Seeking Meditation, Art, and Freedom
My discussion with Thurain was intense. That’s for sure. We discussed two of his friends being abducted, tortured, and killed and Thurain having to go deep into hiding. He warned that severe violence would soon break out as the country slipped into a violent civil war. He talked about going from a country boy to a successful entrepreneur now managing three separate businesses, who in a heartbeat lost not only his economic standing but his very freedom.
That’s why the excerpt that follows was so profound. When I asked Thurain how he managed to take care of himself during this terrible stress, he surprised me by saying that in addition to vipassana meditation, he painted and composed poetry. In fact, this very artwork attached to this post was painted by Thurain, as a canvas and brushes are the few luxuries he allows himself when on the run.
Thurain speaks powerfully not only to his generation’s desire for freedom and safety, but also to their concern mental and spiritual health as well.
“Vipassana meditation is very important in order to stay focused and stay peaceful in my mind.”
“I love poetry. I compose poems, and I love painting. I love natural mountains and trees, and also sometimes I draw the three fingers. I'm also trying to meditate for some time, and I'm trying to paint. For example, last week, it was very stressful, as we were not safe. I was moving around, I would make appointments and then disappear. Again and again. I was very stressed, so I tried to meditate and write a poem.
I calm down when I paint or write a poem. My poems are about motivation, about the future. You know, we got new friends. And we are hoping we are going to have a better future. This is only temporary, this is not permanent, we have to believe that this is impermanent. But in order to do so, we have to do everything we can. You can hide, but you cannot stop. You can be upset, you can feel sorrow. But you have to stay motivated. You can be afraid of these things – but you cannot afford to lose your hope.
Vipassana meditation is very important for me in order to stay focused and in order to stay peaceful in my mind. It really helped me to calm down on an emotional level. And this is very helpful.”