Owing to Most Venerable Senior Bhikkhuni Dr. Shi Ming-Yu’s recommendation and the help from the Tzu Chi Foundation Songshan Branch, much affinities have gathered to fulfill the making of the Buddhist painting exhibition of the “Chen Yu-Yuan Buddhist Art Association” at the Tzu Chi Song Shang Art Center. The World’s Famous Special Buddhist Painting Artist, Teacher and Master Chen Yu-Yuan commenced from October 01, 2020 a special International Buddha Painting Exhibition. The exhibition starts from October 1st and ends on the 31st, 2020. This grand exhibition Co-hosted by Chinese Character Education Promotion Association.

During the course of a month, there are over a total number of one hundred Buddhist paintings including both formal and animated versions of Buddhist paintings at the exhibition alternating every ten days. Many people, such as students from various Buddhist painting classes, Venerable Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis, and people who are interested in Buddhist painting have come to visit. Some of the Venerable bhikkhus and bhikkhunis drove all the way from the very south of Taiwan to see the exhibition. At the exhibition, there are Buddhist painting teachers from the association explaining paintings to the visitors. At the workshop areas, with the guidance from the teachers of the association, visitors can experience using Chinese brushes to paint lotuses or using color pencils to color animated versions of Buddhist paintings. Many guests have told us that coloring the animated versions has a very soothing and healing effect on them.

Meticulous Buddhist painting is all about painting buddhas and bodhisattvas with sincerity and respect in each stroke. In order to present buddhas and bodhisattvas as peaceful and graceful, the forms must be clear and clean, the lines neat and fluid, and the colors abundant. The dignified faces and the quaint, serene smiles of the buddhas and bodhisattvas bring out joys from the hearts of the visitors and make them want to stay longer at the exhibition. Every buddha and bodhisattva’s merits and virtues have been instilled into their names. If you visit the exhibition, please chant the name of every painting at least once in order to garner merits. If you believe that buddhas and bodhisattvas are everywhere, especially so when you are at the exhibition, it’s almost as if they are preaching to us, touching our heart and soul.

In the age of decadence, sentient beings have a lot of worries and agony. Many of them don’t believe in the Dharma. Therefore, in order to settle down and chant the sutra, or listen to the preaching of Venerable masters, they would need to have a lot of affinities and benevolence. A lot of our family members also don’t believe in the Dharma, and it worries us as well. But buddhas and bodhisattvas are so kind and compassionate that they gave us skillful means to deliver these kinds of sentient beings with “the seeing of the mark (painting).” Once a person sees the sacred painting of a buddha, the seed of the buddha would be planted in his eighth consciousness. When the right time comes and his affinities matured, this person will be able to accept the teachings of the Dharma. A person could gather merits simply by looking at a painting of a buddha, let alone a person who actually paints one himself!

The benefits and merits of creating buddhas’ images and sculptures are stated in sutras as well. In 《The Dharma Lotus Sutra》 – 〈Expedient Devices Chapter Two〉, “Those who painted bright Buddha images, Adorned with the marks of their hundreds of blessings, Whether they did it themselves or employed others, Have realized the Buddha Way.” In 《三寶感應要略錄》 (San Bao Gan Yin Yao Lue Lu):「爾時優填王。白世尊言。前佛滅度造像者。猶在世不。佛言。我以佛眼普見十方。前佛滅度後造像者。皆生十方佛前。無有一人猶在生死。」The ones who have created and built buddhas’ sculptures have since liberated themselves from the Six Realms.

Once Sakro Devanam Indrah asked Shakyamuni Buddha, “Has anyone in the Saha World right now created Buddhist images or sculptures in previous lives before?” According to what the Buddha has said, if a person creates buddhas’ images or sculptures, this person will be liberated from the Six Realms in this life, and it will never be delayed until the next life. If he creates buddhas’ images or sculptures for the sake of benefiting the sentient beings, this becomes a cause for becoming a buddha. Creating buddhas’ images or sculptures not only liberates a person, it also generates merits for reaching Buddhahood in the future.

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the entire world is a mess. Are we still going to be alive tomorrow? With much compassion, Master Chen wants everyone to gather merits by painting buddhas. As long as the students in our Buddhist painting classes have painted the lotuses which is the foundation for painting buddhas, they can all paint the Western Receiving Amitabha. And everyone should first paint the garment of the Western Receiving Amitabha in red because the color of red represents compassion and the deliverance of sentient beings. In their second painting of the Western Receiving Amitabha, the Amitabha dresses in yellow because yellow represents royalty and “reaching a higher level.”

The Chen Yu-Yuan Buddhist Art Association was founded in 2013. Its purposes are to follow the examples of buddhas and bodhisattvas, to cultivate the spirit of kindness, compassion, giving, joy, wisdom, faith, vow and practice, and to put into action the three forms of giving and the Six Perfections. The Association also restlessly devotes itself to cultivate Buddhist art teachers and promote the education of Buddhist painting for the purpose of benefiting the sentient beings. The ultimate goal is to create pure land in the human realm.

We often encounter people who said that they don’t have any background in painting nor the talent to paint, therefore they are afraid to try Buddhist painting. To be honest, painting is an inherent skill; we are all born with it. No matter how old you are, as long as you are willing to try and to learn, our teachers will patiently teach you the techniques of painting buddhas, especially the facial features of buddhas. When you are calm, relaxed and enjoyed tracing the sacred form of the dignified buddhas and bodhisattvas, wouldn’t you feel a bond with them? The Dharmic joy from within needs you to experience for youself to get its true taste. Our association has more than forty classes all over Taiwan. We welcome you to join our Buddhist painting family with the most earnest heart. We hope that from this point on you will begin to create a different life.

2020年 陳裕源老師佛畫藝術推廣協會「萬德莊嚴  佛畫藝術」 展覽

承蒙明毓法師的引薦，及慈濟松山聯絡處鼎力的幫助，因緣具足成就了「陳裕源老師佛畫藝術推廣協會」在松山慈濟藝文中心展覽佛畫，為期一個月從109年10月1日至10月31日。

這次展覽師生的佛畫和Q版佛畫總共有百餘幅，大約每十天輪換一次。在各地的學員、同好、很多道場的法師們都來參觀，更有遠從屏東開車專成來看畫展的法師們。現場有值班的老師做導覽、畫佛像，參觀的來賓也可以體驗用毛筆畫蓮花，祈福卡及Q版的上色。好多來賓告訴我們，他們在體驗Q版上色時就好療癒。工筆佛畫，是用恭敬心一筆一勾勒描繪佛菩薩，線條的流暢細膩、色彩豐富、輪廓清晰、莊嚴慈悲的容顏及淡淡的微笑，所呈現出來的佛菩薩是寧靜、祥和的，讓參觀的來賓生歡喜心，留連在展覽場。每位佛菩薩的功德都在祂的名號裏，若您來參觀，請把每幅畫的聖號都念一遍。平時就相信諸佛菩薩無處不在，此時更深信諸佛菩薩皆充滿，為我們現身説法，令人感動。

末法時代的眾生煩惱多，不相信佛法，要讓他們靜心來念經、聽經，需要有善根因緣才能坐得住、耐得住。包括我們的家親眷屬也有很多不相信佛法，讓我們擔心不已。佛菩薩非常慈悲，用善巧方便的“觀像”來度眾。只要讓他們見到佛菩薩的聖像，這佛的種子就已經落入他們的八識田中，一旦因緣成孰時，他們就自然接受佛法。觀佛像的人都有功德力，更何況畫佛像的人！

《法華經方便品》：「彩畫做佛像。百福莊嚴相。自作若使人，皆已成佛道。」

《三寶感應要略錄》：

「爾時優填王。白世尊言。前佛滅度造像者。猶在世不。佛言。我以佛眼普見十方。前佛滅度後造像者。皆生十方佛前。無有一人猶在生死。」(曾經造佛像的人日後都解脫了生死輪迴。)

造像的功德利益：

釋提桓因天主即便問佛，今在人間是否有人在前生造過佛像，「佛告釋提桓因，有曾作佛像者，皆於過去先已解脫，在天中尚無，況於餘處。」

依佛所言，若人造立佛像，此人當生即得解脫，決不至於來生。若為利益眾生而造佛像，則為成就佛道之因。造佛功德不但能得解脫，也可以為將來成佛種下福德資糧。

今年因新冠病毒的影響，全世界動盪不安。無常先到還是明天先到？陳裕源老師慈悲要給同學們先種下福德資糧，要大家畫佛 ，只要同學們畫過蓮花，都可以畫 “西方接引阿彌陀佛”；第一張阿彌陀佛要先畫紅色衣服，紅色代表大悲色、度眾生；第二張阿彌陀佛畫黃色衣服，黃色帶表尊貴、增上色，品位增上。

「陳裕源老師佛畫藝術推廣協會」成立於於民國 102 年。協會的宗旨是：效法十方諸佛菩薩慈悲喜捨；悲智願行三施六度的精神；在各地區培養佛畫師資群；推廣佛畫藝術教學；普利眾生；~終極目標~建設人間淨土。陳裕源老師致力於推廣佛畫已有30餘年，主要積極推展畫佛修行法門至世界諸區域，更在各地區培養佛畫師資群，學習諸佛菩薩慈悲喜捨、自利利他的精神。

常碰到很多人説因為自己沒有繪畫的基礎、沒有繪畫天份就不敢去學佛畫；其時畫畫是我們與生俱來的本能，不管你的年齡是長是幼，只要你願意嘗試、願意學習，協會發心的老師們會教畫佛的技法，尤其是佛菩薩的五官。當你靜下心，放輕鬆摹臨佛菩薩莊嚴圓滿的聖像時，你會和佛菩薩相應嗎？這個中的法樂和法味只有你親自去體驗才會明暸。協會在全台各地有四十幾個佛畫班，我們以最誠縶的心，歡迎您加入「陳裕源老師佛畫藝術推廣協會」大家庭，相信您會有不一樣的人生。

Buddhika Sanjeewa
After visit to Taipei, Taiwan
Official Photographs by Chen Yi Cheng – 陳奕成