The Life Above

Abstract

There is a famous picture (Shoheki-ga) in Omote-Shoin at Kotohira-shrine, which Okyo MARUYAMA painted. This picture figures a fictitious fall and river. However, it is crafted in a way that connects it with the real river outside. The differences between “real” and “virtual”, between “inside” and “outside” lapse when standing in front of that painting and gazing on. As it were, these distinctions pass away in forming into one scenery which is neither real nor virtual, neither inside nor outside. In other words, this scenery brings two opposing concepts- “real” and “virtual” or “inside” and “outside” - back into a harmonious whole, - a virtue of which being what allowed Okyo to paint this scenery in the first place.
It is generally supposed that Bergson’s thinking relies on a similar perspective. Grasping a thing both from within (“intuition”) and from without (“intelligence”) and articulating this through the language of whichever aspect of understanding. The region from which both types of grasping (“intuition” and “intelligence”) have originated and the region into which these dissolve are the main theme of this presentation.