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And above all, thank you for letting me get to know your culture more closely and for welcoming us so warmly into your home.
Here is the description of the piece.

First of all, it has been a very enriching experience for me.

I didn’t want to paint a portrait; I wanted to paint the meaning of a life, the result of an entire life, the life of Master Hsing Yun.

I have studied a lot during these months, and after learning very little (there is so much to learn), I painted this piece with absolute admiration and respect for the Master and for Buddhism.

The painting is based on the Master’s life, his experiences, and the doctrine he promotes, which is Humanistic Buddhism.

The core, so to speak, are Buddhist teachings.

As his foundation Fo Guang Shan says:

• One Teaching
• Two Assemblies
• Three Good Deeds
• Four Offerings
• Five Harmonies
• Six Perfections
• Seven Precepts
• Eightfold Path

I have mainly focused on the FIVE HARMONIES.

They seem to me a vital lesson for the individual and for their surroundings. Furthermore, as Humanistic Buddhism says, it is a secular matter, a philosophy of life.

THE PURE LAND BLESSED BY THE FIVE HARMONIES

1. Personal Harmony – Equanimity. Represented by the symbolism of the balance scale, the ultimate symbol of equilibrium. It is shown in the bottom right corner, overexposed with the word kindness.
2. Family Harmony – Kindness. Represented by the Chinese character for “Kindness” in the bottom right corner.
3. Interpersonal Harmony – Respect. Respect is conveyed through the Master’s facial expression. There are many reasons why I chose this expression. One of them is to show the respect we are talking about in interpersonal harmony. He looks at us with hieratic and attentive respect.
4. Social Harmony – Cooperation. This cooperation is represented by the puzzle pieces in the painting, where the union of many creates the whole.
5. World Harmony – Peace. Peace is represented by Picasso’s Dove of Peace in the top left corner. In 1949, Picasso was commissioned to paint a symbol of peace for the International Peace Congress held in Paris that same year. Picasso painted a dove that has since become a global symbol of peace. The olive branch it carries represents the dove that, according to the Bible, Noah sent out after the flood to check if there was land, and it returned with a branch, an unmistakable sign of the waters receding.

THE CAT

The Master is a lover of animals, and the cat, in particular, has a special connection to Buddhism.
The cat represents:
• Kindness
• Spirituality
• Affection
• Nobility
• Defense

The Master says that a cat is a being that has already achieved spirituality.

In many cultures, people are buried with live cats, leaving a hole for the cat to escape. When the cat leaves the tomb, it signifies that the soul has entered it.

There is a Buddhist legend about the cat, which says that the cat is so important in Buddhism because one day Buddha had a cat sleeping on his lap. When he had to get up, he didn’t want to wake the cat, so he cut his robe and left it on his altar.

From that moment on, a cat always appeared next to Buddha.

On both sides of the Master’s face appear two Chinese characters that represent two very important things for him. These characters are an exact copy of the exquisite artistic technique invented by the Master called One Stroke.

“Heart” is on the left, and “Buddha” is on the right.

The character for “South” subtly appears in his facial expression, representing his place among the Four Heavenly Kings.

I would also like to take this moment to say that there are things in the painting that I will not reveal to maintain some mystery or intrigue.

This will allow viewers to discover new elements that enrich their perspective of the artwork.

But above all, I am interested in free interpretation, letting each observer complete their story through their own context.

THE EMPTY PUZZLE PIECES

For the Master, emptiness is an opportunity.

Where nothing exists, or there is nothing.

It should not be seen as something negative but as the emergence of something new.

The Master has a phrase that says, “When something bad happens, there is an opportunity to grow.”

It seems like the right moment to highlight how evident this phrase is in the Master’s life.

There is a situation that marks his life forever, and although it may seem paradoxical, it marks it for the better and is the trigger for everything he will become and do in the future… the war.

THE WAR

World War II marked his life.

His father was taken away, and he had to leave home, entering a monastery at the age of 12.
The war is represented in the bottom left corner by the mushroom cloud from the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima.

Above the cloud, the gaps in the puzzle symbolize, as the Master says, the creation of new horizons.

The continuous wars and natural disasters in his environment made him aware of the need to help others.

Once again, I highlight the Master’s life, where such a dramatic event as a terrible war caused a substantial change in his life.

Finally, I want to talk again about the Master’s facial expression used in the painting.
It is a solemn, serious, concentrated, serene, and attentive face.

Active but neutral, firm but receptive.

His gaze is fixed on others, penetrating, concerned, very attentive, and watchful.
Regarding his mouth, the Master has a beautiful phrase that says:

“The smile is the most beautiful color in the world.”

And indeed, he is always smiling in all his photos.

However, I gave him a concerned mouth to portray an active Master, thinking of solutions for the current world, which, unfortunately, is marked by selfishness, individuality, personal interest, and the subjugation of the weak by the strong.

This painting, I hope, becomes a totem filled with strength for Humanistic Buddhism.