|
|
|
Upcoming Shambhala Art Intensive May. 2008
Upcoming Teachers'
Shambhala Meditation Download 2008 Shambhala Art Brochure.
For information
|
Genuine art tells the truth. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Shambhala Art is the essence of enlightened society, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche Shambhala Art is a process, a product, and an arts education program. As a process, it brings wakefulness and awareness to the creative and viewing processes through the integration of contemplation and meditation. As a product, it is art that wakes people up. Shambhala Art is also an international non-profit arts education program based on the Dharma Art teachings of the late Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the founder of Shambhala Buddhism, Shambhala International, and Naropa Institute. He was an artist, poet, and author of over a dozen books on subjects ranging from psychology to iconography. Volume 7 of the Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche focuses specifically on his Dharma Art teachings. Shambhala Art is a division of Shambhala International and is presided over by his son and heir, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. The program is taught by trained and authorized Shambhala Art teachers. To artist or non-artist, the creative process often seems mysterious and magical. How do we give a physical reality to some ephemeral inspiration and in turn communicate its essential nature beyond the limits of its container? Shambhala Art’s purpose is to explore the creative and viewing processes and the product we call art from the viewpoint of a meditative discipline. It is a viewpoint that encourages us to see things as they are, rather than just how we think or imagine they are. Shambhala Art does not teach a particular skill or technique such as painting, sculpture, or dance. It is about the source of inspiration, its manifestation, and how it speaks to us. Once a view and a path are established it can be put into practice within any artistic discipline. Although the Shambhala Art teachings are inspired by Shambhala Buddhism, they are not in any way religious or about adopting a religion. Joining meditation and contemplation with art making and art viewing is pre-religion. They are about discovery and play, and the universal nature of the creative and viewing process and what the result communicates.
Without seeing things as they are, it is hard to create art. Our perceptions are obscured and our mind is not fresh, so making art becomes a troubled, futile process by which we’re trying to create something based on concept. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche Introductory talk "What is Shambhala Art" given at the January 2007 Intensive by Steven Saitzyk and Marcia Shibata. 18 Minutes, MP3 format. 4MB. "Art as Crazy Wisdom" given on 11/20/07 by Steven Saitzyk, comparing Buddhist iconography and contemporary western art. 35Minutes, 16MB, MP3. Art as Crazy Wisdom slideshow. 5MB. The Five-Part ProgramPart One: Coming to Your Senses
First thought is best in art. Wm. Blake Art has more to do with perception than talent. Without clarity, all we express is our inability to accurately perceive. The creative process requires that we first perceive our world as it is before we can represent it in an art form or use it as a launching pad for expression. Part One is the exploration of the nature of our perceptions and how our thoughts influence what we perceive. We learn through a meditative discipline the source of creativity and the meaning of pure expression, which transcends the limitations of self-referencing expression. As we learn to rest in “square one” where our mind and body is synchronized, our expression becomes vivid, possessing greater richness and accuracy by being true to things as they are. PhotosPart Two: Seeing Things as They Are
The truth of the thing is not the think of it but the feel of it. Stanley Kubrick One eye sees, the other feels. Paul Klee Symbol, in this sense, is not a “sign” representing some philosophical or religious principle; it is the demonstration of the living qualities of what is. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Part Two deepens our experience and understanding of things as they are. Seeing things as they are means perceiving things absent the influences of our prejudices, thoughts, ideas, and attachments. For many, we have little clarity regarding the difference between our thoughts about things and the things themselves. Perceiving this difference is fundamental to understanding the way art communicates itself. It is said that one of the things that makes art, art, is that it conveys itself through signs and symbols. From a contemplative viewpoint, signs have more to do with communicating information and symbols are about communicating experience. If we wish our art to convey a felt experience as well as information, then we need to clarify the vehicles: Symbols and signs. PhotosPart Three: The Creative Process
There is such a thing as unconditional expression
that does not come from self or other. Part Four: The Power of Display
Part Five: Art in Everyday Life
Activities for GraduatesIn select cities there are salons and field trips for graduates of the program where these teachings are explored further and put in to practice. One of the goals is to explore how Shambhala Art connects with contemporary art and the principals of beauty and aesthetics. Future projects will involve artist retreats that will include time for one’s creative process, or studio time, contemplation, mediation and salon style discussion. One of our goals includes establishing a retreat center and accomplishing large scale group installations based on the principles of Shambhala Art. Comments and suggestions may be sent to firstthought@shambhalaart.org
This page was last updated on 02/15/08
|