FIRST ART ASHRAM EVENT - "Emptiness is Form"
Free Illuminism is both non-dogmatic shared techniques for illumination, and a cultural community. A major cultural event was inaugurated January 11th 2014 in Little Five Points Atlanta, Georgia. For more info about the project go to this link.
Here are some glimpses of the event - special thanks to Tau AHA, Tau Dositheos and Tau Salix Alba.
Tau AHA
Tau AHA's summary to us: "The theme of the first Art Ashram show was "Emptiness is Form" and before anyone arrived we rushed to set up the space by chanting and art hanging. We had art arrive from: Eric Holden, Caleb Storms, Sashia Agape, Denise Hames, Josh May, Keith Prossick, Rebecca Service, and Karen Thompson as well as some Junior artists.
"Once all the art was hung, chants began to play in the background as the people began to arrive. We had a great turnout and they were entertained by spoken word, dance, video, music, artists rants, fan dancing and the like. We had performances by: Bill Coles, DeeDee Chmielewski, Alicia Cole, Shaun Ridgway, Nichille Frye and I"m sure more I am missing.
"Bill read the Heart Sutra and engaged the whole crowd in joining him. Alicia performed poems while gifting art to people, Shaun performed a passionate spoken word, Nichille danced with fans, and Deedee performed an amazing dance under a cloth to represent emptiness coming into form.
"We were also treated by an amazing movie from Lolita Perdurabo that furthered both mood and theme.
"Food was served, also a donation of love from Jim Hipple, Cathy Taylor and Lucy Bartash.
"The event was an amazing success with amazing vibes and conversations. Our next one will be in February with the theme of Unity.
"Tau AHA"
Tau Dositheos
Tau Salix AlbaThis film was sent by our Fellow Stars Anton and Lola in Scotland. "Emptiness is form reflects ideas forming in the subconscious mind, the vast territories of the psyche that shape reality around us. Our perception of time and space, although not material, creates our vision of life as we know it: tangible, wonderful and strange. This film reflects the awareness of a meditating person who’s mind being empty stays far away from the dull, emptiness here being perceived as a source of creativity.
"This is the first film in a series we are making for the Art Ashram project. We had a brake in film making due to transferring from Mac to Linux and other technicalities. It feels great to open 2014 with a new film.
"Camera and Editing by Anton Channing and Lolita Perdurabo
Music by Anjey Satori"
Edited using Open Shot on Linux Mint XFCE
Visualisations produced using Project M and Clementine
Here is what Tau Dositheos shared as part of his participation. Going with the theme of the event, which was "Emptiness is Form", he decided to recite the Heart Sutra, along with chanting the mantra that is part of that sutra. The mantra is "gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha" which roughly translates to "go, go, go beyond, go thoroughly beyond, and establish yourself in enlightenment."
The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom
"Thus have I once heard:
"The Blessed One was staying in Rajagrha at Vulture Peak along with a great community of monks and great community of bodhisattvas, and at that time, the Blessed One fully entered the meditative concentration on the varieties of phenomena called the Appearance of the Profound. At that very time as well, holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being, beheld the practice itself of the profound perfection of wisdom, and he even saw the five aggregates as empty of inherent nature. Thereupon, through the Buddha's inspiration, the venerable Sariputra spoke to holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being, and said, "Any noble son who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound perfection of wisdom should train in what way?"
"When this had been said, holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being, spoke to venerable Sariputra and said, "Sariputra, any noble sons or daughters who wish to practice the perfection of wisdom should see this way: they should see insightfully, correctly, and repeatedly that even the five aggregates are empty of inherent nature. Form is empty, emptiness is form, Emptiness is not other than form, form is also not other than emptiness. Likewise, sensation, discrimination, conditioning, and awareness are empty. In this way, Sariputra, all things are emptiness; they are without defining characteristics; they are not born, they do not cease, they are not defiled, they are not undefiled. They have no increase, they have no decrease.
"Therefore, Sariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no discrimination, no conditioning, and no awareness. There is no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind. There is no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no texture, no phenomenon. There is no eye-element and so on up to no mind-element and also up to no element of mental awareness. There is no ignorance and no elimination of ignorance and so on up to no aging and death and no elimination of aging and death. Likewise, there is no suffering, origin, cessation, or path; there is no wisdom, no attainment, and even no non-attainment.
"Therefore, Sariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no obtainments, they abide relying on the perfection of wisdom. Having no defilements in their minds, they have no fear, and passing completely beyond error, they reach nirvana. Likewise, all the Buddhas abiding in the three times clearly and completely awaken to unexcelled, authentic, and complete awakening in dependence upon the perfection of wisdom.
"Therefore, one should know that the mantra of the perfection of wisdom - the mantra of great knowledge, the precious mantra, the unexcelled mantra, the mantra equal to the unequaled, the mantra that quells all suffering - is true because it is not deceptive. The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is proclaimed:
tadyatha - gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!
Sariputra, a bodhisattva, a great being, should train in the profound perfection of wisdom in that way."
Thereupon, the Blessed One arose for that meditative concentration, and he commended holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being. "Excellent!" he said. "Excellent! Excellent! Noble child, it is just so. Noble child, it is just so. One should practice the profound perfection of wisdom in the manner that you have revealed - the Tathagatas rejoice!" This is what the Blessed One said.
Thereupon, the venerable Sariputra, the holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being, and that entire assembly along with the world of gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, all rejoiced and highly praised what the Blessed One had said."
Tau Salix Alba's presentations in her own summary:
Set 1
Among the Angelic Orders - Mirror Dance, http://mirrordancefantasy.blogspot.com
Artemis Speaks to Aphrodite - Ideomancer, http://www.ideomancer.com
If Sappho Studied Egyptology - Abyss & Apex, http://www.abyssapexzine.com
Rice Grower: a song for Inari - Eternal Haunted Summer, http://eternalhauntedsummer.com
River Song - Witches & Pagans #27, http://witchesandpagans.com/Magazines/
Papa Damballah - Eternal Haunted Summer, http://eternalhauntedsummer.com
Tree Dreaming - forthcoming in Dark Mountain Book 5, http://dark-mountain.net
Set 2
River Stages - forthcoming in Looseleaf Tea, http://thelooseleaftea.org
The Blessings of Flight - Foliate Oak, http://www.foliateoak.com
To Bits, Body and Bones - Punchnel's, http://www.punchnels.com
Salamander - forthcoming in Mythic Delirium, http://mythicdelirium.com
The Lift Equation - Abyss & Apex, http://www.abyssapexzine.com
Where the Rabbits Run, Near the Shore - inkscrawl, http://inkscrawl.net
Maud Gonne, After - Mythic Delirium #28, http://mythicdelirium.com
If anyone is interested in following her writing, they can find me here: https://www.facebook.com/AliciaColewriter
Among the artists displaying their Work were Tau Roger and (see above) Tau Salix Alba.
Slideshow of event - http://s54.photobucket.com/user/allengreenfield/slideshow/ART%20ASHRAM
Contributing free illuminist bodies -
TEMPLE OF THE BLACK SUN
(Templi de Niger Sol)
http://niger-sol.org
templi-de-niger-sol@googlegroups.com
templi.de.niger.sol@gmail.com
contact facilitator click here
http://niger-sol.org/
Ormus Lodge
http://www.lightofthegnosis.org/ormus.htm
Coptic Gnostic Church
http://cgc.lightofthegnosis.org/
SCOTLAND (Inverness)
M.'.I.'.B.'. (Most excellent Illuminated and invisible order of BHMT)
http://kiamagic.com/wiki/index.php?title=MIB
Moot http://inverness.kiamagic.com/
http://inverness.kiamagic.com/events/
Here are some glimpses of the event - special thanks to Tau AHA, Tau Dositheos and Tau Salix Alba.
Tau AHA
Tau AHA's summary to us: "The theme of the first Art Ashram show was "Emptiness is Form" and before anyone arrived we rushed to set up the space by chanting and art hanging. We had art arrive from: Eric Holden, Caleb Storms, Sashia Agape, Denise Hames, Josh May, Keith Prossick, Rebecca Service, and Karen Thompson as well as some Junior artists.
"Once all the art was hung, chants began to play in the background as the people began to arrive. We had a great turnout and they were entertained by spoken word, dance, video, music, artists rants, fan dancing and the like. We had performances by: Bill Coles, DeeDee Chmielewski, Alicia Cole, Shaun Ridgway, Nichille Frye and I"m sure more I am missing.
"Bill read the Heart Sutra and engaged the whole crowd in joining him. Alicia performed poems while gifting art to people, Shaun performed a passionate spoken word, Nichille danced with fans, and Deedee performed an amazing dance under a cloth to represent emptiness coming into form.
"We were also treated by an amazing movie from Lolita Perdurabo that furthered both mood and theme.
"Food was served, also a donation of love from Jim Hipple, Cathy Taylor and Lucy Bartash.
"The event was an amazing success with amazing vibes and conversations. Our next one will be in February with the theme of Unity.
"Tau AHA"
Tau Dositheos
Tau Salix AlbaThis film was sent by our Fellow Stars Anton and Lola in Scotland. "Emptiness is form reflects ideas forming in the subconscious mind, the vast territories of the psyche that shape reality around us. Our perception of time and space, although not material, creates our vision of life as we know it: tangible, wonderful and strange. This film reflects the awareness of a meditating person who’s mind being empty stays far away from the dull, emptiness here being perceived as a source of creativity.
"This is the first film in a series we are making for the Art Ashram project. We had a brake in film making due to transferring from Mac to Linux and other technicalities. It feels great to open 2014 with a new film.
"Camera and Editing by Anton Channing and Lolita Perdurabo
Music by Anjey Satori"
Edited using Open Shot on Linux Mint XFCE
Visualisations produced using Project M and Clementine
Click to viewHere is what Tau Dositheos shared as part of his participation. Going with the theme of the event, which was "Emptiness is Form", he decided to recite the Heart Sutra, along with chanting the mantra that is part of that sutra. The mantra is "gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha" which roughly translates to "go, go, go beyond, go thoroughly beyond, and establish yourself in enlightenment."
The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom
"Thus have I once heard:
"The Blessed One was staying in Rajagrha at Vulture Peak along with a great community of monks and great community of bodhisattvas, and at that time, the Blessed One fully entered the meditative concentration on the varieties of phenomena called the Appearance of the Profound. At that very time as well, holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being, beheld the practice itself of the profound perfection of wisdom, and he even saw the five aggregates as empty of inherent nature. Thereupon, through the Buddha's inspiration, the venerable Sariputra spoke to holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being, and said, "Any noble son who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound perfection of wisdom should train in what way?"
"When this had been said, holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being, spoke to venerable Sariputra and said, "Sariputra, any noble sons or daughters who wish to practice the perfection of wisdom should see this way: they should see insightfully, correctly, and repeatedly that even the five aggregates are empty of inherent nature. Form is empty, emptiness is form, Emptiness is not other than form, form is also not other than emptiness. Likewise, sensation, discrimination, conditioning, and awareness are empty. In this way, Sariputra, all things are emptiness; they are without defining characteristics; they are not born, they do not cease, they are not defiled, they are not undefiled. They have no increase, they have no decrease.
"Therefore, Sariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no discrimination, no conditioning, and no awareness. There is no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind. There is no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no texture, no phenomenon. There is no eye-element and so on up to no mind-element and also up to no element of mental awareness. There is no ignorance and no elimination of ignorance and so on up to no aging and death and no elimination of aging and death. Likewise, there is no suffering, origin, cessation, or path; there is no wisdom, no attainment, and even no non-attainment.
"Therefore, Sariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no obtainments, they abide relying on the perfection of wisdom. Having no defilements in their minds, they have no fear, and passing completely beyond error, they reach nirvana. Likewise, all the Buddhas abiding in the three times clearly and completely awaken to unexcelled, authentic, and complete awakening in dependence upon the perfection of wisdom.
"Therefore, one should know that the mantra of the perfection of wisdom - the mantra of great knowledge, the precious mantra, the unexcelled mantra, the mantra equal to the unequaled, the mantra that quells all suffering - is true because it is not deceptive. The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is proclaimed:
tadyatha - gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!
Sariputra, a bodhisattva, a great being, should train in the profound perfection of wisdom in that way."
Thereupon, the Blessed One arose for that meditative concentration, and he commended holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being. "Excellent!" he said. "Excellent! Excellent! Noble child, it is just so. Noble child, it is just so. One should practice the profound perfection of wisdom in the manner that you have revealed - the Tathagatas rejoice!" This is what the Blessed One said.
Thereupon, the venerable Sariputra, the holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being, and that entire assembly along with the world of gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, all rejoiced and highly praised what the Blessed One had said."
Tau Salix Alba's presentations in her own summary:
Set 1
Among the Angelic Orders - Mirror Dance, http://mirrordancefantasy.blogspot.com
Artemis Speaks to Aphrodite - Ideomancer, http://www.ideomancer.com
If Sappho Studied Egyptology - Abyss & Apex, http://www.abyssapexzine.com
Rice Grower: a song for Inari - Eternal Haunted Summer, http://eternalhauntedsummer.com
River Song - Witches & Pagans #27, http://witchesandpagans.com/Magazines/
Papa Damballah - Eternal Haunted Summer, http://eternalhauntedsummer.com
Tree Dreaming - forthcoming in Dark Mountain Book 5, http://dark-mountain.net
Set 2
River Stages - forthcoming in Looseleaf Tea, http://thelooseleaftea.org
The Blessings of Flight - Foliate Oak, http://www.foliateoak.com
To Bits, Body and Bones - Punchnel's, http://www.punchnels.com
Salamander - forthcoming in Mythic Delirium, http://mythicdelirium.com
The Lift Equation - Abyss & Apex, http://www.abyssapexzine.com
Where the Rabbits Run, Near the Shore - inkscrawl, http://inkscrawl.net
Maud Gonne, After - Mythic Delirium #28, http://mythicdelirium.com
If anyone is interested in following her writing, they can find me here: https://www.facebook.com/AliciaColewriter
Among the artists displaying their Work were Tau Roger and (see above) Tau Salix Alba.
Slideshow of event - http://s54.photobucket.com/user/allengreenfield/slideshow/ART%20ASHRAM
Contributing free illuminist bodies -
TEMPLE OF THE BLACK SUN
(Templi de Niger Sol)
http://niger-sol.org
templi-de-niger-sol@googlegroups.com
templi.de.niger.sol@gmail.com
contact facilitator click here
http://niger-sol.org/
Ormus Lodge
http://www.lightofthegnosis.org/ormus.htm
Coptic Gnostic Church
http://cgc.lightofthegnosis.org/
SCOTLAND (Inverness)
M.'.I.'.B.'. (Most excellent Illuminated and invisible order of BHMT)
http://kiamagic.com/wiki/index.php?title=MIB
Moot http://inverness.kiamagic.com/
http://inverness.kiamagic.com/events/