Inspiration from Tibetan Prayer Flags

Prayer Flags are put up by Buddhists in Tibet. They put these flags outside their homes and at spiritual places. It is believed that the wind will carry the prayers of the Tibetans across the countryside. Prayer flags are said to bring happiness, longevity and prosperity to the flag planter and those around him or her. The designs found on the flags often represent aspects of the enlightened mind for example compassion, perfect action, courage, etc. The flags are placed in sets of five with five colours in the order: blue, white, red, green, yellow (from left to right or from top to bottom.) The colours represent the elements: space or sky, air, fire, water and earth.
Source: http://www.prayerflags.com/

Source: http://tomallwood.com/locations/nepal/prayer_flags.php

I am very inspired by the idea of the prayer flags, by how the prayers of the people are carried on the wind in this awe-inspiring country. I want my five pieces to represent these flags and therefore each piece incorporates one of the five colours.

Inspiration

The lotus represents wisdom and compassion in the Buddhist faith. These two qualities represent the essence of Buddhism.

The lotus grows in many different colour varieties and this, along with the varying stages of growth, represents the different aspects of the Buddhist faith. One lotus analogy is where a man is seen as a being that is born in the stagnant ponds of the world there he grows and blossoms in the air above the surface of the water just as a lotus does. This shows the Buddhist idea of perfecting oneself over time.
The Dalai Lama himself is referred to as the "Lord of the White Lotus" which represents the spiritual perfection of the Buddha and his followers. Even the eight petals found on a lotus flower refer to the eightfold path to perfection practiced by Buddhists.


Levenson, C. 1996. Symbols of Tibetan Buddhism. Casanova: Editions Assouline

Inspiration

I am working with Buddhist iconography that is seen in Tibet but for my first piece I was inspired by the elaborate hats worn by the Tibetan monks who belong to the Gelugpa school.


These large yellow hats are symbols of the modern school of Buddhism with whom the Dalai is associated. This final wave of Buddhism was started by Tsongkhapa who also founded the Sera and Drepung monasteries.

I found the shape of these hats to be very interesting and dynamic.

http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/asia/images/sera-monastery10.jpg