Present Encounters : Papers from the conference of the Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, 1996

Kamin Lertchaiprasert Beyond Belief (Spirituality and Re-investing in Tradition) I believe I believe I believe I believe I believe I believe I bel ieve I believe I believe I bel ieve I believe I bel ieve I bel ieve I believe I believe in Buddh ism . that everything is empty. that emptiness is the origin of nature, the universe, energy, matter and living things. that life has two essential components: body and mind . that the mind directs and controls the work of the body. that the body is constantly changing . that the mind originally was empty and unchanging . that in all ages and periods mankind , through efforts to understand nature, created the various branches of knowledge such as religion , ph ilosophy, science, art and so on. that everything is interrelated . that an understanding of the nature of our own minds enables us to understand nature outside ourselves. that art is one path that will lead us to understanding the truth of our own nature. that the process of creating art enables us to understand our own nature, just as does practising Buddhist dhamma mediation that the true worth of art resides not in its beauty or util ity but in it spiritual value. that if we understand the original state of mind and the workings of our mind , we wi ll understand that happiness and sufferi ng have their inevitable causes, and we will be at peace. that the world will be at peace when minds are calm. 85