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ShivaFan
24 March 2012, 02:01 AM
God can live in Art. And within art one can find an understanding that can strike your senses but touch your soul. And that is one of the amazing things about Hinduism – which is rich in the teaching of renouncing sensory addictions which are temporary, but yet when we see or partake in a puja it is literally a riot of color and image and art and sensory stimuli that touches into the eye through the murthi and the art and the color all around, touches into the ear through the chant or the bhajan or the bell or the cymbal or the birds, touches into the smell through incense or other wonders, touches through touch itself when a sprinkle of a few drops of holy water that by chance splashes onto one, or touches by taste through the prashadam, and the colors, so very colorful, a riot of color, colors in flowers, colors in the art, you cannot escape the sensory nature of the worship and yet – it all takes you away from the mundane, from the darker sides of the world, and away from sensory addictions.

If you really think about it, while mediation looks within, the first step into the world of Hinduism is a riot of sensory perceptions.

This is what caught me when I was so very young, and took a boy introduced into a world which he first called “India” – what a great adventure! You see, not only does every sense live in this world which was discovered, but adventure is rampant! You are now traveling to a very, very far shore indeed.

India is very rich in this art form. You can see it clearly – passing on from eon to eon, and to other areas all over the world.

You know, Buddha who is Prince Siddhartha of Nepal so long ago – you see He came from India and his followers spread these teachings, which are the teachings of God and Mother India, all over the world just as Hinduism is all over the world today. And the heart of Sanatana Dharma lives in this Art.

It is a tradition, that Buddha is one of the incarnations of Vishnu. Perhaps you have heard this.

Now let us look into this Sacred Art.

The Images of The Reclining Vishnu on Shesha Nag, and The Reclining Buddha (Siddhartha) upon his final journey, shown in the first attachment below.

On the left we see a fine print of The Reclining Vishnu on Sheshanag.
And on the right we see a lithograph from India of The Reclining Buddha.

And in the second attachment shown below, here are sacred prints of Hinduism, showing the footmark of Vishnu on the left. And we see like sacred prints from India of the footmark of the Buddha on the right.

It is taught that there are 10 Incarnations of Vishnu – the Das Avatara. You may find these popular posters of the Dasavatar. And who is depicted as Avatar Number 9? It is the Avatar just beforethe last Avatar called Kalki who brings an end to this world.

Why! It is Buddha!

You can say that Hinduism “adopted” Buddha as an Avatar. And it was art that has driven and carried forth this idea. Or you can say that what is really important definitely will live on in Art, and it is that very special, purposeful and touching Art that lives on with power and perception beyond imagination that is the very Art that has a living perception within it that reaches out and touches you. This is the Art that lives on, while the others fade away. God can certainly live within Art. The eyes of the Girl withthe Pearl Earring lives on. It was touched by something. And Vishnu lives in the Art of Buddha. Because it is touched.