Ink, Stone, Brush, Paper and Tea

This weekend I returned to calligraphy after months away. Grinding ink on stone offers a welcome relief from screens. In contrast to the numbness of touching glass on a smartphone, you feel the scent of the ink forming, the sound and feeling of friction rubbing on the inkstone, applying soft and hard pressure on the brush.

As the muscle memory gradually returned, I practiced two expressions:

職人 (Shokunin)

Artisan, craftsman.

喫茶去 (Kissako)

A Zen phrase that translates to "go drink tea" or "have a cup of tea". 

I always emerge from my shodō practice session with a feeling of mental clarity that lasts until the evening, like moving meditation.