Tuesday, May 5, 2009
2 lions and 3 suns
Nora kindly agreed to let me share her drawing of 2 lions dancing under 3 suns. I can't help wonder where this vision came from. I hope you can forgive a mother's pride.
I'm getting familiar with my new book, Ocean of Nectar by G.K. Gyatso. I bought the book because the title shakes me deeply, and also because I'm obsessed with Buddhist teaching presently, but last night I was delighted to learn that the text deals with the teachings of Nagarjuna, an important Buddhist philospher and poser of the tetralemma, a philosophical equation that some use as an antidote to the mindset of Aristotelian dualism. Just in time, as I was getting stuck in the quagmire of trying to speak Buddhist but sounding like a nihilist. Right-o Lisanne McT?
Anyway I opened Ocean of Nectar randomly this morning and had a sip, and found these lines written by a King devoted to Chandrakirti, Nagarjuna's chief disciple.
The the power of Glorious Chandrakirti
The mighty stone lion came to life,
And brought the Dhuraka war to an end
Without harming a single person.
There are many remarkable legends from that part of the world, not the least of which is the Life Story of Milarepa, a 10th Century Tibetan sorcerer turned Buddhist, also in the book pile.
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6 comments:
That is an AMAZING drawing! You HAVE TO be proud...
ps - are you saying i sound like a buddhist nihilist?
A mother's "pride"....Get it???
No, FIB, in your comment you warned me of the tendency to take idea that "nothing exists" as way of not caring about the world. I appreciated that.
Wow, that is beautiful! You have a genius artist on your hands, there.
You coming out to Blogfest tomorrow night? Find me at the raffle table if you're there!
Thanks Mrs. Motley. Sadly, it's looking like I might not be able to make it to the Blogfest. Why so may things have to happen on Thursday May 7 I have no idea.
What a fabulous drawing. So full of life and joy, and with a little bit of an edge, I think.
Daniel
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