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    Zen in the Time of Corona
    Zen in the Time of Corona
    Zen in the Time of Corona
    Ebook84 pages37 minutes

    Zen in the Time of Corona

    By Rod Harbinson

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    About this ebook

    Coronavirus, in short-measure, has changed the world completely. How can we make sense of this huge change in our lives? How can we cope, when our lives have been shaken-up and fears abound?

     

    Japanese Zen Buddhism offers a clear path to overcome fears and find courage, when all around us seems to be falling-apart. For thousands of years Buddhists have been meditating on the hardest challenges in life, such as sickness, grief and death.

     

    This book offers a unique introduction to the Zen path through words, photos and Haiku poetry. More than a guidebook, it provides a space for contemplation about our current situation. It discusses the Zen approach to life, and applies it to both photography, and the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic.

     

    A photobook with a narrative, the author shares his perspectives on the art of photography, and reflects on what the medium means in the Buddhist context. He explores Buddhist ideas found in photography, and how masters of the form have used Buddhist presence, to produce artworks which resonate widely. He explores his application of Buddhist practice to photography, and also explains how photography can diverge from a purely Buddhist way.

     

    The author reflects on our global situation as a human family, in the context of COVID-19. He asks whether the exploitative economic path, that collectively we have been on for some time, has contributed to the emergence of the pandemic. He applies Zen ideas to our economic trajectory which is eroding nature and wilderness at an alarming rate, to feed our ever growing consumption and automated lifestyles.He pauses to consider the significance of the space that has emerged from the sudden halt in economic growth. Is it possible to draw an analogy between this global stillness, and the space of presence a person meditating can experience?

     

    Exploring evidence for the origin of the coronavirus, the author finds that while it probably originated in nature, it is important to understand, why it has crossed over into our species. Zen raises important questions about human interference in the natural world, which we need to address to re-align our relationship with nature.

     

    In a time of global catastrophe we need to hold onto our sanity, but also map a path ahead. This path could deliver more of the same, or forge a better future direction.

     

    The book is journey of contemplation of the ancient Zen path, trodden in a time of change. Through the lens of the photographer-author, we are taken on a visually and spiritually enriching journey, into the sacred mountains of Yamagata Prefecture in Japan, where Zen Buddhism evolved.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEartheye
    Release dateMay 29, 2020
    ISBN9781386121800
    Zen in the Time of Corona
    Author

    Rod Harbinson

    Struck down with fever in Thailand in 1987, Rod recuperated in a forest monastery, meditating six hours a day. His early experiences studying Buddhism in Asia have grown into a dedicated appreciation of the region - its nature, people, and spiritual life. Writer, photographer and filmmaker, Rod reports largely on critical environmental and human-rights issues. His stories and investigations have appeared in books, documentaries and over fifty high-profile academic and media titles. He led the Environment and Climate Change Programmes at Panos London, was a founder of the Climate Change Media Partnership and was editor of seven magazines and academic journals. When not publishing books, he explores the outside world with a camera and the inner world through meditation and yoga. 

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      Book preview

      Zen in the Time of Corona - Rod Harbinson

      Dedication

      To John and Jonny Young, for the best of times. Rest in peace.

      To all those who died, lost loved ones, and those who tried to save them, in the coronavirus pandemic.

      Preface

      The coronavirus has thrown our lives into a time of turbulent change, as the pandemic has unfolded into a global emergency. Here I reflect on my own experiences of the situation, since February 2020 when I arrived in Japan. Most of these photos were taken in the following months, though some as indicated, were taken the previous year – before corona.

      While this book is a personal journey, I do aim to convey an impression of Buddhism in Japan, and provide an introduction to what it is, how it came about, and what it means in practice. I aim to convey the importance of Buddhism as a foundation of Japanese culture.

      The cultural dimension, is as interesting as it is important, in order to understand, not only this spiritual way, but also to gain insight into the mysteries of Japanese culture. I explore Noh theatre, and the Haiku poetic form as examples. I also have a go at penning some of my own Haiku to accompany the photos. Make of them what you will, compared to examples by the great Haiku master featured - Matsuo Basho.

      Essentially a photobook, I considered it important to include some of my perspectives on photography, and to reflect on what the medium means to me in the context of Buddhism. I explore how Buddhist ideas are found in photography, and how the form, can in my view, diverge from a purely Buddhist way.

      In the final chapter, I reflect on our global situation as a human family, in the context of coronavirus. Reflecting on the economic path that collectively we have been on for some time, I pause to consider the significance of the space that has emerged from the halt in economic growth. Is it possible to draw an analogy between this global stillness, and the space of presence a person meditating can experience?

      Exploring evidence for the origin of the coronavirus, I find that while it probably originated in nature, it is important to understand, why it has crossed over into our species. Human interference in the natural world, raises important questions, which we need to address about our relationship with nature.

      In a time of global catastrophe we need to hold onto our sanity, but also map a path ahead. This path could deliver more of the same, or forge a better future direction.

      Death-song –

      Fever-felled half-way,

      my dreams arose

      To march again

      Into a hollow land

      – Matsuo Basho

      [1]

      L1009442.jpg

      The snowy mountains of the ancient kingdom of ‘Dewa’ looking West towards Tsuruoka City and the Japan sea beyond.

      Introduction

      By the time the severity of the coronavirus became clear, I had departed London for Northern Japan. As winter turned to spring, the world looked a very different place. Daily reports from Asia to Europe and beyond, sounded increasingly ominous and lockdowns came into force. My return flight was cancelled and my family was far away in the UK. Many things in that time of change were unclear and some remain

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