The Way to the Deathless: The Way to the Deathless

26 October 2011

The Way to the Deathless

Appamadoamatapadampamado maccuno padamappamatta na miyantiye pamatta yatha mata.

Mindfulness is the Way to the Deathless

Unmindfulness is the Way to Death

Those who are mindful never die

Those who are unmindful are as already dead.

The Buddha in the Dhammapada

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhassa

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Who am I ?

... and where do I come from?

Good questions -

they keep me alive and awake and hopefully will get answered as life continues to unravel its mysteries and I grow in understanding ...

For the time being, I'll leave this at that and let Rumi's wise words resonate in all of us seekers of Truth ...

Only Breath

Not Christian or Jew or Muslim,

not Hindu, Buddhist, sufi, or zen.

Not any religion or cultural system.

I am not from the East or the West,

not out of the ocean or up from the ground,

not natural or ethereal,

not composed of elements at all.

I do not exist,

am not an entity in this world or in the next,

did not descend from Adam and Eve

or any origin story.

My place is placeless,

a trace of the traceless.

Neither body or soul.

I belong to the beloved,

have seen the two worlds as one

and that one call to and know,

first, last, outer, inner,

only that

breath breathing human being.

from Essential Rumi by Coleman Barks

About Thangkas and Where to Order Prints

What is a Thangka?

A Thangka is a Tibetan silk or cotton painting framed with brocade embroidery, usually depicting a Buddhist deity or mandala.

It is originally an ancient Nepalese art form (called "Paubha") that was exported to Tibet when a Nepalese Princess married a Tibetan ruler and imported images and representations of deities to Tibet.

To Buddhists, these Tibetan religious paintings offer a beautiful manifestation of the divine, being both visually and mentally stimulating. Overall, and perhaps most importantly, religious art is used as a meditation tool to help bring one further down the path to enlightenment. Thangkas often overflow with symbolism and allusion. The painting of a Thangka must follow rules specified in the Buddhist scriptures regarding proportions, shape, color, stance, hand positions, and attributes in order to personify correctly the Buddha or Deities. It takes normally several months of dedicated painting to complete a whole Thangka, which are extraordinary fine and rich in details.

I have set up online shops at http://www.zazzle.com/ariyanandi* and at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/ariya-schaas.html where you can choose your favourite thangka design printed on a great variety of products, such as canvas prints, posters, cards, laptop/iphone cases, calendars, puzzles, clothing, accessories etc. So if you're in search of a lovely gift for anybody and any occasion, come visit me there ...