mosaic
Tiles of carnelian, lapis, and jade,
The muralist sees his picture
One centimeter at a time.
Every piece alone is precious;
Together they make a priceless whole.
Not far from where I grew up, there was a muralist
whose specialty was mosaic. He accepted commissions from all over the world
and also collaborated with a number of famous artists on their murals and
sculptures. He had bins and buckets full of all sorts of fascinating tiles.
Some were red, blue, and yellow glass. Others were elaborately glazed ceramic.
A few were tones like lapis, turquoise, malachite, and obsidian. Some were
even mirrored with god and silver, and these would shine out first whenever
he would wash away the grout.
God may be in the details, but it is also important
to know the big picture.
That is where the muralist is such a great example.
He knew what the big picture had to be, and yet he had enough concentration
to piece together enormous tableaus out of tiny square centimeters. That
is knowing both the small and the big. Follow his example and you will
never be petty; yet you will not lose sight of the relationship between
the microcosmic and the macrocosmic.
mosaic
365 Tao
Deng Ming-Dao
Daily Meditation
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