Guardians and Sages

The founder of Buddhism can be traced back to a young prince, from around the 5th century BC, called Siddhartha Gautama. He renounced his royal life, leaving behind his home and family, in search of the way out of worldly suffering. After years of austere meditative practice, Siddhartha achieved self-realization and paved the way to liberation – freedom from the repeated cycles of birth and death (reincarnation) – and became the "Buddha." In Buddhism, it is believed that anyone can achieve the state of perfection (Nirvana) by following what is called "The Noble Eightfold Path." Hence, "Buddha" is the hard-earned title bestowed upon individuals who have dissolved their material desires, who have reached the highest states of self-awareness, and ultimately, who have freed themselves from all earth-binding karma. They become incarnations of universal understanding, compassion, and right conduct.

Quan Yin is regarded as the Bodhisattva of Compassion. A bodhisattva is a spiritually enlightened human being who renounces the eternal bliss of Nirvana in order to bring relief to those suffering on earth. There are many accounts of Quan Yin's life that describe how she became one of the most beloved deities in Buddhism. According to legend, she was a follower of Buddha, and after much sacrifice and devotion to the spiritual path, she earned her entry to heaven. As she was about to enter paradise, the cries of the world reached her ears. Her heart was filled with unconditional love and she chose to stay on earth. As a matter of fact, her name means "the one who hears the sounds of the world." Her act of compassion installed her as a Buddhist savior.

Chi-Jen Liu offers his reverence to Quan Yin in his painting, "Quan Yin Protects You." His depiction of her follows Buddhist tradition. Quan Yin pours holy water from a slender vase (blessing all forms of life with health and peace), and her other hand is positioned with tips of the thumb and middle finger meeting to create the wisdom mudra (awakening humans to higher awareness). The dragon upon which she stands symbolizes power and divine guidance.

Quan Yin is commonly depicted in classic Buddhist art as having a thousand arms with an eye on each hand. This illustrates the hundreds of ways she watches and blesses the world. In Chi-Jen Liu's piece, mantra charms emanate from Quan Yin in all directions – left, right, above, below – to evoke the concept of her multiple arms of assistance that respond to the cries on earth. The artist selected charms that express her mercy and generosity, such as healing and protection for body and mind, financial success and harmonious relationships, as well as peace and longevity. These ancient Taoist diagrams attract and transmit specific vibrations in the universe which we cannot see – such as a radio antenna that can receive or broadcast invisible sound waves hidden in the ether.

The pink and golden sphere behind Quan Yin is her loving and pure aura of light. Her image is suspended in a watery blue background. It represents both the sky and sea, and symbolizes her expansive, all-embracing compassion for all.

Daikokuten is the god of wealth, a household deity originally from India and worshipped throughout Asia, especially in Japan. He is known to attract business success and good fortune. Smiling and cheerful, "Fortune God Mocojelo" (as called by Chi-Jen Liu), always carries a heavy sack of treasures and a magical mallet that when struck is said to produce wealth and riches.

"Mocojelo" symbolizes the fruition of good karma (i.e. the effect of good actions) which comes in the form of a well-earned reward. As a divine agent, he delights in fulfilling the wishes of those who offer him prayers and worship him as an instrument of divine blessings. Mocojelo is surrounded by concentric rainbows densely inscribed with Taoist mantra charms; it signifies his connection to universal forces and the intricate relationship we have with nature. Chi-Jen Liu suggests that adherence to right living eventually produces benefical results. Indeed, Mocojelo is known to bring instantaneous fortune with his money hammer, but his blessings do not come from nowhere: they are the result of one's hard work, altruistic service rendered in this life (or in past lives), and noble intentions.

"Buddha and Fish Promote Abundance" features a well-known Chinese deity, the Buddha of Prosperity. He is depicted holding a cornucopia from which eight red stars pour forth. Why eight? Because in Chinese, the number eight is pronounced "ba," which sounds similar to "fa" (prosperity). It is easy to miss this symbol at first glance, so Chi-Jen Liu underlines the double meaning by curling the tail of the red sea snake into a figure eight! The Chinese language is multi-layered and encourages phonetic wordplay.

There are specific associations behind every number, color, or creature. Chi-Jen Liu shares the humor and complexity of the Chinese language (and culture) and uses it to deepen the meaning of his paintings. For example, Chinese traditions indicate that wealth symbols should come in pairs because it traditionally takes a couple to propagate future generations and ensure future expansion. Notice how all the creatures in this painting come in pairs: two goldfish, two dragonfish, two koi, and two sea snakes.

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