Genuine art has the power to awaken and liberate. The renowned
meditation master and artist Chögyam Trungpa called this type of art
“dharma art”—any creative work that springs from an awakened state of
mind, characterized by directness, unselfconsciousness, and
nonaggression. Dharma art provides a vehicle to appreciate the nature of
things as they are and express it without any struggle or desire to
achieve. A work of dharma art brings out the goodness and dignity of the
situation it reflects—dignity that comes from the artist’s interest in
the details of life and sense of appreciation for experience. Trungpa
shows how the principles of dharma art extend to everyday life: any
activity can provide an opportunity to relax and open our senses to the
phenomenal world.
An expanded edition of Trungpa's
Dharma Art (1996), this book includes a new introduction and essay.
“Trungpa’s notion of dharma art is an approach to art as meditation, an
attitude of directness and unselfconsciousness in creative work. Lief’s
inspired selection and careful editing make this an essential book for
those committed to view that the artist should be a spiritual teacher.”—
Publishers Weekly
Chögyam Trungpa (1940–1987) was a meditation master, teacher, and artist
who founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and an
international association of meditation centers known as Shambhala
International. He is the author of numerous books.
“Trungpa’s notion of dharma art is an approach to art as meditation, an
attitude of directness and unselfconsciousness in creative work. Lief’s
inspired selection and careful editing make this an essential book for
those committed to view that the artist should be a spiritual teacher.”—Publishers Weekly