
Warrior Bodhisattva

by Theresa Marie Johnson
Original - Not For Sale
Price
$1,200
Dimensions
36.000 x 48.000 x 1.500 inches
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Title
Warrior Bodhisattva
Artist
Theresa Marie Johnson
Medium
Painting - Acrylic On Canvas
Description
In Buddhist teaching, committing to the benefit of others is traditionally called the path of the bodhisattva, the path of the hero and the heroine, the path of the spiritual warrior whose tools are gentleness, clarity of mind and an open heart. The hallmark of this path is cultivating bravery. With bravery you help anyone anywhere and not fear shutting down. You remain right there with them for whatever they are going through. But the first step along this path is looking at yourself (or caring for yourself) with a feeling of gentleness and kindness. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to do this. If you have tried this, as I know you have, you know how difficult it can be to stay present when true fear sets in.
Pema Chodron writes,
If you touch the fear instead of running from it, you find tenderness, vulnerability, and sometimes a sense of sadness. This tender-heartedness happens naturally when you start to be brave enough to stay present, because instead of armoring yourself, instead of turning to anger, self-denigration, and iron-heartedness, you keep your eyes open and you begin, as Trungpa Rinpoche said, to see the blueness of an iris, the wetness of water, the movement of the wind. Becoming more in touch with ourselves gives birth to enormous appreciation for the world and for other people. It can sound corny, but you feel grateful for the beauty of the world. It’s a very special way to live. Your heart is filled with gratitude, appreciation, compassion, and caring for other people. And it all comes from touching that shakiness within and being willing to be present with it.
I chose the image of the Warrior Bodhisattva for a number of reasons, but two stand out.
First, you are making this very huge leap to dedicate your life to the benefit of others. Not that this is not your natural tendency, but this is a very specific step - which has required training, much like that of a Bodhisattva. All that she is, you are. Not a finished product, but one on a journey with a commitment to help others along the way. This is no light undertaking and the most beautiful of all journeys.
Second, when I think of the movement from your waiting area, into the yoga/meditation space - I see a transformation. It seemed fitting to me to have Suffering Bodhisattva out in the waiting area. This is the commonality of all who walk in - we all share in suffering. Her image is there to remind us of the beauty in that suffering. Of it’s pain as well as of its part in the making of us. “No Mud No Lotus”.
Once you leave that area, it becomes a place of “training”. Both in the work you do with your client as well as the work your client will do alone (in those quiet moments in the meditation space). In this space we are all reminded to be still. To draw on that inner Source, the Divine, to find balance, wholeness and health. When they leave this space, they are armed with what it takes to turn arrows into flowers.
They may walk in a Suffering Bodhisattva, but they leave a Warrior Bodhisattva . A continually evolving process, yet one that naturally repeats itself, moving us closer to our Source (the spiral).
Colors
Colors of the chakra, flowing one into another, are all working together within this whole. Also, the entire work is done in the same colors - or a mixture of the chakra colors. This speaks to the energy that resonates within our world around us, of which we are a part of and draw upon. We are all part of the same Source.
Earth tones representative of change and the cycle of life, are sometimes dripping and messy - like the days we find ourselves in.
Textures
Tree bark or skin, rough and imperfect, looks like muscle, nerve and sinew - bare, vulnerable, real.
The texture of the Lotus, like water and waves, is symbolic of creation and eternity. A reminder to keep eyes open to see the the blueness of an iris, the wetness of water, the movement of the wind. Always spinning.
Warrior Body
Nothing symmetrical on the warrior bodyl. Nothing perfect. Her breasts are unequal, her branches (arms) strong yet awkward. Her head tilted in a compassionate manner, not direct or assuming place of power, but cocked...how one would listen. Non-threatening and with compassion.
Her braid, which looks like an umbilical cord, connects the warrior to her place of creation.
Her braid also looks like quiver, slung across her body to carry arrows/flowers.
Why the arrows? Thich Naht Hanh tells a story about the night before the Buddha's enlightenment. That night the Buddha was attacked by the Evil One. His army of demons shot thousands of arrows at Buddha, but as the arrows got near to him they transformed into flowers and fell gently at his feet. This is an incredibly powerful image. As you transform your own inner pain, you also transform other people's anger and hatred into flowers. You no longer are harmed by other people's arrows, but instead, you have only compassion. That compassion, your compassion, is what transforms the speech and actions of others. Instead of watering the seeds of suffering, you cultivate seeds of compassion and bring relief to both yourself and others.
Movement
There is a lot of movement throughout the painting - moving the viewer through the cycles of life, the spinning from creation throughout eternity, the leaves at various stages, eventually falling to the ground, becoming the mud, feeding the lotus, and blossoming once again. The branches do not grow straight up but up and out and back around. Like life, there is a gradual growing and turning back toward “home/center”, and moving forward, creating not a straight line, but a spiral.
Three Circles
There are three separate circles of energy to the Warrior Bodhisattva.
1st - Creative: A reminder to take care of yourself, to nurture the creative within. This is the largest circle telling you to do this first. Spinning, it is reminder of your place in it all, and that it is a never ending process.
2nd - Family: Held low not high, tucked under and protected, kept close and to the Source. Your task is to remind your children where they came from and of their interconnectedness in this world and to the Source. Three leaves - the only ones painted with real gold, represent our “children”.
3rd - Work - The birds nest, sitting on the branch that stems from the heart chakra is the work you do. Driven by the principles of transformation and integration, it is here that you bridge earthly and spiritual aspirations. This is the nurturing that gives your clients wings.
Crown
Also the crown chakra represents the divine as well as our ability to understand the divine. It is here that you are connected to the formless, the limitless. Spiritual, it is deep purple with an auric color of gold and almost appears like a combination of an Indian headdress and the halo of the Mother Mary. Flowing down through her braid. Purple and gold. Complimentary. The divine and the intellect - complete presence.
Lotus
“No mud no lotus” No mud no ME.
“NO MUD, NO LOTUS Both suffering and happiness are of an organic nature, which means they are both transitory; they are always changing. The flower, when it wilts, becomes the compost. ... Happiness is also organic and impermanent by nature. It can become suffering and suffering can become happiness again.” Thich Naht Hanh
In the lotus we see the beginning of time, where we came from, our interconnectedness and the Source - both of our Universe and of ourselves. This Source is our place of creation, our place of wisdom and it will guide us. The lotus and the spiral within are a reminder to align yourself with the Source - make your decisions from a place of divine you. Be still, listen - see the blue iris, the wet water and the movement of the wind. Trust this source, this is your emotional GPS.
Leaves
The leaves are colored like Fall, displaying the seasons of life. There are not very many which representative of nonattachment, and their falling off reminding us to “let go”, dropping down and returning to the mud.
Jewels
These take up a very small portion of the work and are falling away. A reminder to let go of the things of the ego, the trappings we adorn ourselves with and that we ultimately give too much worth to.
The Warrior Bodhisattva understands the truth to life. She sits open and peaceful. She understands that the mind is fluid and can always be worked with. She knows that hardness creates suffering and that to remain fluid is to understand the transitory nature of all things.
She is full with compassion and her love has no limits. Having overcome attachment, her natural response is to ease the suffering of others.
Uploaded
October 20th, 2017
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