Photographs from Warsaw based Tomasz Gudzowaty, taken at the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province.
Showing posts with label spirituality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spirituality. Show all posts
2.01.2015
10.17.2014
+ Icons
Shi Zhongying’s to be Presented at Red Gate Gallery
Oct 18 – Nov 20 2014
To be a sculptor, especially these days, I believe you must have a varied background in reserve as well as insight, apart from having an unwavering concept of your own personal values. It is not necessary that each and every one of these insights and background experiences be rationally deployed, but I do believe they remain in our subconscious, and if the opportunity arises they will surface and inspire wisdom in us.
Sculpture for me was one such important opportunity that, in turn, shaped me. Since 1999, I’ve been mainly working on using various types of grids as my main material to produce symbolic abstract shapes that I use to convey metaphysical meanings. But during the first two or three years I didn’t realize that my works contained Zen Buddhist meanings, and it was only as a result of conversations with friends and teachers that my curiosity was aroused and I began to learn about Buddhism and Buddhist studies and especially about its religious and philosophical thought. For me the resonance of great wisdom, especially that of Buddhism, had a most profound effect, and its great ideas in turn deeply influenced and inspired my sculpture, my outlook on life, and my values.
9.22.2014
+
It’s really scary to not know what comes next. It means you aren’t confident. Instead of trying to predict the future, work on building your confidence!
9.16.2014
10.10.2013
HU, the sound of all sounds
Yes, this is thousands of human voices singing HU at an Eckankar seminar. Although it seems there are instruments, there are actually none.
5.23.2013
+
“She waited for the train to pass. Then she
said, “I sometimes think that people’s hearts are like deep wells.
Nobody knows what’s at the bottom. All you can do is imagine by what
comes floating to the surface every once in a while.”
| — | Haruki Murakami |
2.19.2013
+ We Are The Junction
The body is the herb,
the mind is the honey.
The heart, the heart is
the undifferentiated.
The mind touches the body
and is the sun.
The mind touches the heart
and is music.
When body touches heart
they together are the moon
in the silently falling snow
over there. Which is truth
exceeding, is the residence,
the sanctified, is the secret
closet and passes into glory.
—Jack Gilbert, from The Dance Most of All
2.09.2013
+ penabranca +
"Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving
itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We
are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its
glory, of its magnificence." -Alan Watts
12.08.2012
8.26.2012
+ word of the day
apotropaic - having the power to prevent evil or bad luck
what things do you keep in your house to ward off evil and bad spirits? here is a artifact from the british museum:
From Thebes, Egypt
Late Middle Kingdom, around 1750 BC
A magical 'knife' intended for the protection of a mother and child
Childbirth and early infancy were felt to be particularly threatening to both mother and baby. Magic played the primary role in countering these threats; various evil spirits needed to be warned off, and deities invoked to protect the vulnerable. These magic knives, also known as apotropaic (that is, acting to ward off evil) wands, were one of the devices used. They are usually made of hippopotamus ivory, thus enlisting the support of that fearsome beast against evil.
The term 'knife' is inappropriate, and the shape may be related more to the throwstick (similar to a modern boomerang). Throwsticks were used to hunt birds, and flocks of birds were seen as a symbol of chaos, hence the appropriateness of the shape.
The depictions on this knife encompass a range of protective images. They include a grotesque dwarf, probably known as Aha at this date, but later the more famous Bes, and Taweret (a pregnant hippopotamus carrying a knife), both of whom are associated with childbirth. Lions, the scarab of rebirth, serpents, and other fantastic protective demons also feature.
Archaeologists have found that many of these 'knives' seem to have been deliberately broken before being placed in the tombs. One explanation is that this was done to destroy some of the object's powers, which would have been inappropriate in the context of death and burial.
link: www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/a/apotropaic_wand.aspx
what things do you keep in your house to ward off evil and bad spirits? here is a artifact from the british museum:
From Thebes, Egypt
Late Middle Kingdom, around 1750 BC
A magical 'knife' intended for the protection of a mother and child
Childbirth and early infancy were felt to be particularly threatening to both mother and baby. Magic played the primary role in countering these threats; various evil spirits needed to be warned off, and deities invoked to protect the vulnerable. These magic knives, also known as apotropaic (that is, acting to ward off evil) wands, were one of the devices used. They are usually made of hippopotamus ivory, thus enlisting the support of that fearsome beast against evil.
The term 'knife' is inappropriate, and the shape may be related more to the throwstick (similar to a modern boomerang). Throwsticks were used to hunt birds, and flocks of birds were seen as a symbol of chaos, hence the appropriateness of the shape.
The depictions on this knife encompass a range of protective images. They include a grotesque dwarf, probably known as Aha at this date, but later the more famous Bes, and Taweret (a pregnant hippopotamus carrying a knife), both of whom are associated with childbirth. Lions, the scarab of rebirth, serpents, and other fantastic protective demons also feature.
Archaeologists have found that many of these 'knives' seem to have been deliberately broken before being placed in the tombs. One explanation is that this was done to destroy some of the object's powers, which would have been inappropriate in the context of death and burial.
link: www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/a/apotropaic_wand.aspx
8.05.2012
+ monk of emptiness
“A komusō (虚無僧) was a Japanese monk during the Edo period. Komusō were characterised by the straw basket (tengai) worn on the head, manifesting the absence of specific ego. They are also known for playing solo pieces on the shakuhachi flute. The Japanese government introduced reforms after the Edo period, abolishing the sect. Komusō means ”priest of nothingness” or “monk of emptiness”
-wikipedia (text)
-Myoan Shakuhachi (image)
2.26.2012
+ the Magician
artwork by David Palladini
written by Jenny of the catalyst.typepad.com..
Beyond the pretty pretty pictures, I do selectively embrace some of the meanings and symbols behind them. Mostly happy colorful 70's queens and knights and lovely cups overflowing with bountiful goodness. So I'm not taroting correctly. And to continue this, I am focusing on one card today, The Magician, and enjoying the Yellow-Submarine-esque illustration in the Seven of Cups, which illustrates an active imagination.
"The Magician represents a focused, goal-oriented individual who harnesses the power of creativity, especially through willpower and determination. He reminds us that we already have everything we need to create the life we want for ourselves. We can accomplish anything if we stay focused on what we want."
Thanks Magician, let's translate ideas into action.
2.06.2012
+The Spirit of the Mandala:
Meaning, Metaphor and the Quest for Self
Mandalas have been the focus of meditation, contemplation and admiration for years too numerous to count. Since before the dawn of recorded history, humanity's intimate connection to the mandala has been a vibrant link to our universal ancestry. It is a sacred diagram that displays the structure of the spirit and the interwoven nature of the cosmos. Many have studied their design, their inherent centrality, as a path toward achieving an ideal centrality in their own selves. Such interaction with a mandala is a process of approaching enlightenment. Its elements are the essence of life, the myriad layers of existence, of being, of living, so that each mandala is but one of an infinite number of possible manifestations of the self. Its creation is the gathering of intangibles, the construction of an architecture of peace and order within a swirling, chaotic world. It is a pulse point on the universal collective consciousness. The mandala represents the center of the universe and the outward-expanding awareness of the human experience. It is a quest to rediscover that center, the nucleus, the focal point for all things. The journey's conclusion, our eventual return to that center, is inevitable—only the path may vary.
The circle is the most archetypal form, its shape is simple yet within its potential resides all that is possible. It is symbolic of the universe without and within, the space that stretches away from us and toward the deepest recesses of the self. It is simple, efficient and beautiful. It is ancient yet constantly reborn. It is the cycle of days, years and eons; it is birth and death and rebirth; it is the sun in the sky and the droplets in the clouds; it is the primeval source of man, and by extension, consciousness; it is knowing, forgetting and remembering; it is the ring of fire around which our ancestors sat and the horizon which marked the boundaries of their world; it is the mandala inscribed in the galactic core. The circle is the complete geometry of the spirit, of the cosmos, and of the unity of the two. It is the gate, the heart, the breath. It is within us all.
Kohlinanah mandala
evali mandala
Artist statement
I've been drawing mandalas in one form or another for as long as I can remember, before I understood either their spiritual or their psychological significance. Since then I've learned much about them that has come to fascinate me, not the least of which are their amazing Jungian references to some unknown yet common universal link between us all, as well as between us and our distant, forgotten origins.
All of my mandalas are in black and white. They are about the apparent duality of the universe—darkness and light, center and periphery, positive and negative, being and non-being, even the simultaneously unique and infinite arrangement of elementary particles that make up everything in the universe, from stones to stars to the spirit within each of us. The black is representative of matter, mystery and the unconscious. The white represents energy, knowledge and the conscious self. The mandala brings these contrasting elements together and presents a vision of the true unity that surrounds us. Each mandala is an instant, and at the same time an eternity—a captured moment, a feeling that will never be repeated.
I create my mandalas using pen and ink on acid-free paper, over a lightly-penciled grid to ensure a degree of symmetry. This allows me to be true to what I perceive as the execution of all universal structures—perfect in their abstract forms, yet each with its own unique fluctuation and variety. Sometimes the images have been swimming around in my head for weeks, sometimes I don't have a clue what's coming next. But always they feel right and proper, as if I'm uncovering an ancient truth that has lain dormant and forgotten for ages.
I'm a part-time mandala artist, occasional writer, chronic over-thinker, and webmaster of mandalaZone.com. I'm fascinated by origins and causes, and the deeply-hidden reasons behind everything. This is why I’m so interested in mandalas. They are the underlying pattern for everything in the universe—physical, mental and spiritual, though at their core these three are essentially one. The mandala is a map of the universe within us as well as without. It shows us the connected nature of all being, the interrelations that lie behind the apparent chaos. It illuminates the countless intimate connections between ourselves and the world around us. It teaches us that deep within we hold the key to a serenity and strength beyond our wildest imaginings.
text and art by: Peter Patrick Barreda
http://www.mandalazone.com/artist.html
Mandalas have been the focus of meditation, contemplation and admiration for years too numerous to count. Since before the dawn of recorded history, humanity's intimate connection to the mandala has been a vibrant link to our universal ancestry. It is a sacred diagram that displays the structure of the spirit and the interwoven nature of the cosmos. Many have studied their design, their inherent centrality, as a path toward achieving an ideal centrality in their own selves. Such interaction with a mandala is a process of approaching enlightenment. Its elements are the essence of life, the myriad layers of existence, of being, of living, so that each mandala is but one of an infinite number of possible manifestations of the self. Its creation is the gathering of intangibles, the construction of an architecture of peace and order within a swirling, chaotic world. It is a pulse point on the universal collective consciousness. The mandala represents the center of the universe and the outward-expanding awareness of the human experience. It is a quest to rediscover that center, the nucleus, the focal point for all things. The journey's conclusion, our eventual return to that center, is inevitable—only the path may vary.
The circle is the most archetypal form, its shape is simple yet within its potential resides all that is possible. It is symbolic of the universe without and within, the space that stretches away from us and toward the deepest recesses of the self. It is simple, efficient and beautiful. It is ancient yet constantly reborn. It is the cycle of days, years and eons; it is birth and death and rebirth; it is the sun in the sky and the droplets in the clouds; it is the primeval source of man, and by extension, consciousness; it is knowing, forgetting and remembering; it is the ring of fire around which our ancestors sat and the horizon which marked the boundaries of their world; it is the mandala inscribed in the galactic core. The circle is the complete geometry of the spirit, of the cosmos, and of the unity of the two. It is the gate, the heart, the breath. It is within us all.
Kohlinanah mandala
evali mandala
Artist statement
I've been drawing mandalas in one form or another for as long as I can remember, before I understood either their spiritual or their psychological significance. Since then I've learned much about them that has come to fascinate me, not the least of which are their amazing Jungian references to some unknown yet common universal link between us all, as well as between us and our distant, forgotten origins.
All of my mandalas are in black and white. They are about the apparent duality of the universe—darkness and light, center and periphery, positive and negative, being and non-being, even the simultaneously unique and infinite arrangement of elementary particles that make up everything in the universe, from stones to stars to the spirit within each of us. The black is representative of matter, mystery and the unconscious. The white represents energy, knowledge and the conscious self. The mandala brings these contrasting elements together and presents a vision of the true unity that surrounds us. Each mandala is an instant, and at the same time an eternity—a captured moment, a feeling that will never be repeated.
I create my mandalas using pen and ink on acid-free paper, over a lightly-penciled grid to ensure a degree of symmetry. This allows me to be true to what I perceive as the execution of all universal structures—perfect in their abstract forms, yet each with its own unique fluctuation and variety. Sometimes the images have been swimming around in my head for weeks, sometimes I don't have a clue what's coming next. But always they feel right and proper, as if I'm uncovering an ancient truth that has lain dormant and forgotten for ages.
I'm a part-time mandala artist, occasional writer, chronic over-thinker, and webmaster of mandalaZone.com. I'm fascinated by origins and causes, and the deeply-hidden reasons behind everything. This is why I’m so interested in mandalas. They are the underlying pattern for everything in the universe—physical, mental and spiritual, though at their core these three are essentially one. The mandala is a map of the universe within us as well as without. It shows us the connected nature of all being, the interrelations that lie behind the apparent chaos. It illuminates the countless intimate connections between ourselves and the world around us. It teaches us that deep within we hold the key to a serenity and strength beyond our wildest imaginings.
text and art by: Peter Patrick Barreda
http://www.mandalazone.com/artist.html
10.08.2011
6.15.2011
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