Friday, September 19, 2008

Kuan Yin

It's been a while since I posted this photo.

This is my favorite work of art in my favorite room at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo. Kuan Yin, who is the Bodhisattva of Compassion, is sculpted in wood and sits in a temple brought over from China many years ago. The light is dim, there is a massive mosaic behind her (some say him), and there are wooden benches on which to sit in stillness.

12 comments:

Larry Kollar said...

Bodhisattva, won't you take me by the hand…

You *know* someone was going to quote that line, right?

Was going to do a bit of writing this evening, ended up drinking rum, tracking down some of my old favorite bands from the mp3.com days, and downloading some of their new (and still free) stuff. Some of 'em (e.g. trance control, Blue Tonic World) are on iTunes now, so I can go throw a few bucks their way too.

AndiF said...

Here are three of my favorite works of art. ;)

The God of Contemplative Life [LINK]

Seeker of Higher Things LINK]

Wanderer who Steps into the Shoes of Others [LINK]

Happy Last Saturday of Summer to everyone.

Anonymous said...

Cathy Johnson, the writer and painter who lives in Excelsior Springs, Missouri also loves this statue and spends hours in front of it in contemplation.

Isn't a bodhisattva someone who has attained enlightenment and has returned to the earth to help others?

Nancy P said...

lol, far, and happy hunting.

Awww, Andif, those are adorable.

That's right, Paul.

G'morning, all. I'm giving the keynote at a local writers' conference today, so I'll disappear for a while to work on what I'm going to say. That's easy, compared to figuring out what to wear.

Anonymous said...

LOL Nancy, You give us contemplation and fashion angst.
Love it.

Andi--LOVE your pics. I'm charging my camera battery and going out to walk in the woods this morning.
You are an inspiration.

Farf--sounds like a good evening.

Paul- thanks for enlightening me. My knowledge of such is limited at best. Though the picture/statue captured my interest right away.

I have my Buddha(not the fat, happy one but the more solemn) facing my writing area. Right next to the Virgin of Guadelupe and St. Francis of Asisi prayer candles and a tiny Virgin Mary statue. Cover as many bases as possible ya know.

Sensational Saturday to all.

Anonymous said...

Morning, all! Nancy/KB, isn't that the statue we visited in April? That WAS a beautiful, peaceful place!

Good luck at the conference, and hope everyone else finds fun ways to spend this final Summer Saturday. Our weather is changing quickly - sunny this am, clouds and cooling and windy already. Fall is NOT sneaking in like a lamb...

Bill's off 4-wheeling, so I'll be doing chores, writing, and trying to catch up on college football!

Anonymous said...

I love the gold and orange together. I even like that color in drinks :)

Haven't been around much this week as work was hard and I did something that was considered stupid at work but what I thought was just my human nature... My boss almost got hit by a pick up truck in our lot. The dude hit an ran a parked car. Totally crunched the drivers side where Jess had been standing. I was out there, saw it, and started to RUN TO HER. which... put me in the path of the truck. I wasn't trying to stop the truck. But I guess it looked that way. And I guess it looked pretty stupid ROFL to bystanders. But really I was just thinking a person had been in the middle of that munch. I thought of nothing else. Then I thought to get out of the way in time. My boss hugged me but others really were hammering me for days.

Anyways... I'm off to a hockey game in Portland tonight. Go Winter Hawks!! with family and friends.

A big shout out to Olivia because HOCKEY SEASON IS ALMOST UPON US! whoooooot

Anonymous said...

Oh and a very belated happy birthday!

I made you a mango daiquiri.

It was good. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Nancy! It was great to see you at the coffee shop today. I'm plugging away at the SAMMI novel - written over 50,000 words since the WRW. Good thing I love writing or it would seem like work. ;)

Anonymous said...

DAVE-- I was just thinking of you today. I even was looking at WRW pictures and there you were.
So glad to hear SAMMI is alive, in a robotic sort of way and kicking.
Come on back to the blog and visit. Quite a friendly group.
How lucky to live where you can run in to Nancy. I've had to cultivate cyber connections.

Nancy P said...

David! You found us even though I gave you an incomplete e address. Honest, I do that to all my friends. Should be blogspot.com and I always forget the spot.

By the way, WRW'ers. . .he was in that coffee shop writing.

Nancy P said...

Janet. I'm glad you're alive to tell the tale.