Viz., #008

VIZ.,

Art, adventures and inquiries into transcendence

#008 March 2019

Welcome to this issue of VIZ.,

Well come to the eighth issue of VIZ.,
I am grateful to have 188 readers and hope this issue will add value to your thought life.

Some recent news:
I just started studying! Im doing a three year bachelor of youth development in at Weltec in Porirua.

Im making art on canvas and on paper.

Im waking up early and chanting the Maha Mantra which has been very sweet.

I've reached almost 1000 photos on my flickr. These are mostly the photos I have taken in the last couple of months since I took up photography.

In this issue I have included some of the recent photos I have taken and written a short paragraph for your reflection.

Love and respect,

Josh/ Muchukunda das

Above: A seal at Red Rocks, Wellington

Play this as the soundtrack to this issue of VIZ.,

On the spiritual path I am traversing I hear often that Bhakti is a two track thing. There is the track of transforming and there is the track of assisting others in their transformation.

Both have to be there to fully realise the mood of devotion.

Photo: A broken down train sitting between Waikenae and Peka Peka

Ascension.
We all care so much about the idea of going upward and dread the thought of going down. But what is our reference point of up and down? How do we know we arent upside down?
After-all we are products of a society that is completely focused on goals that dont satisfy anyone and destroy the planet. Is our ascension really ascension or are we plunging downward into a place thats opposite to what we actually want?

Photo: Rama climbing the hill at red rocks.

graffiti is so much more than drawing on walls. Its the finding of places that are not used for shiny advertisments, Personailties who like art, outdoors, competition, fame and commeradery can combine all their loves by locating such spaces and leaving their art there.

Photo: Yours truly painting in an abandoned bunker.
Taken by Rama

Rather than doing it in the safety of their own home they choose to do it like the big companies do by putting their art infront of people in a big unsolicited way. The bigger and more unsolicited (and risky) the more adreniline and attention.

Photo: A krsna piece on ghuznee street Wellington

Live painting demo by God Himself.
I got to watch it from one of the best seats in town.

Photo: Sunset over wellginton from a rooftop

Bhakti Lounge
During my work with Amnesty International I met many travellers who were not qualified to sign up. I asked if they had been to Bhakti Lounge yet to which they asked all about it and took down the address.
It felt awesome sharing with people an oppurtunity to come into contact with a spiritual atmosphere.

Photo: 164 Vivian street

Lotuses grow from filth but remain pure.

Photo: The old Hospital in Newtown being demolished.

An adventure
Hill bombing for Krishna

Photo: Rama rocking a dhoti skating.

Sri Jiva eating a banana.

Photo: Sri Jiva eating a banana

So I got caught doing graffiti and was given two options - to clean the owners property or be reported to the police. I rode to Te Horo and swept and scraped pigeon shit off the floor for 6 hours. Then went to Otaki beach and set up a place to sleep.
Got up the next day and spent 6 hours vacuuming pigeon shit and painting.

It was an amazing experience all together in that I was able to reflect on the impact my graffiti had on people. It was not as I intended.
After giving my labour with a positive attitude for two days I asked to sit down and chat.

I asked how they felt when they saw the graffiti and they said unsafe.
My mum reminded me that when I first got caught in 2007 as a young teen the owner of the building I tagged was too scared to meet us.

People view graffiti as criminal activity and people who do it in the same light as any other criminal. We are considered unsafe, agressive, scary and likely to be violent in other ways.

In 2007 I was just getting into a culture I found to be the perfect outlet for my self expression. I had found a community of people who accept me, appreciate me and respect me for my fearlessness, climbing skills, boldness, my art style, my content. I was an artist getting exposure and that was a thrill. Every tag was like an ad. I had more of a presence than Nike in Nambour, QLD. Everyone knew me. Which meant I wasnt the loser or the skinny and poor kid my bullies made me out to be. I had found an Identity I liked and others acknowledged. I was not stopping any time soon.

Now Krsna has drawn the line. For years I have written and drawn in public and forged an identity. It still gets me liked by others but not the people whos respect I want.
Young people message me on instagram saying how much they dig my work but my friends, community, people whos property I mark, my wife and the council who want to commission me (but cant while Im illegally painting) all dissaprove. So the identity I have worked hard to create in NZ is unsatisfying.

It has always been an alter ego (untrue identity) but whereas before this ego was glorified and now its not. So Im able to detach from it. And see it for what it is. An attempt at fame. Now that Im not pursuing fame I am focusing my energy on other things such as spiritual practice, mental health and relationships. I make art on canvas and paper and take photos on rooftops rather than painting up there.

Photo: Me building a place to sleep for the night.

Exploring underground has been a hobby of mine since 2008.
I use to explore stormwater drains in Brisbane with Zodiak and paint.
Since then I have had a knack for finding ways to get underground. Wellington has proved a lot harder than Brisbane and Melbourne. I got in touch with Urbex NZ and they took me down some drains.

Theres something about being in a space where no one is that appeals to me.
Its free from the rules of society. Being there its self is against the rules.
The concerns about appearance don't exist. Its simply about marvelling the discovery you make with each step and the light coming from your head torch.

I was reflecting that Kirtan chanting is similar in the sense we are all very ignorent of the spiritual reality and by chanting we light it up and see it as we make gradual progress. the torch is our sincerity and vigilant practice.

Photo: Me climbing an underground stair way.

Define sucks: Something that dissapoints.
Everything sucks because everything loses its flavour after a short while.
In the material world you wont find anything thats perfectly enjoyable al the time.
The law of saturation is at work aswell as so many other laws that prevent pure and perfect joy.

But there is something I have found which is forever pleasurable and only gets juicier. That is the Maha mantra! This mantra is called the Great mantra because it is sufficient to cleanse the heart and reawaken pure and perfect joy. That joy comes from self realisation - the realisation that we are not these bodies or minds but are pure soul, full of bliss and knowledge eternally. As long as we are connected to our source. And that's what this mantra does.

Hare Krsna
Hare Krsna
Krsna Krsna
Hare Hare
Hare Rama
Hare Rama
Rama Rama
Hare Hare

Photo: Roof of the no demolished old hospital.

Expression.
A friend of mine often says "we are going to die soon, might as well dance. Otherwise youll regret it on your death bed"
This man gives it everything on the street. I respect that.

One of the only times I felt truely fearless was leading Harinam on the Gold Coast in Australia. It was just a few of us and I was relishing the mantra and the fact that the others were too. I saw a block of flats and people on the balconies. I stopped and chanted there acknowledging them and internally chanting just for their benefit.

I felt I was being bold for Krsna and He was pleased. That thought that He was pleased produced the best experience I have ever had. And part of that experience was the absence of fear which I realised is extremely rare. We live in a chronic state of fear even if its just about how our sun glasses look or dont look.

Photo: Legend Busker on Willis street

Bal Gopal rapidly moving with the river chanting Hare Krsna

For every person willing to pose theres some one who wants nothing to do with my photography exploits.

Photo: Two people getting on the bus on Waitangi day

Ananda Candra Devi Dasi
Most humble Lady I have ever met.

K.

Mawuko and I painted this roller door on Cuba street on Saturday last week.
The design was all his idea and He helped colour it!

Photo: Mawuko pretending to be in the two dimensional game.

Invitation

Watch this video:

ONE body - ONE life - ONE opportunity? | Devamrita Swami

Thank you!

Thanks for reading my zine

Hope this meets you well

Love and respect,

Muchukunda das

Share your thoughts with me!