Christmas: East and West

Samadhi Series:  I See the Emerald Buddha for the First Time (detail)

In September, I went to Thailand for the first time. On the first day when the Dean and her husband took me to the Grand Palace in Bangkok, I saw the Emerald Buddha in the temple.  The Emerald Buddha is so beautiful.  It is set up high on an altar, high above worshippers and admirers. I cannot capture the beauty and the feeling of experiencing the Emerald Buddha.  So I think of Buddhist philosophy.  The title “Samadhi” refers to the state of enlightenment. It is explained this way:  “Neti! Neti! It is not this!  It is not this!” In the book Light of Yoga the author says that this state of enlightenment can only be expressed by profound silence.  I felt complete silence and joy in the presence of the Emerald Buddha.  This painting for the exhibition in Viet Nam is the first time I try to express my feeling about the Emerald Buddha.  I put him closer to us, looking serenely at us and also not looking at us, the state of enlightmenet is devoid of ego. I looked at this painting every day I worked on it of this exhibition. It is not good enough at all.  I think in my whole life I cannot express the quality of the Emerald Buddha.