Date: 05/17/2025 05/18/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Dharma Talk
Collective Creation
In the past, there was a group of painters, each with their own strengths in artistic creation, earning great admiration from the world. Some were skilled in color expression but were not good at composition; some excelled at painting bodies but struggled with depicting hands and feet; some could paint hands and feet with great realism but were unable to capture facial expressions and spirit.
One day, the king wanted someone to paint a portrait of him. So he ordered his attendants to summon this group of painters to the palace. The king took out a piece of cloth and said to them, “I have called you here because I want you to collectively paint my portrait. You may use this cloth as your canvas. Once the painting is complete, I will reward you handsomely.”
Thus, they began applying their respective skills. Observing the king seated on his throne, some painted the face, some painted the body, some painted the hands and feet, while others were responsible for coloring, all working together to create the king’s portrait.
However, when they were nearly finished, they realized that the painter skilled in drawing bodies had not arrived at the scene. He had gone on a trip to handle some affairs and was unable to return in time to participate in the collective creation.
As a result, the group had no choice but to work together to paint the body themselves, but no matter how they adjusted it, the composition did not appear harmonious.
Finally, they completed the king’s portrait together.
When the attendants presented the painting to the king, he asked, “Is this a collaborative work created by all of you? Is this the piece you are most satisfied with?”
The painters looked at one another and, with some disappointment, replied, “In fact, this is not a true collective creation. One of our painters was unable to return today and did not participate in painting the portrait. He specializes in drawing bodies, and without his contribution, this painting remains imperfect!”
