My last painting shows two swastikas meeting. Actually, mating. One is moving to the right and the other to the left. They are shown at the moment when two of their forward-reaching arms touch. One “frame” later, two of their arms would become interlocked. After two frames, their union would form a cross embedded in a square, looking like a window with four square panes. The union represents the end of movement, as well. Much nonsense has been written about left and right swastikas, but my painting shows them together and united. If Bon Buddhism needs a symbol, here it is. And it is tantric to boot.

Addendum I (April 9, 2008)

On the other side of the wooden board I painted the face of an Afghan horseman from one of my many Beluch rugs. Sadly, the marvelous horses are too large for my boards. Given my standard four-by-six grid, a single horse would take at least fifteen boards. At any rate, the horseman’s face is good enough for my purposes. Each of his eyes is very like a window with four square panes. The end of all movement in each of the eyes. The mating swastikas united for true. No less than twice, too.

Addendum II (June 5, 2008)

The face of the Afghan horseman stares at me from the Beluch rug twice a day as I am going through the regular yoga practice on the futon in my bedroom. As a matter of fact, it is me who stares at it while I am perched breathless in the cobra posture, or bhujangasana. Facing it each morning and evening, I am growing fond of that impassive face. And it seems to be growing fond of me, too, I dare to say. Each and every time I go through the yoga postures, the Afghan horseman and I stare at each other without flinching. Without a thought. It is as though the two of us are meant to practice together the cobra posture for years on end. The painting on the livingroom wall only accentuates our camaraderie. Our joint endeavor. And our slow mastery of old yoga.

Addendum III (August 13, 2015)

I was taken aback when I came across the original piece in one of my random searches through my magnum opus. “If Bon Buddhism needs a symbol,” I read, “here it is.” Well, Bon Buddhism does not need a symbol. Period. A bit more than seven years later, I was really surprised by the idea. I could not believe that I offered it, either. At the time, I must have been fascinated with tantric imagery, or yantra. But if Bon Buddhism can be associated with any sort of imagery, my Cave Art Now opus surely qualifies as a whole, for shamanism is at its root. In fact, my paintings cannot be separated from my spiritual development, which bifurcated into Bon Buddhism and Bon Yoga. At any rate, neither of the two is in need of any symbol at all. Perish the thought.