​This statement is often used in Zen teaching as well as in chado practice. The first character, 耕 means, “tilling, plowing or cultivating,” and the last two characters, 不尽, means, “no end, endless and unlimited.” Thus, this statement is translated as, “Cultivation is unlimited.” The more famers plough and fertilize their fields, the more crops they harvest. In the same way, the more we study and cultivate, the wider and richer our fields of kokoro (心田) become. It teaches us that endless cultivation is possible in the Zen training, chado practice or in  any other training. One of the hundred didactic poems written by Sen Rikyu states:
“Practice starts from one, becoming cognizant of ten, then returning from ten to one, the beginning.” 
「稽古とは一より習ひ十を知り、十よりかへるもとのその一」
 
I do hope you will take what you have learned from our tea classes this semester and deepen your understanding of the spirit of tea and continue to cultivate your kokoro more.
 
―KOKORO from Kimiko Gunji  May 7, 2020

『花語らず』

花は 黙って咲き 黙って散っていく そうして再び枝に帰らない
             けれども その一時一処に この世のすべてを託している
                         一輪の花の声であり 一枝の花の真である
​                                     永遠にほろびぬ生命のよろこびが 悔なくそこに輝いている

A Flower Does Not Talk
Silently a flower blooms, In silence it falls away;
Yet here now, at this moment, at this place,
The world of the flower, the whole of the world is blooming.
This is the talk of the flower, the truth of the blossom;
The glory of eternal life is fully shining here.
                               ——   by  Zenkei Shibayama*: Translated by Sumiko Kudō

As mentioned in the above poem by Zenkei Shibayama, flowers do not talk, but in silence, they
rejoice with us when we are happy; sympathize us when we are sad; encourage and give hope
to us when we are depressed; cheer us when we are in love; encourage us when we are stressed;
pray for us when we are sick; give us energy when we are helpless; and comfort us when we are
in anguish.
​
Flowers not only dance with us on various occasions, but also teach us important life lessons.
Flowers withstand the cold and heat without complaining. Flowers share their life energy with
all of us impartially. We, humans should listen to their stories and treat them kindly and
thoughtfully. We should reciprocate their blessings with respect and kindness.

-KOKORO message from Kimiko Gunji: April 30, 2010
This was written after I heard the news about two cities in Japan cutting fully blossomed tulips down because people continued to visit the parks even after the government banned people from visiting them. Because of the conduct of selfish, unruly, and inconsiderate human beings, innocent and beautiful flowers were sacrificed. A very sad incident which reflects this time in history
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO58476910U0A420C2L71000/
https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/ibaraki/list/202004/CK2020042602000164.html

Zenkei Shibayama*
(柴山 全慶, Shibayama Zenkei, 1894-1974), a former Abbot of Nanzen-ji, was a Japanese Rinzai master well known for his commentary on the Mumonkan. The Abbot Shibayama also taught at Otani University and was the head abbot of the entire Nanzenji Organization, overseeing the administration of over five hundred temples. [Due to a number of lecture tours he undertook to the United States in the 1960s, and the translation of several of his books into English, the abbot Shibayama was a significant contributor to the establishment of Zen in America (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).