Painting Session: "Painting for Cory"

Om Ram Ramaya Namaha!







January 2010
Series of Photos
"Me Painting"

Meredith snapped a couple shots the other night when I was full force into a painting session. This is a rare glimpse at my painting space. The Sacred Painting Space that you see in the photo is a 9' x 9' room with a scarlet read wall and two pillars adorning the entrance. Although I may not enjoy "condo"-living as much as the next american dreamer, I do appreciate the space and for the second time in my life I have found a space that is conducive for creative exploration.

Saraswati is sitting next me and she is smiling... I love her.

Om Eim Saraswatyei!
Om Brzee Namaha!

Peace Profound

::)
Dustin

Painting Session: "Painting for Cory"

Fine Art Post 30: "Cyclops"

Om Ram Ramaya Namaha!



"Cyclops"
9" x 12"
Graphite on Drawing Paper

Drawing Affirmation:
"I am Cyclops. I am Foresight. I have been forewarned."

If you like the drawing, you can purchase it @: Shoppe

Om Eim Saraswatyei Swaha!
Om Brzee Namaha!

Peace Profound

::)
Dustin

Fine Art Post 30: "Cyclops"

Fine Art Post 29: "Mystical Dragon 2"

Om Ram Ramaya Namaha!




"Mystical Dragon 2"
11" x 14"
Graphite on Drawing Paper

Drawing Affirmation:
"I am the Eightfold Path... I am Determined... I am Success."

I don't know why exactly but the mystical dragon told me to remind you of the Eightfold Path:

The Noble Eightfold Path describes the way to the end of suffering, as it was laid out by Siddhartha Gautama. It is a practical guideline to ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing the individual from attachments and delusions; and it finally leads to understanding the truth about all things. Together with the Four Noble Truths it constitutes the gist of Buddhism. Great emphasis is put on the practical aspect, because it is only through practice that one can attain a higher level of existence and finally reach Nirvana. The eight aspects of the path are not to be understood as a sequence of single steps, instead they are highly interdependent principles that have to be seen in relationship with each other.

1. Right View

Right view is the beginning and the end of the path, it simply means to see and to understand things as they really are and to realise the Four Noble Truth. As such, right view is the cognitive aspect of wisdom. It means to see things through, to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas, and to understand the law of karma and karmic conditioning. Right view is not necessarily an intellectual capacity, just as wisdom is not just a matter of intelligence. Instead, right view is attained, sustained, and enhanced through all capacities of mind. It begins with the intuitive insight that all beings are subject to suffering and it ends with complete understanding of the true nature of all things. Since our view of the world forms our thoughts and our actions, right view yields right thoughts and right actions.

2. Right Intention

While right view refers to the cognitive aspect of wisdom, right intention refers to the volitional aspect, i.e. the kind of mental energy that controls our actions. Right intention can be described best as commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions: 1. the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire, 2. the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion, and 3. the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion.

3. Right Speech

Right speech is the first principle of ethical conduct in the eightfold path. Ethical conduct is viewed as a guideline to moral discipline, which supports the other principles of the path. This aspect is not self-sufficient, however, essential, because mental purification can only be achieved through the cultivation of ethical conduct. The importance of speech in the context of Buddhist ethics is obvious: words can break or save lives, make enemies or friends, start war or create peace. Buddha explained right speech as follows: 1. to abstain from false speech, especially not to tell deliberate lies and not to speak deceitfully, 2. to abstain from slanderous speech and not to use words maliciously against others, 3. to abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others, and 4. to abstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose or depth. Positively phrased, this means to tell the truth, to speak friendly, warm, and gently and to talk only when necessary.

4. Right Action

The second ethical principle, right action, involves the body as natural means of expression, as it refers to deeds that involve bodily actions. Unwholesome actions lead to unsound states of mind, while wholesome actions lead to sound states of mind. Again, the principle is explained in terms of abstinence: right action means 1. to abstain from harming sentient beings, especially to abstain from taking life (including suicide) and doing harm intentionally or delinquently, 2. to abstain from taking what is not given, which includes stealing, robbery, fraud, deceitfulness, and dishonesty, and 3. to abstain from sexual misconduct. Positively formulated, right action means to act kindly and compassionately, to be honest, to respect the belongings of others, and to keep sexual relationships harmless to others. Further details regarding the concrete meaning of right action can be found in the Precepts.

5. Right Livelihood

Right livelihood means that one should earn one's living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully. The Buddha mentions four specific activities that harm other beings and that one should avoid for this reason: 1. dealing in weapons, 2. dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution), 3. working in meat production and butchery, and 4. selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs. Furthermore any other occupation that would violate the principles of right speech and right action should be avoided.

6. Right Effort

Right effort can be seen as a prerequisite for the other principles of the path. Without effort, which is in itself an act of will, nothing can be achieved, whereas misguided effort distracts the mind from its task, and confusion will be the consequence. Mental energy is the force behind right effort; it can occur in either wholesome or unwholesome states. The same type of energy that fuels desire, envy, aggression, and violence can on the other side fuel self-discipline, honesty, benevolence, and kindness. Right effort is detailed in four types of endeavours that rank in ascending order of perfection: 1. to prevent the arising of unarisen unwholesome states, 2. to abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen, 3. to arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and 4. to maintain and perfect wholesome states already arisen.

7. Right Mindfulness

Right mindfulness is the controlled and perfected faculty of cognition. It is the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness. Usually, the cognitive process begins with an impression induced by perception, or by a thought, but then it does not stay with the mere impression. Instead, we almost always conceptualise sense impressions and thoughts immediately. We interpret them and set them in relation to other thoughts and experiences, which naturally go beyond the facticity of the original impression. The mind then posits concepts, joins concepts into constructs, and weaves those constructs into complex interpretative schemes. All this happens only half consciously, and as a result we often see things obscured. Right mindfulness is anchored in clear perception and it penetrates impressions without getting carried away. Right mindfulness enables us to be aware of the process of conceptualisation in a way that we actively observe and control the way our thoughts go. Buddha accounted for this as the four foundations of mindfulness: 1. contemplation of the body, 2. contemplation of feeling (repulsive, attractive, or neutral), 3. contemplation of the state of mind, and 4. contemplation of the phenomena.

8. Right Concentration

The eighth principle of the path, right concentration, refers to the development of a mental force that occurs in natural consciousness, although at a relatively low level of intensity, namely concentration. Concentration in this context is described as one-pointedness of mind, meaning a state where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one particular object. Right concentration for the purpose of the eightfold path means wholesome concentration, i.e. concentration on wholesome thoughts and actions. The Buddhist method of choice to develop right concentration is through the practice of meditation. The meditating mind focuses on a selected object. It first directs itself onto it, then sustains concentration, and finally intensifies concentration step by step. Through this practice it becomes natural to apply elevated levels concentration also in everyday situations.

Source

If you like the drawing, you can purchase it @: Shoppe

Om Eim Saraswatyei Swaha!
Om Brzee Namaha!

Peace Profound

::)
Dustin

Fine Art Post 29: "Mystical Dragon 2"

Fine Art Post 28: "No Authority No Masters"

Om Ram Ramaya Namaha!



"No Authority No Masters"
8.5" x 11"
Graphite on Drawing Paper (Bond)

I would be lying if I said that I adhere to any sort of Authority or Hierarchy... and it's not necessarily because I am a radical, or a revolutionary or a anarchist... those are all just words that point to concepts. And although I was a quasi-rebellious teenager, I do not have any "problem" with Authority. It seems like I can follow directions very well, but in Reality, there also seems to be No Authority or Masters, so why should I pretend like there are? Can you answer me that? Why do we pretend like our parents know better? Why do we pretend like our teachers, lawyers and doctors know better? Why do we still pretend like our Resumes matter? Why do we pretend like prison rehabilitates? Why do we pretend like we have it "together"? Why do we pretend like if we didn't have Government we wouldn't be safe the world we be chaos? Or that if we didn't have Police, the streets would be chaos... have you been in the "streets" lately (I guess it's how one defines chaos)? Why are we Pretending like we are Free instead of Living like we are Free? Yes... this is a matter of individual perspective, that's why I am asking you yours?

Many of these concepts, like Authority, Hierarchy, Liberty, Enlightenment, most people haven't even begun to contemplate. Most of us just accept what people tell us... it seems like we very rarely challenge each other. Maybe because we know if we challenge each other we might push one of Us over the edge. We are insecure and we are fragile, and no matter how many times we keep repeating the story, we still feel that emptiness, that void. It's not a matter of gaining our soul back, if we are alive, our soul never left. This is about forgiving our - Self for the asshole that you know it is, and then we can forgive all the other assholes in our lives. Then it seems like we can move on and create a new reality where all the assholes in our lives are now Enlightened - beings, and so we are and we can be.

I have been told that I have the ability to be very inspirational and very motivating but I have also been told that I can push a person to suicide. I will admit that I am relentless... and I know this may sound contradicting, especially from someone who claims to hold Compassion, Understanding, and Enlightenment as the highest principles of Human-living, but most people are already dead. It's hard to hear, I know, and it sounds pessimistic, it sounds negative, maybe even arrogant, but I am willing to risk being called all of these things to WAKE YOU UP!!! And maybe you don't need to be woken up? Maybe I'm not the person to help in your awakening? But I have been gifted, and I have had the determintation to recognize who is awake and who isn't. It is not necessarily a "judgment"- thing, for me, it is more of a "sense of energy, or vibration". This concept also may be difficult for people who do not trust their senses enough to know that there are other senses that cannot be explained, especially by science, or "rational - pragmatists" who seem to be more like "material - illusionists".

I kind of flow in the stream of rational spirituality, which is a only a combination of words, but it is a concept, when contemplated, that can open you up to infinite dimensions... where the mundane reality that you thought was "Real" is only one level of a multi - dimensional existence.

It's kind of fucked up, because the more I have lost my mind, the more sane I have become, internally at least. But I seem insane to everyone else. I don't care though... and not in some nilhistic, fuck-you, kind-of-way, but more of a; I can't worry about what other people think, because most "other-people" are trapped in Ego, Role and Story. And I don't know the future but I have to do what is true. If you want to challenge me your wasting your time because you've already won... but if you want to challenge what is True, what is Truth, then feel free... feel Free... FEEL FREE.... FEEL FREE.... close your eyes and feel it, it's right there... really feel it... let it absorb your whole being... let it become you and realize that it is you... it is me... we are FREE! WE ARE FREE!!! WE ARE FREE!!! WE ARE FREE!!!

From a broad perspective we can see that we really don't give a shit what anyone thinks anyway, some of us still pretend to. It's not "bad" -thing, or you are not a shitty - person if you define your - self by what you own, what your job is, your family, your economical status, your race, your sex, your gender, or your species but this is all a story... an illusion. A way to stay trapped in the Wheel of Suffering or The Wheel of Life. See, I tend to call it The Wheel of Suffering, Samsara (like the buddhists), because Life is Love and Love is everything, in and outside the wheel. Life is a vibration not a wheel. The stream of life is never out of reach, we will never be thirsty when we Live. We will never go hungry when we Live. The Life - Force is infinite and if you remove the veils, the illusions, the story, you will never die. We will not Die. Life is One transition to another. Always changing and always evolving. Don't fuck with it... just flow.

The Four Noble Truths

1. Life means suffering.

2. The origin of suffering is attachment.

3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.

4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

1. Life means suffering.

To live means to suffer, because the human nature is not perfect and neither is the world we live in. During our lifetime, we inevitably have to endure physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and eventually death; and we have to endure psychological suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression. Although there are different degrees of suffering and there are also positive experiences in life that we perceive as the opposite of suffering, such as ease, comfort and happiness, life in its totality is imperfect and incomplete, because our world is subject to impermanence. This means we are never able to keep permanently what we strive for, and just as happy moments pass by, we ourselves and our loved ones will pass away one day, too.

2. The origin of suffering is attachment.

The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and the ignorance thereof. Transient things do not only include the physical objects that surround us, but also ideas, and -in a greater sense- all objects of our perception. Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to impermanent things. The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, ardour, pursuit of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity, or in short: craving and clinging. Because the objects of our attachment are transient, their loss is inevitable, thus suffering will necessarily follow. Objects of attachment also include the idea of a "self" which is a delusion, because there is no abiding self. What we call "self" is just an imagined entity, and we are merely a part of the ceaseless becoming of the universe.

3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.

The cessation of suffering can be attained through nirodha. Nirodha means the unmaking of sensual craving and conceptual attachment. The third noble truth expresses the idea that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion. Nirodha extinguishes all forms of clinging and attachment. This means that suffering can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause of suffering. Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels that ultimately results in the state of Nirvana. Nirvana means freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas. Nirvana is not comprehensible for those who have not attained it.

4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

There is a path to the end of suffering - a gradual path of self-improvement, which is described more detailed in the Eightfold Path. It is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism); and it leads to the end of the cycle of rebirth. The latter quality discerns it from other paths which are merely "wandering on the wheel of becoming", because these do not have a final object. The path to the end of suffering can extend over many lifetimes, throughout which every individual rebirth is subject to karmic conditioning. Craving, ignorance, delusions, and its effects will disappear gradually, as progress is made on the path.

(Source)

What we Are, in Essence, is Consciousness. We Are Consciousness experiencing a multi-dimensional, interconnected, virtual reality and until a good portion of Us realize this, we will continue to let other people Rule Us. We will let other people manipulate our minds, and control the direction of our flow. Until we realize that we are Divine, and that each and every one of us is the center of our own universe. That each and every one of Us, is God, and that we are simultaneously projecting an infinitely-dimensional reality that really has no limits or rules. Yes there is a Tree of Knowledge, and yes there are the Laws of Nature, but a new dimension has opened, and a new portal to healthy living has revealed itself, and this is the Tree of Love. Where all things realize their true nature and transcend the Wheel of Life... The Wheel of Suffering.

This, this thing, this thing we call Reality... it is a big movie. A big story-line, written by the Illuminati. We wake up ever morning and we put on our costumes, we assume our role and we live life through the story - line. We generally think that life is mundane and that drugs, alcohol, and processed foods are the only escape from such a boring existence. We submit to limitless authority and we think that we do this because we are "free". We think we do this because this is what "progress" looks like. We think we do this because we are altruistic and the rest of the world is sick and we have to save them. There really is no One to save you but your - Self. And you can hide under the bottle. You can hide under the prescription pills. You can hide under the pain. You can hide under "your personality". You can hide under the suppression. You can hide under the fear. You can hide under the government. You can hide under your childhood and you can hide under your stuck emotions. Or you can remember to start breathing. Breathe.

Don't stop breathing.

In and out. INnnnn and OUTttttt.

Inhale through the nose, exhale through the nose.

Life is breath, I am breathing.

It ebs and it flows.

It is a Riddle.

A Ride.

A Vibration.

A Note.

A Tone.

A Hum.

A Dance

Hear my breath.

Here my breath.

Here I am.

I am.

Am.

M.

.

I was a character in this story for far too long. I have let go of the story, and although I still create art, I still express how I feel, I still communicate, and I may live in the illusion but I do not live from the illusion... No - thing will ever look the same. I am not afraid of my - self anymore and I am not afraid of you. You can keep telling me your story and I will listen but what I really want to know is, are you awake? Are you free? Can you love me? Can I love you? Can we dance together? Can we create together? Can we Live together?

We can live in the Light and We can give space for the Darkness. Don't be afraid. We are here... just start telling people who you really are... let them know what moves you and what scares you. It's a perfect process, and never-ending process. The apocalypse is Now... it's a simple choice... Insanity... or Enlightenment.

Many thanks from heart to all of you who have shown me that I can be me and I can love... and I don't have to be afraid anymore.

Om Eim Saraswatyei Swaha!

Om Brzee Namaha!

Peace Profound

::)

Dustin

Fine Art Post 28: "No Authority No Masters"

Fine Art Post 27: "Cosmic Flower"

Om Ram Ramaya Namaha!



"Cosmic Flower"
17" x 28"
Graphite on Antique Drawing Paper

A taste of new things to come.

Om Eim Saraswatyei Swaha!
Om Brzee Namaha!

Peace Profound

::)
Dustin

Fine Art Post 27: "Cosmic Flower"