free of beliefs, interpretations, and judgments.” Perhaps, spinning the handle of this enduring sculpture echoes the famous koan: what did your face look like before your parents were born?

“When someone reaches out to turn the handle they are open to the unknown and momentarily forget themselves in the activity of watching and spinning. Then the image truly comes to life,” Carrie affirmed. This child-like innocence is precisely the reason why This and That has been aptly-nicknamed, by a few Sangha members, “the spinny-thingy.”

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Millman, Dan. The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.  California: New World Library.

Seo, Audrey Yoshiko. Enso: Zen Circles of Enlightenment.  Massachusetts: Weatherhill.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/455469/phenakistoscope