Tan Hiep - Hoc Mon - Ho Chi Minh
Thursday, 06/08/2023
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The art of flower arrangement
Update: 25/04/2014
Flower arrangement is a tasteful combination of one or many\r\nkinds of flowers. The innovative idea is just a stylization of the original\r\nsuch as arrangement in a star shape, a heart shape, a waterfall, etc, which\r\nrequires a skillful hand, a passionate heart and a nature-loving soul to be\r\nblended in order to create a soulful, magnificent work of art. Art is beauty\r\nand ingenuity. In general, the art of flower arrangement is literally a lively\r\nand flexible combination of ideas, flowers and the appropriate\r\ncontext to make beautiful, meaningful and suitable aesthetic values for people\r\nto enjoy.
Figuratively, in my opinion, flower arrangement is an art of\r\nlife. In everyday’s life relationships, if we manage to properly understand the\r\nmentality of other people and cleverly behave towards them, we can create\r\ntolerance, goodness, love. In contrast, beautiful flowers that are not\r\ncorrectly arranged or misplaced cannot fully unleash their beauty, or, as\r\npeople often joke, "offend flowers". The disagreement, lack of\r\nempathy and sharing will make a stuffy, uncomfortable atmosphere for anyone who\r\nworks and lives together, which is a terrible thing that can keep us prowling\r\naround in a dark circle. Whether you are a flower arranger or admirer, the\r\ntruth will open a way out for you and your daily life will become as beautiful\r\nas the flowers.
You should start with trimming the flowers, anything\r\nwithered that needs to be left out because it decreases the aesthetic values.\r\nIt is the same as that of our life. A noble soul, a great personality, a peaceful\r\ngesture cannot shine with dust. Trimming is cutting off greed, jealousy,\r\ndelusion; the soul of flowers is similar to yours. If one arranges flowers\r\nwhile filled with anger and frustration, the flowers will be adversely\r\naffected, too. That demonstrates depression and confusion always brings bad\r\nconsequences. What a wonderful, happy feeling I have that I can make a\r\nnice bouquet to offer to Buddha with a gentle, disengaged soul!
The combination creates flower bouquets. Looking at these\r\nbouquets, we can easily associate them with the law of causal condition,\r\nimpermanence and selflessness; the image of mixed bouquet of fresh flowers\r\nblended with fresh green leaves looks cheerful and lovely. It teaches us a\r\nlesson about life of love, unity and harmony. Anyone of us is similar to a part\r\nof the leaf, or of the flower. It is like the calmness; jubilation and\r\nhappiness that help us get closer to the good and the beauty. Flowers are\r\ninanimate objects; yet they can make life beautiful then we humans have no\r\nreason for not living a meaningful life. Let us respect, protect and cherish\r\nthe life of all creatures, as we would do to ours. Let us be grateful to them,\r\nbecause thanks to the flowers, the trees, and the birds ..., life becomes more\r\nbeautiful. That combination manifests the law of predestined affinity. The fact\r\nis that flowers without water or flower vases without flowers are nonsense.\r\nThat combination consists of water, foam rubber, flowers, scissors, skillful\r\nhands, etc. The image of flowers is associated with that of the\r\ngardeners, soil, sunshine, rain, morning dew and all species blended.\r\nEverything around us is changing in every moment and the mood of flower\r\narrangers therefore flutter along with the change of time. Just like the broken\r\nsilence, I realized flowers have inherently existed for a long time and that\r\nthey bloom or wither does not matter. That confusion was probably due to\r\nafflictions. In the dark circle, the notions of life and death rotate\r\ncontinuously leaving lingering stains on the pure petals. There will be light\r\nilluminating the place of the supreme being so that we can recognize our\r\nprivate self, the selflessness that make us see not only our own self but also\r\nothers. The flower arrangers can freely let their soul integrate into that\r\nendless space and the flower petals gently float in the wind.
Each kind of flower has its own beauty; all kinds of flowers\r\n create a colorful life. Flowers bloom then wither; people gather\r\nthen separate; however, there is one kind of eternal flower that hose beauty\r\nsurpasses other\r\nkinds. \r\n \r\n(Dhammapada 54)
The scent of flowers
does not travel against the wind,
nor (that of) sandal-wood, or of Tagara and Mallika flowers;\r\n
but the odor of good people travels even against the wind;
a good man pervades every place.
(Translated from Pali by F. Max Muller)
That flower is the heart of kindness and virtue. That kind\r\nof flower truly deserves to be loved, to be enjoyed and cared for everyday so\r\nthat it can bloom and spread all over the human hearts.
Translated by Doan Thanh Truc.