「移ろい」という日本的なコンセプトを考える(2) Thoughts on the Japanese concept of ''utsuroi'' (2)

この前の投稿で松岡正剛という研究家が唱える「移ろい」に関する解説を四季の変遷を表す写真とともに紹介しました。彼の解説は直接に触れていないですが、その「移ろい」の根底となる「空」は仏教の思想の表れの一つでもあります。もっと厳密に言いますと、この「空」は日本で誰でも聞いたことがある262文字で成り立つ「般若心経」に出てくる「色即是空　空是即色」の句と密接に絡んでいます。松岡氏がいうように、我々が目にするものはすべて空でもありますが、それでもそのすべては移ろい行くからこそ美しいです。だから、その刹那をカメラで切り取って写真を残し、その一瞬が芸術めいた記憶となります。この投稿でも、ああいう刹那を切り取ろうとしたいくつの写真をアッ プし、皆にその流れる時間にもっと目を向かせるように促したいと思います。では、今日一日は良いことがありますよに！

In my previous post I wrote about the concept of "utsuroi' espoused by Japanese scholar Seigo Matsuoka when I posted some photos showing the change in the seasons. While Matsuoka does not make any direct reference to it within his discussion of 'utsuroi', the basis for the concept of "utsu" that he mentions is the Buddhist idea of "kuu" (with both "utsu" and "kuu" being readings of the same kanji "空"). To be more specific, this "kuu" is deeply tied to the lines "色即是空　空是即色 (shiki soku ze kuu, kuu ze shiki soku)" in the Hanya Shingyo ("Heart Sutra"), a sutra/chant consisting of 262 kanji characters that pretty much everyone in Japan has at least heard in passing. Just as Matsuoka wrote, "kuu" in this context conveys the idea that while everything we see is empty, the fact that this emptiness undergoes a transition through the so-called "utsuroi" process gives rise to beauty... In short, each instant of that process is beautiful. When we take pictures of these fleeting moments, we are in a sense leaving a record that is art in of itself. Here I am posting a few more pictures from my own attempts to capture these moments in hopes of encouraging everyone else to take the time to turn your attention to the passage of time around you. Have a great day!