Quote:

Dear Branka,

You may know that the Tibetan Buddhist monks laboriously "paint" wonderful, beautiful sand mandalas rich in profound spiritual and symbolic meaning about what they perceive as our real, trascendental universe according to the Buddha doctrine. More wonderful than the ethereal beauty of these mandalas is the fact that the monks use variously colored sands to "paint" those mandalas collectively, and that in doing so (which usually takes a long while to complete) they must cover their nostrils so as to not blow the powder up with their breathing, which would destroy the unfinished work all too prematurely.

I guess the monks must be armed with a lot of patience - Buddhist patience - in order to successfully complete "their" mandala (of course it is not theirs, they are not supposed to possess anything). Another thought that comes to mind is, they must derive a very special spiritual joy while working on it and, I expect, some kind of satisfaction when it is finished out.

How then can the fact be explained that right after they have completed their work they immediately go on and instantaneously destroy it by purposedly blowing on it? Quite simply, from the fact that the ritual of creating the mandala has had no other purpose than emphasize the impermanence of all things, of all life and of all works and, above all, of the biggest of them all - our own universe. They have just represented, in all its wonderful and inexorable way, the cosmic drama of the creation and disolution of the universe. 

For all my personal wishes and the effort that I would like to put on it, I am afraid that I will never possess this kind of patience.   However, your point is clear and has hit on target.

Thank you,

Luis Miguel Goitizolo

 

 

  

Yes Miguel - making mandalas is really that kind of example which can teach us a lot. Like with IDEA (idea chooses man - not opposite) , I am pretty sure that MANDALA  ACTUALLY IS MAKING the monks :) .

MANDALA IS VEEEEERY POWERFUL . I never have had enough time ( didn`t need that) but in one phase of my ..... learning, I passed Buddhism ... and still Lord Buddha and Dalai Lama offers their support when I am in need. Specially to enable my clear understanding. Sometimes I learn there (at nonphysical realities) things about which I have never heard physically , and Lord Buddha, or Dalai Lama helps me to understand. 

I enjoyed your words very much, thank you.

Happy to see this forum attracts more people.

It surely deserves attention.

Love and hugs to Roger and you, and all our friends,

Branka

Hi Kathleen,

I am so glad that you like Winslow Homer's works. Actually, he was a revelation for me as well, and I have not had the time to go deep enough into his biography, his career and his artistic evolution as to make any really valuable commentary about his works. But that I ike them, especially his later works, you can bet I do. And I love his watercolor paintings, at least, those that I have been able to appreciate so far.

I am sorry the second part of your message went unnoticed by me this morning. If I had seen it I would have included your name with Branka's in my reply to her a couple of hours ago. Of course I know I must be patient. If I had to mention one defect of mine (and I have many) it would be lack of patience. Above all, I don't have patience with a certain kind of people and then, with some machines. I refuse even to learn how some devices work. So your advice is highly appreciated, and I will try to always follow it... with a couple of exceptions.Lol

Wait to see what new paintings by Winslow homer I will post hopefully this evening. Wow!

Best Wishes,

Miguel

Hello to all...too many good friends here.

I have always liked Winslow Homer's works but never knew much...if anything...about the man.  I'm glad this thread exists...and mandalas,..and monks....and friends!!

Have a great day!

Don

Hello Roger,

I just read in "Sharing the Beauty Within" that thought of yours that you needed to share, and which I find just remarkable:

"All great men leave behind footprints, if you search diligently you will find some. You may follow many, but you can only follow one at a time with commitment" Roger Macdivitt

On reading this, I remembered "my" recent discovery in this very topic, that "all great artists and musicians and writers (...)  were not followers, they were - not always, but mainly - followed."  Note that I said it in the past tense, as I don't think that there really are great artists, musicians and writers nowadays - at least, not in the sense of great and unique those in the past were. 

It is amazing how our minds seem to be working along similar lines at this time, which, by the way, makes me think the I AM YOU preconized by Branka may have to do with it; for while I was referring to artists only, it could perfectly apply to great men in any fields of life.

My point is, Winslow Homer's attitude at the works of other artists of his time could respond not so much to his fearing one might compromise his or her own style by studying and following them, as to the simple fact that he actually did not see those other artists - with the possible exception of one or two among the main impressionists - as really "great" - again, in every sense. 

Best Wishes,

Luis Miguel Goitizolo

Dear Friends,

Well I will now post three beautiful watercolors by Winslow Homer that I am sure will appeal everyone by their extreme but perfectly simple beauty. All three make use of a very similar palette and have a peaceful, dreamy quality about them that makes it difficult to tell who their author is.

Four Boys at a Beach (circa 1873)

Girl Carrying a Basket (1882)

Santiago de Cuba (1885)
 

With the only possible exception of "Boys at a Beach" (a mere sketch of rare perfection), these watercolous could have been painted by a Goya. Right?

Conversely, I will leave it for tomorrow to surprise you with three other paintings that are very dissimilar from one another but curiously enough, at least for those of us who are more familiar with Winslow Homer's works by now, are fairly easier to recognize as his.

Hope to see you tomorrow.

Nice Dreams,

Luis Miguel Goitizolo