Joseph Goldstein reflects on the connection between art, science, and the meditative journey, and how we can move from the world of concepts to the world of direct experience.
Art, Science, and the Meditative journey
How are the paths of art, science, and the meditative journey similar? Joseph mines the path of Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky for connections to the path of mindfulness. He talks about the importance of slowing down and settling into the moment, and why nature is such a good environment for practice.
“In a very real way, we are all artists. We are creating our lives on the canvas of the world. And when we do that with awareness and understanding, we’re expressing the same creativity as an artist does with paint or with music or with words.” – Joseph Goldstein
Ethan Nichtern and Annie Hart explore the bridge between meditation and music on The Road Home Ep. 37
Monet’s Haystacks and the Buddha’s Science (14:14)
Joseph returns to Kandinsky’s story, and how his conventional notion of reality was undone by seeing one of the paintings from Monet’s haystack series. Joseph talks about moving from the world of concepts to the world of direct experience, especially as it relates to our sense of self. He explores the science of the Buddha, and how we can replicate his great experiment in awakening.
“The art of the practice is its creative aspect. The science of the practice is its lawful aspect. One of the meanings of the word dharma is law – the law of things, the truth of things.” – Joseph Goldstein
External Mindfulness (35:05)
Joseph ends with a discussion of three instructions from the Buddha in regards to how we should practice. He talks about developing external mindfulness, being mindful of the nature of impermanence, and what it really means to abide independently.
“When we’re not mindful externally, it is so easy to get lost in the comparing mind when we see others.” – Joseph Goldstein
Image via Oliver.zs