Want to have Buddha mind? Buddha mind is quiet and still, at one with all.
Say, “Yes, William.”
You can think of your right brain as the Buddha brain. Why? Because the ceaseless mind chatter doesn’t happen in the right brain. Chatter only occurs in your left brain.
When you move from the linear thinking left brain to the holistic right brain, you are in Buddha mode. (See end of article for more neurology.)
I got The Art of Urban Sketching: Drawing On Location Around The World by Gabriel Campanario because I wanted to look at the pictures. I have enjoyed his journalism via sketching in the Seattle Times for years.
I thought I’d just skim for 20 minutes and be done. Nope. I have drunk in each image and read all the notes and tips from the artists.
Campanario has collected art and wisdom from professional artists who sketch and folks just like you and me from cities on six continents. It’s a travel guide that takes you around the world and into the soul.
Artist after artist talks about connection with their urban landscapes. They speak about deep quiet and tranquility even in the midst of milling crowds. They sound like Buddhas.
Drawing has opened a door to a world where everyday life is synonymous with beauty and poetry. – Artist, Guillaume Bonamy, Blois France
Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven is within.
Zen master Hakuin says:
Nirvana is right here, before our eyes,
This very place is the Lotus Land,
This very body, the Buddha.
When you draw, these ideas become obvious and inescapable.
Why Draw When You’ve Got a Camera
Your cell phone can easily reproduce a detailed image and post it on facebook in an instant. So why take 15 to 45 minutes to make a sketch?
When was the last time you felt like Buddha taking a picture with your phone?
When was the last time your soul deepened when you took a photo with our cell phone, no matter how smart the phone? Even with the adored iPad, it’s not even close to Buddha mind, is it?
Even when my sketch turns out less than refrigerator worthy. I am now in relationship with the sacredness of that place and time. More importantly, I am reminded that I am indeed one with what I drew and by extension, one with all.
Drawing, sketching, puts you in your Buddha mind. I recommend it. Get the book.
Look at this website. It hosts urban sketchers from around the world and these artists formed much of the book.
When you have a sketch, post it.
= > http://www.urbansketchers.org/
Also try The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: A Course in Enhancing Creativity and Artistic Confidence by Betty Edwards. This book taught me how to draw.
More Right Brain
Brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor had a stroke that wiped out her left brain. She catapulted into a right brain only state. This awareness came to her:
“I am the life-force power of the universe. I am the life-force power of the 50 trillion beautiful molecular geniuses that make up my form, at one with all that is.”
Her TED talk is remarkable and required viewing. You’ll be glad.
Notes on the sketches: Both of these are urban sketches, although they both look pretty wild. I drew the top one looking out over the Salish Sea (Puget Sound) from a hill in Discovery Park. Just around the corner to the left is Elliot Bay and Seattle one of the busiest ports on the Pacific.
I drew this driftwood at Lincoln Park in West Seattle, just moments away from downtown Metropolis.
Walk in beauty,
William
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