1950 Chevrolet Pickup

“We have a lamp inside of us, the lamp of mindfulness, which we can light anytime. The oil of that lamp is our breathing, our steps, and our peaceful smile. We have to light up that lamp of mindfulness so that light will shine out and the darkness will dissipate and cease. Our practice is to light up the lamp.”
–Thich Nhat Hanh

This quote is from my newest little book called Wrinkles Don’t Hurt – Daily meditations on the joy of aging mindfully. I am loving this book by Ruth Fishel, who also wrote another great one called A Time For Joy.

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2011

1950 Chevrolet Pickup – 3″ x 4″ Watercolor

I am doing all these paintings with buildings in them and the streets are suspiciously empty.  I decided to practice painting vehicles, which I am terrible at.  I wouldn’t mind them so much if they didn’t have tires.  The perspective, shadows, placement, etc, of tires are just bewildering to me, as you can see in this little painting.  The front passenger side tire is in the wrong place somehow.  I like the rest of the truck, I think. 

Thích Nhất Hạnh ( born October 11, 1926) is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who now lives in France.  Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Thích Nhất Hạnh joined a Zen (Vietnamese: Thiền) monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate.  Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name Thích Nhất Hạnh. Thích is an honorary family name used by all Vietnamese monks and nuns, meaning that they are part of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan.  He is often considered the most influential living figure in the lineage of Lâm Tế (Vietnamese Rinzai) Thiền, and perhaps also in Zen Buddhism as a whole.  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.