Tag: quote

How to paint an object

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“I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them.” (Pablo Picasso, 1959)

This statement by Pablo Picasso is telling. The object is no longer what matters. It is the way we think and can think of them that matters. And it is not longer necessary to be faithful to the “outer” object, but rather important to be faithful to “inner” one that does what it does – namely create art, or more generally, abstraction. After all, our human self is nothing but part of the creation of the world. So we should celebrate that by being faithful to who we are.

Forgetting Oneself

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Dogen said, “When one studies Buddhism, one studies oneself; when one studies oneself, one forgets oneself; when one forgets oneself one is enlightened by everything and this very enlightenment breaks the bonds of clinging to both body and mind not only for oneself but for all beings as well.” (From Zen is Eternal Life)

Saul Bellow on Death

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And Bankei said, “What is unborn cannot die”. Death is not to be feared or loathed but embraced. For it makes us appreciate life, this life, all the more.