Treasures from the East

Chi-Jen Liu has studied the I-Ching since childhood. "Happiness Longevity Luck Coin" showcases ways in which this ancient divination manual offers blessings for a life passage brimming with happiness, prosperity, and longevity. Each of the circular vignettes feature cornerstones of a man's life in accordance to ancient traditions. On the right, two young men wish each other good luck as they set off on their journeys to become powerful and famous. The man on the left is in traditional military attire and the man on the right is dressed as a scholarly official. The vignette at the bottom shows a middle-aged man reaching his career goals. His accomplishment is represented by the red fish he has caught while the goat and monkey – symbolic of productivity and creativity – cheer him on. Finally, on the left, we see two older men enjoying retirement. One man savors rice wine under the shade of a "jade tree," reminiscing with his friend. His friend listens attentively, with one foot resting on the "longevity turtle," to symbolize his arrival to the golden years of life.

The Chinese coin in the center contains powerful mantra charms for health, enlightenment, wealth, and peace. Chi-Jen Liu adorns it with a golden banner inscribed with the "Dreams Come True" mantra charm. This particular mantra charm is frequently used in his work as a divine blessing to enable your success.

Dozens of mantra charms are embedded in "Green Mountain Rolling Coins." They are inscribed on the coin, and along the contours of the sun and moon in the upper corners. They specifically promote business growth, wealth, and harmonious relationships. At the bottom, Chi-Jen Liu illustrates a vignette from the I-Ching that announces the meeting of a master to guide you toward achievement. His calligraphy proclaims, “The rooster heralds your time has come to stake your flag of victory… The Taoist shaman guides your way to wealth... with mantra meditation, develop your subconscious power."

As a Taoist practitioner, Chi-Jen Liu says that annual patterns of positive and negative influences can be experienced as timely opportunities or unexpected obstacles in one's life journey. The calligraphy on both sides of the painting elaborate on these principles. He writes, "Open your fishing net when big fish pass by. Close your net when negative energies transpire. Intelligent ones catch good luck and thwart bad luck."

In feng shui, water symbolizes wealth. Where there is water, there is life and where there is life, there is growth. Growth is the prelude to abundance. "Rolling Coins Waves" is a prime example of a water element painting made to generate more wealth energy in your environment. The layers of blue and gold lines at the bottom symbolize ocean waves. Chi-Jen Liu sets eight coins afloat on these waves to represent that water is a carrier of wealth. He explains, "[Rolling Coins Waves] promotes worldwide success in stocks, foreign currency, trading, import, and export. Each coin is inscribed with a unique mantra charm to offer a blessing or protection. The coins above are gifts from heaven for your good karma... there are mantra charms for happiness, cooperation, achievement, social balancing, and shielding from disaster. The giant gold coin in the center represents booming business."

Chi-Jen Liu connects all the coins together with numerology. In Chinese culture, the numbers one, six, and eight can be articulated to sound like "road to prosperity." The coins are patterned thus: one coin in the center, six coins above, and eight coins beneath.

For every action, there is a reaction. We are born with past life karma and we create new karma with each thought and action. We carry our karma from life to life; past good deeds begets future happiness and evil past actions result in eventual suffering. The law of karma does not exist to punish us but to encourage us to behave well.

Chi-Jen Liu's painting, "Karma Coin," is symbolic of the rewards one receives when one has cultivated good karma. A giant coin is anchored in the center of a cosmic vortex. It is filled with colorful nebulae bursting with stars and spirits swimming through space and time. Transcendent energies from all directions flow toward the coin. They are attracted to the coin's magnetic force, which is a metaphor for good karma – for every altruistic deed we do, however small, eventually brings heavenly blessings in return.

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