Heroines with half-open eyes

Heroines with closed roses and those with open roses, both lovely heroines.
The memory of the conflict reflected in their half-eyes is my life itself.

The term 'half-eye' reminds me of the eyes of a statue of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva.

The eyes are neither open nor closed, but rather they look down with downcast eyes and gaze a little ahead as if they see everything, quiet, warm and gentle.

It is an eye that looks outwards (to watch over the suffering and distressed) and inwards (to think about how to help).

The 'half eye' means half looking at the outside world and half looking at the self. It is also an attitude of mind to see through to the essence of things that cannot be seen by the eye, by reducing the amount of information visible to the eye.

The more directly we look at things, the more we are distracted by noise, the more our minds are disturbed, and the more we are lost and doubtful.

This is even more so in a world of information overload.

We can be so distracted by the things in front of us that we miss the truth behind them.

On the other hand, when we close our eyes to escape the real world in front of us, we withdraw into our own world and start bashing ourselves.

It is important to control yourself so as not to be biased in either direction, and to do this, it is necessary to have a half-open eye.

What is built beyond such a mindset is a half-eye world in which your inner and outer worlds are connected.

Ultimately, this is a world in which the distinction between yourself and others, or more specifically between the world of the mind and the world of matter, is eliminated.

It is a world that can be reached by thoroughly observing your own mental and emotional state and looking at the external world through the eyes of your inner vision. Most of what is in someone's mind is also in your own mind.

Every person and thing, including yourself, has a good side and a bad side, back and front, light and shadow.

The challenge I must tackle with my whole life is to cultivate an eye to see calmly the hidden and concealed things that lie behind, without being caught up only in what I can see and without being consumed by self-oriented delusions.

Incidentally, it is said that half-open eyes are good for zazen. Opening the eyes disturbs the mind and closing the eyes causes drowsiness.

I really think that human beings are delicate creatures.

Looking back on the days of conflict I have faced, I drew this artwork that personifies the eye looking out and the eye looking in that coexist within me.

Click here to visit my artwork page.
https://ordinalswallet.com/inscription/c9eb0402bd99608adf82665422fe1b529f4e8d6cd2df4d8fbda974440975817di0