Self-Inquiry No.1

 

Self-Inquiry No.1

 

 

Carved from a block of air-dried yellow cedar with tight growth rings, the form of Self-Inquiry No.1 reflects the nature and delicacy of the material and craft. The subtle form invites the viewer to peer inwards only to find more space and openness. The irony of self-inquiry is just this. The looker seeks to find oneself, but the self is the looker who cannot possibly see itself (like a sword cutting itself in half). When the self is thought to be perceived, it is actually only a construct through thought. So, our common self-image is this imaginary self. When this ironic fact is grasped by the higher or true self, then there is wholeness and Love. Is this the cosmic joke?

Nothing.
Or is it something?
That empty space,
The vast arena,
The pure silence
And rest—

I look
Yet my eyes are met
With pitch black
And infinite quiet.
But yet, I am,
Not of time,
Nor space,
I am here
And everywhere,
Yet nowhere.

MS21