A Reflection

The other day when with a few friends, the Dalai Lama came up in conversation.  One exclaimed, "I love the Dalai Lama!"

"I do too!" I responded. Later, I wondered why I had responded so readily and decided to do a little studying and research. I didn’t know much about the Dalai Lama other than he is a simple man and has a way of stating indisputable truths in very few words. One of my favorites is, when asked what his religion was, he smiled and answered, "My religion is kindness."  Naturally, such a statement piqued my curiosity and I decided to learn more about Buddhism.

 I’ve since read a few books on the subject and it seems to me it doesn’t matter whether we follow the paths of the Saints or the Buddha. They lead to the same place. Though we live in, and move through, the ‘outwardness’ of the world, our journey is an inward one. It is within ourselves we will find the God we seek and in our recognizing Him there, we will recognize Him everywhere.

When we grow in love...the love of God and the love of ourselves.... we can’t help but be a channel of that love for others.

I read and study the ways of the Saints, the paths of the Buddha, the teachings of Jesus, the understandings of the Apostles, and in the end they all lead to the same place...the love within myself.

Not that I should stop reading and studying because the mind must be fed and come to a conscious understanding of what the heart already knows.... that the path we’re called to is love.

Love is the foundation, the root, from which all joy, compassion, peace and humility grows. Without love we are nothing.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1Corinthians 13:13)

　

The Bend in the Road

There is always a hunger, an insatiable desire to come to know, more intimately, the God within. In my continuing efforts to satisfy that hunger, the road I travel has been full of awesome discoveries...discoveries leading me ever closer to my God.

My road is leading me in a different direction now... one familiar, yet unfamiliar. I find myself wishing I had a traveling companion... one with whom to share all that awaits. But it is enough to know my God is always with me and we travel together.

Others, I know, I will meet along the way and as it is with all travelers who meet, we will share a few bits for a little while and then continue... each on our own way. I gladly share my journey with those who wish to know and they may be interested enough to walk with me awhile, but my road is a solitary one.

So I stand here at this bend in the road, suddenly aware of, and thankful for, all that’s brought me to this place. My normal fear of the unknown has been replaced with an expectancy bordering on excitement... the kind of excitement that rides on the surety that, in following round this bend, great and awesome discoveries await me as I walk with the One I love.

Painting is Prayer

John Keats said, "Writing is prayer."  I say. "Painting is prayer."

Not all painting is prayer. I wouldn’t consider the paintings my students copy and try to reproduce from photographs as prayer. These paintings are the vehicles for learning the mechanics of painting.....the proper use of brushes and knowing which brush to use; the learning about and how to mix colors; the learning of perspective, proportion and composition. In my classes I try to teach the ‘how’ of painting but most importantly, I try to teach them how to "see" and to illustrate their seeing with paint.

As with anything else, once the mechanics are learned, the way is paved for creativity. It’s within this creative aspect painting becomes prayer. Some might call it simply "inspiration" and that’s a part, but it’s more than that.

Recently, one of my students sat down to paint, turned to me and said, "I don’t know what to paint."

I smiled. "Why not start by putting colors you like on the canvas and see where it takes you?" Purposely then, I walked away but continued to watch as she became ever more engrossed in her painting. Only once did I ask, "Do you know what you’re painting?"

"I think it’s a forest fire," she responded as if seeing it for the first time. I nodded my head, offered a mechanical suggestion, and moved on.

I knew she was experiencing the contemplativeness of painting.....that time when she was so in touch with her own spirit she could express it in paint....the one time she wasn’t fearful of the canvas or the paint...the one time she just decided to dive in and see what happened....the one time she experienced the freedom of expression.

The finished product isn’t necessarily just a work of art, but a work of prayer.

 I’ve told my students that my purpose is not only to teach them how to paint, but to encourage them to paint ‘from the inside’. It means being in touch with the creative spirit. It means being in touch with, and expressing, the God within.

When that happens.... Painting is prayer. It is the result of a direct communion with God.