Category: Culture Exchange

Renowned Buddhist Scholar Jeffrey Hopkins, Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia, Has Died

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Photo courtesy Christof Spitz

Jeffrey Hopkins, a brilliant scholar, author, teacher, and translator who founded one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist Studies programs in the West, died on July 1 in Vancouver, Canada. He was 83.

For more than three decades, beginning in 1973, Hopkins was a leading light at the University of Virginia. He directed UVA’s Center for South Asian Studies for twelve years and taught Tibetan Buddhist studies and Tibetan language for thirty-two years, but his signature achievement was the Tibetan Buddhist studies doctoral program he established in 1975, which became the largest in North America. Among its graduates are some of the most esteemed academics in the field today, including Anne C. Klein of Rice University, Donald Lopez of the University of Michigan, Georges Dreyfus of Williams College, and Bryan Cuevas of Florida State University. Hopkins’s program, by placing Tibetan Buddhism (rather than Indian, Chinese, or Japanese Buddhism) at its center and bringing prominent Tibetan masters from India to Charlottesville to teach the classic texts of that tradition, “changed the way Buddhism is taught in the American academy,” Donald Lopez says.

Hopkins’s singular force was evident from the moment he arrived at UVA in 1973. Lopez, a senior when Hopkins joined the faculty, remembers: 

Despite being a newly arrived assistant professor, he immediately gained a large following among the “Be Here Now” crowd. By the second semester, students were walking around campus wearing buttons that said, “Buddha’s Slogan: Dependent Arising.” In a men’s room on campus one day I noticed something written on a urinal. Assuming it said “R. Mutt” [as Marcel Duchamp had signed his urinal artwork, “The Fountain”], I went closer and saw that it was four words stamped in red letters: “DOES NOT INHERENTLY EXIST.” Inspired by such visions, I wrote my senior thesis, master’s thesis, and doctoral dissertation under Hopkins’s direction.

Convinced that scholars of Tibet must be able to both read classical Tibetan and speak modern Tibetan, Hopkins established the first Tibetan language program at UVA and coauthored a comprehensive language course, Fluent Tibetan: A Proficiency Oriented Learning System. He also compiled a 900-page Tibetan-Sanskrit-English dictionary of Buddhist terms that is posted online. 

During his career, Hopkins also held visiting professorships at the University of Hawaii and the University of British Columbia. After he retired from UVA, he focused on translating. He was the founder and president of the UMA (Union of the Modern and Ancient) Institute for Tibetan Studies and from 2011 directed its Great Books Translation Project, set up to make Tibetan texts freely available. 

Hopkins was also a peace and human rights activist and published The Art of Peace, edited from talks at a conference of Nobel laureates he organized in 1998 for UVA and the Institute for Asian Democracy, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit that promoted self-governance in Asia, particularly in Burma. Hopkins was president of the institute from 1994 to 2000.

One of the most respected Tibetologists of his generation, Hopkins authored, edited, or translated more than fifty books. His extensive published work includes scholarly books on emptiness and tantra, as well as translations of works by such famed figures as Nagarjuna, Chandrakirti, and Tsongkhapa. His first and most influential work was his massive 1973 doctoral dissertation, Meditation on Emptiness, which provided the first detailed presentation of the Geluk synthesis of philosophy and practice. After circulating widely as a bound Xerox copy, it was published by Wisdom Publications in 1983. A fortieth-anniversary edition will be published next year. Much of Hopkins’s work was devoted to the Geluk founder Tsongkhapa, translating major sections of his massive exposition on tantra, Stages of the Path of Mantra. Later he turned to Tsongkhapa’s most beloved work among Geluk scholars, Essence of Eloquence, a text recited from memory by the monks of Ganden Monastery at his funeral in 1419. Although Tsongkhapa’s text is rather brief, Hopkins devoted three large volumes to it: Emptiness in the Mind-Only School, Reflections on Reality: The Three Natures and Non-Natures in the Mind-Only School, and Absorption in No External World. 

In 1979, Hopkins was instrumental in arranging His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s first visit to the United States and served as his chief translator from 1979 to 1989 on tours of the US, Canada, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Hopkins translated and edited His Holiness’s teachings for sixteen books, including The Dalai Lama at Harvard, along with titles aimed at a general audience, such as Kindness, Clarity and Insight; How to See Yourself As You Really Are; How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life, Mind of Clear Light, Mind of Clear Life: Advice on Living Well and Dying Consciously; How to Be Compassionate; and How to Expand Love: Widening the Circle of Loving Relationships. 

Hopkins collaborated with the tulkus Lati Rinpoche and Denma Locho Rinpoche on Meditative States in Tibetan Buddhism, based on a text by the Geluk master Panchen Sonam Drakpa. With the Nyingma lama Khetsun Sangpo he published Tantric Practice in Nyingma, a translation of a famous work by Patrul Rinpoche that would later be translated as Words of My Perfect Teacher.

Born Paul Jeffrey Hopkins in 1940, he grew up in Barrington, Rhode Island. A rebellious youth, he was a member of what he later described as a “suburban gang . . . disgusted by the aims that were being presented to us: merely making money and so forth.” Hopkins was then sent to Pomfret, a prep school in Connecticut, where he thrived. During his freshman year at Harvard, he read Thoreau’s Walden and retreated to the woods of Vermont, where he lived in a one-room cabin, wrote poetry, and “began finding my own integrity,” he later told an interviewer. Further inspired by Herman Melville’s Typee and W. Somerset Maugham’s The Moon and Sixpence, he hopped a freighter to Tahiti. It was during this period that Hopkins began meditating—in a fashion. 

Hopkins returned to Harvard after a year and a half, then between his junior and senior years, took off again. While floating down a river in Oklahoma, he saw a dead man propped up on a bank. It was a turning point. “I suddenly realized that his last perception in this lifetime would be no fuller than any of his other perceptions,” he recalled. “I began to recognize the ultimate futility of external activities and to turn my attention inward, to a light within. When I returned to Harvard in the fall of 1962, it was as if a coffin had been opened. I had been living my life in a coffin and had not recognized the presence of the sky.”

During Christmas vacation from college that year, a classmate drove Hopkins to Freewood Acres, New Jersey, to meet Geshe Wangyal,  a Kalmyk Mongolian Tibetan Buddhist who had established a monastery there in 1958. In 1963, after graduating magna cum laude from Harvard—an English major, Hopkins won the Leverett House Poetry Prize for his translation of the Anglo-Saxon poem “The Wanderer”—Hopkins spent seven years studying with Geshe Wangyal in New Jersey. After a false start in graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, he enrolled in the doctoral program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Later, Hopkins called his time in the Buddhist Studies program at Wisconsin as “thrilling in many ways and . . . certainly a crucial choice for my career.” At Hopkins’s urging, Richard Robinson, the head of the Buddhist Studies program, hired Geshe Lhundup Sopa, a Geluk scholar who had been living at the Kalmyk monastery in New Jersey. He was instrumental in the hiring of renowned tantric master Kensur Ngawang Lekden, former abbot of the Tantric College of Lower Lhasa. Anne Klein, then a master’s candidate at Wisconsin, recalls that Hopkins, with Robinson, “founded Tibet House on a farm outside Madison, where Kensur, Jeffrey, and grad students could live, learn Tibetan, and share kitchen duties. Jeffrey served ice cream on small, flat plates, which, as Kensur demonstrated with delight, meant you could lick them clean.” Hopkins read with Kensur daily, Klein remembers, material that formed his dissertation, Meditation on Emptiness.

Throughout his career, Hopkins’s interest in Buddhist studies was broad, encompassing South Asia, Tibet, and East Asia. He was the recipient of three Fulbright fellowships and made twelve trips to India and five to Tibet for research.

As a translator, Hopkins had an approach unusual among his peers at the time: working closely with Tibetan scholars and regarding them not as “native informants” but as collaborative partners. “I thought it was . . . extremely important to treat every Tibetan scholar fairly, to give them credit for their part in producing any book,” he said. “If I couldn’t understand the text without somebody informing me of its meaning, then that person has played an equal role in its translation even if they don’t know English.” 

In 1991, Hopkins suffered a debilitating, near-fatal case of Lyme disease that temporarily left him partially paralyzed with noticeable mental gaps. He recovered, but “I had to reconstruct my mind,” he later told Tibetan Buddhist nun Robina Courtin. “In any field, I had to consciously make a logical connection, and then once the connection had been made, that area was reopened.” What saved him, he ventured, was a habit formed in his years at the monastery in New Jersey: repeating the intelligence mantra of Manjushri, bodhisattva of wisdom, aimed at enhancing mental acuity: Om ah ra pa tsa na dhih. “I overheard Geshe Wangyal tell one Mongolian boy who was having trouble memorizing it, ‘Then do dhih dhih dhih . . . endlessly,’ ” he recalled. 

Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2024/07/05/renowned-buddhist-scholar-jeffrey-hopkins-professor-emeritus-at-the-university-of-virginia-has-died/

Source: https://tricycle.org/article/jeffrey-hopkins-obituary/, By Joan Duncan Oliver
 JUL 02, 2024

Pixar’s Inside Out: A Deep Dive into Human Emotions and Buddhist Philosophy

linda changLeave a comment

From slashfilm.com

I really enjoy animated movies for their humor and cheerfulness. What better way to relax than to watch Garfield shovel down 450 pounds of lasagna? However, beneath the appearance of levity and simple fun, animation has its own unique way of addressing serious and abstract philosophical questions. Pixar’s Inside Out is an outstanding work in this regard. It made me ponder what makes myself, well, myself.

Inside Out is a masterpiece of animation that presents human emotions—specifically Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear—as protagonists, rather than focusing solely on Riley Anderson, the girl these emotions reside in. Writing in The Guardian, Julian Baggini muses that the film “. . . reflects some of the most important truths about what it means to be an individual person. The first of these is that there isn’t actually a single, unified you at all. . . . [your brain] is made up of various different, often competing impulses. You are simply how it all comes together, the sum of your psychic parts.”This film heralds a gradual opening of popular Western media and culture to the idea of the “three marks of existence” in Buddhism: impermanence (anitya), no-self (anatman), and suffering (duhkha). It is a completely new way of articulating (to children, no less) a richer, more complex understanding of the human person.

In this story, the five emotions work together to look after Riley and manage her reactions to external stimuli inside “HQ”—her head. HQ is visually located in the “sky” of her mind and overlooks a vast labyrinth called Long-term Memory, where memories in the form of orbs are stored. Orbs of core memories, or formative experiences of Riley’s life, are stored in a central hub within HQ itself. Most memories (including the core ones) are touched by Joy so that they are bright gold and happy. Other memories are touched by Sadness (blue), Disgust (green), Fear (light purple), and Anger (red).

Anger prepares to make Riley react angrily. From video.disney.com

The external narrative—the one that audiences usually see in a movie—is simple, almost boring. Riley struggles with moving from Minnesota to San Francisco, making new friends at school, and coming to terms with losing her old life. The real action goes on inside her head. To Joy’s dismay, Sadness, who feels like she serves no beneficial purpose to Riley (in contrast to emotions like Disgust, who protects Riley from broccoli, or Fear, who compiles copious notes on possible risks to Riley’s everyday activities), starts touching the Memory Orbs, turning more and more of Riley’s memories blue. Later on, it is revealed that Riley needs Sadness to express her inner difficulties and articulate her distress, therefore serving a vital purpose for her well-being, but none of the other emotions at this stage can understand why.

By several twists of misfortune after Joy tries to stop Sadness from touching the orbs, they get lost in Riley’s various mental spaces outside of HQ, such as Imagination Land (complete with an Imaginary-boyfriend Generator), the Abyss of the Subconscious, and Dream Productions. With Joy and Sadness missing, Anger, Fear, and Disgust do their best to help Riley cope with her increasingly unhappy life. For example, befitting his purpose and personality, Anger argues that the only way for Riley to be happy again is to run away from her parents back to Minnesota. However, they just end up making her react to the world with burgeoning anger, fear, and disgust.

A resolution is reached when Joy realizes that Sadness needs to touch more of the Memory Orbs. As much as Joy wants to see Riley happy, she can’t be the emotional driver of every event. But in gratitude for her newly acknowledged importance, Sadness also invites Joy to touch the memories she is holding, so that Riley can feel meaning and happiness in the process of grieving. By the end of the movie, Riley’s Memory Orbs are no longer a simple mix of five colors: each ball is variously touched by the emotions, resulting in a beautiful array of “mixed emotions” and marking the beginning of growing up.

This, however, is just the first crack at the myth of the enduring, unified self. What the film also shows is that each of these parts is impermanent. Riley’s personality is represented by a series of islands that reflect what matters most to her: friendship, honesty, family, goofiness, and hockey. But as life becomes difficult, each of these in turns threatens to crumble. And that is how it is in the real world: as we grow and change, some of the things that matter most to us will endure, others will fall away, and new ones will come in their place.

In competition … Sadness, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Joy. Photograph: Courtesy Ev/Rex Shutterstock

The third key element in understanding the self is that what keeps this all together is memory. At first, it seems like the film is going to over-simplify this, presenting memories as little movies, experiences that are captured, stored, and played back. But as it progresses, it gets more complicated. It becomes clear that not only do many memories simply get lost—even ones that were once most precious—but others change their character as we do. For memories to do their work, they need to be nurtured and understood.

What it all adds up to is a picture of the self as something which coheres into a single narrative but which has nothing permanent and unchanging at its core. We are forever in flux, always in the process of growing out of what we once were into what we are to become next.

Not surprisingly, this animated movie is the most sophisticated children’s film in recent memory and has been critically applauded in many reviews. It turns traditional storytelling on its head: instead of telling us what the protagonist feels, it tells us what the emotions are making the protagonist feel. Of course, our brains aren’t populated by anthropomorphic or Platonic representations of concepts such as Joy or Sadness. Nevertheless, this children’s film is an example of meta-storytelling, in which the motivations for the narrative (usually the protagonist’s emotions or conflicts) are abstracted into their own story (the emotions’ adventures inside Riley’s head).

Baggini, like many other critics, observes that by being “made up” of the five emotions, the traditional fictional character has become a composite construction of various mental components, just like we are in the real world. He also notes that apart from deconstructing the myth of the unified self, Inside Out also presents these components as impermanent. HQ overlooks five islands attached to Long-term Memory that reflect fundamental aspects of Riley’s personality: friendship, honesty, family, goofiness, and hockey. But as the emotions struggle to manage Riley’s inner world, these islands crumble and fall away (for example, Friendship Island collapses after Anger makes Riley react furiously to her Minnesota friend’s apparent happiness despite her departure). However, by the end, new islands are formed: for example, the new Friendship Island now has a “friendly argument section,” indicating a collaboration between Joy and Anger.

Just as we see in real life, some of the things that “characterize” who we think ourselves to be endure—but others fall away, hopefully to be replaced by new, more complex and enriching “islands.” Baggini concludes: “What it all adds up to is a picture of the self as something which coheres into a single narrative but which has nothing permanent and unchanging at its core.” Our no-selves are forever in flux, engaged in a never-ending process of shedding what we once were and reforming into a new identity.

The ideas of no-self and cognitive impermanence should open up new avenues into exploring how a contemporary story (be it through the medium of live action or animation) can be told. There are no antagonists in Inside Out—the conflict (or the reason for the story to exist) all happens within, inside Riley’s head. The fundamental problems of the world, according to Buddhism, are also within, not “out there.” Nevertheless, understandably, there are philosophical differences between a Pixar film and 2,500 years of insight. The Buddhist explanation for the world’s unhappiness is much more complex. In Buddhist phenomenology, sentient beings are made up of the five skandhas, or aggregates (mind and matter being considered inseparable, unlike in Cartesian thought): form (rupa), sensation (vedana), perception (samjna), mental formations (samskara), and consciousness (vijnana). These aggregates become the subject of expanded commentary in the Abhidhamma literature of early Buddhism and the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions. If Riley’s happiness depends on the interplay of her emotions, Buddhist liberation depends on the Buddhist insight of understanding the “empty” nature of the aggregates: that they are impermanent, composite, and interdependent.

I think the reason this can be conveyed in a children’s film is that, in many ways, kids are more receptive to this message than adults. Children change so rapidly that they might be able to understand the idea of impermanence more readily than adults, whose self-conception has often ossified. Kids have no problem imagining that they might grow up to be quite different, while adults assume they are stuck being the person they have turned out to be.

The best children’s films often serve a dual purpose. They help kids to grow up but they also remind adults of what they have lost by doing so. Inside Out succeeds brilliantly on both counts.

If there were any “villains” to be scripted in a Buddhist version of Inside Out, it would be the “three poisons” of greed, hatred, and delusion—the factors inhibiting our well-being and blocking our path to enlightenment. For now, it’s too big a question to ask how such concepts might be brought into an animated film, but the high stakes and existential conflict in the Buddhist teachings would make for a children’s story that is both immersive and educational.

Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2024/07/05/pixars-inside-out-a-deep-dive-into-human-emotions-and-buddhist-philosophy/

Source: Buddhistdoor View: Buddhist Dimensions of Inside Out By Buddhistdoor Global August 7, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/jul/27/inside-out-philosophical-mind-pixar-philosophy

Father’s Day Joy: Poems to Celebrate Dad

linda changLeave a comment

Dads are just the best, aren’t they? They work hard, put up with so much, make us smile, and make everything okay. Father’s Day is a wonderful occasion to show the Dads in our lives how much we appreciate them. Here are some awesome Dad poems to celebrate every dad.

Fathers Mean the World
Fathers are the ones who work so hard,
Building bridges and fixing up the yard,
Driving trucks and feeding their families,
Their hard work is the backbone of society.

They have toiled in the sun and rain,
Working hard to help ease the family’s pain,
Their dedication and hard work, never in vain,
For their love and care, there is no refrain.

They have built homes and schools and more,
Their contributions we cannot ignore,
From fixing everything that’s broken,
To teaching us lessons that remain unspoken.

Fathers are the unsung heroes of our time,
Their sacrifices and hard work are a true sign,
Of their unwavering dedication and love,
That lifts us up and makes us soar above.

We need fathers in this world today more than ever,
To guide us through life’s twists and turns, we must endeavor,
To honor their hard work and sacrifice,
And cherish their love and care, forever in our lives.
~ Dev Sommerville

My Dad is My Rock
My dad has always been my rock,
Supporting me as I chased my dreams around the clock,
Encouraging me to go on the craziest adventures,
And taking me seriously, no matter the venture.
He gave me advice and encouragement,
Even when I was feeling lost and disheartened,
His words of wisdom, always on point,
Helped me navigate life’s twists and turns with every joint.

With his unwavering support, I gained strength,
To pursue my passions, no matter the length,
For all the times he’s been there, day by day,
My dad’s love and support, I’ll always repay.
So on this Father’s Day, I want to say,
Thank you, Dad, for all the support along the way,
Your love and care have helped me soar,
And for that, I’ll cherish you forevermore.
~ Winnie Smith-Garland

Photo by Josh Willink on Pexels.com

Dads Show Us the Way
Dads are the guiding lights that lead the way,
Raising kids to be strong, brave, and never stray,
Teaching us to try hard, and put ourselves to the test,
To see the funny side of things, and do our best.

Dads inspire us to be optimistic and kind,
To find our mission in life, and always keep in mind,
That success comes to those who never give up,
Who work hard and never hold a grudge.

With patience and love, dads show us the way,
To live in the here and now, and seize each day,
To face life’s challenges with grace and ease,
And to never ever give up on our dreams.

Dads teach us values that shape our lives,
To be kind to others, and treat them with respect and thrive,
Their love and guidance, we’ll cherish forevermore,
For dads play a crucial role in the world, that we can’t ignore.
~ Harrison Beslow

Photo by Lgh_9 on Pexels.com

My Dad, My Teacher
From the very start, my dad’s been there,
Teaching me to ride my bike without a care.
When my toys broke, he fixed them with a grin,
And when I needed help, he always pitched in.

Through every scrape and tear, he wiped away my fears,
Making everything okay, and drying up my tears.
He’s been my rock, my guide, my hero, all in one,
And I’m grateful for everything he’s done.

He’s taught me to be kind, and to spread my wings,
And he’s always been there to help with anything.
With his patience and love, he’s helped me through it all,
And I’m grateful for his support, big and small.

I’m lucky to have such an awesome dad,
And I’m grateful for all the fun we’ve had.
He’s the best friend I could ever wish for,
And I’ll always love him more and more.
~ Reese Carlington

My loving dad is always there,
To show me love and give me care,
With hugs and kisses, he makes my day,
I love my daddy more than words can say.
~ Louie Clyborne

Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2024/06/14/fathers-day-joy-poems-to-celebrate-dad/

Source: https://www.homemade-gifts-made-easy.com/fathers-day-poems.html

The Consequences of Lying: A Lesson from Buddhist Teachings

linda changLeave a comment

When we were young, our parents and elders all taught us not to lie. Many stories and fairy tales illustrate the consequences of lying, such as a child being eaten by a wolf or having a long nose like Pinocchio. Different cultures and religions praise honesty and disapprove of liars. However, most of us have told a lie at one time or another, often to gain an immediate benefit, without realizing that the long-term consequences of lying can be very costly. In Buddhism, one of the ten precepts is to abstain from lying.

There is a recorded story in a Buddhist sutra about Shakyamuni Buddha teaching his son to refrain from lying.

The Buddha’s son, Rahula, was quite mischievous in his youth. He often enjoyed playing pranks on others, using deceptive words to tease people. For instance, when someone came to see the Buddha, Rahula, knowing that the Buddha was not present, would intentionally mislead them about the Buddha’s whereabouts, causing them to search in vain for amusement.

When the Buddha learned of this, he asked Rahula to bring him some water to wash his feet. After washing his feet, the Buddha pointed to the water and asked Rahula, “Can this water be drunk?”

Rahula replied, “The water is dirty from washing feet; it cannot be drunk.”

The Buddha then asked, “Can this basin, used for washing feet, be used to hold food?”

Rahula replied, “No, it cannot. The basin is dirty and cannot be used to hold food.”

The Buddha sternly said, “You are like this water. The water was originally very clean, just as you were originally a prince, able to renounce the false glories of the world and become a monk. But if you do not diligently pursue the path, do not purify your body and mind, and do not speak carefully, the impurities of the three poisons will fill your heart, just like the clean water being soiled by washing dirty feet. You are like this basin. Although you have become a monk, if you do not practice precepts, concentration, and wisdom, and do not purify your body, speech, and mind, how can the food of the Great Path fill your heart?” After speaking, the Buddha kicked the basin, causing it to roll. Rahula was very frightened. The Buddha asked, “Are you afraid the basin will break?”

Rahula replied, “No, the basin is a coarse utensil; it doesn’t matter if it breaks.”

The Buddha said, “Rahula, you don’t cherish this basin, just as people will not cherish you. As a monk, if you do not uphold dignity and discipline, and speak deceitfully, the consequence is that no one will care for you or value you. When your life ends, you will not attain enlightenment, but will only increase your delusion.”

From then on, Rahula changed his mischievous ways, strictly observed the precepts, and diligently practiced the path.

According to the teachings of the Buddhist sutras, we should take a long-term view and consider the consequences of lying for both this life and future lives.

In this life, if we frequently lie, deceive, or slander others, we will inevitably face retaliation from those we have wronged. In the mundane world, most people are naturally inclined to protect themselves and have a tendency for “an eye for an eye” revenge, unless they are saints who have subdued their own minds. If we deceive others, the victims, unwilling to be deceived, will expose our misdeeds among people. As word spreads from one to ten and from ten to a hundred, our bad reputation will quickly become widespread. Our credibility will be utterly destroyed, and our trustworthiness will plummet. From then on, even if we speak the truth, it will be seen as a lie, and people will be wary of us to avoid being deceived. No one will trust us. In such a predicament, we will constantly feel the pain of isolation and helplessness. Our lives will shrink, and our careers will suffer as a result.

In future lives, under the influence of the dark karma of lying, one will inevitably fall into the three lower realms. When the bad karma diminishes and one is reborn as a human, the residual effects of lying will manifest in various speech-related congenital obstacles in both body and mind. These may include having an impaired tongue root, stuttering, or unclear speech. Additionally, there will be a habitual tendency to lie, and sometimes, even when one wishes to speak the truth, it will come out as a lie involuntarily. In interactions with others, one will frequently be slandered and deceived. Even when speaking the truth, people will not believe it. Moreover, even when preaching the true Dharma, others will be unwilling to listen.

Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2024/06/13/the-consequences-of-lying-a-lesson-from-buddhist-teachings/

Source: https://fo.china.com/m/fostory/20001207/20231107/25809400.html

“An Amazing, Wondrous Moment”: Tibetan-born Musician and Artist Dechen Shak-Dagsay’s emaho

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By Raymond Lam January 19, 2022

Dechen Shak-Dagsay is a Swiss-Tibetan musician and author. Over the past few decades, she has built a career in music by combining the Tibetan mantra transmissions passed down by her father, Ven. Dagsay Rinpoche, with innovative melodies and contemporary instrumental productions. She has also engaged in collaborative projects with other spirituality-inspired musicians. Having lived in Switzerland for most of her life, Dechen is one of the most prominent contemporary Tibetan singers in Europe today, and has also become globally recognized through various music awards, and for having performed songs from her albums Jewel and Day Tomorrow at Carnegie Hall in New York. Dechen is also the founder of the Dewa Che charity organization, which engages in social projects in Tibet.

Dechen’s newest album, emaho – The Story of Arya Tara, released in October 2021, is about the enlightened activity of the Vajrayana goddess Tara and contains a musical rendition of the “21 Praises of Tara.” BDG recently had a chance to speak with Dechen about her latest project.

BDG: You’ve sung about Tara on various albums before, but this new album is devoted specifically to her story. What do you find inspiring about this female buddha?

Dechen Shak-Dagsay: I have had a wish for many years now to share the extraordinary story of Goddess Arya Tara, the gentle-yet-indomitable princess who became a female buddha. The mythic story goes back many eons in ancient India, where she was called Princess Jhana-Chandra, which means Wisdom-Moon. In Tibetan, her name is Yischi Dawa, and it touches me profoundly that, out of a deep sense of compassion, she would not even eat breakfast before she had liberated hundreds of thousands of beings from samsara each day. She was a faithful disciple of her teacher Buddha Dundubhisvara, and her entire community admired her.

One day, the monks urged her to make an aspiration (vyakarana) to be reborn as a man in her next life in order to attain full enlightenment. The princess laughed at this sexist exhortation and replied: “There is no male, there is no female. To discriminate between male and female is the mind of a small being. There are neither men nor women, nor a self, nor beings.” She vowed to return again and again in a female form in order to help all beings from suffering and to reach enlightenment in female form. Therefore, her teacher, Dundubhisvara, gave her the name Tara, which means “Swift Liberator.”

Tara’s story reminds us every day that we are all equally beautiful beings blessed with great inner qualities, such as love, compassion, kindness, and clarity. These qualities are just waiting to be rediscovered and nurtured.

BDG: Your album emaho captures a profound thought: “What an amazing, wondrous moment when the mind awakens.” How does the music create a mood and ambience in which the listener can realize this moment for themselves?

DSD: Emaho is indeed not an ordinary word. It is found in ancient Tibetan spiritual texts and is an exclamation of joy and amazement when the obscured mind awakens and experiences the pure, clear, and bright shining light of the true nature of our mind.

Personally, I find that each of the eight pieces hold beautiful emaho moments for the listeners. As with all my previous albums, I received the texts for this exalted goddess from my dear father, Ven. Dagsay Rinpoche. It is a great blessing that Rinpoche gave me the transmissions for these beautiful “21 Praises of Tara,” which are practiced in all Tibetan traditions. I also had the privilege of working with Swiss producer Helge van Dyk, who also composed and produced the music of my two previous albums, Jewel and Day Tomorrow.

I said to Helge that I wished to represent the four enlightening activities of Tara in four musical pieces. I cannot thank Helge enough for creating the most sublime music to present the four skillful enlightening activities of Tara: the pacifying, enriching, magnetizing, and wrathful aspects.

When you listen to emaho – The Story of Arya Tara, my hope is that you will enter the wonderful, unique space and landscape of Tara’s buddha-field, and perceive her different fields of activities through the following musical compositions.

“emaho – an Amazing One” – “The Wisdom of Tara” – Tara’s
magnetizing activities. Audio courtesy of VANDYKMUSIC
“emaho – an Amazing One” –
Tara’s enriching activities. Audio courtesy of VANDYKMUSIC
“emaho – an Amazing One” – “Magic Pulse” (of Prayer
Drumming) – Tara’s wrathful activities. Audio courtesy of VANDYKMUSIC

BDG: How do you think the spirit of emaho can help heal our fractured and hurting world, which is now immersed in COVID-19 and a range of other immense crises?

DSD: We generally believe in the great healing power of the Buddha’s teachings, especially when the world is going through a difficult time. We are still in a worldwide pandemic, and we constantly face threats of natural calamities and other crises.

The whole world has faced unprecedented challenges over the last two years, and we are still trying to find solutions for how to handle them. From a worldly point of view, these problems are simply devastating and are creating immense suffering for everyone. But from a Buddhist view, such challenges are exactly what we call “precious moments” for our minds to awaken and to encourage a total reset in our interior world and inner being. We call these moments precious because they allow us to open our hearts to the Buddha’s teachings, such as the Three Marks of Existence. Recalling them always has an instant healing effect on me:

• Impermanence (Skt: anitya): Nothing stays the same, everything is constantly changing.

• Whatever we experience is marked with some kind of suffering. As long as we identify ourselves with a sense of solid self, we will always suffer (dukkha).

• Everything around us and even our own person is empty of a self (anatman).

Dechen Shak-Dagsay. Image courtesy of VANDYKMUSIC

Together with Helge and other musicians, we created emaho in the hope that it will be a small contribution to helping us all through these troubled times together.

We hope to be able to bring calm and peace into people’s hearts. We will not be able to get rid of COVID-19, or the economic, social, and political fallout it has caused, but the music that carries the blessings of Arya Tara, the Swift Liberator, will help us all to overcome our fears, sadness, frustration, and pain to create some space in our hearts and to rebalance our minds. It is within this calm space that we will be able to tap into our innate beauty and strength. We all need this to transform our pain and negative thoughts, and to calmly face and embrace the difficult times ahead of us; to fully become aware of our own inner qualities.

The release of the new double album was followed by the release of my new book, Mantras, Musik & Magic Moments, in December 2021, in which I write about the healing aspects of the old Tibetan mantras, and why I chose music as a tool to reach people’s hearts. I also talk about how Tibetan healing symbols have carried sacred power for centuries. I began making mantra music about two decades ago, and I hope followers will enjoy this new perspective I am offering through my work.

BDG: Your music has been received very well worldwide and your profile has also been rising in Asia. Do you present your music as non-denominational and embracing of all Buddhist traditions, even while it expresses your Tibetan heritage?

DSD: Although I am very rooted in Tibetan or Vajrayana Buddhism, I embrace all Buddhist traditions. My dear father Dagsay Rinpoche, who lives in Chengdu, always reminded us that the essence of the Buddha’s teachings is non-violence and cultivating love and compassion for all beings. All Buddhist traditions, including the Tibetan heritage, are following this beautiful path. It is my wish to one day come to Asia to meet all my Asian friends and to perform my music in Asia together with the Jewel Ensemble.

In my third piece on disc two, called “Peace of Mind,” I sing a “Praise to the 21 Taras” in Chinese and in Tibetan. It is my deep wish to create a wonderful space of peace, respect, and reconciliation.

BDG: You’ve come together with various artists to create a fusion of music. These artists also tend to have a spiritual flavor to their work. How do you decide to work with an artist? How do you identify a potential collaboration?

DSD: Thank you for sensing what I see as a very special energy to our music. I am very thankful to Helge, who has a distinct talent in finding the right artists for a special collaboration that requires not only technical musical skills, but also an open heart that is fully inspired to play soulful music with us. He has carefully selected outstanding musicians to form the Jewel Ensemble, with whom we have played many concerts all around the world. I feel very privileged to have the following members of the Jewel Ensemble, as well as an extended ensemble that we shared the stage with when playing the Call for Peace concerts with the renowned Zurich Chamber Orchestra (ZKO).

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my Jewel Ensemble musicians and guest musicians from around the world for their beautiful contributions on emaho. It has been such an honor to work with all these outstanding artists, who committed their heartful work to this album.* I would like to thank BDG for opening the door to the story of Arya Tara. I would be very happy if this music finds its way across Asia, and I would like to thank all my musicians, my producer Helge, and my dear father Dagsay Rinpoche for letting me create such precious music. I hope it will help to remind people all around the world of their own inner strength and beauty.

Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2024/06/09/an-amazing-wondrous-moment-tibetan-born-musician-and-artist-dechen-shak-dagsays-emaho/

Source: https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/an-amazing-wondrous-moment-tibetan-born-musician-and-artist-dechen-shak-dagsays-emaho/

Scene of Xishuang Banna Life: A Timeless Masterpiece by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III

linda changLeave a comment

“Scene of Xishuang Banna Life” is a Chinese ink-and-wash painting with a three-dimensional quality reminiscent of oil paintings, created by the renowned artist H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. The moment I laid eyes on it, I felt a profound sense of comfort and tranquility. The painting’s primary hue is light brown, and the varying depths of this color vividly depict the fresh, clear water and misty air weaving between the trees. A few girls are making waves, chatting, and enjoying themselves as they wash clothes by the riverside. The elegant and beautiful banyan trees stand majestically, with cobblestones naturally scattered around them.

The old banyan tree, with its peeling bark and exposed roots, stands as a silent testament to the passage of time. The raised roots extend in all directions, seemingly spreading the pulse of life to distant places, using their vitality to nurture the earth and rivers. The roots nestle against the smooth, round pebbles like inseparable companions. Over time, they have become so intertwined that no one notices whether they are roots or stones, much like an elderly couple who depend on each other and cannot be separated.

Around the tree roots, a misty white space, activated by detailed depictions, brings boundless imagination to people. In the white mist, there is a vast expanse of water, with soft sunlight illuminating the surrounding forest. The endless lakes and rivers nourish the sturdy old roots, supporting them through countless hardships and weathering the elements, ultimately creating a world of their own. The intertwined and winding roots, twisting and coiling across the scene, form the main structure of the composition along with the variously shaped stones, the sculptural massive trunk, and the other responding trees. The sparse leaves hanging from the old tree are adorned in light green, contrasting with the large brown trunk, evoking the philosophical sentiment of “the true essence remains after all embellishments fade, gold emerges after being sifted by great waves.”

Beneath the tree are three graceful women in different postures, enjoying the flowing stream under the water-colored sky. Some are combing their freshly washed hair, some are holding a delicate veil, and some are drawing clear water from the stream.

The banyan tree, the stream, and the sunlight, along with the beautiful women in traditional attire, compose a symphony of southern charm, making one feel as if they can hear the whispers of the gentle breeze: “My enchanting homeland is where my heart belongs…” The setting resembles the sweet childhood memories buried in my heart.

About fifty years ago, my family lived in a small village in the mountains. There were no cars, TVs, toys, phones, or any other modern luxuries. We lived a very simple and modest life. All the mothers washed vegetables and rice in the clean creek and cooked meals. Very often, they washed clothes in the river for the whole family while the kids played in the water, on the trees, or along the riverbanks. School was far away, and we could only go there when we were old enough. But we had the biggest classroom—nature itself. We studied everything we could find: trees, flowers, insects, stones, etc. Twigs were our pens, and tree trunks were our tables. The chirping of the birds and the rushing of the stream were our music. We had physical education class all day long. We went to bed when the sun set. What a simple, happy life!

This is the beautiful and pure spiritual space created by the great artist, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. This painting, “Scene of Xishuang Banna Life,” opens a window to another dimension, allowing people to experience the joy of living in a paradise. People in cities increasingly yearn for natural landscapes akin to an earthly utopia. Fortunately, noble artists create pure lands for people’s hearts, showing us wonderful scenery, evoking warm emotions, and deeply touching us.

The pure land in our hearts is like a secluded utopia, free from the noise and disturbances of the mundane world. It carries the dreams of people. When darkness descends, the pure land within can emit a serene fragrance, helping people discard the suffering brought by worries, gently wipe away the dust, and infuse a bit of brightness.

The paintings of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III are like wordless songs, containing endless stories, ancient calls, and boundless compassion for all sentient beings.

This painting is in permanent collection of The International Art Museum of America.

Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2024/06/07/scene-of-xishuang-banna-life-a-timeless-masterpiece-by-h-h-dorje-chang-buddha-iii/

#DorjeChangBuddhaIII #HHDorjeChangBuddhaIII#DorjeChangBuddha#IAMA#InternationalArtMuseumofAmerica#Xishuangbanna #ChineseInkPainting#Art#Artist

Twelve years of Thangka Art: Apprenticeship, Personal Practice, and Evolution

linda changLeave a comment

By Dakini As Art, Tiffani Gyatso

A commonly held view is that the body houses the soul—but have you ever thought that the soul could live elsewhere? I have experienced that feeling. Although my body was born in 1981 to my German mother in Brazil, where I grew up, 18 years later I had an “encounter” with my soul’s home in Mongolia. For almost a year, my family and I traveled east by motorhome from Germany and right across Russia. Reaching the border between Russia and western Mongolia, it took days just to receive permission to cross. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, we feared we might never make it! Finally a drunken general provided the necessary authorization and we drove freely onwards into Mongolia, sometimes without a visible road in front of us.

Beneath the expansive blue sky that crowned the arid landscape, my happy tears fell like rain. Those tears nourished a hungry artistic seed within me that desired to grow in the direction of the sunshine; to follow a path to spiritual liberation through art. I believed in such a path and it made sense to me, but until then I hadn’t known how to go about following it. Once in Mongolia, however, I was introduced by a monk at Gandantegchinlen Monastery in Ulaanbaatar to the sacred art of thangka painting, which depicts the various Buddhas, spirits, enlightened beings, and spiritual worlds of Tibetan Buddhism. I had been seeking an artistic discipline of some kind that would guide me to the divine, and this was it! 

One of the paintings by Tiffani at Lama Padma Samten’s temple in Brazil

Nevertheless, it was a long road before I was accepted three years later as the first Western student at the Norbulingka Institute, founded by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, near Dharamsala in northern India. I have traveled all my life—even living for a few months with an aborigine community in the Australian outback, and spending a couple of years on a sailboat on the Brazilian coast during my teens—but India was beyond anything I could have imagined. I was sick for the first three months I spent there, during which time the school was unsure whether to accept me or not. Even my mother urged me to go home. But something inside me was unmoved by all these “tests.” I felt that if I went back, my soul would abandon my body.

I was finally accepted as a student at the Norbulingka Institute in September 2003. All the wise and holy artists I had expected to meet turned out to be mostly teenagers eager to meet a girl—a blond girl—in the studio at last. Gen-la, the master, was initially somewhat reticent, and we didn’t even share a common language. He gestured towards a Buddha face made up of many symmetrical lines and then pointed to a blank sheet of paper, so I sat on the floor near him and started to sketch. The first word I learned in Tibetan from Gen-la was “again!”—do it again! And so I did, for weeks, the same drawing over and over again until Gen-la would give me my next project. 

Painting class at the Norbulingka Institute, 2005

My apprenticeship during the three years I spent there was very slow and painstaking. It was essentially this atmosphere that molded my predisposition to understand that painting a thangka is a spiritual practice in itself; the thangka is there for you to give your time and attention to, and to house your soul. It is a sacred art with a unique function. If you do not have that understanding in the very depth of your being, you will soon abandon the training. Some do not even consider thangka painting to be art, but a practice involving paint that has the same aim as any other Buddhist practice. It was a year before Gen-la even called me by my name; until then he just called me “intchi bhumo,” or “foreign girl.” And it was more than a year before I actually even touched paint, and then only because one of my classmates hid me behind a big canvas and started to teach me himself. Gen-la was actually proud of my boldness when he found out, and finally guided me on my first proper painting. Those were precious times; I was truly happy despite the difficulties I experienced, and my certainty of being on the right track never wavered.

In 2006 I returned to Brazil to discover that I was pregnant. In October that year, a little boy of Tibetan-Brazilian-German heritage was born. His father came over and we lived together for a few years until he moved to the United States to join a larger Tibetan community. Back in Brazil I was fearful that I would have to stop painting—I was 24 with a baby and no money, and all I knew how to do was paint. Afraid that such worries would make me lose my path, I continued to paint my thangkas, my son held close to my body.

When my son was only a few months old, I was contacted by a Brazilian lama—Lama Padma Samten, a disciple of Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, who had already established a huge sangha. He had heard about me through a mutual friend and sent my son and me tickets to visit his new temple in the south of Brazil. When I finally arrived I was amazed by the size of the temple, which was built to accommodate 300. As I stood there sleep-deprived and perfumed with milk and diapers, he asked me if I would paint the interior walls. I was astonished—but I agreed!

For a month I stood gazing at those terrifyingly huge white walls in fear. I really had no idea how to start! I could not call anyone in India because of the language barrier, and the materials available in Brazil for painting murals wouldn’t be the same as those I was familiar with. So I began slowly, as Gen-la had taught me. First, I met with a local artist to learn more about the proper materials. I learned about the specific deities and mandalas that Lama Samten wished to incorporate. The members of his sangha were very supportive, and many came to help. Those who could give more of their time I trained to paint. Those who couldn’t paint, I asked to massage our aching shoulders, play some instrument or other, give yoga lessons, or even bake a cake for our tea breaks. I felt that everyone should be included. The project took five challenging years to complete, all guided by Lama Samten’s blessings.

As mentioned earlier, those tears in Mongolia had fed the artist within, and now the artist was awake. I soon had the feeling that thangka painting was a “safe zone” for me as the work is all done according to rules that, if followed, offer some guarantee of success. So, in a way, I felt that thangkas had given me discipline and now, only now, was I ready to risk expressing myself. So I began to take more seriously the opportunity to try a more intuitive kind of painting, especially when my personal life was a mess. I was allowed to explode on the canvas, I was allowed to make mistakes . . . I needed to be able to be wrong yet acceptable. 

Accumulating a body of art pieces during my free time while painting the temple, with some trepidation I presented my work to Tibet House in New York. I was relieved when they accepted my work and agreed to produce my first show, in 2012—a solo exhibition titled Mystic Nostalgia, in which I sought to express that longing for a lost “home.” Not necessarily a real place; the work is more about our inner landscape . . . a mystic longing. My second exhibition will open at Tibet House on 23 October this year.

Since completing my work at the temple at the end of 2012, I have focused on holding thangka workshops, producing thangkas to order, and taking part in workshops and retreats to teach the intuitive process of self-expression through paint, movement, and writing. I believe the key is maintaining the approach of an apprentice—the beginner’s mind. I feel that I’m learning each time I teach, each time I listen to people, each time I encounter another culture or eat a different food. I learned the benefits of discipline and following rules from the thangka tradition, and when I walk into the unknown with my wild self that sometimes wants its own way, I continue to learn.

Tradition provides us with the roots and structure through which we express ourselves like a hundred branches growing in the air, catching the breeze with their lush leaves. Nourish discipline as much as you nourish your freedom and you’ll soon discover that they are one.

Tiffani Gyatso is a traditional Buddhist thangka painter and a member of the Dakini As Art Collective. To learn more about Tiffani, her work, and Dakini As Art, please visit Dakini As Art.

Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2024/06/07/twelve-years-of-thangka-art-apprenticeship-personal-practice-and-evolution/

 #SpiritualPractice #ThangkaPainting #TibetanBuddhism #Vajrayanabuddhism

Source: https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/twelve-years-of-thangka-art-apprenticeship-personal-practice-and-evolution/

GuanYin Bodhisattvas Saving All Beings, Regardless of Religious Belief

linda changLeave a comment

Sister Sun Houfang has gone to the hospital for chemotherapy again. She suffers from leukemia, a disease that is almost a death sentence, but she has miraculously survived. She became a Buddhist disciple in July 2016 and often says, “Others with the same illness as mine have all died, but I am still alive. I want to thank Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III and all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions. I also want to bring those with affinity into Buddhism.” No one expected that her friends with affinity would be three Christian friends.

On April 28, 2017, I visited Sister Sun at the hospital again. She was having lunch, so we chatted briefly. I learned that she was scheduled to start chemotherapy medication the next day, and her wardmate, Wei Wenwen, was to be discharged in the afternoon. I sincerely invited them to our Tantric Buddhist Center the next morning to participate in a blessing ceremony. I hoped that through the blessing, they would receive good fortune and have their suffering alleviated. Sister Sun immediately agreed to delay her medication by a day, and Wei Wenwen also wanted to delay her discharge. At this moment, the patient in bed 6, Lu Shaohua, spoke up. She said she was a Christian and did not dare to believe in Buddhism, fearing it would be against her faith. She also mentioned, “A few days ago, I couldn’t sleep at night after arriving here. It was very uncomfortable, and no matter how much I recited the Bible, I couldn’t fall asleep. Ms. Sun suggested I recite the Buddha’s name instead, and after doing so, I was able to sleep.” I said, “That’s great! It shows you have a deep connection with Buddhism. Each of us has our own karmic reasons for our religious beliefs, but regardless of the religion, the key is the benefit we receive from it. In fact, many people don’t know that the Virgin Mary is an incarnation of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.”

In the Dharma audio teachings of H.H.  Dorje Chang Buddha III, there is a story about hundreds of Christian Taiwanese indigenous people converting to Buddhism. This took place in 1995 when H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, visiting Taiwan under the guise of an art delegation, was greeted by the chief of the indigenous group, a devout Christian. (There is a video recording on youtube for this event https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxdaug7x9IU）

The chief reported to H.H.  Dorje Chang Buddha III, saying, “I am a faithful Christian.”

H.H.  Dorje Chang Buddha III asked, “Have you ever seen the Virgin Mary? If you haven’t, I can invite her to come, and you can meet her.”

The chief responded, “Can I? Even our priest has never seen her!” H.H.  Dorje Chang Buddha III said, “If I let you see her, will you then take refuge in Buddhism?”

The chief replied, “That would depend on the Virgin Mary’s approval. We have taken vows and been baptized.” H.H.  Dorje Chang Buddha III said, “Let’s do it this way: let the Virgin Mary tell you what to do, and you can follow her guidance. How about that?” The chief agreed, saying, “Okay!”

At this moment, the chief began to recite the Bible and use his inner power. His Holiness told the chief, “That won’t work.” Then, His Holiness performed a Dharma practice, and the Virgin Mary suddenly appeared standing on a cloud, several dozen feet high, astonishing the chief on the spot!

The Virgin Mary said to the chief, “My child, although I am your Holy Mother, I am also a servant of the Buddha. I am learning Buddhism. You should immediately take refuge before this supreme Buddha, who represents the true Dharma of the Tathagata in this world.”

Hearing this, the chief prostrated himself in full devotion and immediately took refuge. Later, all nine tribes of the indigenous group came to take refuge in His Holiness as their chief king.

Photos from video in youtube

In the Universal Gate chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha tells the world that Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva will manifest in various forms and save sentient beings according to their different karmic conditions. Any worldly being in danger will be delivered instantly upon calling her name. Therefore, Guanyin has been worshipped and revered by all classes of people. As a compassionate divinity with countless virtues and merits, she is endowed with transcendental power. The Bodhisattva excels in skillful means, allowing the Bodhisattva to appear in whatever form is needed by sentient beings.

After hearing my story, Lu Shaohua seemed to understand something and expressed a willingness to explore Buddhism.

On the morning of April 29, two Christians, accompanied by their families, came to our Tantric Buddhist Center. After everything was prepared, the blessing ceremony began. As we chanted the Heart Sutra, I heard intermittent crying from the crowd.

After the ceremony, I noticed tears still on their faces, but their complexions looked much better than when they first arrived. I asked them, “Did you all cry? How do you feel?” Wei Wenwen said, “I really enjoyed listening to the Heart Sutra. I felt very comfortable and happy here, and I didn’t want to leave.” Lu Shaohua also said, “As soon as I heard it, I couldn’t help but cry. I don’t know why, but it felt like meeting a family member.”

From that moment on, the three Christians—Wei Wenwen, Huang Youyou, and Lu Shaohua—began to listen to the extraordinary Dharma teachings of Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III. Through listening to the Dharma, they understood some principles of karma, realized the impermanence of life, and the illusory nature of dreams and bubbles. They expressed their determination to stop killing, to practice releasing living beings, and to diligently study and practice Buddhism. They even took home Buddha statues to venerate and vowed to take refuge in Buddhism.

Although Buddhism is the teaching of perfect liberation, Christianity is also a good teaching. When Christians shed tears upon hearing Buddhist scriptures and find peace in reciting the Buddha’s name, it indicates their inherent karmic connection to Buddhism. The differences in religious beliefs among sentient beings arise from their various karmic roots and blessings accumulated over countless eons. All good teachings should coexist harmoniously and tolerate each other without rejection, as true good teachings all aim to free sentient beings from suffering and bring them happiness.

Link：https://peacelilysite.com/2024/06/07/guanyin-bodhisattvas-saving-all-beings-regardless-of-religious-belief/

#Avalokiteshvara#Buddhism#BuddhistPilgrimage#ChineseBuddhism#compassion#Guanyin #GuanShiYin #LotusSutra #Buddha #H.H.DorjeChangBuddhaIII

Source: https://buddhismlearning.com/2021/04/08/%e5%9f%ba%e7%9d%a3%e6%95%99%e5%be%92%e5%94%b1%e8%aa%a6%e4%bd%9b%e6%95%99%e3%80%8a%e5%bf%83%e7%b6%93%e3%80%8b%e6%99%82%e6%b7%9a%e6%b5%81%e6%bb%bf%e9%9d%a2%ef%bc%8c-%e5%8e%9f%e4%be%86%e8%81%96%e6%af%8d/

Masterful Artwork: Portraits of Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

linda changLeave a comment

In the history of painting in China, many renowned artists have used Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva as a subject for their works. These artistic images are beloved by the people because the Bodhisattva is a symbol of compassion. These exalted artistic images subtly influence the inner world of generations, inspiring and shaping the soul of the nation.

The Mogao Caves in Dunhuang are the largest and most well-preserved repository of Buddhist art in China and the world. Among the murals in the Mogao Caves, there are masterpieces of Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva created by painters over the ages, including images of the Water-Moon Guanyin, the White-Robed Guanyin, and the Eleven-Faced Guanyin. It is said that this treasure trove of painting art contains works by masters like Gu Kaizhi and others from various dynasties.

In 1940 Zhang Daqian led a group of artists to the caves of Mogao (莫高) and Yulin (榆林) for the purpose of copying their Buddhist wall paintings. The group completed over 200 paintings, and the experience left Zhang with a repository of religious imagery. He was so captivated by these unparalleled treasures that his original plan to stay for three months extended to two years, during which he dedicated himself to studying and copying the artworks. Today, his paintings of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva are acclaimed as rare and invaluable masterpieces.

The early Tang Dynasty portrait copied by Zhang Daqian is a national first-class cultural relic
Tang Dynasty murals copied by Zhang Daqian
Mid-Tang Dynasty portrait in the Mogao Caves, copied by Zhang Daqian

At  International Art Museum of America, there is a painting of Namo Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III that left a profound impression on me. The portrait is stunningly beautiful, executed with fine brush strokes characteristic of traditional Chinese painting. The artist used very fine and intricate strokes, rendering every detail vividly and perfectly. I could clearly see the hair, the crown, the intricate jewelry, and even the delicate patterns of the flowing ribbons. These details express the painter’s portrayal of Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva’s meticulous compassion and love for all living beings. The entire portrait appears lifelike, exuding infinite grace, and showcasing the artist’s extraordinary skill, which is beyond perfection.

In this meticulous painting, Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is depicted wearing white garments, with a serene and compassionate expression, seemingly walking gracefully accompanied by heavenly music. The Bodhisattva’s face is as delicate as powdered jade, with elegant eyebrows and red lips, and eyes that are reserved yet radiate a light of compassion.

The Bodhisattva’s jewelry, including jade pendants, appears to emit a pleasant chime, and the pink and dark green lotus flowers beneath the feet exude a fragrant aroma. The colorful ribbons on the clothing flutter and dance in the gentle breeze. The entire painting exudes an extraordinary and majestic aura. For hundreds of years, the children of China have dreamed countless times of Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, as if the Bodhisattva is walking toward us from the vast universe.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that within the Bodhisattva’s hair, there is a small figure of Namo Amitabha Buddha, seated with a solemn and exquisite demeanor, wearing a red robe and sitting on a pink and white lotus platform.

The dark green lotus beneath the Bodhisattva’s left foot, the dark blue floral borders on the clothing, and the flowing black hair form a dynamic contrast with the light yellow-brown background and the white robe. The painting uses a large area of light yellow-brown as the background to highlight the pure and elegant clothing, with bright colors as decorative accents. This creates a composition that is both solemn and sacred, yet luxurious.

The Bodhisattva’s attire occupies a significant portion of the painting. If not handled well, it could make the painting appear empty and lifeless. However, the exceptional artist has seized this opportunity, infusing the clothing with a great amount of high-quality ink and brushwork while maintaining overall brightness. The lively and intricate lines are sometimes like flowing clouds and water, sometimes like gentle clouds, sometimes as soft as a summer breeze, and sometimes as powerful as a rushing waterfall. The interweaving lines, though densely packed, are orderly and harmonious. This extraordinary line drawing technique vividly captures the delicate texture of the gauzy fabric. Lines are the earliest form of language in the history of painting and the soul and framework of meticulous figure painting. As a vital expression in Chinese painting, “lines” have always been highly valued by painters throughout the ages.

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III‘s meticulous figure painting uses lines that are flexible and varied, not only vividly portraying the image of Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva but also precisely conveying the Bodhisattva’s noble and pure spiritual essence. This technique of capturing the divine through form has been the artistic ideal that painters have longed for throughout history. Therefore, this great painting by Namo Qiang Buddha is destined to become a model for future generations to learn from and an immortal classic passed down through the ages.

This great artwork not only provides people with artistic enjoyment but also offers a profound spiritual experience. I stood in front of the painting for a long time, feeling as if I were leaving behind all worldly affairs and immersing myself in the Bodhisattva’s boundless compassion forever.

Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2024/05/31/masterful-artwork-portraits-of-namo-avalokitesvara-bodhisattva/

#GuanShiYinBodhisattva#MasterWanKoYee #DorjeChangBuddhaIII #HHDorjeChangBuddhaIII#DorjeChangBuddha#IAMA#InternationalArtMuseumofAmerica#AvalokitasvaraBodhisattva#ChinesePainting#Portrait#Art

Mount HuangShan

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Mount Huangshan, often described as the “loveliest mountain of China,” has played a significant role in the history of Chinese art and literature since the Tang Dynasty around the 8th century. A legend from 747 AD recounts the discovery of the long-sought elixir of immortality on the mountain, which gave Mount Huangshan its name and cemented its place in Chinese history. This legend attracted hermits, poets, and landscape artists, drawn by the dramatic mountainous landscape featuring numerous granite peaks, many over 1,000 meters high, emerging through a perpetual sea of clouds. During the Ming Dynasty in the 16th century, the mountain’s unique rock formations and ancient gnarled trees inspired the influential Shanshui (“Mountain and Water”) school of landscape painting, which profoundly shaped the world’s perception of the oriental landscape.

Located in the humid subtropical monsoon climate zone of Anhui Province, Mount Huangshan covers an area of 16,060 hectares with a buffer zone of 49,000 hectares. It is noted for its botanical richness and the conservation of several locally or nationally endemic plant species, some threatened with extinction.

The cultural significance of Mount Huangshan’s scenic landscape was first recognized during the Tang Dynasty and has been revered ever since. Renamed Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) by imperial order in 747 AD, it became a popular destination for visitors who celebrated its inspiring scenery through painting and poetry, creating a rich body of art and literature of global importance. By the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), 64 temples had been constructed on the mountain. In 1606, the monk Pumen established the Fahai Meditation Temple. By the Ming Dynasty, Mount Huangshan had become a favorite theme of Chinese landscape painters, firmly establishing the Shanshui school of landscape painting. The interaction of man and nature in this scenic setting has inspired generations of Chinese artists and writers.

Mount Huangshan is renowned for its magnificent natural scenery, including massive granite boulders and ancient pine trees, often enhanced by cloud and mist effects. The dramatic landscape features natural stone pillars, grotesquely-shaped rocks, waterfalls, caves, lakes, and hot springs, formed by its complex geological history. The mountain range has many peaks, some over 1,000 meters high, with the three tallest and best-known being Lotus Peak (1,864 meters), Bright Peak (1,860 meters), and Celestial Peak (1,829 meters). The World Heritage Site covers a core area of 154 square kilometers and a buffer zone of 142 square kilometers. The mountains were formed in the Mesozoic era, approximately 100 million years ago, when an ancient sea disappeared due to uplift. Later, during the Quaternary Period, glaciers shaped the landscape.

Lotus Peak. By De-Shao Liu (Terry850324) – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90823373
Celestial Peak By 江上清风1961, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53168150

Vegetation varies with elevation, with mesic forests below 1,100 meters, deciduous forests up to the tree line at 1,800 meters, and alpine grasslands above that. The area boasts diverse flora, with one-third of China’s bryophyte families and more than half of its fern families represented. The Huangshan pine (Pinus hwangshanensis), named after the mountain, is a symbol of vigor as it thrives by growing straight out of the rocks. Many pine trees in the area are over a hundred years old and have unique names, such as the Welcoming-Guests Pine, thought to be over 1,500 years old. The pines vary greatly in shape and size, with the most crooked trees considered the most attractive. Huangshan’s moist climate also supports the growth of tea leaves, and the mountain is renowned as one of China’s premier green tea-growing areas. Mao feng cha (“Fur Peak Tea”), a famous local variety, takes its name from the downy tips of tea leaves found in the region.

Tea Trees in the Cloud

Ying Ke Pine, literally welcome Pine By memes – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=950688

Mount Huangshan often offers views of the clouds from above, known as the Sea of Clouds (yúnhǎi) or “Huangshan Sea,” due to their resemblance to an ocean. Many vistas are named after these cloud formations, such as “North Sea” or “South Sea.” A writer once remarked that to enjoy the magnificence of a mountain, you usually look upwards, but to enjoy Mount Huangshan, you must look downward. The area is also known for notable light effects, such as the renowned sunrises and the phenomenon called Buddha’s Light (fóguāng), which appears only a few times per month.

Mount Huangshan is famous for its stone steps carved into the mountain, with over 60,000 steps throughout the area. The origin date of these steps is unknown, but they are believed to be more than 1,500 years old. Over the years, many scenic spots and physical features have been named, often with narratives behind them. For example, one legend tells of a skeptic who, upon visiting the mountains, was immediately convinced of their beauty. One of the peaks he visited was named Shixin (始信), meaning “start to believe.”

Carved steps to Tiandu Peak By Jakemete at English Wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Wouterhagens using CommonsHelper., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5810245

Shixin Peak By 江上清风1961, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53169922

Bijia Peak (Pen holder Peak), by 颐园新居 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36838268

FeiLai Peak by Carlos Adampol Galindo from DF, México – Ella me preguntó: ¿te gusta?; le contesté: De aquí soy., CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45070874

Much of Huangshan’s reputation stems from its significance in Chinese arts and literature. It has inspired poets such as Li Bai, and has been a frequent subject of poetry, Chinese ink painting, and, more recently, photography. From the Tang Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, over 20,000 poems were written about Huangshan, and a school of painting was named after it. The mountains have also appeared in modern works; director James Cameron cited Huangshan as one of his influences in designing the fictional world of his 2009 film Avatar, and the Chinese animated series Stitch & Ai, a spin-off of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch franchise, is set in the Huangshan mountains.

Ink painting depicting Huangshan by Shitao, 1670 Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=838862

In 1982, Mount Huangshan was declared a “site of scenic beauty and historic interest” by the State Council of China. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990 for its scenery and as a habitat for rare and threatened species. Later, it was certified as a National Geopark and subsequently as a regional geopark (Asia Pacific Geopark Network), before being admitted as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2004.

Mount Huangshan is a habitat for several locally or nationally endemic plant species, many of which are globally threatened. Its flora includes one-third of China’s bryophytes and over half of its pteridophytes. Endemic species to Huangshan include 13 species of pteridophytes and 6 species of higher plants, with many other species endemic to the region or China. This rich flora is complemented by a diverse vertebrate fauna of over 300 species, including 48 mammals, 170 birds, 38 reptiles, 20 amphibians, and 24 fish. Thirteen species are under state protection, including the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa, VU) and the Oriental Stork (Ciconia boyciana, EN).

Additionally, Mount Huangshan has multiple hot springs, mainly located at the foot of Purple Cloud Peak. The water, maintaining a temperature of 42°C (107.6°F) year-round, is rich in carbonates and is said to help prevent skin, joint, and nerve illnesses.

The area has also been a site for scientific research due to its diverse flora and wildlife. In the early 20th century, both Chinese and foreign scientists studied the geology and vegetation of Huangshan. Research continues, such as a late 20th-century field study of Tibetan macaques, a local monkey species.

View from Stone Monkey Gazing at the Sea of Cloud By Nicolascornet – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87551304

Artificial steps on the cliffs of Huangshan By Joe – IMGP1088.JPG, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16824799

Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2024/05/30/mount-huangshan/

Source: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/547/， https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huangshan，https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%BB%84%E5%B1%B1%E9%A3%8E%E6%99%AF%E5%8C%BA/1350521