Mind Over Matter

Voices of Zen

Contemporary Perspectives on Medieval Japanese Zen is part of the exhibition Mind Over Matter: Zen in Medieval Japan.

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.