Achieving enlightenment

Achieving enlightenment

Sterling silver wire, 18k Gold, 10mm pearl

The last level of the journey is “Enlightenment.” It is also called “Nirvana.” Enlightenment is the stage where we are free from all the thoughts and conceptions.

In the book “How to practice” by the Dalai Lama, He said that “Compassion is the key to achieving a deeper level of morality” (Dalai 95).

Reading this phrase, I have realized that compassion is the result of removing all thoughts and conceptions and that it is the path to finding our insight.

Reaching the top of the mountain

Reaching the top of the mountain

Sterling silver wire

Reaching the top of the mountain is the moment when the lotus flower is perfectly blooming above the water level. It is identified as a passage into the sunshine of enlightenment.

The Buddha usually holds a lotus flower, blooming in his hand, signifying that the nature of Buddha in our mind is helping us accomplish Buddhahood.

I have come to realize that the nature of Buddha and the lotus flower has found me the inner peace to gain true freedom and joy.

The midway point

The midway point

Sterling silver wire

The third level of the journey is the midway point. For this piece, I created the bud of lotus flower that is about to start blooming.

“The bud of the lotus in Buddha’s hands represents the nature of Buddha, and is ready to bloom enlightenment” (“Wonsim”). Buddha said, “If we deny the perception of seeing only our own things or desire, we will truly have the nature of Buddha, which gain us realization in our mind” (“LotusLanterrn”). Thus, the nature of Buddha comes to us if we keep staying in a state of integrity and calmness no matter how our circumstances or condition changes.

As the bud of the lotus represents the way to reach a state of high awareness and morality, I have come to recognize that the form of the bud that I created for my third project conveys the spiritual path to find my intention in life right now and in the future.

The hike

The hike

Sterling silver wire

The second level is the journey up the mountain. For this piece, I created the form of lotus flower leaves and a bud to show the pattern of my growth.

In Buddhism, the lotus flower reflects all of the stages of the journey, including enlightenment. “The roots grow in mud, and then shoots grow up, supporting a scented flower above the water level. The growing pattern of the lotus flower seems simple, but in Buddhism, this pattern of growth has significant meaning” (“Momo”). It signifies the progress of the soul from the mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, into the sunshine of enlightenment.

I believe that the soul in the mud refers to myself, striving to achieve my intentions, and the waters of experience are my determination to accomplish my goal.

The beginning

The beginning

Sterling silver wire, etched copper; Liver of Sulfur,

transparent green paper

The first level is the moment when I just started beginning the journey up the mountain. When I first looked at the mountain before hiking, I was nervous, uncertain and excited.

Looking at this moment on the mountain, I thought of when I first came to Canada from Korea six years ago. Everything was new to me. When I went to high school, I was scared by the fact that I would have a serious language barrier. I was uncertain how I would learn English. I kept wondering whether I could conquer these obstacles.

I now realize that these feelings represent the first level of my journey.

To represent these feelings in my work, I researched the mountains in Emily Carr’s paintings, and using photographs that I took in Korea, I attempted to simplify these forms. The perspective in this piece shows distance, and this sense of distance reflects my life’s journey at the beginning.