Friday, April 22, 2011

Buddha Enlightenment a la Andy Warhol

I have such an affinity for Buddha statues.

I’ve studied Buddhism in the past and believe in many of its teachings, however I wouldn’t call myself a full-fledged practicing Buddhist.

Like with any spiritual belief, I take what feels right for me and disregard what doesn’t.

I’ve always felt there is something I can learn from every spiritual belief, but that doesn’t mean I have to believe in the whole enchilada.

I’ve never practiced any one particular belief system, but rather a culmination of many.

I guess my attraction to Buddha statues started while living in Japan for two months. Even though the Japanese practice various philosophies, Buddhism is one of their main beliefs. And if you could experience the gentle, kind and compassionate nature of the Japanese people, you would see that they walk the talk.

I truly admire and respect the Japanese culture. They're some of the most loveliest people I've ever met.

While visiting Kyoto, Japan one day, I was thoroughly enthralled with all the various Buddha statues they had scattered amongst the sacred temples. The statues seemed to bring a deep sense of peace to me. I found myself sitting in front of them; staring at their closed eyes and gentle posture, while feeling myself move into an almost meditative state.

So, when I came back to the States, I began collecting Buddha statues and placing them all around my apartment.

And I truthfully have to say, they really do bring a peaceful and tranquil energy to my home.

I currently have about 12 statues I’ve collected over the years. The gist of them are sitting along a bookcase shelf that lines the three widows in my apartment which overlook the city. At night, I will sometimes burn tea lights in front of the statues which cause them to glow; creating a sort of mystical ambiance.

Last week, I suddenly got the urge to take one of my favorite Buddha statues and photograph it.

I laid it face up on the area rug in the center of my studio apartment, and then took my reading glasses and plopped them on his face.

Yeah….CRAZY, I know.

After I downloaded the photos onto my computer, I saw that only three of the eight shots I snapped turned out. So, I took those three photos and began playing around with the color on my VERY basic photo editing software, and this is what I came up with.

Buddha Enlightenment a la Andy Warhol…….