Chapter 7: A Legend of an Artist

There was a well-known artist, whose name was Ts'ao Wei. He initially specialized in Chinese brush painting, and later began to learn and produce oil paintings in the western world. His paintings have been exhibited around the world and have received many awards and much critical acclaim.

Ts'ao Wei's style of painting is very liberal and open. He is very talented and has tried a variety of styles and mediums, including realistic, impressionistic, abstract, and spiritual.

During the time I was giving consultations, I heard that he planned on meeting me. I also wanted to meet Ts'ao Wei. Unfortunately, we had always missed opportunities of meeting each other.

Later on, there was a period without any news of Ts'ao Wei, and I almost forgot about him.

One day, a family came to visit me. They took out a picture, hoping that I could help the man in the picture. They told me that his name was Ts'ao Wei.

I was stunned: "Is that man the artist Ts'ao Wei?

"Yes, he's an artist."

"He is the artist Ts'ao Wei who is residing in France?" I didn't believe that it was him.

"Correct."

I observed the man in the picture, and he looked quite different from the Ts'ao Wei of my memory. This Ts'ao Wei in the picture looked tired and skinny, his face was guant, his eyes were expressionless, and he looked like a stiff corpse.

"What illness does he have?"

A member of his family said: "No sickness."

Another member of his family said: "Everyone has different conclusions."

Ts'ao Wei's father said: "Ts'ao Wei's illness is very strange. At one time, he suddenly felt that his whole body had lost strength, and he could do nothing but lay down. He was sent to the hospital for an emergency check up, and the doctors could find no explanation. To this day, doctors have tried all modern medical technology to examine him and have made many hypotheses, and still they can't explain what is the cause of his illness. They have used many methods, and nothing has worked effectively.

I requested the time of Ts'ao Wei's birth, and I entered samadhi while looking at the picture:

I saw two envoys in green and blue, holding a flag banner calling upon souls, and flying from east to west. There were a group of monks holding a wooden fish and mallet. They were murmuring the recitation of sutras. A crowd followed them. It seemed like a big funeral ceremony.

I shook my head, and said: "It's almost hopeless."

They were in despair and grief.

Ts'ao Wei's father said: "Ts'ao Wei is a very intelligent and talented young man, and his future is unaccountably bright. He is also my only son. If he is gone what hope does an old man like I have?

Ts'ao Wei's father was in tears.

I asked: "What did the doctor say?"

His family answered: "The conclusion was the same: he cannot live for much longer!"

I said: "I have heard Ts'ao Wei's name for a long time, and I've been unable to meet him. I admire his talent, and I've seen his exhibitions. I've wanted to meet him for a long time, and I also feel compassion for him."

Ts'ao Wei's father said: "Since Master Lu has heard of Ts'so Wei, you have to help him. You must help him. Please help him!"

I paused for a while, and said: "Let me try the method of substituting a body for him, and let's see if it works!"

I cut a paper figure of a person and empowered it. Then I told Ts'ao Wei's family members to take it back home. They were to choose a day on the lunar calendar called "Ch'u" to burn the paper figure outside of their back door along with some golden papers, and to see what happens.

I observed the situation in my meditation:

I noticed that as soon as the paper person was burned, there appeared two beautiful women. Both of them were naked, and they were extremely beautiful. The expressions of their eyes were dynamic and charming, and they were sexy and provocative. These two beautiful women went outside the back door and along with the paper person they were burned and turned to smoke.

What was that all about? I didn't know. But I understood that Ts'ao Wei was bothered by two female ghosts.

After that incident, Ts'ao Wei's family members claimed that Ts'ao Wei was a little better, and he ate a bowl of sticky rice. However, the improvement lasted for only two days, and then he returned to his previous condition. He felt weak and just laid in bed again.

Ts'ao Wei's family came to ask for my help again.

Again, I cut a figure of a paper person, and applied the method of substituting a body, by which Ts'ao Wei improved for two more days. But after those two days, he lied down again, and was like a living corpse!

Strangely enough, every time that I applied the method of substituting a body, two beautiful women would appear on the scene, and they were always naked. I observed each of them, and noticed that even though every one of these beautiful women possessed a natural beauty that could pass for a Miss Universe, they all looked different. By carefully distinguishing them I saw that none of them were the same, for one beautiful woman would surpass the other.

I was puzzled. After all, how many naked beautiful women were there? Why did they want to possess Ts'ao Wei?

I told Ts'ao Wei's father: "There are countless naked beautiful women surrounding Ts'ao Wei."

Ts'ao Wei's father was doubtful: "There's no such thing!"

"Think about it!"

Ts'ao Wei's father said: "I know Ts'ao Wei's character very well. He is an artist. Although he does not act very serious, and loves women in general, he has only one serious relationship - with his girl friend. There have been many women who have adored him, but he has not got passionately involved with them. He does not like to have casual relationships, for he has his own principle that he stands by. It's impossible that he has so many beautiful women."

Ts'ao Wei's father could not think of anything that could account for so many women.

Evidently, I could not figure out the reason either.

Later on, Ts'ao Wei's sister heard of this, which reminded her of her brother having painted hundreds of naked beautiful women. He had held exhibitions of naked beautiful women, and had created a sensation.

Ts'ao Wei's paintings of naked women had caused great controversy, for the women in those paintings were completely exposed.

Their private areas were exposed, looked very realistic, and were rendered in great detail. The expressions of those beautiful women projected sexual lust.

The reason that those naked paintings created a sensation was due to society and the media: "Is it art? Or is it pornography?"

The opinion of the moralists was that, in his naked paintings, Ts'ao Wei had painted women's private parts in close detail. Meanwhile, he emphasized sexual desire and pleasure that were expressed through every woman's facial expression. This was abusive of art. A painting that overly exposes seems to contain an intention of provoking sensuality, which contradicts morality and corrupts one's mind. They maintained that Ts'ao Wei was only selling sexuality. Through the package of art and through the guise of upholding the freedom of art, Ts'ao Wei's paintings could contribute nothing but more instability to society.

The moralists argued that freedom of art should be measured in terms of not invading the freedom of others. This kind of art is sexual, dirty, and does not function to promote virtue. On the contrary, it abuses the dignity of women, leading to the disaster of people becoming obsessed with sex. This trend is worrisome!

Ts'ao Wei's argument was that the painting of naked women has existed since ancient times. All gestures of characters and personalities in art are the art of exposing the beauty of the human body, especially the facial expression which is the most difficult to portray. It is a testimony of an artist's accomplishment in terms of how an artist is able to reveal human nature in his painting.

The task of an artist is to reveal or expose human nature. Human nature is natural, and the naked body is innocent and frank, which is not disgraceful. The scope of art cannot be restricted within "intellectual" and "moral" boundaries, and it should not be ultra-conservative, according only with "tradition," from which no possible reform or change could develop.

Ts'ao Wei maintained that he is not against the view of others. Everyone has their own opinion. If people criticize the paintings of naked people then this indicates that their minds are narrow and confined. He held that he was just and pure of mind, and that he was not the one who was cynical and bitter!

Both sides argued through the media.

Both sides would not give up their views.

Both sides played their own melodies.

After discovering that Ts'so Wei had created many naked paintings, I went with his family to the cellar of Ts'ao Wei's art studio to see his collection. What shocked me was that these beautiful women were exactly the ones I had seen in my meditation.

Some of them had blond hair, some had brown hair, and some had red hair. All of them were carefree, beautiful naked women!

I observed with my clairvoyance, and was shocked even more that every one of these beautiful women of the paintings I had observed was alive. These women lived in towers and gardens, just as though they were living in an imperial palace. Their lives were enveloped by luxurious gardens and numerous terraces.

This scene resembled the time of Emperor Chieh in the Hsia Dynasty, and Emperor Chou in the Yin Dynasty, both of whom had built palaces that went to the extreme of extravagance. Emperor Chou had built more palaces, which he named "Lu-t'ai", "Ch'in-kung", and "Ch'iung-shih".

Emperor Chou had forcefully collected three thousand beautiful women in his palace. Those women were used to entertain the emperor and they were often carried away in wild pleasure and excitement. Emperor Chou hung meat on trees, and created a wine pond. These women were all naked, laughing and chasing each other in the midst of the wine ponds and forests of meat.

There were also musicians who composed lustful and wanton music. One would lose physical strength by hearing such music. The beautiful women were required to dance lewdly and lustfully.

The truth is that Emperor Chou was not anyone else but Ts'ao Wei.

With my clairvoyance, I saw Ts'ao Wei and numerous beautiful women frolicking, being self-indulgent every day without doing anything meaningful. Even Ts'ao Wei's marrow had become rotten.

I made a decision at once: "Burn all those naked paintings."

The family disagreed: "No."

"Why not?"

"First of all, those paintings are a masterpiece. Second, they are very expensive. Third, they are Ts'ao Wei's favorite work."

I questioned them: "Between health and art, which one is most important?"

The family said: "Health is most important."

I insisted: "Burn them!"

As I anticipated, the burning of those paintings resulted in a miracle. Previously, Ts'ao Wei had been skinny and weak, and was without any physical strength. He had almost no hope of surviving. Because of the burning of those naked paintings, physically, he had an obvious and rapid recovery.

It was as if his burden had been removed, and he felt light.

It was as if a withered old tree had suddenly put forth new sprouts.

It was as if ashes had been rejuvenated.

Ts'ao Wei could eat again, and he could stand for a long time. His blood and energy circulation gradually became smooth, and his sickness of atrophy was miraculously cured.

It took only three months before Ts'ao Wei was fully recovered.

I asked Ts'ao Wei: "What state of mind were you in when you were drawing beautiful women?"

He answered: "I had pleasure, but not lustful pleasure."

"Really?"

Ts'ao Wei smiled and did not reply.

I said: "Your paintings were extremely lustful. Was it related to your thoughts?"

Ts'ao Wei said: "Mind is the master of painting."

I said: "You exhibited paintings of beautiful naked women that aroused people's sexual desire. You aroused not only the mind of other people's sexual desire, but your own mind as well. This is the essential cause for one to degenerate into the three lower realms of hell-beings, animals, and hungry ghosts. Ts'ao Wei was shocked, and nodded: "I will not dare to paint that again."

I said: "From ancient to modern times, from east to west, there have been artists who have created paintings of naked men and women, in order to display physical power and physical beauty. The portrayal of the human body can express elegance and grace, and is thus a good subject for a painting. It is especially true that the line of a naked body is beautiful, and is endowed by heaven and earth. All of these that I've mentioned are all appropriate. However, if you focus with intense attention on the expression of sexual lust, including a lewdly suave portrait, your heart will be moved to desire sensuality, through which you commit a non-apparent offense."

Ts'ao Wei came to realize what I said.

I told Ts'ao Wei a story. In ancient times, there was a person whose name was Li Po. He was famous for his painting of a horse.

Li Po thought of horses day and night, and he could not stop thinking of horses even for one moment.

One day Lo Po was taking a nap.

His good friend, the Ch'an Master T'ung Hsiu, happened to visit Lo Po. He saw Li Po sound asleep, who appeared as a horse one moment, and then turned back into a human the next moment.

Thus, Ch'an Master T'ung Hsiu advised Li Po that if he thought only of horses, then he would be reborn as a horse!

Upon hearing this story, Ts'ao Wei was frightened and ashamed. He was grateful for my advice!

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