Yang Xi's jade carving work "All Phases Are Not Phases" has been favored by many jade carving enthusiasts since its release, the following three articles about the appreciation of his works have been selected essays, welcome to comment.
Pray for lotus
Recently, I often sit quietly at night in front of the photo of Yang Xi's work "All Phases Are Not Phases", obsessively looking at this work with rich color but simple shape, looking forward to my own epiphany in front of this work one day, but this epiphany is stopped and stopped, and I refuse to come, I can only continue to watch obsessively: the whole work is carved with Hetian deep green jade, the jade is thick blue, the texture is delicate and tight, and it is placed on the acrylic base; the lotus flower is half-open, standing out of the water, the petals of the matte polish are clearly meridianed, and the flower stem is long and powerful. From the back to the front of the coiled growth; behind the lotus flower is like the back of the guanyin wearing a crown, the guanyin under the crown is slightly bowed, gently turning its face, it seems to be listening to the sound of the world, at this moment the breeze is gentle, the crown of heaven dances lightly; the lotus petals and the shadow of the crown are clearly layered, one is used for matte techniques, one is used for polishing techniques, one before and one back, one still and one moving, suddenly stirring my eyes, suddenly stirring my thoughts.
"Phases are not phases" comes from the Diamond Sutra: "If you see that all phases are not phases, you see them as they are." "In my shallow understanding of the text, that is, all the phases seen in front of us are not the original phases of all things, the "obvious" is not the phase, the "hidden" is not the phase, the phase of all things that is unchanged is the original phase, and if the phase that is unchanged is the same as it is seen. What is a "phase"? The Buddha's saying has clouds: "All phases are illusory", which is simply understood, that is, the state of all things that we can see, hear, and touch are all illusory phases, and they are not the source of all things. So what are the phases? Simply put, it is the "phase" of all things, including but not limited to the phases of the six dusts, the six roots, and the six consciousnesses, and the phaselessness, reality, and non-equality often mentioned in the Buddhist scriptures refer to the true buddha-like mind of all sentient beings, and the true appearance of their essence is like the Fa, because this "Dharma phase" is formless, colorless, unconscious, and unobstructed, so it is also called phaselessness and reality, but this is not the six dust, six roots, and six consciousness phases, so it is called non-phase.
At the time of the night meditation, the heart is led in by the lotus stem, the "lotus" is the Dharma holy phase, the lotus root is planted in the mud, the lotus blooms on the water, it is said to be "out of the mud without staining, mao qing lian without demon", let the red dust burn, pain, suffering, desires and distractions, the heart is not hindered, and the wonderful Dharma is born. The jade lotus is thick and green, and it embodies the thickness of the Dharma, so that the soul escapes into the jade lotus, and deeply feels that "the sprinkling is swept away, the incense is scattered, the green lotus is more picked, the land is re-laid, the evil disease is healed, the appearance is increased, the body is famous and fragrant, and the green lotus is the same." (Xuanzang," "Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty, The Beginning of the Lotus Kingdom"), so that the "lotus" is the phase here, and the phase of the green lotus is the phase of the mysterious law; with the lotus entering the shadow, the breeze is light, the crown is ethereal, and the silhouette of Guanyin is presented in the eyes, with the delicate and tight green jade crown, showing the wisdom of the Buddha jade of "meticulousness and chestnut"; when my mind returns, I look around the corner, and this shadow is like a piece of green silk that covers the object, like a lotus dress that is gently hung, and it is like a lotus leaf that has been lifted, which is both the phase of Guanyin and not the phase of Guanyin. Presumably, the immeasurable Phase of Guanyin Bodhisattva says that there are phases and no phases, and it also corresponds to the "non-phases" of "non-phases" of "non-phases". I asked myself, what is the phase of Guanyin in my heart? The Guanyin seen in the eyes is one of its immeasurable Phases, and the Guanyin that is thought in the mind is a different phase of the Immeasurable Fa Phase that has been seen, and the Guanyin Body Phase is the Guanyin Phase, and it is not the Guanyin Phase. Since "if you see that all are not phases, then you see as they are", then the cover of the jade cloak is my true heart. I have all thoughts, all desires, all evils in my heart, and I am greedy, delusional, and angry, and I do not know myself, because there are phases and no phases; I want to cut off thoughts, break desires, break evil, out of greed, delusion, and anger, and I do not measure myself, because there is no phase and there is no phase.
The Ritual of Immeasurable Life says, "It is the bodhisattva who is the mind, and in all sentient beings, there is this enlightened lotus, and the world is purified without being tainted with troubles." In other words, if I seek the state of mind of the lotus, I will manifest the true Buddha's mind, and the first step in this state of mind is not to tolerate my mind, to live up to all thoughts, desires, and evils in my heart in the way of great benevolence, to make me greedy, delusional, and angry, and to have no obstacles in my mind, and to attain great wisdom. The benevolence of the jade and the benevolence of the Dharma are all found in this "non-phase of all phases." 【Nanzhu (Deyuan Culture Canada)】
Reading "All Phases Are Not Phases" has a feeling
Artistic jade carving should give people spiritual hints and inspirations. Master Yang Xi's Wada Deep Green Jade Material "All Phases Are Not Phases" is like this, the name of this work makes me ponder for a long time, both paradoxical and imaginary...
Listening, freehand and realism
Jade carving is a form of expression of personal cognition, a personal presentation that integrates art and culture. The three-dimensional circular sculpture of this work presents two parts, and the high standing behind looks like a hijab or a large cloak, supported by some force, but the face and body are not seen. This invisible, imaginative way may want to convey to people that the power of the spiritual world is powerful, enriching the inner world and the spirit can support everything externally, and the performance is freehand; the high-relief semi-three-dimensional lotus flower in front of it is a lifelike realistic technique. Even if the material is deep green jade, it still does not affect the holy feeling of the lotus flower. The contrast between freehand and realism in the work is like the combination of yin and yang, virtual and real, although the work costs materials, but in fact, it uses materials skillfully, showing a more intriguing effect.
Feelings, Energy and Religion
If we associate the past, the present, and the future, the concept of space-time may be our illusion, and the only thing that exists is energy or collection. They are invisible or tangible, powerful, and firm. There is a saying that "your past is determined by the present, and your future is determined by your present." "Although it cannot be seen or touched, everything is inseparable from it.
From the perspective of energy, the material looks like black, and black has the strongest energy, giving people a sense of fear. For example, in the dark or in places where there is no light, people will feel mysterious because of the distribution of uncontrollable energy. So black is both mysterious and powerful, and it will raise awe or fear, which will transform into a powerful driving force and rise towards the light!
Different energies are combined into different forms of matter, transforming from invisible to tangible, and jade is one of them. The jade and jade ring symbolize the flow of energy, the earliest figures with symbolic significance, and also represent the theological sublime.
The first impression I had in this work was that the form of expression was very contemporary, with both vernacular and literary expressions, telling the meaning of energy and religion to human culture. Why? "The bodhisattva does not stop the color, sound, fragrance and touch", although the work is black and elegant, in my opinion, it is the energy that is at work, telling people that life is sunny and supported by faith. Of course, there are other metaphors for the present.
If it is said that "phases" means Guanyin, judging from the hijab of Guanyin Bodhisattva, there was a red hijab of a woman marrying in ancient times, representing auspiciousness and beauty, then the hijab of Guanyin contains the appearance of omnipotence in addition to the meaning of holiness. If God is noble and perfect, it is also human beings who combine all the appearances they want to achieve and create a perfect image to make people develop in this perfect direction. Therefore, human society has always needed such spiritual pillars or the perfect embodiment of the direction to maintain social stability. Man himself is an energy body, all beings are, and the gods are the leaders who lead all energy bodies. The image of a bodhisattva is an enlightening human being and a leader of all beings in life, that is, Pudu sentient beings! As the French thinker and writer Romain Rolland said, "Art is the development of life, and where death is there, there is no art." "Religion, then, is also prepared for human beings.
Enlightenment, life and death
If the "phases" of this hijab can be something else, then the hijab behind the lotus flower may not necessarily be a bodhisattva's, can't it be the god of death? Since there is a world of life, there must also be a world of death, and everything looks at things from different angles. The lotus flower in front means "birth", and the back is the unknown "death", which is also the coexistence of yin and yang, which is a more reasonable explanation. Most people can only see the part of life, fear death, and often do not want to see the opposite. But death is not terrible, because every soul will experience life and death. The world of death is unknown and frightening to the living. Isn't the appearance of the god of death precisely to inspire the living to live well? Live out the value. Zang Kejia wrote in a poem in memory of Mr. Lu Xun: "Some people are alive, he is already dead, some people are dead, he is still alive..."
The "phases" I understand are things that are seen on the surface, but in fact they are not necessarily real, and "non-phases" may be closer to the real. I remember mentioning in the last article "Famous Mountains Have Immortals Living in The True Buddha's Words and Homely Habits" that Buddhas and demons, as well as people and ghosts, exist in the same space. Why do we only see the good side? Self-deception? To quote Chen Guo, "Can happy really be happy?" Not necessarily! Such as the current hot plastic surgery, as boring as "painting the skin", in the limited life, we should leave the illusion and pursue the real "non-phase" - that is, inner peace.
The soul of the work has been haunted for a long time, with many associations and chaos. The most important thing is to make me realize that everything in the world is virtual and real, and seeing through the essence of the problem is both a recipe for the living and a religious reference. 【Chen Meitong (National Hetian Jade Appraisal and Evaluation Master, Chongqing)】
Pick the flowers and smile
Compared to the golden Buddha statues, we prefer to be close to jade. The jade has been carefully carved and refined, giving people a subtle and elegant sense of beauty. Like this work, dark blue jade color, ink throwing general lines, not ostentatious, not ostentatious, quiet and elegant, silent, revealing a little mystery, a glance at the heart... This is a taste unique to our classical Chinese aesthetics.
Phases, non-phases
The composition of the work takes the combination of virtual and real, the center of gravity is biased to one side, and the dynamic of all objects and images points to the blank part on the other side. Let the viewer's visual and psychological participation, jointly create a transcendent artistic conception, and create a void and extended space from the limited to the infinite. In the space of infinite blank space, it triggers a series of thoughts and feelings from life beliefs to artistic creation.
In this work, under the veil of truth, if there is a form of nothingness, is it a Zen practitioner of the world? Or is it a transcendent monk? Or is it just a lotus leaf standing against the wind? Yes and no; like, not like; phases, not phases.
The author uses only a little pen and ink to pay attention, and the pen is intentional. It is like practicing Zen Buddhism, transmitting the heart from heart to heart, not writing.
Buddha, Rulai, as a Dharmakaya Buddha, where is the real standard for Buddha statues? If we search the world for nothing, we can only approach that standard indefinitely. If every statue of the Buddha is not standard enough, then why should we make an image of the Buddha? What is the significance of the worship of Buddha statues by thousands of devotees?
"All in the heart", the answer is in these four words.
When we are touched by external things, the mind will naturally produce corresponding phases, which are called "colors" in the Heart Sutra, and the difference between the hue in the heart and the things outside is absolute. Like, the Buddha we sculpt and the real image of the Buddha can never be exactly the same.
Therefore, we cannot be true to each other, and we must not be quite true. For it is not something that is really on the outside, but an illusion that is temporarily stored in the mind.
Talk to each other. Zen Buddha statues pay attention to freehand conveyance, thangka measurement coloring, these two completely different artistic techniques are infinitely close to the end, close is the process of mind realization, this process is practice.
Wherever the mind is cultivated, the realm of the work is there.
The work uses realistic techniques to carve a lotus flower, the flower heart is at the golden section point of the whole picture, and the petals bloom in the heart of the background character, with a beautiful form and a free movement.
The lotus flower symbolizes the pure and untainted willpower.
Jade painting and painting require practice.
If there is no practice, pure technique is the product of delusional discriminating minds and disturbing minds, and it is not an artistic creation, let alone merit.
Works that truly have a spiritual realm, with willingness and blessings, will talk to the world with an equal heart, and praise with a humble posture. Like this lotus flower in this work, the realm is free and pure, perfect and unhindered, giving people an epiphany that points directly to the human heart, and is admired by those who see it.
All the laws of the world are nothing but the law of the heart. The Heart Sutra speaks of the voidness of the Dharma, when the body is. Eighty-four thousand Dharma Doors, immeasurable Dharma Doors, and although the methods and means are different, they are nothing more than cultivating a pure and equal enlightened mind, that is, the Rulai Original Mind.
"All phases are illusory; if they are not phases, they are as they are." (Diamond Sutra)
The same is true of artistic creation. With a knife and pen carved, with words embellished, borrowed from the image of the inspiration, judged by the mind, these alone can not be separated. Practice is the cultivation of the mind, and the best way in the world is to solve the void phase by having phases.
The author presents a subtle connotation with a concise and beautiful jade carving language, injects bodhi seeds with a pure heart, and opens up the realm of the work. 【Yihua (Jade Culture Communicator, Beijing)】