Recycled Paradise

One of the most spiritual experiences I had in Italy was witnessing art at the Venice Biennale. In particular, I was moved by Federico Uribe's Plastic Reef, made from recycled materials.

We know trash fills ours oceans, but here Uribe creates on ocean made from trash.

He makes a political and environmental statement through creativity, yet the experience for me was spiritual. I felt like I was immersed in something otherworldly. I was generally moved by what he was saying and doing.

The colors were fantastic and the attention to detail was superb.

See more in the video...

Meditating in Venice

Venice is a beautiful city.  I mean, BEAUTIFUL. And I almost missed it.

I was travelling with my brother, John.  He was living in Italy, loved Italy, spoke Italian.  He was my safety blanket.  He also had a business meeting in Venice and left me alone.  I usually like being alone, but I feared I would get lost and wouldn't be able to find him.  It got to the point where my head was spinning.

Then I reminded myself to relax and meditated for a bit.  I thought: I'm in Venice, for Buddha's sake! Be present for it.

After a few breaths, I arrived.

It was wonderful.

As I wandered the streets and canals of Venice, I ran into my brother and all was good.

We even did a bit of people watching.

A Buddhist in Milan

Duomo di Milano

What was inspiring about Europe was exploring the amazing art inspired for spiritual purposes.  The Duomo was an inspiring piece of architecture and The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci was truly awesome.

For centuries, people have attended this church and witnessed this painting, experiencing the craftsmanship of artists.  I know there are politics, even scandals, involved with churches, temples, mosques, etc.  However, I wonder if those who created these works of art had that in mind.  

When I think of creating work, I hope that it does some good in the world.  It enlightens, inspires, educates.  Whether it was the great Leonardo da Vinci or the countless artisans who built the Duomo, I wonder what they thought about.

The Last Supper

Enlightenment at the Vatican

Recently, I went to Europe and had an amazing journey.  One of them was at the Vatican, reconciling my former incarnation as a Catholic with my current life as a Buddhist. I'll post pics and experiences in later posts.  However, here's a video that I did.