The Four Levels of Art

“Mahamudra: Essence and Practice”( Book II)

The Four Levels of Art

◎Yixin Chen: Are there any similarities between the levels of art and Buddhism practice?

●XUEMO：Yes, there are four levels in art creation. The first is the portrait of the reality, representing the most austere and original living, which is also named primitive ecology. And the second level derives from reality and goes beyond it, in which the works of art have been refined and sublimated. But it is short of vitality, just like what comes up in the second level of Buddhism practice ---- when entering the Perfection Stage after the creation stage has been completed, one would have already attained the initial inner peace and the state of concentration. But he is susceptible to falling into idle emptiness without vitality. For instance, there is such a case in the Zen Buddhism history. There was a monk who had been sitting in meditation for 20 years. One day an old lady who provided for him sent a young beauty to hug him tightly and asked the monk how he felt .The monk answered “ It’s like wilted branch leans on the cold rock, no warmth incurred throughout wintertime.” By that time, despite he had had the power of concentration, but he lacked of vitality and seemed to be fettered by something.

The third level of art is to be strengthened with sense of innervations and vitality on the basis of the prototype. It’s a kind of vibrating momentum which makes author himself always aware of the existence of some tremendous power which comes from nowhere, but the readers can also perceive it from the work of art. The power probably stems from the author himself while by now he has no discriminations between inner and outer or you and me, which is analogous to the state of Perceiving Heart and Seeing Nature. But he still need to engage in bhavana-marga. At that time the author’s creativity has already far surpassed previous levels, but he hasn’t achieved the extrication yet because we still can distinguish this from some constraints and influences posed by the reality in his works.

In the fourth level, the author has smashed all shackles in life. He has freed of all mindsets and ideology he learned before. The stream of his soul runs freely without any restrictions or secular temperament. Finally, he reaches the kingdom of freedom and obtained ultimate liberation ——“ Don’t make any explanations. Whatever you say will be wrong.”

Please be noted that the author focuses more on the similarity in spirit than forms in the second level. But in the third level he is no longer entangled with both of them but puts priority to the Tendency which means the power of motion, innervations and vitality. In the last level, he has got rid of everything by seeing through appearance. There is neither concept of art nor concept of creation but the mere shiny brightness in his mind. His true mind flows freely like a child. That is the highest level bar none. That is why we say a true master behaves like a child.

There is something special during my writing .I often say that I don’t know how to write novels, but it is the word itself gushes out of me. When I’m writing, I’m heated all over and the top of my head swells as if there is a huge power pouring into my life. At that time, there is no difference between the world and me. The nature and I are on the same wavelength. I am the world and the world is me; I am the dharma kingdom and dharma kingdom is me. Both of us become one. The pen in my hand is the exit of the cosmos spirituality. Both poetry and disposition runs alongside the trail of the pen.

When an artist is still fettered by something, that is just an ordinary-people state, not the cosmos or dharma kingdom state. If he can break and abandon all the states shackles, he will be bestowed with a great power, just like a glass of water poured into the ocean will get the power of the ocean eventually.

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《光明大手印：实修心髓》下

艺术的四种境界

◎陈亦新：艺术的境界与修行的境界也有相通之处吗？

●雪漠：是的。艺术有四种境界，第一种境界是对现实的写真，它代表最本真最原始的生活，也叫原生态。源于现实又高于现实是第二种境界，作品被升华提炼了，但弱的一点就是缺少活性，就像修行中间出现的第二种境界——在生起次第完成之后，进入到圆满次第，那时候已经得到一种轻安和定力，但容易流于枯禅，缺乏活性。例如，禅宗案例中有一个和尚坐了二十年禅。一天，供养他的婆子打发一个女子去抱住他，然后问他什么感觉？他说：“枯木依寒岩，三冬无暖气。”那时，他虽然有定力，但是缺乏鲜活的生命力，好像被什么束缚住了。

艺术的第三种境界就是在原来的基础上更深化一步，具有动感、活力，有了一种激荡的势，作者总感到在创作中有一种巨大的力量存在。这种力量不知来自何处，但读者也能从艺术作品中感受得到。这种力量很可能来自他自身，但这时他已经没有内外、自他之分，非常接近于修行中“明心见性”的境界，但还得进入修道。此时作者的创造力已经远远高于前面的境界，不过仍没有达到自由，因为我们还能从作品中看到一种现实对作者的制约和影响。

第四种境界，作者已经远远超越了生活对他的所有制约，他把过去学到的形式一扫而尽，心灵在自由地流淌，不受任何拘束，没有一点儿红尘之气，达到了自由——“不可说，不可说，一说就错”，得到了大自在。

注意，在第二种境界中，作者不注重形式，而注重神似；到第三种境界时，他对形和神都不管了，而重“势”，即运动的力量、动感、活性；到了最后境界，他什么都不管，破相了，脑中一片朗然光明，没了艺术之相，没了创造的概念，就像一个孩子那样尽兴地流淌真心，这就是最高境界。所以说，大师若童。

我的写作状态也很奇怪。我常说，我不会写小说，是小说自己往外喷。我写作的时候浑身发热，头顶发胀，仿佛有一种巨大的力量注入我的生命。这时候，没有我和世界的区别，我与大自然达到了一种共振。我就是世界，世界就是我；我就是法界，法界就是我，二者融为一体了。我的笔就是宇宙灵性的出口，诗意和真心从笔端往外流淌着。

当艺术家还有束缚的时候，那仅仅是人的境界，不是宇宙、法界的境界。当他把所有的境界破掉，就等于一杯水倒进了大海，就有了大海的力量。

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