The Miura Hanshi mosaic portrait

2 weeks ago we had our KNBK Winter Gasshuku. I drove from Alabama to Pennsylvania, 16 hours, mostly under  heavy rain...

Riding with me in the car was our Miura Hanshi Mosaic, a piece I was able to build thanks to generous contributions of people who backed my Kickstarter campaign. Contributions came from a number of Countries, mainly USA and France, and Martial Artists, mostly KNBK Iaijutsu and Yoshukai Karate students.

This mosaic is an interpretation of a picture of Miura Hanshi practicing Tameshigiri on a rolled sheet of paper. Miura Hanshi was well know for his quasi supernatural ability to cut. This picture was his preferred one of himself and was displayed at the entrance of his dojo in Osaka.

The Miura Hanshi mosaic was presented to Carl Long Hanshi, head instructor of the KNBK, an organization dedicated to the transmission of several traditional Japanese Martial Arts. 

Miura Hanshi, 10th Dan, was the 20th generation grandmaster of Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu. The presentation occurred in front of 60 Martial Artists gathered to train together in the Arts he  dedicated his life to transmit to us. 

The Miura Hanshi mosaic was built following the reverse method. It is made of 3 different black granites, ceramic and glass tiles. Its dimensions are 24 x 30" (60 x 75 cm).

Beside my great interest in studying and teaching Zen and Martial Arts,  
I am also a modern mosaic artist with a deep admiration for ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Arts. 

You can see some of my own mosaics on my site mosaicblues.

 

A few times each year, I take on commission work.

If you are interested by a custom mosaic

portrait or an other decorative piece 
for your Dojo or Home, 

please contact me

by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com

or 

by phone at (334) 798 1639. 

 

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Jesus said somewhere : “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

What exactly is a Rich Man ? Generally, it is any human entangled with earthly, physical possessions. Basically, in our societies, Things that Money can buy.

If you have something other people don't have and wish to have, you are richer than them.

These things can be of different nature - they can be hard assets - house, car, land... they can also be less tangible. You can be rich of a knowledge or expertise of intellectual, practical or spiritual nature : Nuclear Engineering, Chinese poetry or Psychology; Karate, Watercolor painting or Ice skating; Yoga, Zen or Christian contemplation.

If it is easy to understand for most of us how craving for mundane things - so called hard assets - is going to be a serious hindrance on the way to enlightenment (to access the Kingdom of God).

But what is less obvious is that cravings and attachments to other riches, the intellectual and spiritual ones, are also going to be a problem.

It is however clearly taught, and rightly so, by various traditions.

In Zen we have Master Sengcan's Shin Jin Mei :

If you want to know the truth
Do not hold opinions for or against anything...
Do not search for the truth
Simply cease to cherish opinions.

For Christian medieval mystic Meister Eckhart the path to freedom is found in “unbinding the attachments that constitute one’s preferences, desires, or inclinations.” 

No matter the tradition you follow, you have to totally empty your cup before it can be filled.  Make room for the Truth to enter. Empty it fully, even of your willingness to empty it... 

The only way to do that is to try and try again: daily practice.