For the October Sculpture of the Month, I am again looking back to some older work. This sculpture sold several years ago, so I don’t see it very often, but it has come to mind in light of recent events.
Many of my earlier pieces reference existing or former religions or cultures (see, for example, SOM #5: On the Brink of Convergence or SOM #10: Phrygian Journey), but this one in particular spoke to me after I learned about the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver, Canada this past June. It appears India’s Hindu-dominated government may have orchestrated the killing.
At this time of extended international conflict, coup, and the continuing use of religion to justify discrimination and even violence against those whose beliefs we disagree with, I find this sculpture depicting a harmony of religions especially moving
Buddha & the Christfish
For me, this piece speaks to the interconnection between all faiths. A winged Buddha cradles a fish, symbol of Christianity, while meditating in front of a Christian cross. Coiled around the base of the cross appears the sacred serpent, an older symbol of earlier, matriarchal, nature-based religions. No sense of conflicting viewpoints appears in the image. Rather, the tone of the sculpture evokes the beautiful unity that’s possible among all religions when practiced with compassion.
Whenever our universal connection to each other through a higher power gets broken by believing we, as individuals or as a group, have the superior or only way to live a good life, the virtuous path of the religion breaks as well. Not only does this result in a lack of compassion for others, it often betrays a lack of compassion for ourselves. To focus on the evil we perceive in others’ beliefs requires that we deny our own capacity for harm, mistake, and misperception. This attitude always leads down a path that divides the soul and tears apart the world we live in.
I invite you, then, to see Buddha and the Christfish as a source of inspiration. At the core of all religion lies the aspiration to develop the highest compassion and cooperation with those around us (including the animal and plant beings in our midst). No wholesome creed requires us to choose a path of judgement nor tasks us with the responsibility to change or eradicate conflicting views.
So, I encourage you: Meditate often. Say your prayers. Be kind to plants and animals. And live in peace with yourself and one another. Amen.
