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Transgender Buddha Faces Mara
Published: 2007-07-02 09:14:58 +0000 UTC; Views: 38230; Favourites: 777; Downloads: 8
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"Transgender Buddha Faces Mara" by Cody Seekins (www.codyart.tk) Oil on Canvas, 28" x 36", Original for SaleThis is a better image of a painting i created in Thailand, which i'm resubmitting. For those who haven't seen the work yet, it is quintessentially about the Theravada/Mahayana Buddhist legend of when Buddha was tempted by Mara before reaching true perfection of enlightenment, but with a visual spin not typical to the tradition. There is much more, but i'll leave those aspects for you to entertain!
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Comments: 172
Very surrealistic and original! Of course for me the pivotalΒ moment was when the Tathagata dispelled Mara by touching the earth in the Bhumisparsha Mudra ... calling upon the earth itself to witness the attainment of Supreme Enlightenment.
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I try
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No problem, my friend! XD
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Love it! Β Thank you for being 'in tune' with our Universe!
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ErosEa I always try to be.Β Thank you for recognizing that effort.
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brilliant work, this visualises my inner struggle near perfectly and is an unusual fresh reminder of the clarity that can get me through it.Β
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owenbevt3 I am glad you can connect with the work.Β It is a unique member of my oeuvre and does relate both to the clear consciousness that transcends the struggle as well as the struggle itself.Β It definitely means more to read the image when you have that experience in your background.
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Love your comment, thank you so much!
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serenely beautiful, simply astonishing work, thank you, Mike.
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Thank you for taking the time to give the work your attention and for sending me your positive appreciation. It means a lot.
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Hi there, you are very welcome, your artwork is beautiful and interesting, I do not understand all of them, but they grab my attention every time I see them, cheers, all the best, Mike.
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I like the whole idea.... its just amazing. It makes me feel inside a part of your subconscious...
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Ha! Yes it is a window into a nakedness of soul. Thanks for looking into the work.
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Genius re-interpretation of the legend. Thanks for sharing!
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I am honored to have such distinct and high praise for the work. Thank you very much. I was lucky to have been able to spend time in environments, mental and physical, which assisted in the formation of the piece.
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I express my envy that you had access to such inspiration. Please continue to explore, and share the treasures you find with us.
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*So uniquely awkward and beautiful!
*The depiction of Buddha's days of temptation speak powerfully of how righteous is the Noble Path.
*It proves so vividly the truth of keeping our lives right even when the all-so-common rut of seduction finds it inescapable to deviate the instances of good within. . .
*This is certainly a staggering work of art genially rendered.
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Sorry for taking so long to respond. Your in depth read of my painting is touching, thank you for the passion and the sincerity to engage my work from the heart and mind. That i could find resonance with you is satisfying and gives me great honor. Namaste!
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i really like the Concept of your painting man,,
and ofcourse i really love the painting itself
i love the buddha (l)
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I sincerely feel and appreciate your resonance with the work. Thank you!
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I love this piece. And I love the way the story tells us that He never overcame Mara by any force other than the wisdom of seeing that the very nature of mara, or distraction, is primordially pure; nothing to reject. One of the great hidden, symbolic, teachings on the mind
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Thanks Dannyboy, I think that quality of non-rejection was woven most specifically into the tantric mudra for consciousness which is engaging the sort of masquerade tongue of Mara in my painting. It is neither being propelled into Mara nor retracting from it-- the center of meditation is everywhere.
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Looking at the hand touching the tongue again...or rather re-looking at it after what you just wrote....it's a very gentle, tender touch. I didn't fully appreciate that before. I can see I'm going to keep coming back to this page
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Being Buddhist, tg, and a fan of the surreal i pretty much had to favorite this. Salvador DalΓ is surely smiling down on this from Heaven... or up on it from you-know-where, which likely has the more aesthetically pleasing scenery for surrealists.
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yesss!!!
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Your appraisal has substantial meaning to me.
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They do say there is some speculation that what killed the Gautama Buddha was not bad pork but poisonous mushrooms. Apparently the folk term for pork bits was also a reference to mushrooms at the time. Plus, buddhism advocates for vegetarianism, so what was Buddha doing consuming pork at all?
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fantastical!!
it makes me want to ingest psychedelics!
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Nothing like the creation of art in a state of high visionary awareness.
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Sorry for the belated reply, but thank you for your connection to this painting and for taking the time to relate it to me.
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Love it. Great subject matter. I haven't seen very much about this part of Buddha's life in a modern art medium.
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Sorry for the late reply. This part of the Buddha's life is generally pretty rare, most typically one sees his enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, his birth, the Buddha meditating, teaching, or his moment of death.
The facing of Mara, the difference between a condition driven by sensation, and being aware of sensation but driven by an expanded awareness, is a reality changer.
It is fundamentally also one of the most sigificant steps an individual can take which systemically changes the quality of being.
So, i definitely was interested in seeing how it would play out in a painting, in a sense because i had to simultaneously become Mara and Buddha, and empathogenically reflect and deal with aspects of the confrontation intrapersonally.
Quite an adventure.
Thanks for the comment, have a great day!
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Thank you soooo much!
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Thank you, definitely was a pleasure to produce.
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so rich in details..it tells a whole story. i really must say: thank you, for painting it
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Thank you for paying it your sincere attention. And thank you for your patience for my belated reply lol.
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thank you for your kind words, it was my pleasure
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Hi! This piece has been featured in my journal (part 1): [link]
Please check it out and see all of the other amazing artwork there too!
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Checked it out, was a joy to be included.
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