Explore Heaven’s Art Gallery through the vibrant paintings, “Mangosteen,” “Hsihu Sunset,” and “Retreat” by Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan). These works were created during a peaceful period at Hsihu Ashram, reflecting serenity, simplicity, and a deep connection with nature.
Great paintings are treasured throughout the world. Each brushstroke can reflect history, culture, emotion, and even blessings, enriching our understanding of the past, present, and future. As a world-renowned spiritual teacher and artist, Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) uplifts humanity not only through Her spiritual teachings but also through Her extraordinary artistic creations.
Today, we’ll take a journey through Heaven’s Art Gallery, featuring works by Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan). Her paintings beautifully reflect Heaven’s splendor, bringing blessings to our world and offering glimpses of the higher realms. Through Her art, we’re reminded of the divine beauty and spirituality within every being, as well as the magnificence of our Heavenly abode.
Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) is not a professionally trained painter. However, Her artistic talents flow from the universe's unlimited wisdom. As Master has explained, Her artworks are manifestations of higher realms, offering viewers glimpses of Divine beauty and spiritual inspiration.
Master: And perhaps, when passing by my painting for a moment, the onlooker might remember his own spark of spirituality within. That’s just the aura that the painting or my art creation carries. But we must remember that this kind of celestial art is still only a copy of the real celestial creation of the Heavenly abode.
F1: These works of art transcend the widely perceived values of portraying the artist’s demeanor. The creativity in Her paintings evokes the pristine beauty in our soul and engraves our heart with the message of vegan living, a lifestyle for peace.
F2: […] Since the start of the pandemic last year, Master has been sincerely asking Bodhisattvas (saints) from different realms to come to this world to bless and awaken humankind to be vegans. I invited important guests to eat in my home and asked Master to bless the food and give them courage to stop eating meat. Because of Master’s great power, three of them became vegans, and two got initiated before the age of 65. They are very grateful to Master. They said they saw the replica prints of Master’s paintings glowing with Light, and also saw their living rooms were filled with Light when Supreme Master Television was playing. After initiation, they also had experiences that their relatives truly went to higher realms. They cried because they were so happy. […]
Today, let us embark on a spiritual journey through heavenly beauty as we experience and appreciate the purity and elegance of Master’s monastic life. We often imagine monastic life centered mainly on meditation, chanting scriptures, and spiritual practice. Yet through Master’s paintings, we can also discover a daily life filled with tranquility, elegance, and poetic beauty.
Between September and December 1990, Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) created many paintings, including “Mangosteen,” “Hsihu Sunset,” and “Retreat.” These works offer us a glimpse into a peaceful, relatively unhurried period in Her life at Hsihu Ashram.
Let’s begin with “Mangosteen,” a still-life oil painting created by Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) at Hsihu Ashram. The story behind this painting offers a warm glimpse into Master’s artistic life during this special period.
One evening, the Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) joyfully came down the hill to join the group meditation. However, the special topic of this gathering was the appreciation of a still-life oil painting that She had just finished. Master even placed a mangosteen next to the painting for us to compare. The painting's refreshing, vivid, bright colors convey a comfortable, homey feeling. By looking at it carefully, one gets the feeling that the painted mangosteens are even more vivid and lifelike than real ones.
The artist’s use of color and the painting’s composition are both superb. The red bursts with energy, while the whole work evokes a sense of comfort and coziness.
Upon closer inspection, the composition reveals many charming details. A cut mangosteen displays its deep purplish-brown skin and bright white flesh, while another opened fruit reveals rich purplish-red tones. Two unopened mangosteens rest quietly on a gray-green table, surrounded by the warm colors of the interior. Beyond the small window, lush greenery and a tent bathed in sunlight suggest a peaceful setting for meditation and quiet contemplation.
Rather than merely reproducing the fruit’s appearance, “Mangosteen” captures the beauty and serenity of an ordinary moment. Through its expressive colors, simple composition, and relaxed atmosphere, the painting evokes a sense of inner peace and appreciation for the quiet beauty of daily living.
Let’s continue our journey through Master’s artistic world with “Retreat,” a painting created by Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) during Her time at Hsihu Ashram. Deep in the woods, a dark-green tent rests quietly amid lush greenery, accessible via a lightly trodden path that leads into this secluded setting.
Blending almost seamlessly into its natural surroundings, the tent offers a quiet, sheltered space for meditation and contemplation. The scene evokes a profound sense of stillness, as if the entire forest were sharing in the peaceful spirit of retreat.
Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) created this painting during a retreat at Hsihu Ashram in Miaoli, Formosa. In the painting, the trees grow densely together. Although the colors may appear simple at first glance, Master actually combined ten different colors to create the hues we see. Master said, “After seeing this painting, does anyone feel like going on retreat? The forest is so beautiful! So bright and colorful.” Beyond conveying the peaceful atmosphere of a retreat, the painting also expresses the abundant vitality of the trees’ and foliage. It reflects the artist’s keen sensitivity to the presence of other beings and the boundless joy arising from an inner sense of oneness with all creation.
The harmonious blend of yellow, yellow-green, grass green, blue-green, dark green, yellow-brown, and green-brown subtly conveys the richness of the forest environment. In this vibrant natural setting, the secluded tent becomes a symbol of simplicity, peace, and spiritual practice.
The painting reminds us that a truly precious place is defined not by luxury but by whether it allows us to turn inward, meditate peacefully, and deepen our spiritual practice. Surrounded by nature, even the simplest retreat can become a sanctuary for inner awakening.
From the quiet sanctuary of “Retreat,” let’s now turn our gaze to the radiant beauty of “Hsihu Sunset,” a work that captures the fleeting splendor of evening in the mountains.
One evening at sunset, Supreme Master Ching Hai suddenly felt a surge of inspiration and set up an easel on the balcony in front of the greenhouse. Facing the setting sun, Master freely applied a few spontaneous brushstrokes, and soon the rolling mountains and glowing colors of dusk came alive on the canvas. In less than five minutes, night had already fallen. Master put down Her brush, leaving the painting unfinished at the time. Delighted, She invited the resident disciples and fellow initiates to come and admire the sunset scene in the painting. Filled with surprise and admiration, everyone was momentarily at a loss for words to describe the beautiful sight before them. It was not until a later meditation retreat in Pingtung that Master finally completed the painting.
“Hsihu Sunset” offers a distinctive bird’s-eye view of the mountainous landscape around Hsihu. A straight mountain road cuts through the green peaks, and traces of exposed rock appear along the carved slopes. Mountains, rocks, and trees are rendered in delicate layers of green, while the pale-gray road quietly guides the eye through the landscape.
Yet the true focus of the painting is the radiant evening sky. Orange, red, pink, and golden clouds glow above the rolling mountains, while a band of light blue lingers near the horizon. Even as gray clouds signal the approaching night, the luminous colors of sunset continue to fill the scene with warmth and wonder.
Master has spoken about how divine grace can sometimes be revealed in the clouds and sky. In “Hsihu Sunset,” the colors shining above the mountains invite us to pause before the beauty of creation and feel a quiet connection with Heaven.
