However, if there is one thing I've enjoyed about restarting every time it is the opportunity to rethink the way I've done things in the past and how to move forward. Looking back each move has had a theme which had to do with not only the new place I moved to but also with where I was developmentally as a person and teacher at that time in my life. This last move of ours was pretty challenging. We had taken two teens away from their comfort zones and we were not as resilient as other times. It took a good while to get everyone settled into our new realities (house, school, work, after-school classes, doctors, etc) and right as we were beginning to feel like no such outsiders, Covid hit and everything got totally turned upside down. I had to learn to go with the flow like never before in my life and, in an attempt to maintain my sanity, I started to practice meditation and to research the subject of mindful living. Surprisingly, about eight months after I started this new spiritual path the International Suzuki Association publicly shared the old “Talent Education Journals” that Dr. Suzuki himself had been in charge of producing from 1979 to 1985. I was so excited to read what this fascinating collection of articles would have, and to my surprise the first six of those journals have articles on Zen Buddhism. Each of these articles ends the first 6 journals, and in order of appearance, from Journal 1 through 6, they are:
“Zen and Human Education” by Osamu Yoshida
“Zen and Self-Realization Part I” by Osamu Yoshida
“Zen and Self-Realization Part II” by Osamu Yoshida
“Zen and the Arts” by Osamu Yoshida
“Zen and Daily Life” by Osamu Yoshida
And “Everyone is Equal, Use and Grow” by Ichiro Tsuneoka
(Here the link to the International Suzuki Association webpage where you can read them)
Why would Dr. Suzuki choose to have such a presence of Zen Buddhism in his early journals? We do know that he was a very mindful human being, very present and whole, he embraced change, he practiced Japanese calligraphy, made children memorize haikus, and spoke of noble hearts and love (which I now know are all Buddhist characteristics) But, why haven’t we heard much of the word "Zen" or "Buddhism" during Suzuki training courses, conferences, or summer institutes? or why didn't the following journals after 1980 continue to talk about Zen? I am not sure, but obviously Buddhism was not foreign to Dr. Suzuki and he wanted to acknowledge some aspects of it by bringing up in the above mentioned articles our Buddha-nature, the Dhamma teachings, self awareness, human suffering, attachment to concepts, sentient beings, and emptying the mind.
I will continue to explore this subject because I’d like to understand more profoundly what Dr. Suzuki was trying to tell us. Perhaps between his advocacy for the greatest economy of expression (very Zen-like) and the many cultural differences and language barriers that he himself had to face, as well as the cultural and language barriers Western violinists must have had to bridge when they arrived to Japan to study with him, something got lost in translation. But for sure, and just like he always told us “Man is a product of his environment” and he was too a product of his. Buddhism and Shinto are still today the official religions of Japan and one of Suzuki’s maternal uncles, Fuzan Asamo, was a Zen master with whom Dr. Suzuki apparently spent several years of his youth.
I hope my words will inspire you to consider the importance of this topic in our field of study or at least inspire you to view Suzuki philosophy as a more mindful lifestyle that takes into account the harmony and interconnectedness between body and mind, self and others, parent and child, and ultimately our emotional well being. Practice with compassion and soft heart, especially if you are a Suzuki parent or teacher so we can model that for our children. This is a skilful way of living that respects our existence as is, without comparisons or rushes, without short cuts or illusions. Let us practice focusing on one thing at a time, one breath at a time, let us practice slowly and with awareness, with patience and joy, because I think this is how we truly nurture noble hearts.
© 2021 Cecilia Calvelo
“Zen and Human Education” by Osamu Yoshida
“Zen and Self-Realization Part I” by Osamu Yoshida
“Zen and Self-Realization Part II” by Osamu Yoshida
“Zen and the Arts” by Osamu Yoshida
“Zen and Daily Life” by Osamu Yoshida
And “Everyone is Equal, Use and Grow” by Ichiro Tsuneoka
(Here the link to the International Suzuki Association webpage where you can read them)
Why would Dr. Suzuki choose to have such a presence of Zen Buddhism in his early journals? We do know that he was a very mindful human being, very present and whole, he embraced change, he practiced Japanese calligraphy, made children memorize haikus, and spoke of noble hearts and love (which I now know are all Buddhist characteristics) But, why haven’t we heard much of the word "Zen" or "Buddhism" during Suzuki training courses, conferences, or summer institutes? or why didn't the following journals after 1980 continue to talk about Zen? I am not sure, but obviously Buddhism was not foreign to Dr. Suzuki and he wanted to acknowledge some aspects of it by bringing up in the above mentioned articles our Buddha-nature, the Dhamma teachings, self awareness, human suffering, attachment to concepts, sentient beings, and emptying the mind.
I will continue to explore this subject because I’d like to understand more profoundly what Dr. Suzuki was trying to tell us. Perhaps between his advocacy for the greatest economy of expression (very Zen-like) and the many cultural differences and language barriers that he himself had to face, as well as the cultural and language barriers Western violinists must have had to bridge when they arrived to Japan to study with him, something got lost in translation. But for sure, and just like he always told us “Man is a product of his environment” and he was too a product of his. Buddhism and Shinto are still today the official religions of Japan and one of Suzuki’s maternal uncles, Fuzan Asamo, was a Zen master with whom Dr. Suzuki apparently spent several years of his youth.
I hope my words will inspire you to consider the importance of this topic in our field of study or at least inspire you to view Suzuki philosophy as a more mindful lifestyle that takes into account the harmony and interconnectedness between body and mind, self and others, parent and child, and ultimately our emotional well being. Practice with compassion and soft heart, especially if you are a Suzuki parent or teacher so we can model that for our children. This is a skilful way of living that respects our existence as is, without comparisons or rushes, without short cuts or illusions. Let us practice focusing on one thing at a time, one breath at a time, let us practice slowly and with awareness, with patience and joy, because I think this is how we truly nurture noble hearts.
© 2021 Cecilia Calvelo
