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https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jul/22/carla-francis-zen-of-cat-a-z-japanese-feline-philosophy-cats-psychology>
"Ryō, an Egyptian Mau, is languid in a shaft of sunlight on Carla Francis’s
couch, head tucked towards front paws, silver spotted fur gleaming, low
thrumming purr. This, you see, is the epitome of
seijaku, a Japanese word
describing the stillness, silence and serenity found amid life’s chaos or, if
you’re dedicated to the practice of one form of mediation or another, in your
mind. “All of us need
seijaku in today’s world and I think we don’t find it,”
says Francis.
Across the incense-fragrant living room of Francis’s inner-Sydney apartment,
Backer, a street cat, a rescue, is delicately lapping from a water fountain.
Backer eschews the Japanese concept of
bimbōshō which translates as “miserly
nature” but which more generally describes those who have a pessimistic outlook
on life, a glass half-empty approach. For Backer, life is always deliciously
half full. Fresh filtered water, a stream of sunshine, a bowl of tuna, a warm
lap and a scratch behind the ear. What more could any creature possibly want?
“What’s there to be negative about?” Francis says.
I think of my
bimbōshō dog at home, the needy assault that will greet me on
my return, the longing, pleading eyes, the nothing-is-ever-enough attitude
(never enough walks, treats, ball throws, beach jaunts, stomach rubs) and
briefly question my choice of animal.
Francis, the author of
The Zen of Cat: An A-Z of Japanese Feline Philosophy,
might understand my dog’s greedy
bimbōshō psyche. “I think I’m always coming
from a place of feeling that there’s something missing in my life,” she says.
Petite, reserved and wearing a black blouse with a Japanese pattern of cranes
and flowers, she pours cups of green tea from a fine sea-green Japanese teapot
with a bamboo handle.
Through the prism of Japanese cat stories, history, culture and spirituality,
the book traverses concepts including
annei (peace and tranquillity),
mottainai (regret over waste),
oubaitōri (never comparing oneself to
others),
seijaku and, of course,
bimbōshō."
Via Ecky H and Susan ****
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
