A novice becomes a master when his art is learned to a refined degree. A true master realises that he shall always be a novice in the face of what has yet to be learned. In light of this there are no masters, nor novices, just those who do what they love.

There are many art forms, bonsai being just one of them. In fact all of life's activities may be seen as an art no matter how mundane they might seem. The difference between art and mere action is the attitude and consciousness we give to it. This can be also said for life and mere living, the difference between the two.

No matter what we do and how we do it our actions are a mirror to ourselves. That they be conscious or not is of no consequence. What matters is whether or not we take the time to look. Sometimes we like what we see and sometimes not. Sometimes we affect change and at other times we seem unable to. There are times however when we can be amazed at what we see because the realisation hits us that there is always more. We become masters and novices and the circle is complete.

Bonsai is just another mirror. A Japanese teacher told me once that 'bonsai makes us small, yet we may become bigger because of it' It was only many years later that I began to understand what he said, though not necessarily what he meant. Often our mistakes make us feel a little less toward ourselves, we feel we should have known better. We kill a tree and it seems a little part of us has died. We show a tree that we are proud of, yet it takes only a few comments from another to point out our 'mistakes' and what happens. We maybe see the tree and ourselves as being a little less. That we strive harder next time is not the point because we sometimes forget that the journey determines the destination and both are as important.

Bonsai is a craft. An ongoing experience of patience, learning, labour and love. Like any craft it has its rules and guidelines. The rules are there to guide us and there is reason for them. Yet all to often do we become so ensnared by these rules in our quest to create the 'perfect' tree that we lose the experience of our creations. Early bonsai enthusiasts learn the rules and try to follow them with diligence and that is laudable. What is sad though is that these strictures become the measure of their own and other's efforts with little regard being given to the reason for them being there at all.

The key is essence and in effect in bonsai that is what we work with. The essence of tree, of ourselves, our own vision, the rules pertaining to bonsai and the relationship between them all. That tree that sits in its pot before us is the focal point but not the end result. As I see it the difference between Chinese and Japanese bonsai craft is that the former is more of an individual expression of self. Whilst the latter is an expression of man's attempt to create perfection through nature. It is no coincidence that Buddhist monks at times expressed their inner journey through bonsai. The rules are there to guide the experience but not to define them.

How many times have we looked at one of our 'own' trees and thought it was not all that fine because the nebari placement did not meet the standard of required perfection? Or looked in disgust at a few branches with coarse internodes at their extremities, etc, etc, etc? At times we see these faults and they blind us to the beauty of the tree. Why should some aspects which do not meet the standards mar the inherent perfection of the whole? Yes, the rules are there to guide us to the pursuit of perfection. But we miss the point so terribly when we fail to see the beauty already inherent. Bonsai is not only about what a tree looks like at the time. We must also learn to see what is not yet present and realise that with time it can be created. The most important thing is to not belittle our efforts, or that of others, because certain standards have not been met.

We are following rules and guidelines created by others before us but we do not put their culture into context with our own experience. In general I have seen that the western approach to bonsai focuses more on how leaving little regard for why. Why do we take a natural life form, place it in a pot, and then attempt to convince ourselves that we are trying to recreate something found in nature? If this were the case it would suffice to place the tree in a pot and just let it grow with occasional and random pruning to ensure it survives. To do so would remove the label of art form from the craft hence much of its mysticism and appeal would vanish. There would also be far less people involved with it. But also less posturing, bickering and disappointment on an individual level.

I am not proposing that we need to be Buddhists to practice bonsai. What I am advocating though is that we take a step back and quietly observe what we are doing. None of the trees that we work on are perfect yet this is perfection in itself because we strive for it. To enjoy the trees now, not lose sight of how we see them in the future and attempt with time, patience and the application of knowledge to achieve our vision. This is why we have the rules that delineate the discipline that is bonsai. It shapes the tree and in so doing we shape ourselves. We learn the practice of patience as we watch a branch grow just where we want it, refrain from pruning it till the right time. We learn the art of discernment as we slowly cut, graft, pinch and prune a tree to follow the style we have chosen for it. Where and when and where to and where not to, all of it creates an impact. Humility as we make a mistake we could have avoided had we applied more thought and less haste. Joy in knowledge when we attempt a new technique that proves successful. Followed by a sense of power because our knowledge allows us to create what we want. Do we ever think of the trees that will outlive us when our time is up? What we work on now might be worked on by others. What we have done with our trees will shape the actions of those who follow, there is a certain sense of immortality in that. But it can also help us to focus on the importance of appreciating what we do now, what we have now. We do not own our trees, all that we do own is the time we spend with them.

What would we dare find if we applied our bonsai techniques to the way we live our lives. We would notice more and maybe pay a little more attention to things. We might take a little more care of ourselves. Notice that everything that occupies the same space has a relationship to each other, no matter how vague. Because of this we might think before we cut for every action creates an impact, be it now or later. A wrong application here might cause some damage there. Through this we might realise that the line between past, present and future is very thin indeed and only separated by the concept of time. We might also learn to appreciate more of what we have despite wanting better. Not because we just accept our lot but because we realise (make real) that with effort, knowledge and the application of both we will create it. The most important thing that we might do is be a bit more gentle on ourselves, and others, as together we learn our craft.

The tree is akin to something from a Shakespearean sonnet "is that a bonsai I see before me?" No, it is the point where air, water, and ground meet within a living form. But more than that it is also the focal point of what we know, what we strive to know, what we try to do and the attitude we have to things. 'Tree of Life' becomes more than just a worn cliché because in many ways the attitude we have towards our trees mirrors the attitudes we adopt in life. I like to think that the monks who worked their trees knew this. That this was their reason for adhering to the strictures of what made a good bonsai. Not only because the end result was all important. But also because to work with a living and ever changing form and place it within the confines of an idea is a challenge that demands a glimpse of perfection. A glimpse is all we need because once we see it our lives are forever enriched. I like to think also that by sharing these words with you who read this I share my love of our craft and life itself.

"Bonsai makes us small, yet we may become bigger because of it……………"