The Joy of Bonsai

[Kurt Hansen]

 I wanted to talk about Zen, meditation and traditions. I’m always fast moving and I have difficulty slowing down. In Japan, they’ve turned slowing down into an art. I’ve been involved with tea ceremonies, Ikebana, and even meditation. These activities have meditation built into them. The tea ceremony is a series of steps to clear the mind and focus on the task. Ikebana is the activity of placing flowers in an arrangement. Even Bonzai is a mind freeing activity to make a small tree visually pleasing. One of my favorite things in Japan, which I wish I held onto, was the moments of Zen that clears the mind. My life here is hectic and I constantly feel like there's no time for the things I have to do, let alone time to meditate. In Japan, these calm times are worked into their culture, hobbies, design and architecture. I have a Bonsai tree at home, I think I need to take some time to trim my tree and clear my head.