Article about the painter Yayoi Kusama: Each part of the cosmos is reflective of the whole, like the sparkling jewels in Indra’s Net, our capacity to experience this infinitude eventually becomes exceedingly clear and unhindered. Connecting the dots, from Indra’s Net to the Infinity Nets, the fabric of the universe can be perceived and experienced as one and the same.
A brilliant article on fusing creative art with contemplative or spiritual practice, with a poetic ode to Allan Bridge a.k.a. Mr. Apology. “I know many artists for whom the seed of inspiration was first nurtured by close association with a spiritual and artistic mentor. Quite simply, there’s no substitute for the knowledge that you can glean up close from watching an inspired artist at work in the flesh, breathing the same air and directly observing the creative process as it unfolds. It is a form of knowledge that unfolds in a wordless fashion much like the truth of the Flower Sermon.”
The journey to enlightenment proceeds along a very slippery path. According to many unimpeachable sources, if you think too much about how to approach the destination then you’re sure to end up wide of the mark. Indirection may be all-important and yet too much stratagem may likewise lead you astray.
The Song of Enlightenment is a Chan Buddhist poem that dates back to the middle years of the Tang Dynasty. The text is attributed to the poet-monk Yongjia Xuanjue who was a disciple of Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch in the Chan line and the founder of the Southern School of Enlightenment, which puts him and this text in the direct up line of the great Zen tradition.