Painting Compassion

This summer my friend, Sue Hammond West, suggested I read Smile of the Buddha: Eastern Philosophy and Western Art from Monet to Today written by Jacquelynn Baas. I love Baas' perspective on art history. She shows how Buddhist philosophy was introduced to European art culture and the influence it had on how and what artists perceived and painted.

Since today's blog is on Verse 7 of the Eight Verses of Mind Training, I am excited to dovetail one of the artists from Smile of the Buddha into my musings: Vincent van Gogh! Most of what I remember of van Gogh is his beautiful paintings and his tortured spirit. I knew he had a strong Evangelical background, but I didn't know the extent of Japanese Buddhism's influence on his and other 19^th century European artists. Baas writes, "Art was more effective than religion in conveying his deeply felt compassion for humankind." Van Gogh was a sensitive, generous, reflective, deeply caring man who wanted to alleviate suffering. Buddhism was very inspiring to his work. He "had come to see the ideal artist's life as that of a kind of bodhisattva, dwelling austerely and serenely . . . and devoting himself to the expression of compassion through the creation of works of art that evoke the connections between all levels of existence." (p31-32 Smile)

As I read this essay on van Gogh I kept thinking of Verse 7. Geshe Langri Thangpa's core version states, "Give help and happiness to others, and take on their harm and suffering." In his paintings, van Gogh was giving his supreme joy of feeling spiritually inspired and interconnected . . . Moving brush stokes and color reveals a world that is alive and magical. Van Gogh's paintings visually give a teaching on the Buddhist philosophy.

While Baas and other art historians have documented the Buddhist texts, philosophers, and art forms that van Gogh was aware of I can't help wondering what direction his life would have taken had he had the support of a lineage teacher and a sangha. It is apparent that van Gogh longed for monastic life and tried to create such in Arles with Gauguin. However, without a lineage master and supportive community to study and practice with, it is obvious that van Gogh fell into deep confusion and loneliness. His angst may have included confusion about martyrdom, perhaps leading to his unhappy choice of suicide; which is not what is meant by the Buddhist philosophy of "taking on the suffering of others."

According to HH Dalai Lama in Transforming the Mind, Verse 7 specifically relates to the practice of tonglen - the practice of giving and receiving. Briefly this involves the deep understanding that we all wish to be happy; that we are all one / interconnected; that it is an act of egolessness to "exchange myself for another." It is an attitude we integrate so as to loosen the hold of the ego.

The tonglen practice can be applied to working with our own suffering, that of another's suffering, and the suffering of the world. In the art class I'm teaching on grieving we did a "giving and receiving loving kindness" exercise. First we drew a body scan of the suffering we felt. Then we drew an image of ourselves onto which we drew all the compassion and kindness we wished ourselves to have. The change in the students was palpable. The room's energy went from sadness to lightness with the experience of transforming the mind through compassion.

The image I've drawn for this verse is of a laughing dolphin (illustrated with gouache and color pencil). Dolphins have an amazing ability to heal. Much has been written on the gentleness of dolphins and how their keen sensitivity and awareness can transform our perceptions regarding human relations with nature. They are bodhisattva's of the sea.

May we all be well and inspired to act with compassion.

Susan