This artwork of Tibetan Calligraphy was originally commissioned by True Colors Flint Hills and inspired by a Dharma teaching from His Eminence Garchen Triptrul Rinpoche that speaks to the heart of this exhibition. My hope is that it can serve as a reminder that showing genuine, unbiased love and compassion to yourself and others can be a powerful method to achieving happiness, both personally and as a society at large.
For the main focal point, I wanted my writing to embody the limitless qualities of love which, for me, manifest as being fluid and expressive. Utilizing a script style of Tibetan Uméd called Khyug, allows for a more open artistic expression and freedom when scribing the word 'Love' - ‘བརྩེ་བ’ to mimic the shape of a heart.
Love is beautiful, and I wanted to incorporate an element of beauty beyond the text itself, a sort of ‘anchor’ for the calligraphy to set upon. The perfect solution was to collaborate with artist and co-owner of Switch Wicked, Ash Meloan, to create the colored splatters that sit behind the calligraphy.
Lastly, the base of the piece ties the artwork together with a simple line of text from His Eminence Garchen Triptrul Rinpoche which reads: “Love is the Only Cause of Happiness,”
Below is the full teaching from His Eminence Garchen Triptrul Rinpoche which inspired this artwork:
"From lifetime to lifetime, our minds have been connected, and thus I see you like family. What has kept our minds connected from lifetime to lifetime is the spiritual bond of love. These reminders of loving-kindness and compassion should encourage us again and again to an effort to cultivate love for one another. As all our minds are connected, we can help each other through cultivating love. Thus, if more people in this world are able to give rise to love, peace and happiness will increase.
If you love others, you wish for their happiness.
As our minds are one, if you love others, it will pervade their mind and they will thus feel happy.
Love is the only cause of happiness.
Its nature is all-pervasive like space.
Love is the sunlight of the mind."
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