Whatever you do,
strive to do it so well that no man living and no man dead and no man yet to be
born could do it any better.”
-Swami Viveknanda-
There are many beautiful stories about Zen masters where if we really go deep into the core of the story shows the right path to be taken in our life and more over other interesting aspect about Zen masters are that they were not only great teachers but also great painters and great artists.
once a Zen-Master who was also a great Painter was asked by the Emperor who had penchant for collecting great paintings from well known Artists to paint a Bamboo as part of his personal collection. The master said: "It will take time." "How much?", the king said. The master said "That is difficult to say, but at least two years." The king said: "Are you crazy? You are one of the greatest painters. I was thinking you can just draw it right now for that the Great Master said: ". Drawing a bamboo is not the problem. But first I have to be a bamboo. Otherwise how I do know what a bamboo is? I want to know the bamboo from the inside. So I will have to go and live in a bamboo grove. , I believe If you want to paint a bamboo, you have to become a bamboo.” There is no other way.
If you have not felt yourself as a bamboo standing against the sky, standing against the wind, standing against the rains, standing high with pride in the sun, If you have not heard the noise of the wind passing through the bamboo as the bamboo hears it, if you have not felt the rain falling on the bamboo as the bamboo feels it, how can you paint a bamboo? If you have not heard the sound of the cuckoo as the bamboo hears it, how can you paint a bamboo? Now one never knows how long it will take. . That has been my practice whole life. I paint only that which I have known from its deepest core." The king said: "O.k., I will wait.
one year passed. He sent a few people to see what was happening, whether the man was alive or dead. They came and they said: "The man is alive, but we don´t think that he is a man anymore. He is a bamboo. He was swinging with the bamboos in the wind. We passed by his side, he didn´t take any note. We said: 'Hello!' He didn´t hear. We wanted to ask him, we looked at his eyes - they were so empty, that we became frightened. Either he has gone mad or something has happened. And he can do anything! So we escaped. He may kill us! Who knows? He may jump upon us. He´s no more the same man." The king himself went to see. And the master was swinging in the wind, in the sun. And the king asked: "Sir, what about my painting?" He didn´t answer.
After two years he appeared in the court. and said: "Now bring the canvas and the paint, I´m ready. And why were you people disturbing me again and again? If you had not disturbed me, I would have come a little earlier. These fools of your court, they were telling things to me, they were saying: 'Hello!' .. Do you say hello to a bamboo? They disturbed the whole thing. It took month for me again to resettle into being a bamboo and to forget that I am a man. And then you came and you said: 'Sir!' ... Is that a way to address a bamboo? When are you going to paint? ... Has anybody heard that bamboos paint? You are a fool, you are surrounded by fools. I have told you that I will come whenever I´m ready!"Now I am ready ,bring the canvas .The canvas was brought, the brushes and the colour and within seconds he drew the bamboo. And it is said, that the king wept out of joy. He had never seen such a painting. It was so alive. It was no ordinary painting. It was not from the outside. It was from the bamboo. As if a bamboo had sprouted on the canvas. Not painted. This Great Master was totally involved and committed.
I remember Reading some where that Kamalahassan for his 100h Film Rajaparavai where he essayed role of Blind man it seems spent one month in a blind school ,eating talking & sleeping with them which helped him to get into skin of his character. That is why if you look at that movie you feel as if a blind person has acted not Kamala hassan the actor !
As shiva Khera puts it in a nice way in one of his many inspirational article
`Stephen R covey
-Swami Viveknanda-
There are many beautiful stories about Zen masters where if we really go deep into the core of the story shows the right path to be taken in our life and more over other interesting aspect about Zen masters are that they were not only great teachers but also great painters and great artists.
once a Zen-Master who was also a great Painter was asked by the Emperor who had penchant for collecting great paintings from well known Artists to paint a Bamboo as part of his personal collection. The master said: "It will take time." "How much?", the king said. The master said "That is difficult to say, but at least two years." The king said: "Are you crazy? You are one of the greatest painters. I was thinking you can just draw it right now for that the Great Master said: ". Drawing a bamboo is not the problem. But first I have to be a bamboo. Otherwise how I do know what a bamboo is? I want to know the bamboo from the inside. So I will have to go and live in a bamboo grove. , I believe If you want to paint a bamboo, you have to become a bamboo.” There is no other way.
If you have not felt yourself as a bamboo standing against the sky, standing against the wind, standing against the rains, standing high with pride in the sun, If you have not heard the noise of the wind passing through the bamboo as the bamboo hears it, if you have not felt the rain falling on the bamboo as the bamboo feels it, how can you paint a bamboo? If you have not heard the sound of the cuckoo as the bamboo hears it, how can you paint a bamboo? Now one never knows how long it will take. . That has been my practice whole life. I paint only that which I have known from its deepest core." The king said: "O.k., I will wait.
one year passed. He sent a few people to see what was happening, whether the man was alive or dead. They came and they said: "The man is alive, but we don´t think that he is a man anymore. He is a bamboo. He was swinging with the bamboos in the wind. We passed by his side, he didn´t take any note. We said: 'Hello!' He didn´t hear. We wanted to ask him, we looked at his eyes - they were so empty, that we became frightened. Either he has gone mad or something has happened. And he can do anything! So we escaped. He may kill us! Who knows? He may jump upon us. He´s no more the same man." The king himself went to see. And the master was swinging in the wind, in the sun. And the king asked: "Sir, what about my painting?" He didn´t answer.
After two years he appeared in the court. and said: "Now bring the canvas and the paint, I´m ready. And why were you people disturbing me again and again? If you had not disturbed me, I would have come a little earlier. These fools of your court, they were telling things to me, they were saying: 'Hello!' .. Do you say hello to a bamboo? They disturbed the whole thing. It took month for me again to resettle into being a bamboo and to forget that I am a man. And then you came and you said: 'Sir!' ... Is that a way to address a bamboo? When are you going to paint? ... Has anybody heard that bamboos paint? You are a fool, you are surrounded by fools. I have told you that I will come whenever I´m ready!"Now I am ready ,bring the canvas .The canvas was brought, the brushes and the colour and within seconds he drew the bamboo. And it is said, that the king wept out of joy. He had never seen such a painting. It was so alive. It was no ordinary painting. It was not from the outside. It was from the bamboo. As if a bamboo had sprouted on the canvas. Not painted. This Great Master was totally involved and committed.
I remember Reading some where that Kamalahassan for his 100h Film Rajaparavai where he essayed role of Blind man it seems spent one month in a blind school ,eating talking & sleeping with them which helped him to get into skin of his character. That is why if you look at that movie you feel as if a blind person has acted not Kamala hassan the actor !
As shiva Khera puts it in a nice way in one of his many inspirational article
“ The kind of commitment I
find among the best performers across virtually every field is a single-minded
passion for what they do, an unwavering desire for excellence in the way they
think and the way they work. Genuine confidence is what launches you out of bed
in the morning, and through your day with a spring in your step.”
We can go on giving number of example of Great Artists, Businessmen , politicians ,Writers , Doctors ,Engineers etc who have achieved in their respective fields .One hallmark that sets them apart from us is their commitment & Involvement in what ever field there are in .
We can go on giving number of example of Great Artists, Businessmen , politicians ,Writers , Doctors ,Engineers etc who have achieved in their respective fields .One hallmark that sets them apart from us is their commitment & Involvement in what ever field there are in .
`Stephen R covey
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