cherry blossoms

What a strange thing!

to be alive

beneath cherry blossoms.

                                            -Issa-

maple zen timer for meditation and yoga

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

chrysanthemum

Yellow or white dried chrysanthemum flowers are boiled to make a sweet drink in some parts of Asia.  The resulting beverage is known simply as “chrysanthemum tea”. 

Chrysanthemum tea has many medicinal uses, including an aid in recovery from influenza.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Bamboo Zen Timers

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1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

chrysanthemums on obi

Chrysanthemums, often called mums or chrysanths, are a genus (Chrysanthemum) of about 30 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Asia and northeastern Europe.

The flower was introduced into Japan probably in the 8th century AD, and the Emperor adopted the flower as his official seal.  There is a “Festival of Happiness” in Japan that celebrates the flower.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Chrysanthemum Crest - The gate of Yasukuni shrine

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

stillness

Water gardens, also known as aquatic gardens, backyard ponds and garden ponds, usually referring to a man-made feature, typically combine a pool with aquatic plants and often ornamental fish.  Fixed items such as rocks, fountains, statuary, waterfalls and watercourses can be combined with the pool to add visual interest and integration with the local landscape and environment. 

Water gardens are a perfect place for a mindfulness practice.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Bamboo Zen Chime Clock

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

Maneki Neko on Peter's kimono at Ten Thousand Waves Spa, Santa Fe, NM

The Maneki Neko (“Beckoning Cat”; also known as Welcoming Cat, Lucky Cat, Money Cat, or Fortune Cat) is a common Japanese sculpture, often made of ceramic, which is believed to bring good luck to the owner.  The sculpture depicts a cat (traditionally a Japanese Bobtail) beckoning with an upright paw, and is usually displayed—many times at the entrance—in shops, restaurants, and other businesses.  Some of the sculptures are electric or battery-powered and have a slow-moving paw beckoning. I n the design of the sculptures, a raised right paw supposedly attracts money, while a raised left paw attracts customers.

To Westerners it may seem as if the Maneki Neko is waving rather than beckoning.  This is due to the difference in gestures and body language recognized by Westerners and the Japanese, with Japanese beckoning by holding up the hand, palm out, and repeatedly folding the fingers down and back up, thus the cat’s appearance.

While it is believed that Maneki Neko first appeared during the later part of the Edo period (1603-1867) in Japan the earliest documentary evidence comes from the 1870s, during Japan’s Meiji Era.  It is mentioned in a newspaper article in 1876 and there is evidence kimono-clad Maneki Neko were distributed at a shrine in Osaka during this time. 

Black Lacquer Zen Alarm Clock

adapted from wikipedia.org

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Koya-san, Japan

Mount Kōya (Kōya-san) is the name of mountains in Wakayama prefecture to the south of Osaka.  There is no one mountain officially called Kōya-san in Japan.

First settled in 819 by the monk Kukai, Mt. Koya is primarily known as the world headquarters of the Koyasan Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism.  Located in an 800 m high valley amid the eight peaks of the mountain (which was the reason this location was selected, in that the terrain is supposed to resemble a lotus plant), the original monastery has grown into the town of Koya, featuring a university dedicated to religious studies and 120 temples, many of which offer lodging to pilgrims.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Digital Zen Alarm Clock

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO 

Hokusai Ukiyo-e Print, Umegawa in Sagami Province

Mount Fuji (Fuji-san) is the highest mountain in Japan at 12,388 ft.  Along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku, it is one of Japan’s “Three Holy Mountains”.  An active volcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji is just west of Tokyo, and can be seen on a clear day.  Mount Fuji’s exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers.

While Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji is the most famous ukiyo-e series to focus on Mount Fuji, there are several other series with the same subject, including Hiroshige’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji and Hokusai’s own later series One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Zen Clocks by Now & Zen

 Now & Zen

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Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Dialectical Idealism- stillness

Upaya is a term in Mahayana Buddhism which refers to something which goes or brings you up to something (i.e., a goal).  It is essentially the Buddhist term for dialectics.

Dialectical Idealism adapted from Wikipedia.org

Meditation Clock Timer- Bamboo Zen Clock and Timers

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Mindful Walking- Spiritual Journey Through a Labyrinth

labyrinths:  walking practice can be a spiritual journey

In the Socratic dialogue that Plato produced as Euthydemus, Socrates describes the labyrinthine line of a logical argument:

“Then it seemed like falling into a labyrinth:  we thought we were at the finish, but our way bent round and we found ourselves as it were back at the beginning, and just as far from that which we were seeking at first.”

… Thus the present-day notion of a labyrinth as a place where one can lose [his] way must be set aside. It is a confusing path, hard to follow without a thread, but, provided [the traverser] is not devoured at the midpoint, it leads surely, despite twists and turns, back to the beginning.

Mindful Walking, a Spiritual Journey inspired from wikipedi.org

Digital Zen Alarm Clock

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Buddhist Loving Kindness

Buddhist loving kindness Mettā  or maitrī (sanskrit) has been translated as loving-kindness, friendliness, benevolence, amity, friendship, good will, kindness, love, sympathy, and  active interest in others.

It is one of the ten paramitas of the Theravada school of  Buddhism, and the first of the four Brahmaviharas.  The mettā bhāvanā (“cultivation of mettā”) is a popular form of meditation in Buddhism.

“God is inherently kind, naturally compassionate, and everlastingly merciful. And never is it necessary that any influence be brought to bear upon the Father to call forth his loving-kindness.”

Beyond Christianity, English translations of the writings of the Bahá’í Faith also use the term “loving-kindness” when referring to the original Persian “mohabbat”.