Graffathon 2024

This past weekend, I took part in Graffathon 2024. 

I made a quick entry in vvvv. Here is the base graphic that I also made at the party:

The Light of Discernment

Prints on RedBubble.

Here is the simple animation I made with it:

The track is Sad Soul (Chasing a Feeling) by Alex Grohl. 

I entered it into the "Beginner Compo" (instead of "Advanced"), as, even though I have some experience, my skills are definitely "beginner level" at best (there was the guideline that one should enter Advanced if one "works at NVidia"). It placed #10/12. 

"Monks, there are these seven properties. Which seven? The property of light, the property of beauty, the property of the dimension of the infinitude of space, the property of the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, the property of the dimension of nothingness, the property of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, the property of the cessation of feeling & perception. These are the seven properties." [...] 

 "Monk, the property of light is discerned in dependence on darkness. The property of beauty is discerned in dependence on the unattractive. The property of the dimension of the infinitude of space is discerned in dependence on form. The property of the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness is discerned in dependence on the dimension of the infinitude of space. The property of the dimension of nothingness is discerned in dependence on the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness. The property of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception is discerned in dependence on the dimension of nothingness. The property of the cessation of feeling & perception is discerned in dependence on cessation." 

- Sattadhatu Sutta 

So, properties depend on their opposites, or complements: ☯ (attainments depend on previous levels of attainment). Therefore, we may think that discernment depends on non-discerning; that is, a sharp, diamond-cutter-like intellect that is apt at classifications and such cognition is dependent on a non-dual, holistic awareness. That can be thought to have a visual representation here: the blobs of light, representing "thoughts" in the sense of information packets of this/that dualities reach the Buddha, but bounce off of him - they do not get absorbed into him, he simply receives them, then sends them on their merry way, and why? Because he does not have what he himself called "the root of objectification-classifications": "I am the thinker" (Tuvataka Sutta). At the root of all discriminating cognition is this sense of "self", which brings about its complement, "other-than-self", and from there are built sometimes elaborate constructions of thought (Papañca).