Art and Wisdom

Having returned from a weekend workshop at the Shambhala Mountain Center with Sue West (Art Director of Naropa University) on "Contemplation and Art" I feel inspired and frustrated. Sue is an amazing source of artistic and spiritual information and experience all of which she is willing to share. Our daily practice was contemplation on words of wisdom from gurus to artists followed by the art process as meditation. I love art for this reason – it is meditation in action. As Rilke writes in a Letters To a Young Poet, "I know of no other advice than this: Go within and scale the depths of your being from which your very life springs forth." The weekend art practice was to paint from within.

So why do I feel frustrated? Because my ordinary mind came roaring back the minute I got home which happens particularly when I'm tired. I found myself being very critical of my art and accomplishments. In today's daily reading from As We Understood I am reminded that we all have our talents and gifts to share. Sue West also said on the first day of our retreat that we are radiant beings. This is proven by the fact that we radiate heat and therefore energy. Anything from a smile to art from our hearts is radiated forth to the world. With these reminders I return to balance.

The system that I have been reflecting on in regards to what makes a Bodhisattva artist is from Buddhism. In an article from Shambhala Sun entitled "The Bodhisattva" Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche explains that, "the bodhisattva is not a god or deity but a way of being we can all aspire to." It is an ideal to which we commit ourselves to put others before ourselves. Sogyal Rinpoche puts this into a simple formula: many > one. When we work to benefit the many, we too benefit since we are part of the whole. Checking our artistic intentions when we create is a good place to remember our interconnectedness. Are we creating from a place of joy and delight? If not, say for example we are expressing grief or fear in our art, is our intention to heal? When we realize that suffering and confusion exist in ourselves and others we commit to alleviating it. Through training our minds and actions we can realize inner peace.

This is true wisdom. We can develop this wisdom by listening and reflecting on the teachings of enlightened beings and then through meditation we gain the practical experience that eliminates our doubts. As an artist this can be accomplished by attending workshops that provide an environment within which we can hear the experiences of other artists, contemplate on the shared truths and information, and have the opportunity to move beyond our habitual way of perceiving. We work to see through habitual mind and delusion. In Words of My Perfect Teacher under "Transcendent Wisdom," Patrul Rinpoche presents "eight similes of illusion." They are poetic descriptions of how to perceive our inner and outer world with non-attachment and gentle humor. When we see the falseness, the delusion of our thoughts and emotions we, as Pema Chodron writes in Comfortable With Uncertainty, uncover "the wisdom we are blocking – the wisdom of bodhichitta – [which then] becomes available." If we practice art from the very depths of our hearts with the aspiration to be of benefit to others then we are definitely working to manifest being Bodhisattva Artists.

The art that I created above is inspired by contemplating on wisdom. Traditionally wisdom is represented by the bell and the feminine. (And the dorje and masculine depict compassion. Both compassion and wisdom are necessary for enlightenment.) While I was reading about wisdom I also watched a documentary on string theory whereby everything is interconnected. This is represented in my drawing by the wavy lines in the background. This piece is created with gouache and colored pencil.

This concludes the series on the six principles of bodhichitta in regards to becoming a Bodhisattva Artist. I am grateful for the inspiration from my many teachers. May these my musings be of benefit to you.

Join me next week as I begin writing on the good wishes within the Eight Auspicious Symbols (Tibetan) and Art.

Joyous creating!

Susan