SEEING THE MOUNTAIN AS A NON-MOUNTAIN
We know that, as soon as one enters the door of the Buddhadharma, one’s perception of the world will undergo a transformation. In the past there was a Zen Master who explained it this way. Before, his entrance into Buddhism, he saw a mountain as a mountain and water as water. After entrance, he saw a mountain as a non-mountain and water as non-water. After a while, he achieved Realization and he again saw a mountain as a mountain and water as water. What do these three stages mean? One has to contemplate and experience them.
Recently I have started to learn Chinese painting. My teacher is Mrs. Au Moolan from San Francisco. Mrs. Au learned painting from Chao Shao-an, a very good Ling-nan style painter who has had many teachers himself. I have taken up lessons so I can paint when I get old and have nothing else to do. [audience laughter] The two activities I have decided on are music and painting. I can entertain myself with a musical instrument and my own voice – which probably will not generate any income. [audience laughter] Painting is better. I can exhibit the paintings and publish albums of my paintings. Mrs. Au came and stayed for a week to teach me.
We know that we see a mountain as a mountain and water as water but, after I started painting, I found that a mountain was not a mountain and that water was not water! [audience laughter] Water could become a mountain in my painting and vice versa. [audience laughter] You could also say that in my paintings a cow becomes a horse and vice versa. [audience laughter] In the process of painting, one’s consciousness undergoes transformations. When one enters the door of the Buddhadharma, one also sees with a different perception. Therefore, I am not learning the "meticulous" style of painting, which takes a long time and much study. I am learning the "essence" style, which creates renderings that do not look exactly like the objects portrayed but which capture their essence. In "essence" painting, one is painting with one’s mind. If an exact reproduction is wanted, one can learn to use a camera instead of learning to draw. Why would one want to draw in an exact manner that does not express any spirit? When one draws an object, one wants to express the unique quality and the invisible spirit of that particular object. A really good painting does this. What I am learning from Mrs. Au are her techniques of brush strokes and mixing colors. In the future, I hope you will come and lend me support. [audience laughter and applause] "Essence" style paintings are very simple, with the essence of a painted object sometimes expressed in one or a few strokes.
The practice of Buddhadharma is the same as the art of painting. Before beginning, one sees a mountain as a mountain and water as water. One knows that a mountain is stationary and water is fluid. A painter who captures the fluidity of a mountain and the stillness of water is one who is able to see into other dimensions. It is the same with practicing Buddhism. After practicing Buddhism for a period of time, one no longer sees a mountain as a mountain and water as water. Why? This is because one becomes awakened to the fundamental essence of all beings.
One day I came upon an album of paintings by the painter Yang Shan Sheng. After looking carefully through it, I passed it to Mrs. Lu. Mrs. Lu also looked through it and then remarked to me, "About his paintings, I’d rather have a slice of toast." What she meant was that she thought one could get more flavor out of a piece of bread. This was because Mrs. Lu does not understand paintings [audience laughter] We cannot blame her. Yang Shan Sheng does not have to be offended by her as she really cannot understand. [audience laughter] His paintings have the essence of "seeing a mountain as a non-mountain and water as non-water," although there is also in them the more conventional element of "a mountaing as a mountain and water as water." What struck me, however, was that the paintings of a skillful and experienced painter such as he could resemble those drawn by me, a kindergartner in painting. [audience laughter] Several of my exercise sheets had such terrible paintings on them that I had to reapply ink to erase what I had originally drawn. When I perused Yang Shan Sheng’s album, I found that there was no difference between those few scrawlings of mine and some of his work! [audience laughter] I told myself that I should not throw away those few precious sheets, as such works were also found in Yang Shan Sheng’s album. [audience laughter] When I ran into Master Lian-teng, I commented to him, “Yang Shan Sheng is a great painter. It is strange that his album contains painting that look like a few big brush strokes or just pouring ink onto papers and allowing them to dry.” Master Lian-teng said insightfully, “This is because at the stage of Ultimate Realization, a mountain looks like a mountain and water looks like water again.” [audience laughter and applause]
We have here Master Lian-jun of Indonesia who is also a painter of ink and color. The subjects of her paintings are shrimps, crabs, swallows, pines, cranes, flowers, and birds. At my house I have some of her paintings. She paints very well and some of her paintings have garnered her awards. She studies her subjects every time before she draws them. For example, if she wants to draw a painting of crabs, she will buy many crabs and observe them crawling around before drawing them. One time her husband said to her, “Fortunately you don’t draw tigers. We would be in trouble if you bought a tiger.” [audience laughter]
Whether one enters the door of the Buddhadharma through “theory” or “practice,” there will ultimately be the awakening to the realm of “as-is-ness.” After crossing the threshold, transformations starts to occur which lead to the realization of one’s “innate freedom” and the entering into “as-is-ness.” In the realm of Emptiness, when one’s ego expands to embrace all, there will be a spontaneous manifestation of one’s Original Face. The Original Face will also manifest itself in such a person’s paintings. There is an important link between practicing Buddhism and painting! Have you heard of “Zen paintings”? When a Zen master paints, he or she enters completely into the state of total purity wherein the egotistical consciousness and mind are transcended. Such a non-strategic painting is an excellent rendering reproduced from within, and it transcends both time and culture.
Amituofo
Lotuschef
Pure Karma
True Buddha School
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