Fragments of Consciousness

Digital image on canvas (2013)

Large: 90 x 90 cm

Small: 60 x 60 cm

 

In this self-portrait, Wang Lang has expressed an important Buddhist concept: "I" am merely fragments of consciousness. Here the "I" refers to our collective concept of self as separate from others, from the surrounding environment, from the universe. When we think of ourselves as "I" or "me", we lose the sense of overarching connection between all things, the complete interconnectedness of all things. This is what the Buddhists might refer to as a discriminating mind or biased thinking.

 

According to Buddhist philosophy, in the endless cycle of Samsara (life, death and rebirth), "you" or "I" become the aggregate of consciousness and karma accumulated from past existences, so the "I" or "me" is constructed out of all the consciousness built up from past to present. From this perspective our core essential being is a collection of many past states of consciousness and individual instances of awareness, hence our identity is a fragmented collection of consciousness.

 

Since our own self-awareness is a reflection of our own limited comprehension, experiences, perceptions and biases, we are but mere fragments in the grand scheme of a higher wisdom that transcends individual consciousness. The "I" is simply a tiny array of pieces in a larger puzzle that can only be arranged fully and completed through enlightenment.

 

Site Curator,

Chris Harry

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