A topknot of chocolate brown set atop perfectly gilded skin. A dark red tilak between his eyebrows concentrates his ancient gaze inward. His spiralling consciouness radiates upward into a purple cone of Divine Light.
Last night, as I gilded Buddha’s face, I was applying a rather watery concentration of golden paint over his right eyebrow. In a shaky moment, my brush wavered, splashing gilded liquor onto the canvas below. I looked down to catch the drop. “Where did it land?” My eyes caught a watery reflection.
A golden drop, like a tear, streamed from the corner of Buddha’s eye. It trickled down his soft golden cheek, glistening as it rolled towards his beautiful jaw bone. Unexplainable emotion gripped me at that instant – aching sadness at first, then understanding, compassion and love - Pure Love.
I wiped his cheek dry. Catharsis. Is this my weeping Buddha?
-Poseidon’s Muse
6 responses so far ↓
observantbystander // June 25, 2007 at 5:21 pm |
Is Buddha crying from sadness or happiness? Or perhaps both?
Simonne // June 25, 2007 at 5:44 pm |
Oh wow, this is beautiful, can’t extrapolate, it just is. Thank you.
RubyShooZ // June 25, 2007 at 7:00 pm |
I’d like to see a picture of this Buddha when you’re through with it iffen you feel like sharing it.
I’m sure Buddhas are known to cry and it wouldn’t have surprised me at all to say that you had left it as is.
Thanks for sharing your understanding, compassion, love and this story.
poseidonsmuse // June 25, 2007 at 8:16 pm |
Observant – This has been such a deeply spiritual piece for me to paint. I would like to think that my consciousness is opening up as I paint Buddha’s image. I would like to think of Buddha as weeping in “understanding” for humanity. Perhaps, Buddha in his perfectly attuned state has struck a Divine balance. Even his tears reflect this balance. Thus, I would think his tears are those of joy, sorrow, happiness and sadness. Does this make sense?
Simonne – Thank you. Sometimes some of the simplest and most profound things leave us breathless, yes?
Ruby – I would love to share my Buddha painting with you when it is finished. You are right – Buddha’s are known to cry (apparently there are weeping Buddha’s – they are thought to either “grieve” for the world or they cry in “understanding” of humanity). In either case, tears are quite cathartic. I actually cried, myself, after the tear “rolled down his cheek.” There is something deeply moving about the thought of Buddha weeping. Plus, I was listening to Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” which added to my melancholic state. Today, Buddha was painted to an uplifting combination of Peter Gabriel and Sting (it’s all about Balance). [Hugs] (I hope you’re feeling well today).
Simonne // June 26, 2007 at 6:20 am |
Yes, PM, yes, absolutely, yes!
poseidonsmuse // June 26, 2007 at 8:35 am |
Simonne – You are too cute…!