Thanks for the reference, Josh. I enjoyed reading this article as it resonates with a lot of my own personal interests -- especially the connection between art and Buddhism.
The central theme of peace and art is very much connected to Buddhism, as Thompson notes. The Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Chogyam Trungpa, in his book Dharma Art, discusses art or rather "genuine art - dharma art" as an "activity of non-agression." Here's a quote from Trungpa Rinpoche: "Dharma art is based on energy and conviction. In this regard, the perceptions of everyday life are seen as a resource, or working basis, for both the work of art and the practice of meditation. But there seems to be a need for two further types of energy -- the energy of nonagression and the energy of outrageousness ...Aggression is based on wanting to demonstrate something that you know, wanting to tell somebody the truth you have discovered. Although your demonstration might be okay, even fantastic, and the truth you have discovered may be relevant, the means and way the whole thing is presented seems to be a problem. From that point of view, we can't have rules and regulations as to what to say and what not to say, how to act and how not to act, particularly. The whole thing has to be genuinely intuitive." I find it fascinating that contemporary artists, like Filliou, have discovered or focused on themes or perceptions that are also found in ancient traditions, such as those of the Vajrayana Buddhism of Tibet. It seems to indicate that these are basic truths that are the heritage of all peoples and available to us all. cheers, George Josh Ronsen wrote: > Chris Thompson's article "Responsible Idiocy and Fluxus Ethics: Robert Filliou and >Emmanuel Levinas" is printed online here: > > http://a-r-c.gold.ac.uk/a-r-c_Five/i5_contsCT.html > > > -Josh Ronsen > > > > > > > > Join 18 million Eudora users by signing up for a free Eudora Web-Mail account at >http://www.eudoramail.com > >
