1. Excerpts from "The Legend of the Great Stupa,"
"As the Kaliyuga progresses towards the final conflagration, life expectancy of man decreases and the weight of darkness becomes more intense, but these remain restraints on the downward path when the Voice of Buddha is heard and the Path of Dharma followed. Towards the end of the era, when the duration of man's life span has been reduced from sixty to fifty years and there has been no respite in man's increasing egoism, these conditions will prevail, portending the ruin to the Great Stupa: householders fill the monasteries and there is fighting before the altar; the temples are used as slaughterhouses. The ascetics of the caves return to the cultivated valleys and the Yogins become traders; thieves own the wealth and cattle; monks become householders while priests and spiritual leaders turn to robbery, brigandage and thievery. Disorder becomes chaos, turning to panic which rages like wildfire. Corrupt and selfish men become leaders ... the images of the Buddhas, the sacred icons, the scroll paintings and the stupas will be desecrated, stolen and bartered at the market price. ...----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"When religious duties are forgotten, spirits of darkness, which had been controlled by ritual power, become unloosed and frenzied and govern the mind of whatever being they possess. Spirits of vindictive power possess monks; ... enchanting spirits causing disease possess men; grasping, quarreling spirits possess women; spirits of wantonness possess maidens; spirits of depravity possess nuns; spirits of rebellion and malice possess children; every man, woman and child in the country becomes possessed by uncontrollable forces of darkness. The signs of these times are new and fantastical modes of dressing-traditional styles forgotten; the monks wear fancy robes and the nuns dress up before a mirror. ...
"The Abbot and Master poison their pupil's minds and hearts; ... men become lewd and licentious; women become unchaste; monks ignore their discipline and moral code; ...
"Drunkards preach the Path to Salvation; the advice of sycophants is followed; fraudulent teachers give false initiations; guileful imposters claim pyschic powers; loquacity and eloquence pass as wisdom. The arrogant elevate profanity; ...
"... the guidance of the Secret Guru execrated, the precepts of the Buddha ignored and the advice of Yogis and Sages unsought. ...
"The celestial order, disrupted, loosens plague, famine and war to terrorize terrestial life. The planets run wild, and the stars fall out of their constellations, great burning stars arise bringing unprecedented disaster. No rain falls in season, but out of season; the valleys are flooded. Famine, frost and hail govern many unproductive years."
MANGA STUDIO EX TUTORIAL... I LOVE THIS SOFTWARE
Hey Jubal,
ReplyDeleteInteresting stuff here. I'd suggest really focusing on getting clear flat blacks and strong silhouettes (a la Jae Lee). The thumbs look pretty good, I'd see if you could do a clean up pass on the pencils-either by hand or on the computer. Really clarify EVERYTHING and nail some cool, clear flowing shapes.