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The Beauty of Emptiness, The Beauty of Blank Space

The Beauty of Empty Space: Why Korean Artists Chose to Leave Things Unfinished Why didn't Korean artists fill the empty space? When you see a Korean painting, a moon jar, or a traditional garden, you may think something is missing. But in Korea, what is left empty is often more important than what is filled. The beauty of empty space isn't simply minimalism. It reflects a historical experience. After political violence forced many scholars to withdraw from public life, they came to value restraint over display. That philosophy eventually appeared as blank paper in paintings, an imperfect seam on a moon jar, and open space in Korean gardens.  Because they believed empty space allows imagination, nature, and the viewer to complete the artwork. Sometimes what is left unsaid carries more meaning than what is fully explained. ------------------------------------------ The Political Root — Why Scholars Started Valuing "Leaving Things Out" Joseon Dynasty Korea (1392–1897) ra...

Buddhism terms

The past is already gone, and the present keeps passing and changing moment by moment. The future hasn't come yet. 

Because the moment you call it yours, it's already slipped into the past. so don't cling to the past, don't cling to the present , and don't cling to the future.  Just think about, in changing situations, where you'll go in this very moment, and how you'll move forward. 

과거는 이미 지나갔고 , 현재는 지금 이 순간 계속 지나가고 변하고 있다. 내것이라고 말하는 순간 이미 과거가 돼버리기 때문이다.  그러니까 과거에 집착하지 말고, 현재에도 집착하지 말고, 미래에도 집착하지 말라. 다만 변하는 상황에서 지금 이 순간 내가 어디로갈지, 그리고 어떻게 전환해 나갈지를 생각하라. 


Because nothing has a fixed, unchanging essence, everything around me is simply passing by. 

 ✔️108번뇌 

✔️불교이야기 

✔️팔상도 

✔️팔정도 

심우도

불교 사물

연등회 

불교문양 해석 : 만(卍)자 나치 문양 하켄크로이츠 어떻게 다른가?

풍경 물고기 모양 왜? 




✔️사천왕상 

✔️불교 수용시기 

✔️인도불교 탄생 배경 

고행 - asceticism 

수행자- a practitioner  (*Siddharta realized that asceticism was not the proper path to enlightenment )

제자들 - Many disciples. 

집착- Attachment.

어떻게 집착에서 벗어날수 있는가?  How can one break free from obsession?

사치와 향락 Luxury and Indulgence.

고통 - All suffering.

내면의 고민 - In a conflict.

해탈 - Release from the Cycle of Rebirth 

열반 -nirvana

윤회 - rebirth  

중생- sentient being ( any living beings that can feel or experience suffering. : 고통을 느끼거나 경험할수 있는 모든 생명체) 

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