Forests of Imagination

Buddhism and Colour

talk by Padmayogini/Wendy Le Ber 2007

I have been interested in the use of colour in Buddhism for many years now, perhaps naturally from being an artist, though I also quickly saw the value of using the qualities of colour in my spiritual practise The Buddha was also supposed to descend through the seven colours of the rainbow, which spoke to me symbolically. I’ve looked at Lama Govinda’s work, for this talk, as I have done in the past, he is well worth reading. The Way of the White Clouds if you have a poetic sense and are interested in the old Tibet. I have also drawn from a variety of sources over the years, more recently something about Buddhist flags from the web.

In visualization practises, and practises involving mandalas, the stupa, kasinas, mantric syllables and so on, there are very specific colours prescribed for individual practises. Though these colours may vary in particular instances depending on the specific aim of the ritual or meditation.

It is not easy to actually find out what the desired result of using colour in a particular practise is, (in detailed psychological effect,) though we may know some generalities. For instance many mandalas will have the colour of the dark blue before sunrise, in the east, the starting point of the mandala, followed by the yellow of the sun at noon in the south. The red of the setting sun in the west and the blue green of the moonlit sky in the north. In the centre the integration of all the colours in the colour white.

As Lama Govinda says “the colours of the Dhyani Buddhas and their respective quarters of the mandala express a particular mood and spiritual attitude which-combined with their gestures- give each of them an outspoken character and an easily visualized image. The very colours in which these images appear free them from any conception of materiality and raises them to the level on an intense psychic reality- a reality that is as actual as the mind that experiences them.” I think on this conditioned level of existence there are numerous ways of using colours in spiritual practise according to the systems used and the individuals involved. There will also be aspects that relate to absolute truth and relative truth in Buddhist thought.

Sogyal Rimpoche in glimpses of Abhidharma mentions in connection to visualization practises the fact that

“some of the details of Tantric iconography are developed from Abhidharma. Different colours and feelings of this particular consciousness, that particular emotion, are manifested in a particular deity wearing such and such a costume, of particular colours, holding particular sceptres in his hand. These details are very closely connected with the individualities of particular psychological processes.”

There is also a particular meditation practise known as the Kasina meditation, this is a practise involving looking at coloured circles or circles inside a square. It’s not a common practise, it is described in the Visuddhimagga and in Buddhist Meditation in Theory and practice, by Paravahera Vajinana Mahathera. There are a range of elements and colours: the Earth Device the Water Device, the Fire Device, the Air Device, and the Yellow, Red and White Devices and the Space and the Consciousness devices. The meditator gazes at the Kasina keeping the attitude that in this way I can be released from birth and death, until the image can be retained in the mind. By gazing moderately there is no fatigue for the eyes though the meditator also alternates keeping her eyes open and closed. There will come a point when the counterpart sign arises, which is characterised by looking like “the moon’s disc coming out from behind a cloud” and access concentration has been obtained. There are instructions for extending the sign, working with higher states of consciousness etc.

There is also a practise called the eight spheres of mastery of control the Abhibhayatana, which starts with a series of investigations into internal and external forms. Then one contemplates blue, red, yellow and white seeing the colour in external forms, the colour itself and in appearance, and reflection. Having mastered them thinking, I know, I see, thus one perceives.

We are going to be practising Colour Breathing a bit later this morning, it is the nearest practise I’ve found to those mentioned. The colours used in this practise are related to the Chakra tradition, which is also used in various Buddhist traditions.

We also have the more well known associations of colour with the Five Dhyani Buddhas. Akshobya’s body of blue, Ratnasambhava’s body of yellow, Amitabha’s body of red, Amoghasiddhi’s body of green and Vairochana’s body of white. Visualization practises involving these Buddhas often takes place in a blue sky, with the figures sitting or standing on a white moon mat. They are also often on coloured lotus flowers. So the whole practises are saturated with colours. These figures are also often depicted with coloured Halos or subtle bodies, including rainbow bodies. It is said when a great practitioner dies he attains the rainbow body. So if we practise in this way we can focus on the colours, develop our relationship with the colours, to invigorate our particular practise.

These Buddhas also have other associated elements and symbols, for instance Akshobya whose body is the dark blue before sunrise, is also associated with transforming hatred into mirror like wisdom. He also works with the hell realms and his element is water. You can see perhaps the connection of the colour blue with water and the reflective nature of water, like a mirror.

If we want to form a stronger connection to one of the Buddhas we can do so by working with their associated colour. We can choose for instance to surround ourselves with the colour blue, particularly the deep rich blue that moves into light at daybreak, if we have chosen Akshobya. We can use poetry or words to describe our thoughts and connections and we could build up a file containing images and colours. We could make collages, (there are the materials here for you to do that if you’d like to today.) We could make up a board that we keep for reflection or meditation times.

What we are doing is making our own personal connections stronger through the use of colour, colour having this ability to move us emotionally, to include a heart response, if you like to our chosen practise.

One of the other interesting areas I came across recently, was some information about Buddhist Flags. They are here for you to look at. I think I was drawn to the possible uses of making appropriate flags and flying them some where. We could make our own flags with personal meaning. I particularly liked the example of a very recent flag made by the 16th Karmapa, He explained something about it. “at the level of relative truth, the blue sky (heaven) symbolizing spiritual insight and vision, and the yellow is the earth, the actual world of our everyday experience. The symmetry of the wave pattern shows how we come to understand their interdependence when we practise the dharma. As a reminder of absolute truth, the blue symbolizes the wisdom, or emptiness aspect of awakened being, while the yellow stands for the compassion aspect. The wavy intermingling of the two colours represents their inseparability. The interdependence shown in the flag can also be seen as the wisdom of Mahamudra, the ultimate realization of ones true nature.

So just a few examples to give you an indication of colour in Buddhism. I will be adding more as I carry on researching the area.