DARSHAN OF THE MOORTI

JESUS OF MADRID

There is a practice in India of making a statue, or an image of a deity or an enlightened being, in which the art object itself is imbued with the “living presence” of that deity or being. They call this work a MOORTI. Often in holy places that commemorate this sacred figure, the MOORTI is placed within a temple or public area where people can come and receive the blessings of its DIVINE PRESENCE. This is sometimes viewed in the West as “idol worship”, but it is not at all that way.

The only “idol” is our separated “ego”, and the MOORTI is designed to release us from our ego of separation and isolation we feel, and put us into an awareness of our oneness with creation, our wholeness and HOLINESS. It makes us feel Happy.

Even in Mexico City there is a church that houses Our Lady of Guadalupe. In various churches in Europe people travel thousands of miles to see a statue of the Virgin Mary. I myself traveled to Colmar, France, to view the Isenheim Altarpiece, by the painter Mathias Grunewald.  He painted one of the best images of the Resurrected Christ ever done. The point I am making is that even in the West we have MOORTI’s, from which people derive authentic spiritual edification. They are certainly not dead objects of “idol worship”.

In India we learn so much spiritual wisdom. When you have a vision of the holy being, alive or in the form of a depicting art work, this is called a DARSHAN. To have this vision is considered one of the highest actions of Life. People in India stand in lines of thousands to receive the DARSHAN of the Holy Master. The modern day saint Amritanadamayi, or, Ammachi, often blesses thousands of devoted pilgrims in one sitting on a daily basis. They come come to receive this holy blessing of DARSHAN.

I paint these pictures of Jesus, Babaji or the Divine Mother to have the LIVING PRESENCE of the HOLY MASTER. This one I just finished for the New Year. “JESUS of 2015” is a MOORTI. May you enjoy the DARSHAN you receive from it.

—MARKUS RAY

The painting is 73CM X 100CM (29 IN. X 39 IN.), Acrylic on Canvas, BIDS START at $2500 + Crating and Shipping from MADRID, SPAIN.

EMAIL BIDS to immortalrayproductions@gmail.com

“JESUS OF MADRID”