Morning Meditations

Investigate the wisdom of Zen’s textual tradition and its relevance in our contemporary daily lives with a zazen (seated) meditation session. Each morning meditation session, led by Muken Sensei, will include an introduction to meditation practice and a brief overview of the art of Zen painting. In this intimate event, participants will learn how to engage with the breath as a grounding for deep attention and enjoy the serenity of being surrounded by Zenga (Zen paintings) on view in the exhibition. The selection of one artwork to focus on during the silent meditation is encouraged. Take time to slow down, clear your mind, silence your phone, and be inspired.

Other Dates Available:
Friday, May 31, 11 am
Friday, June 7, 11 am

Muken Mark Barber Sensei began formal Zen practice in Syracuse, New York, in 2013 under Shinge Sherry Chayat Roshi, then abbess of the Zen Studies Society. He received the Buddhist name Muken (“Without Ceasing”) from Shinge Roshi in 2014. In 2018 he was ordained a monk in the Rinzai School of Zen Buddhism at Dai Bosatsu Zendo monastery in New York State, where he trained for over five years. During his residency at Dai Bosatsu Zendo, Muken Sensei served as daitenzo (head cook) and later as shikaryo (head monk), directing the monastery’s residential training program. Additionally, he oversaw the care of the monastery’s archive of paintings and calligraphy, curating an exhibition for the American Zen Teachers Association in 2019. Muken Sensei was authorized as a Dharma Teacher by Zen Studies Society abbot Chigan Dokuro Jaeckel Roshi in 2023, and serves as a teacher-in-residence at New York Zendo Shobo-ji in Manhattan.

None Whatsoever: Zen Paintings from the Gitter-Yellen Collection
March 8—June 16, 2024

None Whatsoever: Zen Paintings from the Gitter-Yelen Collection explores the origins of Zen Buddhism through over four centuries of ink paintings and calligraphies by painter-monks, including the celebrated Buddhist master Hakuin Ekaku.

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Top Image: Unkoku Tōeki (1606–1664), Pair of Zen Patriarchs, first half of the 17th century (detail). Pair of hanging scrolls; ink on paper. Overall (each): 46 5/16 × 19 5/8 in. (117.6 × 49.9 cm). The Gitter-Yelen Collection: Kurt A. Gitter, M.D. and Alice Yelen Gitter.

None Whatsoever: Zen Paintings from the Gitter-Yelen Collection is supported, in part, by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

Japan Society programs are made possible by leadership support from Booth Ferris Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Exhibitions and Arts & Culture Lecture Programs are made possible, in part, by Sompo Holdings, Inc.; the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund; the Mary Griggs Burke Endowment Fund established by the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation; The Masako Mera and Koichi Mera, PhD Fund for Education and the Arts; Peggy and Dick Danziger; and Friends of the Gallery. Support for Arts & Culture Lecture Programs is provided, in part, by the Sandy Heck Lecture Fund. Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines, the official Japanese airline sponsor for Japan Society gallery exhibitions.