snake charmer 24x36

This is the first section of the first collaborative painting Chet and I are involved in. The two side panels of the 24x36 canvas are my contributions, The circle and center piece will be one of Chet’s unique psychological portraits. We both are extremely curious to see how this diverse styled painting works as a whole.

mortal coils

Out of the restricted coils of our physical sensations and sentiments, if one becomes still, there arises an attention that is so profound and penetrating that the whole movement of life is aware of its pure identity, it’s indivisible being. Here all sorrow and suffering end – until the next cycle of thought and a memorized center traps us in the confusion and contradiction of our own feelings. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.

ENCHANTED

Enchantment is the shock of beauty or love that is so outrageous that all fear and arrogance, all world weariness, all guilt and feeling of separation dissolve into the explosive realization that the lover and the beloved is one whole being!
The ultimate reality is the enchanted forest of pure energy where all forms of life overflow in their uniqueness and sacred being.
The ego is always shallow and fear ridden, it always defends its position of shallow self importance and illusion of separateness. The vast mind has no beginning or end and is enchanted in its pure identity. It is pure creation. It is pure love!
The world we are conditioned to live in today has taken a nightmare pill. It has terrorized itself out of its enchantment.

KALI: HINDU GODDESS

Associated with eternal energy, the name Kali( by folk etymology) means force of time and change. Although presented as dark and violent, more complex Tantric beliefs sometimes extend her role so far as to be the ultimate reality or Brahman. In the mystical mind total negation of the known opens up the point of power of “now”. The freedom from past and future projections by ego’s thinking, analyzing, mechanical processes is totally destroyed. Creation is always revealed as unknown, new, indestructible and sacred.

This painting is part of The Monster Show being curated by Travis Louie (July 11th) at Copro Gallery in Santa Monica. This show will include many great artists, including my son, The Great Chet.

FOR THE LOVE OF THE ART IN YOU

The painting should work on you. If the small you is working on the painting there is some unnecessary effort to do something or to get somewhere. This will leave a mark upon your mind and propagate many negative notions about your activity. Such as: this has to be a great painting for the show. Or: wait until they see this one! Or: why won’t this work?
True painting should cut through you until nothing is there except this magnificent activity.
The quality of your involvement is the painting itself. Here you will be satisfied with your effort and your mind will be free of effort after you finish. The real you is genius. To trust this real you is right action. Right action is right rest!

ZEN IN THE ART OF WALKING

After almost 50 years of the practice of “walking” some points of right practice are evident.
A. I just let my breathing establish a deep smooth rhythm.
B. I never look at anything until I have developed this rhythm.
C. After a period of time, I let my glance fall naturally on the feather tips of trees, houses, cars, colors and so forth – no content, no reflection, just this watching mind that strikes at the heart of the form, color, texture or gesture, of each point of interest.
Here the only meaning in each gesture is the total life of all there is, dancing and singing in and out of form forever!
Form, beauty, organization, intelligence and love are in just one glance. In each glance eternity is revealed. In each glance pure identity is aware of itself.

THE POINT OF LOVE, POWER, AND FREEDOM .

Om Mani Padme Hum..[http://smallanahata.com/] Taken from his essay on Honesty and Sincerity. “When I am simply present, very alert, and alive to the present moment, I am free. Each moment is total and complete within itself, lacking nothing. We are all one in the Vast River of life and in the end all rivers reach the ocean.”