Garden of prayers

Mineral pigment, Dyed earth pigment, Paris white on Japanese washi

In one of my favorite TED Talks, American writer Andrew Solomon discussed the concept of nirvana, which a friend explained to him as follows: "Nirvana, he said, is what you arrive at when you have only bliss to look forward to and find in what looked like sorrows the seeds of your joy." (Andrew Solomon in TED 2014 at Vancouver, Canada, "How the Worst Moments in Our Lives Make Us Who We Are")

From this TED Talk, I learned that nirvana does not mean reaching a point where all the hardships of life have disappeared. Rather, it is about finding a bud of joy amidst the sorrows of life. This realization strongly motivated me to infuse hope into my creations, inspiring me to draw this artwork.

My inspiration comes from what I love most: the Mandara, Indian, Javanese, and Siamese chintz, which visually express the doctrines of Buddhism and Hinduism, alongside traditional ethnic patterns from around the world. I am drawn not only to their decorative appeal and cultural significance but also to the labor-intensive processes of weaving, dyeing, and embroidery. I believe these crafts represent a traditional human act of "prayer."

In this artwork, I incorporated traditional patterns found in old Indian and Javanese chintz. The patterns in the first and second streams from the left depict Mt. Sumeru, the highest mountain rising at the center of the world in Buddhism. This mountain symbolizes rebirth (samsara) and deliverance within the Buddhist worldview. These traditional ethnic patterns embody the prayers of our ancestors.