No Mud No Lotus

Mixed Media: Found metal, found stone and ceramic beads, glass beads formed into a lotus.

17” x 12” x 12”  

A saying made famous by Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist, author and teacher recognized as the inspiration for Engaged Buddhism. Exiled from his homeland in 1966 for expressing opposition to the war, his teachings on Buddhism as a path to social and political transformation are responsible for bringing the mindfulness movement to Western culture.

He taught that the secret to happiness (the lotus) is to acknowledge and transform suffering (the mud.) If we face our suffering, he said, rather than run away from it using the many appetizing distractions of modern life, we can be present and available to our joy.