“Sacred Places (8),” Print, 8″x11″, $5.95 Ea

Meditating while you are angry, sad, disappointed, or afraid is the most direct way to resolve the difficulty. Why? Because you’re facing it. Meditation is the practice of facing yourself completely, cultivating intimacy with your breath and awareness. This painting depicted a Buddha, which is a partial view of the Gal Vihara Rock Sculptures, Pollonnaruva, Sri Lanka, Pollonnaruva Period, 1153 – 1186. Four smaller Buddhas in identical positions are found in the niches decorating the back of the main Buddha’s throne. The seated Buddha meditates cross-legged against an interesting relief of buildings, another hint of how Pollonnaruva’s temples originally looked. In this mudra, the hands rest in the lap. The right hand, resting on top, symbolizes the state of enlightenment; the other hand resting below, the world of appearance. This gesture expresses overcoming the world of appearance through enlightenment.