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THUS IS REALIZED Preface |
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I had always believed that I was denied opportunity to become a painter. It was not that I disliked painting. Rather, often times when I looked at the masterpieces of the world through published volumes, marvelling at the skilful strokes which surpassed even the angels', and at the techniques that brought to life even the details of the subjects, I felt as if the viewers and the artists were placed in two separate worlds. This type of presentation seemed to demonstrate to me an air of cold magnificence and a gaze of aloof pride constantly shown in the eyes of an aristocrat. I was humbled, and only wished to stay away at a respectful distance. Buddhist practice, however, brought me surprising changes, if not wonders. Since the time when I drew the first "totemic symbols" on a piece of serviette, more than ten years had passed. Now, not only did I launch my first oil painting exhibition in Taiwan; I am about to present my art in front of the whole world. "How daring!" I laughed and said to myself. Well, I would say that it is perhaps not because I am spiritually accomplished, but rather because the Buddhas have taught me to transcend beyond my sense of "self," which gives me the boldness to try. After the conclusion of my debut exhibition held last year in Taiwan, I began to think of the next step: If I continued to paint, what should I do in order to transform myself? This thought had challenged my mental energy for a long while. It was not until one day when I was sitting in meditation, an inspiration floated through my mind-The Diamond Sutra. Aha! Thirty-two pieces of painting for thirty-two chapters of The Diamond Sutra. Great! But, it also meant to test the will power of a spiritual practitioner by way of self-torment.
It was a challenge to capture with perfection the essence of each single chapter of The Diamond Sutra; it was a mental fight to aesthetically convert it into visual image. It was then an all-out battle in the sense of incorporating different elements into a holistic presentation: totemic symbols, creative ideas, Zen wisdom, and the insight of kóan (a catechetical contemplation device for enlightenment). Spanning across 2006 and 2007, I constantly prayed to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas even in my sleep, "Please bring inspiration to my dreams." Often times, I found myself standing in front of the canvass, holding in my hand a copy of The Diamond Sutra; my mind was nevertheless utterly blank, so blank that I almost apologized to myself! The whole series was finally completed in April. Out of ecstasy, I inexplicably, as mumbling some dream talk, made further commitment-I shall take upon myself the following projects: a series of Luminous Kings, a series of Bodhidharma, a series of Inheritance, a series of 2029 Self-Portrait, a series of the Primary Patriarch Temple (i.e., Yuan-Dao Guanyin Temple), a series of Thirty-Three Manifestations of Bodhisattva Guanyin, a series of Cultivation. That is why many additional characters emerge in this volume. Fortunately, they are all preaching Buddha dharma one way or another. Truly, it is the Buddha dharma that gives me the courage to pick up the paint brush; what is portrayed, at the tip of that brush, is certainly the Buddha dharma! Lee Sun-Don,
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