How can one not be moved to contemplate life's greater meaning when visiting the Hong Kong Museum of Art and seeing the work of Johnson Chow Su-sing as I did this past October? Chow writes that many of the majestic landscapes, flowers and birds of the world inspired him to paint and understand the mysteries of nature. http://www.ccaf-vancouver.com/chinese_painting/Chow%20Su-Sing/Chow-Su-Sing_ch.htm
Writing is similar in that it allows us to explore the landscape of our lives. We find in stories we want, need to write, a path to unraveling the mysteries; not just of our own lives, but maybe even the people who have most influenced us.
Mural by Chow Su-sing |
Writing from the heart is often unsettling until a sufficient detachment sets in. Like the artist who views the landscape and then attempts to render its majesty and mystery on canvas, a certain letting go of the ego, so to speak, is required. This isn't so much about me, as about the broader view of something greater than myself, a voice whispers. This, I believe, is the voice of the artist speaking.
In Asia, Buddhist philosophy centers around the concept that "causes and effects come from the mind. Everything changes when our mind changes."
Giant Buddha, Lantau Island, Hong Kong |
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