Painting Enlightenment: Healing Visions of the Heart Sutra

“Iwasaki Tsuneo’s stunningly beautiful paintings of life and the universe, rendered with lines of masterful miniature calligraphy of the Heart Sutra, reveal an infinite potential of dynamic interaction between scientific findings and the timeless wisdom of Buddhist teaching.”

“Iwasaki’s luminous calligraphies, set in striking paintings both traditional and contemporary, are a remarkable gift to meditators, Buddhists, artists, and scientists of the contemporary age. Given the universal appeal of the Heart Sutra and its calligraphy, this book is destined to become a treasure returned to again and again for its inspiration and sheer beauty.”

“Japanese calligrapher and painter Iwasaki Tsuneo reveals to us a wondrous universe suffused with the light of the Buddha’s enlightenment experience. He does so by embedding the characters of the Heart Sutra, a famous Mahayana scriptural text, in depictions of the macrocosmic Big Bang scene, of the microcosmic double helix in the DNA molecule structure, as well as of ordinary landscapes and natural scenery. Paula Arai’s magnificent book lays out the visual imagery and provides a delightfully written and highly insightful guide to Iwasaki’s art. This is a breathtaking glimpse of our intimately interconnected universe.”

“We are so fortunate to have the chance to see the truly awe-inspiring paintings of Iwasaki Tsuneo expressing the wisdom and compassion of the Heart Sutra. Each painting meets the viewer with images that unfold the teachings in a deeply moving and healing way. Dr. Paula Arai demonstrates incredible devotion to the artist and to seeing that his vision and work be shared as a beneficial force in the world.”