Mind Over Matter: Voices of Zen

a traditional japanese style alcove with bamboo and paper screens, a lamp, and the focal point, a hanging scroll.

Since its inception in China in the sixth century, Zen has never been a faith frozen in time. Instead, it has evolved and acquired new meanings over centuries, and today it is practiced throughout the world.

To learn more about some of the key aspects of Zen, explore this Voices of Zen interactive. High school students from Washington, DC, award-winning koto musician Yumi Kurosawa, Zen priest Reverend Inryū Bobbi Poncé-Barger, and curator Frank Feltens offer their modern-day perspectives on three important medieval Japanese works.