August meeting: Demonstration on Line and Surface,Talk on Ikebana and Meditation by Sensei Chitra Rajan AND Workshop at Women's Christian College conducted by our Senior Senseis.

Our August meeting was held on the 4th of August at ABK with 14 members in attendance.Three guests also attended the meeting

The meeting began with our Chairperson Mrs Malathi Pandurang introducing our Sensei Chitra Rajan.

Sensei Chitra Rajan is a young teacher in ikebana and a young teacher in meditation.She is affiliated to the Heartfulness Institute formerly known as Sahaj Marg and Shri Ramachandra Mission. She is a certified meditation practitioner and teacher. Sensei Chitra began her demonstration with a talk on the origins of ikebana and its connectivity with meditation.

Sensei Chitra shared the paragraphs below for the blog.

The history of Ikebana has its origins in ancient times where Japanese following Shintoism expressed their faith in flowers . Even today, a branch of the sakaki tree, an evergreen, is offered to the shrine. The ancient Japanese believed that the divine spirit was present in all growing trees and plants.

When Buddhism was introduced through the silk route in 6th and 8th, flowers were part of worship and symbolised various aspects of Buddhists culture of internal state of purification and evolution such Lotus signified enlightenment, jasmine - purity and chrysanthemum wheel of life. Ikebana was popularise as offering of flowers became an art form passing from Buddhists monks to nobility to Samurai to common people.

Shintoism emphasised use of Ikebena is social activities such as sword making, tea ceremony etc.

The Ikebana arrangements demonstrated the concepts related to meditation using line and surface technique

Arrangement 1

Theme The branches show the cluttered state of mind - numerous scattered thoughts from the brain represented by the celosia flowers. The subconscious mind which has the impressions that are root cause of the thoughts are shown by berries

Material used - Terminalia Mantaly branch, Celosia flowers, fan palm berries in a ceramic container

Arrangement 2

Theme - State of a meditative mind. The dried branch the channelling of mind from scattered thought to a higher levels of effortless focus. The chrysanthemum shows the mind has knowledge and understanding of the impermanence of life.

Materials used Pyramid fibreglass vase, Buddha belly branch, chrysanthemum

Arrangement 3

Evolution of consciousness

The palm leaf represents the unfolding of consciousness and the rising of creating and awareness from it.

Materials - Ceramic vase ,Croscomia stems, stock flower

Workshop at Women's Christian College Chennai on August 12th,13th and 14th August2024

The Post Graduate of International Studies of the college invited our Sogetsu Branch to conduct a workshop.The Art of Ikebana as an Entrepreneurial Skill was the chosen theme by our Chairperson Mrs Pandurang.

WCC , a reputed womens college in Chennai of long standing and hooding it’s reputation till today, have started a new department of studies, namely, International studies. They invited Chennai Sogetsu Study Group to hold a demonstration and Workshop for their students. Our Director agreed. It was held from 12th-14th August. It was a wonderful experience to hold it in a traditional, well maintained premises, with the enthusiasm of young budding ladies. Many other departments like Psychology and botany and sociology too showed interest in this activity as our Director emphasised its signicance on ‘application’ and ‘ practice’ as a technique useful in other activities in all spheres of Life.