Zen Stone No.5

31*40cm

Mixmedia Print

Zen Stone - An Abstract Manifestation of Dharmadhatu's Interdependence

This entire artwork is not intended to depict the mundane world but, through abstraction, expresses the profound mystery of "dependent origination within the Dharmadhatu" (法界缘起). Form and color, void and substance, purity and defilement, emptiness and existence—all interpenetrate, intermingle, and perfectly accomplish each other, as stated in the Avatamsaka Sutra (Huayan Sutra): "The Dharmadhatu is without hindrance, and the nature-ocean is perfectly interpenetrating."

The background of the painting is laid out in beige and light grey, resembling the stable and clear state of mind in Zen meditation, untouched by dust and not clinging to distinctions. The dark grey square in the upper left, like a thought in deep contemplation, is serene and introspective, foretelling the initial self-reflection and concentration at the beginning of meditation. The rough texture and interspersed light spots within the top circular stone are like a microcosm of the myriad phenomena of the universe, symbolizing the endless thoughts of sentient beings and the interwoven nature of dependent origination. This is precisely what the Avatamsaka Sutra refers to as: "Within a single speck of dust, innumerable worlds are contained."

The central white oval stone, with its smooth texture and stable form, symbolizes the perfect and undefiled awakened mind of a Bodhisattva, like a pure jewel reflecting all phenomena without grasping a single speck. The brown oval stone below, then, symbolizes the earth-like foundation of spiritual practice, steady and capable of bearing all. The bottom pinkish-brown square and the textured black-and-white area on the bottom right coexist in interdependence—one soft, the other variegated, just like the world described in the Avatamsaka Sutra: though complex, it possesses an inner order; though diverse, it does not obstruct, embodying the "interpenetration without end, perfect and unimpeded" nature.

The Avatamsaka Sutra says, "One is all, and all is one."

This stone is not merely stone; form is the essence of mind. The stacking is not merely stacking; dependent origination is manifest. In formlessness, all dharmas are revealed; in tranquility, the sound of the Dharma is heard.