True Perception: The Path of Dharma Art

It undermines the possibility of intrinsic beauty.

The slogan “First thought is best thought!” is an expression of that second principle, which is earth.

In order to realize unconditional symbolism, we have to appreciate the empty gap of our state of mind and how we begin to project ourselves into that non–reference point.

When we reach the state of nonaggression, it is not that we cease to perceive anything, but we begin to perceive in a particular way. With the absence of aggression, there is further clarity, because nothing is based on anxiety and nothing is based on ideas or ideals of any kind. Instead, we are beginning to see things without making any demands.

The second principle is earth, which has three categories. The first category is absence of neurotic mind.

On a larger level, dharma art is connected with the idea of how to clean up setting-sun vision [the small world of aggression, passion, and ignorance] and transform it into what is known as Great Eastern Sun vision.

Nonaggression is the key to life, and to perception altogether. It is how to perceive reality at its best.

And according to Buddhist psychology, we go through a threefold process in connection with each of those sense perceptions. The first is a sense of existence. When you begin to listen or to look at something, you have a sense of being. This is just a general sense of being; nothing in particular is planned or conceptualized—simply a sense of being.

On the whole we begin to feel that we are not cheating anybody; we are not making anything up on the spot. We begin to feel that we are fully genuine.