How do we bring about a large-scale social transformation? How do we reverse the direction of the human race toward a collective suicide? How do we respond to systematic violence nonviolently? How do we help nations to effectively dismantle and abolish their military forces?
A vision of the future is drawn with our imagination, which may be seen as a brush that depicts dreams, hopes, and predictions for forthcoming as well as faraway days. You have a brush, and I have another. In fact, every one of us has a formless brush with boundless capacity.
What you draw may be different from what I draw in color and shape, or in theme and tone. And yet, there must be similarities. It is humbling to realize that the “brush” that leads my thoughts and actions for social transformation is one of the millions and billions of “brushes” at work in the world.
One thing for sure is that peace in the world starts with peace of mind in each one of us, and social transformation is based on the awakening of each one of us. To awaken is to realize the infinite value of each moment of your own life as well as the life of other beings, then to continue to act accordingly.
In my mind, this book is “A Letter to a Young Artist.” (We all are artists when we work with imagination. And regardless of our ages, we can be young artists who have infinite possibilities.) I am presenting stories and reflections, woven together with poems for songs (often with refrains), music, and visual art, as material that might help you to develop your own ideas about the use of art for peace and environmental work.
Part One of this book, “A Brush with Our Time,” presents rough sketches that create a profile of the twentieth century through anecdotes about some people close to my heart. This part also includes observations on my growing creative process as an artist.
Part Two, “Engaged in Our Time,” represents some of my work and thoughts between the 1980s and early 2010s, beginning with my work to reverse the nuclear arms race.
Part Three, “Principles of Engagement,” contains theoretical understandings and suggestions about individual and social action, based on my own experience.
Part Four, “Shaping Our Time,” reflects positive visions of the world, including those for an ultra-long-term future.
This book is related to Painting Peace, a 2013 film by Babeth Van Loo. There is a link to her film as well as some short films that represent some of my peace work in the “Video and Audio Sources” section at the back of the book.
Three of my poems in this book are dedicated to my wife, Linda, daughter, Karuna, and son, Ko, respectively. And there are links in the “Video and Audio Sources” section to some songs based on poems in this book.
My initial inspiration on peace work owes to O’Sensei Morihei Ueshiba, my father, Rev. Nobumoto Shigeo Tanahashi, Thich Nhat Hanh, and the thirteenth-century Japanese Zen master Dogen. Numerous friends have guided me on peace and environmental work. In particular, my deep appreciations go to President Rodrigo Carazo, Wouter Schopman, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, Robert Aitken Roshi, Gary Snyder, Dr. Daniel Ellsberg, Rev. David Chadwick, Edie Hartshorne, Liz Uribe, Bob Brockob, Georgianna Greenwood, Haruyoshi Ito Sensei, Prof. Ewan Clayton, Shaykh Elias Amidon, Fr. Paolo Dall’Oglio, Dr. Michael Ashkenazi, Prof. Zhang Liangho, Prof. Yang Xuaming, Dr. Haruhiko Murakawa, Prof. Kuniko Muramoto, Iris Chang, Prof. Shudo Higashinakano, Jun’yu Kuroda Roshi, Joan Halifax Roshi, Pat Enkyo O’Hara Roshi, Sherry Shinge Chayat Roshi, Jan Chozen Bays Roshi, Hogen Bays Roshi, Bernie Glassman Roshi, Richard Baker Roshi, Rev. Genzan Quenell, Dr. Friederike Boissevain, Dr. Harald Schöklmann, Dr. Joanna Macy, Fran Peavy, Kiyoshi Miyata, Mayumi Oda, Fusako di Angelis, Yoko Nakano, Prof. Tamio Nakano, Dr. Jinzaburo Takagi, Prof. Julian Gresser, Claire Greensfelder, Dennis Rivers, Nancy Bardakke, Kinji Muro, Dr. David Krieger, Rev. Alan Senauke, Dieter Erhard, Sunny Shender, Fr. John Dear, Rev. James Lawson, David Hartsough, Dr. Sean Kelly, Dr. Gene Sharp, Dr. Mariah J. Stephan, Prof. Erica Chenoweth, Dr. Mark Gonnerman, Christine Haggarty, Minette Mangahas, Grainne Carr, Brendan Dowling Sensei, Rev. Yoshimoto Tanahashi, and Ko Tanahashi.
The works of filmmakers Babeth Van Loo, Ashley James, Martijn Robert, Bennie von Bresius, JR Sheetz, and Karuna Tanahashi have helped elucidate my peace work a great deal. I offer my thanks to Dr. Robert Kyr, Rev. Luc De Winter, Betsy Rose, and many others who have set my peace poems to music. Thanks to Judith-Kate Friedman for creating the Imagining Peace CD. Thanks to Dr. Doreen Rao for inspiring me to write poems for songs. And thanks to my long-term artistic collaborator, Mario Uribe.
My gratitude goes to Dr. Susan O’Leary, Peter Levitt, Roberta Werdinger, Dr. Suzanne Moss, and Dr. Linda Hess for offering excellent editorial advice. I would also like to thank Barbara Bonfigli, Marilynn Preston, Diane Abt, and Josh Bartok for their advice. Thanks to Kazu Yanagi, Iwona Michalczewska, and Mitsue Nagase for their photographic work.
I also have had the pleasure of working with Marion Hunt, Assistant Secretary-General Robert Muller, Manec van der Lugt, Dr. Bart van der Lugt, Kisshomaru Ueshiba Sensei, Dian Woodner, Natalie Goldberg, Kathleen Sweeney, Thomas Ingmire, Tom Driscoll, Michael Podgorschek, Christine Griessler, Dr. Erich Griessler, Dr. Roger Keys, Liza Matthews, Dr. Steven Heine, Dr. Taigen Dan Leighton, Prof. Jaswant Guzder, Prof. Michael Nagler, Ivone Forman, Prof. Robert K. C. Forman, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ursula Stricker, Manfred Lehmann, Marko Marffi Sensei, Catherine Margerin, Catherine Allport, Bodhi Keven Setcho, Evelie Delfino Sáles Posch, Nicole Milner, PhoeBe Anne Sorgen, Shira Kammen, Masakazu Masukawa, Patricia Gidney, Dhalia Kamesar, Jack Kamesar, Rev. Heinz-Jürgen Metzger, Christoph Hatlapa Roshi, Dr. Amy Mindell, Dr. Arnold Mindell, Nora Akino, Eri Suzuki, Yuka Saito, James Butler, Soichi Nakamura Roshi, Mahant Veer Bhadra Mishra, Michael Phillips, Rob Lee, Marc Lesser, Suzuko Omura, Yasuko Tanahashi, Shigeyoshi Tanahashi, Kiyo Ito, Frank Ostaseski, Paul Maurer, Carole Rae Watanabe, Elisabeth van Deurzen, Aspy Khanbatta, Reb Tenshin Anderson Roshi, Sojun Mel Weitsman Roshi, Dairyu Michael Wenger Roshi, Lowell Brook, David Brown, Joshua Arone, David Zapf, Nick Weiss, Paulette Crisman, Dr. Steve Crisman, Dr. Philip Schechter, Dr. Angela Jannsen, Dr. Norbert Jannsen, Prof. Rabia Roberts, Urlike Serak Sensei, Thorsten Schoo Sensei, Brendon Dowling Sensei, Terry Dobson Sensei, Susan Perry Sensei, Prof. Ron Rubin, Roy Maurer Jr., Rev. Chieko Tanahashi, Rev. Akari Tanahashi, Dr. Larry Dossey, Robert Wolfe, Prof. Abelardo Brenes, Dr. Walter Truett Anderson, Prof. Alfred W. Kaszniak, Dr. Neil D. Theise, Prof. Piet Hut, and Aikido Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba Sensei. Thanks to Victoria Shoemaker for representing me.
It is always an honor to work with a number of friends at Shambhala Publications, including Nikko Odiseos and Hazel Bercholz. Thanks also to assistant editor Audra Figgins. Dave O’Neal guided me throughout the production of the book.
Deep, deep bows!
KAZUAKI TANAHASHI